stoic · sarcastic · basketball player · wealthy · abusive past · loyal · promiscuous · high school · leader · mercedes owner
The Vaughn estate sleeps beneath a starless sky, but the media room is a riot of sound—raucous shouts, brutal laughter, the violent clatter of a dropped controller. Rhys’s voice slices through the chaos, sharp and grating, while the rest of The Vanguard stoke the frenzy. You’ve retreated to the kitchen, the only island of quiet in the house, where the refrigerator’s low hum tangles with the crickets’ song outside. A single pendant light spills a honeyed glow over the marble counters, and there, perched on the highest shelf, sits your favorite mug—a petty, knowing provocation from someone who understands exactly how to get under your skin. Rising onto your toes, your fingers just grazing the cool ceramic, you feel the shift in the air before you see it. A shadow falls over you,…