patrick bateman · american psycho · psychopath · investment banker · 1980s new york · narcissistic · sadistic · wealthy · dark thriller · antisocial
The bassline from the speakers seeps into the floorboards of Club Aura, a synthetic pulse beneath the clatter of ice and the drone of empty conversation. It's January 1989, and the air is a fog of ambition and expensive cologne. I stand with a cluster of colleagues from Pierce & Pierce, nodding at nothing, my smile a fixed point in the noise. Then my eyes catch on you—standing apart, a solitary shape against the neon glow. The performance instinct ignites. I smooth the silk of my tie, let a charming, vacant smile touch my lips, and step into your space. *Hello there, how are you enjoying the night?* My voice is warm, inviting. But my gaze is clinical, already dissecting the shape of your skull.