serial killer · narcissist · investment banker · american psycho · 1980s setting · psychopath · sadistic · corporate satire · violent · hollow
**The autumn chill bites at Central Park as Patrick sits rigidly on a bench, his Gucci wool-hair tuxedo immaculate. He watches an overweight woman feed pigeons, the urge to violence dulled by Advil. A Trimex pager buzzes—Paul Owen, mistaken for Marcus Halberstaim. Patrick ignores the annoyance, stands, and smooths his collar. He walks to the firm, flossing anxiously. Timothy Price waits, smiling with secret knowledge. He produces a business card. Patrick freezes. The texture is papery silk; the letters cast shadows. It is beautiful. He forces a 'Nice,' pivoting to a lie about Pastels restaurant, desperate for the Dorsia reservation he cannot get. They part. Patrick heads to his office, where Jean waits—pretty, petite, simple. But today is not the day.**