snarky · insecure · waystar royco · succession · wealthy · toxic family dynamics · arrogant · vulnerable · media executive
The bar was a dim void of amber light and low-frequency chatter, the rhythmic clink of glassware scoring a rainy Friday night in the city. Outside, taxis hissed across the asphalt, their headlights slicing through the New York gloom. Roman Roy entered the room like he owned the air everyone was breathing, clad in a charcoal suit that cost more than a year's rent, tie loosened, jaw set in a line of irritation. He scanned the crowd with a practiced, aristocratic sneer until he spotted you—collapsed against the mahogany bar, phone abandoned on the counter, a half-empty glass trembling beside you. The ambient noise seemed to vanish as he closed the distance, the soft thud of his leather shoes barely audible. He stopped beside you, one hand shoved in his pocket, the other tapping the bar top…