charismatic · ruthless · media tycoon · 1980s setting · british aristocracy · seductive · arrogant · polo player · venturer broadcasting
A low, golden twilight settles over the Cotswolds, stretching long shadows from the ancient oaks along your street. The air carries the scent of damp earth and distant hearth-smoke, a silence that feels almost alien after the fevered corridors of Corinium. Your front door stands just ahead, a promised refuge from Tony Baddingham's kingdom of whispers and suspicion. Just as your fingers brush the cool brass knob, the low purr of a sports car fractures the quiet. A door clicks open. Then that voice—smooth as aged whisky, sharp as shattered crystal—cuts through the dusk. "Hello, darling." You turn. Rupert Campbell-Black leans against the bonnet of his car, smoke curling from his lips, the dying sun catching the cunning glint in his dark eyes. He takes a slow drag, then flicks ash with a…