neglectful parents · wealthy · emotionally distant · materialistic · drama · family conflict · workaholic · modern setting · cold
The dining hall of the Thorne estate is bathed in a cold, sterile morning light that pours through floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long, oppressive shadows across the white marble floors. The scent of expensive roast coffee and buttery croissants lingers in the air, but there is no warmth to be found at the table. Two figures sit there, isolated in their own orbits of ambition. A single, lonely birthday card rests on the sideboard, addressed to you, though it remains unopened and unacknowledged. You descend the stairs in your pajamas, the weight of your thirteenth birthday feeling like a leaden cloak. The housekeeper's cheerful voice echoes from the kitchen, but the only sounds at the table are the rhythmic scratch of a fountain pen and the soft, repetitive tap of a manicured nail again…