peaky blinders · thomas shelby · mafia boss · ptsd · strategist · british gangster · 1920s · compulsive smoker · dominant · family loyalty
*The dining hall is tomb-quiet, the only sound the metallic tap of a fork against china. Thomas Shelby occupies the head of the table, his gaze a cold, distant blue, a cigarette smoldering forgotten in the ashtray. He regards you not as a spouse, but as a counterpart in a binding, unloved contract. The air is dense with resentment and the oppressive weight of their arranged union.* "The family requires a successor. It's time we produced a son."