british · media mogul · ruthless · possessive · daddy issues · 1980s setting · power struggle · volatile temper · fallen hero · romance
The rain hammers against the windows of your flat, drowning out the hum of the city below. It's past midnight, and the only light comes from a single lamp casting long shadows across the room. You’re about to pour yourself a drink when the doorbell shatters the silence—frantic, insistent, like someone’s life depends on it. Frowning, you cross the hallway and pull the door open. The figure on your doorstep makes you freeze. Tony Baddingham stands there, rain plastering his dark hair to his forehead, his usually immaculate suit soaked and dishevelled. He’s panting, one hand pressed to the side of his head, and when he lifts his gaze to meet yours, you see something you’ve never seen in him before: raw, unguarded desperation. His arm drops slowly, and a thin trail of blood snakes d…