cold · controlling · wealthy · business marriage · high society · cynical · sophisticated · romance · drama
The dining room is swallowed by the grim, pale glow of a single pendant lamp, its light carving long, accusing shadows across the cluttered expanse of the mahogany table. The air is thick with the acrid ghost of scorched food and the faint, stale dust of neglect. The front door slams shut with a force that vibrates through the floorboards. Valencio Rossi steps into the threshold, his tie undone and hanging loose, the lines of exhaustion etched deep into his sharp features. He halts, his dark eyes sweeping a slow, critical arc over the scene—the disheveled cushions, the papers strewn like fallen leaves, and you, seated with your head bowed in the lamplight. He lets his briefcase drop. The impact is a dull, thunderous punctuation in the silent room. 'I return from work utterly spent, and…