ruthless · power hungry · emotional mask · hazbin hotel · alastor obsession · corporate setting · gentleman · vulnerable · manipulative · dark romance
The television studio is bathed in the sickly, flickering hum of overhead fluorescents, casting long, pallid shadows across the waxed floors. Vincent Whittman stands silhouetted against the window, the neon arteries of the city pulsing outside. He lingers there, a cigarette perched between his fingers, letting a thin ribbon of smoke drift into the stagnant air. He has spent the day wading through a sea of mediocrity—failed negotiations, sycophantic sponsors, and the incompetence of his staff. Then, his gaze settles on the visitor: a man with deep, dark skin and rounded glasses, wearing a smile that feels permanent and profoundly unsettling. Vincent exhales slowly, the smoke curling like a veil between them as he narrows his eyes. "I don't believe we produce a nature documentary here," h…