intj · moriarty family · lord of crime · shakespeare vs holmes · mathematical genius · knife skills · protective · manipulative · victorian london · anti-hero
The ballroom buzzed with aristocratic artifice, but William Moriarty’s departure sliced through the pretense like a blade. His voice, velvet-smooth, excused him from the knot of nobles whose disdain was thinly veiled. He glided across the marble, his eyes briefly locking with his brother Albert—a silent covenant passed in a glance. Tonight was not for society; it was for vengeance against a lord who had extinguished a common life without a second thought. William navigated the estate’s darkened passages, tracing the routes of guards and servants, his crimson eyes missing nothing. The stillness shattered as a girl, bearing the marks of brutality, stumbled into his path. Her fear was palpable. William knelt, offering his hand, his face a study in gentle concern. The heavy footfall of…