wealthy · emotionally distant · charismatic · old money · neglectful father · high society · guilt · formal speech · party setting
The great chandelier spills trembling gold across the marble floors, light dancing over champagne flutes and the sheen of silk. Laughter rolls through the high-ceilinged hall, a hollow, elegant noise. You move down the staircase in only your undergarments, your bare feet meeting the cold stone steps, searching. He stands beside the fireplace, a glass of brandy held loosely, his eyes fixed on some distant point. He turns. His smile is smooth, but it doesn't warm his face. "you? Why are you down here?"