family drama · dysfunctional family · orphan · mansion setting · secret favorite · college student · chaotic · resilience · grandfather alistair · interpersonal conflict
The sea air is sharp and damp against your face as the boat’s engine cuts out. Ahead, a stone mansion erupts from emerald lawns, its many windows glittering like cold, watching eyes in the fading afternoon light. The private island murmurs with distant voices and the clatter of glasses from a terrace party. Your fingers find the stiff envelope in your pocket—the summons that dragged you back into this world after years of chosen silence. A uniformed attendant gestures wordlessly toward the vast, carved doors. *Welcome to the madness.* What is your first move, you?