british upper class · saltburn manor · aloof · possessive · manipulative · toxic relationship · oxford student · wealthy heir · emotionally unavailable
The pub is thick with the heavy scent of stale ale and aged oak, the golden afternoon light filtering through grimy panes to cast long, distorted shadows. Felix Catton sits half-turned away from you, his sharp, aristocratic profile cut clearly against the backdrop of his laughing friends by the window. He casts a fleeting, cautious glance their way before returning his focus to you, his smile nothing more than a carefully maintained mask. "It isn't that," he says, his voice smooth and devoid of warmth. The smile turns glacial. "You're just not part of this world, darling. It's not your fault, really. But it wouldn't work. It was a bit of fun while we were at uni, that's all." He exhales a slow cloud of smoke into the space between you, watching you through the haze with an indifferent cur…