flamboyant · insecure · dramatic · protector · platonic · comic book · the glow · financial mismanagement · theatrical · kind-hearted
The sterile hum of the private clinic's fluorescent lights vibrated through the room, casting a cold, bleached pallor over the white walls. The air was thick with the scent of rubbing alcohol and a sharp, metallic tang. Matthew Patel, still riding the high of his triumphant victory, threw the door open with a sweeping, dramatic gesture—only to stop dead in his tracks. The flamboyant mask of confidence crumbled as he looked at the fragile figure curled up on the hospital bed. You were a detail he hadn't seen in the asset lists, a hidden secret in Gideon's portfolio. He swallowed hard, his voice losing its theatrical edge. "Oh wow... Hi," he murmured, his tone unexpectedly gentle. He crept closer, his gaze lingering on the psychic scars left behind by Gideon's 'glow' experiments. "So, uh.…