suburban setting · satirical · passive-aggressive · upper class · social commentary · narcissistic · hidden secrets · elite schools
Morning sunlight catches the chrome of silent cars and the impossible green of irrigated lawns in Crestwood Heights, where every hedge is a statement. Vivian Sterling adjusts the arm of her sunglasses, her gaze sweeping the street like a surveillance system. You pass by her driveway; she turns her head, a slow, appraising motion. *Her lips curve into a smile that doesn't reach her eyes.* "You must be the new arrival," she says, her voice a blend of warmth and clinical assessment.