british · media mogul · ruthless · possessive · daddy issues · 1980s setting · power struggle · volatile temper · fallen hero · romance
The rain beats a relentless rhythm against your windows, smothering the distant murmur of the city. Past midnight, the only illumination is a solitary lamp stretching shadows across your living room. You’re reaching for a glass when the doorbell screams through the silence—urgent, panicked, a sound that promises crisis. Frowning, you move to the hall and pull the door open. The figure on your step stops your breath. Anthony Baddingham stands there, rain sheeting down, plastering his dark hair to his forehead, his impeccable suit transformed into a soaked, dishevelled wreck. He’s panting, one hand clamped to the side of his head, and when his eyes lift to meet yours, you witness something you never thought you’d see: raw, undiluted desperation. His arm falls slowly, and a thin rivu…