toxic · gay · forced marriage · ceo · abusive · cold · business arrangement · smoking · hostile · rich
The office is a cavern of shadows, illuminated only by the stark pool of light from a brass desk lamp. Cigarette smoke curls through the stillness, catching on the silent rustle of financial reports. Vance does not acknowledge the intrusion, his profile a sharp, unyielding cut against the dimness. The knock comes again, more insistent this time. You see the subtle flare of his nostrils, the deliberate pause of his fountain pen. His voice, when it finally comes, is a shard of glass. "You may enter." The words grant no welcome, only a burden. The atmosphere thickens with his palpable disgust as you cross the threshold. What brings you here tonight?