Burn For Me
CH 1 Innocence
‼️Important and quick notice. This story contains some mature content. I won't recommend light readers to read it or minors to read it.
For those who stayed, the chapters are going to get longer and more spicy. Just have a little patience, I will commit myself fully to this story and make sure you yearn for the suite.
The air inside the hidden, underground Mayfair club is thick with the scent of expensive tobacco, aged scotch, and heavy perfumes. Accessible only to London’s wealthiest elite through an unmarked door down a quiet alley, the bar is a masterpiece of dark mahogany, plush crimson velvet, and low, warm gaslight.
At the grand piano in the corner, Elias plays a hauntingly beautiful melody, his fingers gliding effortlessly over the keys.
Guest
Come on sweetie spend the night with me
Arthur Vance
*not paying attention*
Near the center of the room, a group of high-society ladies laugh loudly, leaning in close to Arthur and vying for his attention for the night.
Arthur Vance
*observing Elias*
Elias
*playing with passion*
But Arthur’s gaze never wavers from the pianist. When the song ends, Elias closes the piano lid, catches Arthur's intense stare, and walks straight toward his table, completely ignoring the rest of the room.
Elias
You look like a man who would rather be anywhere else in London than at this table.
Arthur Vance
*politely sliding away the women*
Arthur Vance
I was content exactly where I was....as long as you were playing.
Elias
Then I am glad I didn't disappoint. I noticed you, staring at me.
Elias
Watching you, you didn't speak a word to your companions the entire time.
Arthur Vance
Your music is the only thing in this room worth listening to.
Elias
And thank you Arthur.
Elias
It’s rare to find someone here who actually listens to the notes rather than just using them as background noise for their gossip.
Arthur Vance
It’s hard to look away when someone plays with that much desperation. It felt like you were trying to escape through the keys.
Elias
*leans in, his voice dropping*
Elias
This city can feel entirely suffocating. Even a hidden luxury like this place becomes a cage after a while.
Arthur Vance
I know the feeling. The streets down here are too crowded, the rules are too rigid.
Elias
Then let's leave them behind.
Arthur Vance
Just like that, where would we go?
Elias
Somewhere above it all. I own a building not far from here—a townhouse with a completely private rooftop. No crowds, no expectations, and the air actually feels real. Come with me.
Arthur Vance
Lead the way.
CH 2 The threat of dawn
The pale, freezing blue of a London dawn begins to bleed through the heavy fog, slowly illuminating the cold stone edges of the rooftop. The illusion of their absolute isolation is breaking. Below them, the faint, distant sound of milk carts rattling over cobblestones signals that the city is waking up, and with it, the return of their rigid public masks.
Elias shivers, the damp mist clinging heavily to his coat, but his eyes are fixed on Arthur, noticing the sudden, heavy shadow falling over the architect's face as the morning light grows brighter.
Elias
*caressing Athur's cheeks*
Arthur Vance
I have to take my leave❄️
Elias
You look distant suddenly. More than you did when the night was dark.
Arthur Vance
The morning brings back reality. I have to return to Westminster today. My father has arranged a luncheon with the Earl of Pembroke's family.
Arthur Vance
*his voice tense, hollow*
Arthur Vance
He is finalizing a betrothal.
Arthur Vance
My family doesn't tolerate deviations, Elias. For a politician of my father's standing, an alliance with another wealthy dynasty is mandatory. Every eye in high society is on us, waiting for a single misstep.
Elias
*a sudden chill hitting him, lowering his gaze*
Elias
A politician's son...
Elias
So you build perfect structures for others, while living in a cage made of your family's gold and power.
Arthur Vance
Itis a prison. If my father ever discovered who I truly am, the scandal would ruin his career, and he would ensure I was completely destroyed. But up here... this is the only part of my life that belongs to me.
Elias
Then what are we doing, Arthur? If your family is that powerful, and a marriage is already waiting for you, this is madness. We are playing with fire.
Arthur Vance
*gets closer to him*
Arthur Vance
Then let it be madness. I cannot live a life entirely made of lies. Find me again. Don't let this be a single night lost to the fog.
Elias
I’ll be back at the club tomorrow night. Watch for me by the door. I’ll be playing for you.
Arthur Vance
I will be there.
Elias
Now go, Athur.Before the world sees us.
Arthur Vance
*kisses Elias*
CH 3 The house of Vance
Arthur slips back into his family’s grand estate in Belgravia just as the servants begin their morning rounds.
The house is a monument to political power—cold, immaculate, and utterly devoid of warmth.
Arthur gets back to his bedroom.
Arthur strips off his damp wool coat and forces himself into a pristine morning suit.
The high, stiff collar feels like a physical noose, choking back the lingering scent of Elias and the midnight air.
Arthur Vance
*goes the the stairs*
Downstairs in the wood-paneled study, his father, Sir Thomas Vance, sits behind a massive oak desk, surrounded by stacks of legislative papers and the morning press. The silence in the room is heavy with absolute authority.
Sir Thomas Vance
How was your night?
Arthur Vance
How about yourself?
Sir Thomas Vance
I sent for you at midnight.
Sir Thomas Vance
You were not in your quarters when I sent for you, Arthur.
Arthur Vance
*keeping his hands behind his back*
Arthur Vance
I was walking, Father.
Arthur Vance
The air in the city was clearing.
Sir Thomas Vance
*not looking up his ledger*
Sir Thomas Vance
A gentle man of your standing does not wander th streets of London at such ungodly hours.
Sir Thomas Vance
It invites gossip.
Sir Thomas Vance
And gossip is a luxury we cannot afford, especially today.
Arthur Vance
I understand Father.
Sir Thomas Vance
*finally looks up to him*
Sir Thomas Vance
The Earl of Pembroke and his daughter, Lady Victoria, arrive at one o'clock. This alliance stabilizes our position in the next election. Victoria is refined, wealthy, and perfectly suited to be a politician's wife.
Arthur feels a tightening in his chest
Arthur Vance
I have not yet met this lady.
Arthur Vance
Father do you not think a betrothal is premature?
Sir Thomas Vance
*slams his hand slightly on the desk*
Sir Thomas Vance
It is necessary. Your feelings on the matter are entirely irrelevant. You will smile, you will escort her through the gardens, and you will play the part of the devoted suitor.
Arthur Vance
And what if we later find out that we have no compatibility?
And his voice drops to a dangerous tone.
Sir Thomas Vance
You will marry her regardless, Arthur. You carry the Vance name. I have spent thirty years building this legacy, and I will not allow your artistic whims to tarnish it. Do not disappoint me today.
Sir Thomas Vance
Now go and put on something more appealing to the eye of a woman.
Sir Thomas Vance
And try to get rid of these cheap tobacco scents on you.
Arthur Vance
Hm...Yes Father.
His focus moves back to his ledger. Arthur heos back to his quarters, to wear something "appealing to the eyes of a woman"
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