Cross Family Problems 1

— At the Cross Family Mansion —

The room reeked of desperation and silent fury. 

Six figures stood under the dim light of an ornate chandelier, their faces shadowed by the fixture and their schemes. At the centre of their attention lay a man, dishevelled and delirious, giggling as though he'd been plucked from reality and hurled into madness. His once-pristine suit was now soiled, his face flushed with confusion.

"Who did this to my Tim?!" Martha's voice pierced through the silence, trembling with rage and disbelief. Her sharp features twisted in disdain as her gaze shifted between her son and the others in the room. 

Despite her question, she did not move toward him. Her manicured hands stayed folded tightly across her chest. The shame of his condition was etched on her face, but there was something else—a fear of touching him, of tainting herself with whatever disease had undone him.