#maletaken

Faceclaim: Luke Pasqualino

Gif Hunts: ( X , X , X )

Preston Andrew Winthrope was born on January 4th, 1991 in London. From day one, he had a permanent silver spoon in his mouth, and he quickly emerged as a charismatic, charming, and manipulative young man. Before the conclusion of primary school, he had already cultivated a powerful inner circle around him, surrounding himself with a number of different boys to flaunt his power and prestige. Two of those boys were Dylan Pennington and Alesandro Barclay, two of his closest friends. In middle school, Preston met Daphne DuPont and Penelope Levasseur. He, Alesandro, Dylan, and the others were two years older than the girls, but they quickly formed a group of nine staple people, who did everything together. Preston, as the heir to a powerful Catholic family, was a model Catholic boy, an altar boy, and the apparent pinnacle of goodness and light. By the time he was fifteen, however, the mask had started to crack--at least to those in the inner circle. Although he and Daphne had been together for over a year at that point, Preston regularly cheated on her, starting at the age of fifteen. At the age of sixteen, after sneaking into a party, he committed his first assault on a drunken young woman, whose name he didn’t even know. At eighteen, he and his friends were accepted into the same college, and into the same fraternity. By summer of 2009, Preston was becoming increasingly restless. Daphne had continuously rejected his request to relinquish her virginity to him, insisting that she didn’t want to do anything until they were married two years after, following her own graduation. When she rejected him again, just before her debutante ball in September of 2009, Preston solidified a plan so monstrous that only those with the coldest blood could ever put it into action. But Preston did. On November 9th, 2009, while walking Daphne home, Preston pinned her in an alley and attacked her. He held her down while his friends took their own turns, the entire thing being suggested, planned, and initiated by Preston himself. Two months later, Daphne left London, and Preston joked to those on the inside that she was a harlot, and that it was incredibly easy to get her into that alley. No one but Penelope and the priest who had overseen all of their confirmations knew the truth. Preston attended college, loving his place in the fraternity, continuing his depraved ways, and engaging in numerous consensual sexual relationships with both men and women--including some in his own inner circle, on top of his attacks, which were against various women, and in various countries. In late 2019, Preston nearly died in a horrific car accident. While on what some, including Preston himself believed to be his deathbed, he penned a letter to Daphne, insisting that he was sorry, and he had to clear his conscience, just in case. After attending confession, Preston convinced Daphne’s father, Michael, who knew nothing of what had happened to his beloved daughter to deliver the letter to her. When he was released from the hospital, Preston settled back into his family’s mansion, an estate which would be his upon his parents’ passing. His welcome home from the hospital party doubled as a fraternity reunion, and was overseen by Alesandro Barclay, who, by now, knew everything, unbeknownst to Preston. Over the following weeks, Alesandro surreptitiously collected DNA from all six of the boys involved in the attack, which he then gave to Daphne, whom he had run into on a chance encounter weeks earlier. He was there for the party, and after seeing Daphne in a modeling catalog and realizing she had been in Paris the entire time, and she was there after finally reconnecting with her friends and family. In January of 2020, a few days after his 29th birthday, Preston was visited by Daphne herself, who confronted him in his mansion about everything he did. He learned that he had impregnated her with a daughter, who was now 10, and who she had named Arielle. Old habits die hard, and a man bent on possession, with cold blood running through his veins, has vowed to be a great father to Arielle. As always, it does not matter if Daphne wants him in their lives or not. No one can say for sure what Mr. Winthrope is planning, or what he will do. But his arrogance will soon prove to be his fatal flaw for this born psychopath.

Nathaniel was born into a publishing dynasty. It was always known, as the oldest child, that he would take over that dynasty when he graduated from college. He was sent to the best schools and universities. It never really occurred to Nathaniel to question his destiny. As a young child he would spend hours with his father at the magazine, New Times, which is the primary publication for the company. Which is also the name of the magazine publishing company, New Times Publishing. Under Nathaniel's guidance the company began publishing ladies and children's magazines as well. And a few specific magazines geared toward various interests.

Rhys is the oldest child of Richard and Dafina Livingston. He was ten when his parents were killed in a car wreck. He and his sisters went to live with their Grandparents. He had a nice life and he was given everything he wanted or needed. But like his father Rhys inherited a wanderlust spirit. After college, which was not an option for any Livingston he decided he wanted to travel the world. His Grandfather suggested he start a travel company but Rhys wasn't satisfied with that. He did establish the travel company but Rhys does the traveling. He visits the locations and sets up tours. He doesn't conduct the tours as that is too confining for him. He has no wish to settle down but perhaps that is because he hasn't met the right woman.

Alesandro Barclay comes from one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious families. The Barclay family name is a big name in big oil.  Alesandro became friends with Daphne DuPont and Penelope Levasseur in middle school, and when the girls were sixteen and he was eighteen, he was stunned to learn about what his supposed best friends had done to his other best friend—whom he had always had a little crush on. Alesandro did not know what had happened until after Daphne left for Paris.   However, during a fraternity party in college, Preston and Dylan bragged about what they and the other four had done to Daphne. Alesandro knew that the right thing to do would be to go to the police. But he could not bring himself to do so.  He figured that Daphne was gone, anyway.  As much as he hated hearing his supposed friends brag about the awful thing they had done, Alesandro decided to focus on helping Daphne first.  He tried to convince Penelope to tell him where Daphne had gone, but Penelope refused to tell him, and threatened to castrate him instead. It was clear that she believed that he was part of it, and he didn’t blame her.  In a way, as much as he loathed the idea, he was involved. Preston and Dylan had made sure of it. After college, Alesandro also left London.  He flew across the world and settled down in Connecticut. He quickly amassed a reputation as a womanizer and a braggart, and he started drinking to try to hide his guilt.  One night, he found himself browsing through a Coach catalog, and he instantly recognized Daphne as the most featured model. Could that be his big moment? He could find her and try to make it up to her, and help her get justice.  But fate has a strange sense of justice in mind, and just days later, Alesandro received word that his former best friend was in a terrible accident.  That it was Preston made it even better. He was the one who was supposed to take care of Daphne for the rest of their lives, the one who had so callously led the others in destroying her. The decision was clear. Alesandro flew back to London and visited his former friend in the hospital, and was stunned when Preston insisted that he wanted to make things right. To apologize. As if there was such thing as an apology after doing something so horrific and stealing every dream someone had ever had.  Alesandro gave him until the new year to tell the police what he had done, knowing full well that he never would.  And when the time came, he would. Two weeks before Christmas, Alesandro was out shopping for gifts and decided to stop at an old pub they had all once frequented.  He could never have imagined bumping into Daphne and Penelope in front of him, just like old times, as if nothing had changed.  One awkward conversation turned into several lunches, and Alesandro even met Daphne’s daughter, Arielle.  Should he tell her that he knew what she didn’t know he knew others had told him?  Alesandro told Daphne about Preston’s accident and poor prognosis, and learned that she was back to spend the holidays with her family, with whom she had recently reconciled.  When she insisted that she didn’t want to see Preston, he did not have long to try to wonder if he should feign not knowing why.  The story spilled out after Penelope had taken Arielle to the carousel and they were out of earshot. Alesandro admitted that he knew all about it, and that his friends were saying that she was the promiscuous one, while assuring her that no one at all believed that. He also told her about the ultimatum he had given Preston.  Preston’s time on the ultimatum is running out.  Meanwhile, Alesandro’s feelings for Daphne have continued to grow, and hers for him. Alesandro knows that he could be a wonderful father to Arielle, and a wonderful protector for Daphne.  But can this relationship ever end in anything but infamy?      

 Pierre Martin was groomed to be a politician from the time he was born.  His father and grandfather were politicians and they fully expected Pierre to follow in their footsteps.  It never occurred to Pierre to protest or question his destiny.  He married the love of his life as he rose through the political ranks.   And celebrated the birth of his daughter Jacqueline.  When their daughter was two Pierre's wife was killed by a car bomb meant for him.   As the result of his wife's death Pierre was fiercely protective of Jacqueline never letting her go anywhere without her body guard.   As was expected of him, Pierre expects Jacqueline to follow in his footsteps.  He arranged a marriage for her to Nicolai, the son of one of his political allies.   Pierre is dismayed and bewildered that his daughter shows signs of rebellion and refuses to plan a wedding.  Will he force Jacqueline to bend to his will?  And if he does will he lose his daughter forever?  Losing her is the last thing he wants.  

 Rikard is a travel vloger/photographer.   He travels the world to get the unusual photo and to vlog about the hidden gems in the places he travels to.  He makes his home in Paris.   He is from a wealthy family and is the second son.  His family adheres to old world traditions so Rikard was free to pursue his own dreams instead of living the life demanded by the oldest son. Rikard could be called a rolling stone.  He loves to visit historical sites and to discover the long forgotten relics and stories of the past.  He believes that every place and site tells a story that needs to be told. He views life in a series of stories.  But what is his story?  That remains to be told.