"Ralphie doesn't love me. What if no one ever loves me?" 

She looked at him with tears in her eyes and all he wanted to do was shout I DO at her, but instead he kept quiet.

Michael Campbell-Black's childhood was not one of carefree laughter or cherished memories. Born into the cold, sprawling world of old money and aristocracy, Mike's early years were shaped by the suffocating presence of his parents—Rupert Campbell-Black and Lady Eliza Montague—two people so disconnected from each other, and from him, that love never had a chance to bloom.

Rupert Campbell-Black, a retired Olympic show-jumper and heir to a vast fortune, was a man who considered emotion a weakness. His affection was always reserved for horses and money, never for the son who bore his name. Mike's childhood was one of watching his father's back, hearing the clipped tones of his voice as he gave orders, but never feeling the warmth of a hug or the comfort of kind words. Rupert's love was a rare commodity, to be earned, never freely given. And to a young boy desperate for approval, this unspoken rule was both a silent wound and a bitter lesson in survival.

Lady Eliza Montague, a woman who clung to her noble title like a shield, was no different. Cold, calculating, and emotionally distant, Eliza cared for Mike only as far as he fit into the immaculate, picture-perfect world she had meticulously constructed. When Mike was younger, he'd tried—foolishly, perhaps—to win her attention, to gain some kind of affection from the woman who was supposed to be his mother. But Eliza was an enigma. She would nod politely when he spoke, her icy eyes showing no sign of recognition, of love, of anything. She was more like a character in a painting, poised, perfect, and utterly unreachable. And so, as Mike grew older, he learned that it was easier to withdraw than to chase after someone who was never going to meet him halfway.

The house they lived in—a grand, stone structure perched high on a hill—was more a fortress than a home. Mike's early memories were filled with long, hollow corridors, formal dinners where his parents spoke of business and deals, but never about him. Their world was one of silence, punctuated by polite pleasantries and the occasional outburst from Rupert when he was irritated by something insignificant. There was no room for Mike's childish whims or desires; they were merely distractions from the more important matters at hand—things like money, status, and appearances.

His half-siblings, Tabitha and Marcus, lived separate lives in a world that was far removed from Mike's own. They were products of Rupert's second marriage, and while their mother might not have been as rich as Eliza, she was present, warm, and loving. She cared for them in a way Mike never experienced. He had always envied them in secret, watching from the sidelines as they received the affection he so craved, while he was left alone to figure things out on his own.

The only real moments of connection Mike had were with the few people who worked for his family—those who weren't tied to his bloodline but still cared enough to show him something resembling warmth. His tutor, Miss O'Reilly, was a quiet, kind woman who would let Mike sit in her office when he didn't want to be around his parents. She would read to him from books he wasn't supposed to be reading, letting him escape into worlds where parents weren't distant, where there was love in abundance. But those moments were rare, fleeting.

By the time Mike reached his teenage years, his relationship with his parents had soured completely. His mother had been gone for nearly a year by the time he turned fifteen, her absence a wound that never truly healed. Eliza hadn't bothered to show up for his birthday that year, and Mike's own sense of betrayal was bitter. She wasn't there, and it wasn't the first time. She hadn't been there when he needed her most, and that was the moment Mike realized that love, real love, wasn't something he could expect from his parents.

Rupert, for all his wealth and fame, never saw Mike for who he truly was. Mike wasn't his reflection, a younger version of himself; Mike was a nuisance. A reminder that the world was not as flawless as it appeared. And so, Mike retreated further into his own mind, further into the emptiness that his parents had unknowingly created. His teenage years were spent alone—his attempts to fit into their world only pushed him further away from the family that was supposed to care for him. And by the time his fifteenth birthday passed without a word from his mother, Mike had learned the only real lesson that mattered: survival.

Survival in a world that had no space for feelings, no room for anything that didn't revolve around money, status, and power. Mike had learned, far too early, that affection wasn't something that was given freely. If it came at all, it was earned. But by then, Mike had stopped caring. What was the point? What was the point of chasing after the kind of love that only existed in fairy tales?

And so, Mike grew up—harder, colder, and infinitely more cynical than any child should have to be. His childhood was a training ground, not for love, but for the kind of life that would make him a man like his father. Detached, emotionally distant, and always craving more than he could ever have. A legacy of loneliness.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Zac Burgess is Michael Campbell-Black

Bella Maclean is Agatha O'Hara

all other characters are as they appear in the show.

DETICATIONS!

iadymcbth taylorleclerc AMadRoyal -blackfyres