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홈 / Romance / The heir's mask / Chapter 16: Champagne and Masks

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Chapter 16: Champagne and Masks

작가: Monica moon
last update 게시일: 2026-05-30 02:37:20

The day of the party arrived. Because of Steve’s threat, Ken had no choice but to attend. As he arrived at the location, the Vanderbilt yacht dominated the marina, floating beautifully and elegantly decorated. Waiters in sexy uniforms—especially the female staff—circulated with trays, moving gracefully from one corner of the yacht to another.

Ken Thompson stepped aboard. He felt exposed despite the disguise. The invitation had warned that the midnight portion of the evening would turn masked an
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  • The heir's mask    Chapter 32 : Ken Runs

    Ken stood on the safe house balcony as midnight approached, the lake a dark void reflecting scattered stars. The cool air did little to settle the storm in his mind. Steve’s words from earlier lingered like a challenge: I want you fully in this with me.The safe house had begun to feel less like sanctuary and more like a gilded cage, its isolation amplifying every unresolved thread pulling at him.He slipped back inside, moving quietly through the open living area. The property’s security system was a marvel of understated engineering. Steve had activated it upon arrival, explaining the layers with clinical precision. Perimeter sensors embedded in the landscaping detected motion beyond the tree line, feeding data to a central AI hub in the communications room. That room itself was a reinforced vault with soundproofed walls, Faraday cage shielding against electronic surveillance, multiple redundant servers with self-erasing protocols if breached. Biometric locks on every external door r

  • The heir's mask    Chapter 31: Steve Wants More

    Ken’s cab arrived at the location Steve had sent him.According to Steve, the safe house wasn’t on any public map or company ledger. Steve had acquired it years ago. Tucked behind a dense thicket of oaks on the edge of Westchester County, the property appeared from the road as nothing more than an unassuming modern farmhouse with weathered cedar siding and solar panels. In truth, it was a fortress of understated luxury.A private gate slid open after Ken entered the code Steve had sent. The driveway curved through landscaped grounds featuring native wildflowers and discreet security cameras disguised as garden lights. The main structure sat low and angular, blending into the hillside with expansive glass walls facing a private lake. Inside, the open-plan layout combined sleek minimalism with comfort: a chef’s kitchen stocked with non-perishable staples, a climate-controlled wine cellar, and a secure communications room lined with encrypted servers. Upstairs, two bedrooms overlooked th

  • The heir's mask    Chapter 30: ken full of Worries and Regrets

    Ken woke to the faint glow of dawn, his body aching in ways that went beyond muscle a deep, bone-weary exhaustion. The sheets tangled around him carried Steve’s scent, a reminder of the night’s unraveling. He sat up slowly and noticed Steve was gone.Ken swung his legs over the edge, head pounding. Fragments of the confrontation replayed: Eleanor’s revelations about Sophia’s payments, Mark’s dossier of stolen intimacies, the raw clash that had followed. He had come here seeking answers, only to lose himself again in the very storm he needed to escape. Mateo’s face flashed in his mind the boy’s trusting reach, the word “Da” still echoing. What kind of father woke up in another man’s bed after learning he had a son?He dressed quickly, avoiding his reflection in the mirrored closet doors. The apartment felt too large, too sterile, a monument to everything Steve represented: control wrapped in luxury. Ken grabbed his phone from the nightstand. Missed calls from Sophia. A string of texts.

  • The heir's mask    Chapter 29: First Hate Night

    Ken stepped out of the cab into the shadowed underground garage beneath Vanderbilt Tower. Eleanor’s sleek black car idled like a predator. The driver, a silent man in a dark suit, nodded once and pulled away the moment Ken closed the door. No destination given. Just the quiet hum of power closing in.Eleanor Vanderbilt waited in the private lounge adjacent to the executive elevators, a fortress of marble and muted lighting. At fifty-eight, she carried herself with the unyielding poise of someone who had built an empire on calculated risks and buried weaknesses. Her silver-streaked hair was pulled into a severe chignon, her eyes sharp as audit reports.“Mr. Thompson,” she said, not rising from the leather armchair. “Sit. We have matters to discuss before this spirals further.”Ken remained standing. “If this is about threats, save them. I’ve already had Mark deliver the preview.”Eleanor’s lips thinned. “Mark Dorkul is a useful tool, nothing more. Loyal in his own twisted way, but ambi

  • The heir's mask    Chapter 28: Don’t you ever Touch Me Again

    Ken stood outside the address Sophia had already texted him. The neighborhood was quiet, far removed from the glass-and-steel world of Vanderbilt Tower. Kids played on the sidewalk under the watchful eyes of parents. Normal life. The kind he once believed he wanted.His hand hesitated on the wrought-iron gate. As he knocked.Sophia opened the door almost immediately. She was very watchful. She wore a simple sweater and jeans, no trace of the polished woman he remembered themfrom their shared past. “You came,” she said softly. “I wasn’t sure.”“I said I would.” Ken stepped inside, the warmth of the apartment wrapping around him like an accusation. The place smelled of fresh bread and baby powder. Toys scattered across a worn rug. Real life, not the sterile luxury he’d grown used to.Mateo sat in a playpen near the window, stacking blocks with fierce concentration. Dark hair, curious eyes, and that unmistakable stubborn set to his jaw. Ken’s chest tightened so sharply he forgot how to b

  • The heir's mask    Chapter 27   : Elevator Sparks

    Ken’s legs felt feather-light as he stormed out of the boardroom and jammed the elevator button with his thumb, willing the doors to close faster. The doors slid shut. For one blessed second, there was silence.Steve slipped inside like a shadow.“Alone at last,” Steve murmured. He advanced slowly, backing Ken against the mirrored wall. “You didn’t think I’d let you walk away after dropping a bomb like that, did you?”Ken’s heart hammered against his ribs. “Steve, I’m not doing this right now.” Mateo’s photo flashed behind his eyes the little boy with his jaw, innocent and waiting for a father who’d been too tangled in this toxic web to even know he existed.Steve’s hand shot out, bracing beside Ken’s head. The other gripped his tie, dragging him forward until their foreheads nearly touched. “A son,” he hissed, the word dripping with venom and something rawer fear. “Sophia’s little insurance policy. Convenient timing, don’t you think? Right when you’re finally cracking open for me.”“

  • The heir's mask    Chapter 13: unfinished feelings

    Ken sat frozen on the edge of the hotel bed, tears still wet on his cheeks, his heart hammering so hard he could barely breathe. The room felt smaller than ever, the walls closing in as conflicting emotions swirled inside him.“Ken.” Steve’s voice came again, darker this time, laced with that dange

  • The heir's mask    Chapter 11 possession Games

    At the start of a new week, Vanderbilt had scheduled the meeting for the acquisition of Ken’s small cybersecurity company, so Ken found himself in the Vanderbilt Tech boardroom on that Monday morning. Barely concealed tension filled the air as sunlight cast long shadows across the polished mahogany

  • The heir's mask    Chapter 10: mark appears

    Ken Thompson slammed the door of his apartment behind him, chest still heaving from the club. The bass from Vortex still thumped faintly in his ears, but it was nothing compared to the chaos in his head.He’d lied to Steve again—just to push him away.The “emergency at the office” excuse had tasted

  • The heir's mask    Chapter 9: Jealous for No Reason

    Ken’s text was still on Steve’s screen the next evening as his driver pulled up outside Ken’s modest apartment building in Tribeca.We need to talk. In person. Tomorrow night. My place.Steve had shown up exactly on time, dressed in a black button-down that clung to his frame like a second skin. He

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