Chapter 6: Family Dynasty

Steve Vanderbilt stood on the upper deck of his private yacht, nursing a brutal hangover and an even worse case of blue balls. His mind was still trapped in that cabin—Ken’s mouth hot and furious against his, the desperate grind of their bodies, the way Ken had moaned before shoving him away like he was poison.

I know you like me and want me, but why do you still choose to run and reject me at the same time? Keep making me think of the worst ways to own you, Ken. I want you to surrender yourself as soon as possible. I can’t bear this anymore. I must push harder.

You can run, damn it, Ken. But we both know this isn’t over. The next time, I’ll make sure you have no time, no excuse, and nowhere to hide. I promise you, I'm Vanderbilt. I don’t stop until I get what I want.

His phone buzzed on the table. He didn’t need to look to know who it was.

Eleanor: My office. 2 PM. Do not be late.

Steve exhaled sharply. The mask was back in place before he even stepped off the yacht. What does she have to say now?

By the time he walked into his mother’s sleek Manhattan office on the top floor of Vanderbilt Tower, he was the picture of composed power. The framed portraits of past Vanderbilt men watched him with cold approval.

Eleanor Vanderbilt didn’t bother with pleasantries. She sat behind her massive oak desk like a queen on a throne, a single folder waiting in front of her.

“Sit.”

Steve remained standing. “I’m fine,” he said, eyes fixed on the floor.

She slid the folder across the desk. “Camille Harrington has been asking about you again. Her family just closed the European distribution deal we needed. She’s beautiful, discreet, and understands what this life requires—unlike the last three you rejected.”

Steve flipped the folder open. A glossy photo of a polished brunette stared back at him. Pretty. Empty. Safe.

“I have Lila,” he said flatly.

“Lila is decoration,” Eleanor snapped, “and a minor distraction we placed there because of your rejections of other women. She buys us time and good press. But the board is growing restless, Steven. Whispers are starting. Some of them remember your father’s… indiscretions. They’re waiting for you to slip. One rumor—one photo of you looking at the wrong person the wrong way—and the stock takes another hit.”

Steve’s jaw tightened. The memory of his father on his knees, crying in front of his lover, flashed through his mind like acid. Eight years old, hiding behind velvet curtains, watching an empire nearly crumble because one man couldn’t control his heart.

“I’m not Father,” he said, voice low and dangerous.

“No. You’re not.” Eleanor rose slowly, heels clicking as she circled the desk. “Because I made sure of it. I raised you to be stronger. Smarter. Ruthless enough to protect this family. But you keep playing games. Rejecting every suitable match. Spending far too much time with that Thompson boy from boarding school.”

Steve’s hand curled into a fist at his side. “Ken is my oldest friend.”

“Ken Thompson is a distraction,” she hissed. “His little cybersecurity startup is useful, but he has no pedigree, no strategic value to this family. And the way you look at him…” Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed. Fix it. Marry Camille. Or at least propose to Lila publicly and make it believable. I want an engagement announcement within three months. And I won’t make this request again.”

The air in the office felt suffocating. Steve could almost hear the velvet curtains from his childhood closing around him again.

He smiled, cold and sharp. “And if I refuse?”

Eleanor stepped closer, her perfume sharp and expensive. “Then I will do what I did with your father. I will protect this empire from weakness. By any means necessary.”

For a moment, the mask slipped. Steve’s eyes darkened with something feral. “You can parade a hundred Camille Harringtons in front of me, Mother. It won’t change anything.”

Eleanor studied him for a long second, suspicion flickering across her face. “Then I suggest you learn to want what is good for this family. Or I will start digging into why my son, who can have any woman in New York, seems completely uninterested in all of them.”

She returned to her chair, the conversation clearly over. Steve looked up, wanting to explain himself, but the words wouldn’t come.

He turned and left without another word, leaving the folder still lying open on her desk.

Back in his penthouse that same day, Steve poured himself a drink. The weight of Eleanor’s threat pressed on him like iron chains. I know what you are capable of, Mum.

His phone lit up with a new message. Not from his mother this time.

It was a forwarded article from one of his assistants: Vanderbilt Tech in Talks to Acquire Thompson Cyber Solutions.

Steve’s lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. Here we go, baby.But a second thought followed right behind it.

Ken had been avoiding him since the yacht. Running. Denying.

But the universe—and Vanderbilt Tech—had other plans.

He typed a message, deleting it twice before sending something deceptively simple.

Steve: Boardroom next week. Your company now belongs to mine. Try not to get hard thinking about me owning you in every way possible, baby.

He hit send, then loosened his tie, already imagining Ken’s furious face across a conference table.

Eleanor wanted him to settle down with a proper woman and have kids to keep the family business moving at all costs.

What she didn’t know was that Steve had already chosen his future.

And that future had warm brown eyes, a stubborn jaw, and a virgin ass that Steve was going to claim no matter the cost.

Even if it meant burning the Vanderbilt dynasty to the ground.

Later that night, Ken stared at the message on his screen, chest tight.

He was sitting in his apartment, surrounded by code and half-empty coffee mugs, trying to pretend the yacht party had never happened. Trying to forget the taste of Steve’s mouth and the bruising grip of his hands.

Now this.

His company—everything he had built with blood, sweat, and sleepless nights—was about to be swallowed by Vanderbilt Tech.

Steve, you got what you want, right? I know for sure you had this plan all along. You’re a monster. A human demon!

Ken’s cock twitched at the thought, even as rage burned through him.

And deep down, beneath the denial and the fear, a dark, unwanted part of him was already counting down the days until that boardroom meeting.

This is what Sophia has caused me. I don’t know how to find another replacement. Please come back, Sophia,he said to the empty room. This is my only wish. I’m scared I’m heading to the wrong part of life.

The mask

was cracking faster than either of them could control.

And the real war was only just beginning.