My Stepbrother Wants Me

Chapter 216: Engagement Photos

Catherine’s POV

"This man has completely lost his mind. How could he bypass Kiera’s father," Julian muttered, his eyes fixed on the dark driveway outside the window. "He knew that if he made the announcement first, the logistics family would be forced to follow the social momentum or risk a public scandal. He’s using their name to prop up his own ego."

I felt the crinkle of the note in my pocket. "Julian, look at me. We can’t fight him head-on right now. He wants the explosion. He wants us to look like unstable children so he can justify ’managing’ our lives even more. We have to play along."

Julian turned to me, his face holding disgust. "If you are able to play romance with Dante, I can’t! Especially not with that vile Lucy."

"Patience. Patience, Jules."

He shook his head. "Nah. Do you really expect me to act like I’m thrilled to be shackled to her?"

"I want us to make a silent pact," I whispered, stepping closer. "In public, we are perfect and obedient. We are exactly what he wants to see. But the moment his back is turned, we work with Kiera. We let him think he’s won until the floor falls out from under him."

Julian didn’t answer, so I gave him the letter from Kiera. After reading it, he remained silent but the way his jaw set told me he was in. He had no other choice.

Saturday morning arrived and Richard looked so happy with the fact this family name was trending again. He had turned a quiet Saturday into a staged production.

The real surprise, however, came at 9:00 AM. I was in the breakfast nook, nursing a coffee I couldn’t taste, when the front doors swung open. Dante and Kiera marched in, and they didn’t look happy. Kiera looked like a storm cloud ready to break. The look on her face suggested she was there to tear the house down.

Richard emerged from his study, looking entirely too smug for a man who had just betrayed gone against the wishes of the people he needed. He stopped at the top of the stairs, there was a glass of sparkling water in his hand.

"Kiera! Dante! I wasn’t expecting guests so early," his voice dripped with artificial warmth, as he climbed down.

"You weren’t expecting us?" Kiera’s voice rang through, sharp and cold. "Mr. Vaughn, I specifically told you last night that my father needed to be the one to handle the announcement. I told you about our traditions. And yet, I wake up to my phone blowing up because the Vaughn Group released a formal statement four hours ago. What exactly were you thinking?"

I watched from the nook, my heart hammering. What gave her such courage to talk to Richard in such a tone and manner? Whatever it was, I think I needed it too.

Kiera was standing her ground, her eyes flashing with calculated fury and to my wowest of wows, Richard did something I had never seen him do.

He looked at Kiera, then at Dante, and let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Forgive me, Kiera, please... I can only offer my humblest apologies," his soft voice was contrite. "Last night... Well, the excitement was simply too much. I’m afraid I had a bit too much to drink out of pure joy for my children. In my haze of celebration, I must have signaled my PR team to move forward with the draft we had prepared. It was a lapse in judgment, fueled by nothing but my happiness for Julian, Gabriel and Catherine."

I almost choked on my coffee. Richard Vaughn was saying sorry and couldn’t even own up to his actions? He was blaming them on "too much drink"?

Fuck me! Maybe the heavens had finally provided us with a perfect match for him. Someone who would make him fear, make him apologize, make him cower in fear...

"Really?" Kiera’s voice hit deep in my head. I watched in shock as her expression slowly shifted. She didn’t rain abuses on him or scream. She just let out a long breath, her shoulders relaxing as if she were actually buying the act.

"Too much drink, huh, Mr. Vaughn?" she asked, her tone was so soft now.

"I’m afraid so," Richard said, stepping toward her and taking her hand in a gesture of paternal affection. "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive an old man’s over-enthusiasm. I would hate for this to stain what should be a historic union."

Kiera looked at Dante, then back at Richard. She gave a small, weary smile. "Well... I suppose excitement can make us all a bit impulsive. You are forgiven, sir. I will find a way to talk to my father. I’ll make him understand that this was an act of joy, not a slight against his authority. I’ll make sure he accepts the union."

The tension in the room snapped like a dry twig. Richard’s smile turned genuine—or as genuine as he could manage.

"You are such a gem," Richard beamed. "Truly, Gabriel is a lucky man."

From that moment on, Kiera stepped into the role of the supportive, high-society partner with terrifying ease. She moved to Gabriel’s side as he entered the room, sliding her arm through his and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Since we’re here, and the news is already out," she suggested brightly, "perhaps we should ensure the public sees exactly how happy we are? I mean... we are all here, so we could coordinate our next steps together."

Richard was practically purring. He immediately called for a prominent photographer he had on standby, turning the morning into an "at-home" exclusive for a major lifestyle magazine.

The next three hours were a nightmare of staged intimacy. Richard had handed us "Engagement Guidelines" earlier that focused on a list of behaviors we were expected to model. The most crushing rule was the one directed at Julian and me: we were to be seen together less often to avoid any "sibling" confusion in the press.

The photoshoot took place in the grand conservatory and the gardens. Gosh! The coordination was so agonizing. I was forced into a silk dress that matched the color of Dante’s pocket square. The photographer kept telling us to look "breathless," to lean into each other as if we couldn’t stand to be apart. I had to grip Dante’s arm to keep myself steady; he was not shaking this time, it was me.

On the other side of the fountain, Julian was being put through the same torture with Lucy. She was practically vibrating with triumph, her hands roaming over Julian’s chest and shoulders for the camera. I had to watch as the photographer directed Julian to lean down and whisper something into Lucy’s ear.

To the camera, it looked like a romantic secret. To me, seeing the way Lucy’s face flushed a deep, victorious pink, it felt like a hard slap. I watched Julian’s jaw tighten as he performed the action, his eyes meeting mine for a fraction of a second over Lucy’s head. His eyes were filled with a dead, cold void of suppressed rage.

Meanwhile Gabriel and Kiera were the only ones who looked natural. They played the "power couple" role so perfectly it was chilling. Kiera laughed at Gabriel’s staged jokes, her hand resting delicately on his chest, while Gabriel played the part of the smitten boyfriend.

In the middle of a lens change, Richard pulled me aside and steered me toward a stone bench, his hand heavy on my shoulder.

"You see, Catherine?" he whispered, his eyes scanning the scene with pride. "This is how it’s done. Order, alliances and strength."

I couldn’t understand why he would call me aside to tell me this but I couldn’t let the opportunity of speaking my mind pass away. "You’re using us as props, Richard.".

"I am using you as foundations," he corrected. "And I expect you to keep Julian in line. He’s looking at you too much, even now. It needs to stop. If he decides to be difficult or if you decide to be difficult, the consequences won’t stay within these walls."

He looked over at Dante, who was being touched up by a makeup assistant. "Dante seems like a nice boy. It would be a tragedy if his personal reputation were to be ruined. A few leaked rumors about his ’habits’ at school, perhaps some fabricated academic scandals... it’s amazing how quickly a young man’s future can vanish. I expect you to ensure that doesn’t happen."

He wasn’t just threatening me; he was using Dante’s entire social existence as a leash. He knew I wouldn’t let an innocent person’s life be ruined because of me.

"I understand," I lied, the words tasting like ash.

"Good girl."

The shoot finally ended around 2:00 PM. Richard dismissed Dante and Kiera with a wave of his hand, clearly satisfied with the morning’s work. I retreated to my room, to sleep and just be free from all those for once..

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the digital proofs that Richard’s assistant had already sent to my phone. We looked perfect. We looked happy. We looked like a dynasty in the making. But beneath the smiles and the silk, we were all rotting.

My phone buzzed with a private notification. It was a text from an encrypted number I didn’t recognize.

The message contained an address to a derelict warehouse on the outskirts of the industrial district and a single, stark instruction.

We all need to meetup. Including the boys.