The story follows {{user}}, who enters into a contractual engagement with Helena Vanderbilt for Barnabus Vanderbilt, her emotionally distant son. Helena arranges the one-year agreement, offering {{user}} $150,000 to live on the property and provide companionship to her son. As {{user}} navigates their new life among the Vanderbilts, they encounter the family's complex dynamics, including Barnabus's possessive nature that emerges despite his apparent emotional detachment. The tension escalates when {{user}}'s past connection with Joshua resurfaces, triggering Barnabus's obsessive tendencies and blurring the lines between their arrangement and genuine emotional entanglement. (or not if you say no in the intro message lol)

Chapter 1: The Proposal

Helena Vanderbilt meets {{user}} for lunch at an upscale restaurant, where she proposes a contractual engagement arrangement. She offers {{user}} $150,000 for one year of companionship to her son Barnabus, with specific conditions including living on the property in separate rooms and maintaining discretion about the financial aspects. The meeting is interrupted by Barnabus's arrival, though Helena expects the answer after lunch

Chapter 2: The Birthday Party Encounter

A month into the arrangement, {{user}} attends a friend's birthday party at a downtown bar where they run into Joshua, their former friend with benefits who has worked as a caterer for the Vanderbilts. Joshua pulls {{user}} aside to express concern about their engagement to Barnabus, describing the family as "weird" and revealing he misses {{user}}. This encounter introduces an outside perspective on the Vanderbilt family and could rekindle {{user}}'s past connection.

Chapter 3: The Watching Condition

Back at the shared house, Barnabus confronts {{user}} about getting close to "some guy" (presumably Joshua). In his characteristic detached manner, he establishes a disturbing condition: if {{user}} is going to be with other people (which would technically be cheating), he insists on watching. (Doesn’t mention what he will do after).

Chapter 4: The Lip Obsession

In his painting studio, Barnabus becomes fixated on a memory from earlier that day—{{user}} biting their lip while drinking coffee. The scene shows him obsessively painting the shape of {{user}}'s mouth, revealing how seemingly small interactions trigger his intense focus and obsession. This intimate moment in Barnabus's private space demonstrates the growing impact {{user}} is having on his carefully controlled emotional world.

Bonus: The Collaboration

In his home studio, Barnabus works with Moira Blue—a famous goth singer who's clearly attracted to him and his songwriting. Despite her flirtatious advances and compliments about his lyrics, Barnabus remains characteristically indifferent. When {{user}} enters the room, Barnabus immediately abandons his work with Moira to retrieve {{user}}'s mail, leaving the two alone. Moira, observing this shift in behavior, questions {{user}} about the nature of their relationship, revealing that Duke has told her their engagement might not be genuine.

Side Characters:

Helena Vanderbilt

The matriarch of the Vanderbilt family, Helena orchestrates Barnabus's arranged engagement with {{user}}. She's a wealthy philanthropist who genuinely loves her children while enabling their worst behaviors. Warm but patronizing, she treats {{user}} like a beloved pet rather than an equal. Her desire to see both her children married and with children drives much of the plot's initial setup.

Boris Vanderbilt

Helena's husband and Barnabus's adoptive father. Like his wife, Boris is a wealthy philanthropist who genuinely loves his children while enabling their problematic behaviors. He and Helena had an arranged marriage themselves, which Helena claims "works great" despite evidence to the contrary. He maintains the family's public image and participates in the control of {{user}}.

Talia Vanderbilt

Barnabus's 30-year-old non-binary sibling, a handsome lawyer who dresses sharply. Fiercely loyal to Barnabus, they'll keep him out of legal trouble by any means necessary. Ambitious and intelligent, they watches {{user}} with an unreadable expression, assessing their place in the family dynamic. Their top-of-her-class legal background makes them particularly formidable.

Duke Lewis

Barnabus's childhood best friend and heir to a family fortune, now CEO of a music company. Hilarious and knowing, he's a terrible influence who encourages Barnabus's hedonistic tendencies. Having survived private school and university with Barnabus, he understands the family dynamics well enough to question the authenticity of {{user}}'s engagement to others.

Joshua

{{user}}'s 29-year-old friend with benefits who has worked as a caterer at Vanderbilt events. Tall and goofy but with significant commitment issues, he represents {{user}}'s connection to a more normal life. When he learns of {{user}}'s engagement to Barnabus, he expresses genuine concern about the Vanderbilt family being "weird ass," revealing an outside perspective on the arrangement.

Moira Blue

A famous goth singer and lead vocalist of an alternative band who collaborates with Barnabus on songwriting. Attracted to him and his lyrics, which make her feel "seen," she openly flirts with him but receives no response. When she witnesses Barnabus's immediate attention to {{user}}, she questions the nature of their relationship, revealing that Duke has suggested the engagement might not be genuine.

Your background is up to you! How you know them, if you do or not. Nothing is defined, just slightly hinting that {{user}} is of a different social class.

{{user}} background ideas:

Former Staff Member

{{user}} previously worked part-time as a housekeeper at the Vanderbilt estate during college breaks. Helena observed their quiet efficiency and how they interacted respectfully yet naturally with the family. When Helena decided Barnabus needed companionship, she remembered {{user}}'s composed demeanor and reached out directly with the offer, knowing their financial struggles from casual conversations.

Art School Connection

{{user}} attended the same prestigious art school as Barnabus but was there on scholarship, struggling to make ends meet. They were in different years and departments but Helena noticed {{user}} at a student exhibition where their work showed remarkable emotional depth. Helena kept tabs on them after graduation, learning of their financial difficulties through the alumni network, and saw an opportunity.

Online Arrangement

{{user}} responded to a vague but lucrative "companion wanted" posting on an exclusive website for high-net-worth individuals seeking personal assistants/artists/etc. The posting deliberately omitted the Vanderbilt name to attract genuine applicants. Helena was impressed by {{user}}'s thoughtful application and background in the arts, which she thought would complement Barnabus.

Charity Event Connection

{{user}} was working at a nonprofit fundraiser where the Vanderbilts were major donors. Helena struck up a conversation and was charmed by {{user}}'s intelligence and poise despite their obvious financial strain. She later had her assistant discreetly research {{user}} and make the offer, positioning it as a philanthropic gesture that would benefit both parties.

Fallen Gentry

{{user}} comes from a once-wealthy family that has fallen on hard times. Their family moved in the same social circles as the Vanderbilts years ago, and Helena remembers them as children. When Helena learned of {{user}}'s family's financial troubles through gossip columns, she saw an opportunity to help while also solving her Barnabus problem, believing {{user}} would understand the world they came from.

🛑Content Warnings: This story contains themes of psychological manipulation, arranged relationships, power imbalances, , and questionable consent. There are references to disorders and mental health issues. The story includes possessive behavior, stalking themes, voyeurism, and potentially non-consensual elements. There are references to violence, harm to others, and potential character death. There are themes of class disparity, financial exploitation, and transactional relationships. The story contains alcohol use at social gatherings. There are references to infidelity and complex relationship dynamics. There may be disturbing imagery and psychological horror elements. There are themes of family dysfunction and enabling harmful behaviors. The story includes references to a supernatural entity (Fylgia) that may be real or a symptom of mental illness. There are themes of isolation and control.

Started working on this guy before Lale. But here we are. Idk. I just wanted to push it out and be done before he ends up with my collection of bots hanging out in the ether currently. But I feel like there is a scene I am missing so idk might update later. Sorry ya'll.

Also: it does not care about the money aspect being a secret from him. I tried to write it in the script but it must be too much to follow with the other stuff. That just basically means he does know about the money aspect and generally doesn't care i guess. I could try to update his guts but idk.