I'm back with a new story. It is a spin off of Beautiful Dirty Rich but it can also be a stand alone. It's set in the future of Beautiful Dirty Rich. I'm putting it out here right now this is not a Klaroline story. Caroline is the main character and Klaus is mentioned but there will not be any romance between them. I have Caroline's love interest and that storyline all planned out. I thought I would get that out of the way so you don't have to tell me where is klaroline. I do hope even if Caroline without klaus is not your cup of tea you still read this. I'm excited about the future of this story. I hope you will be too.

A huge thank you so much to the lovely Cacaoelle my new discord bestie for editing this chapter.

I can't wait to see what everyone thinks, don't forget to leave a review, favorite and follow this story.

Disclaimer: i don't own the Vampire diaries, gossip girl, hit the floor or dynasty.

Xxx

The Pauley pavilion was filled with thousands of people; most of whom were in their black graduation robes. It had been a lovely ceremony. Caroline Salvatore had her hair styled in beach waves, since they were, after all, in Westwood. She had matched her black robe with a pair of hot pink pumps and a white mid-thigh length lace off-the-shoulder short sleeved bodycon dress that had a white ribbon tied at the waist underneath her robe. She was walking around, her eyes passing over students snapping pictures with their families and saying their farewells to friends. She had said goodbye to her own friends already and had debated whether or not to simply leave when she suddenly came across the one person she hadn't said goodbye to yet.

Colin McNaughton.

Caroline sauntered over to him, a slight bounce in her step. "Looks like I came out on top. The better person won," She couldn't help but gloat. If the shoe were on the other foot, he would do the same. That was their relationship.

"You won by one point, and I'm fairly sure you cheated," Colin smirked, the British tint of his accent sending a delicious thrill through her. It may or may not have been one of the many reasons she enjoyed their constant back-and-forth bantering.

Colin's short brown hair was styled the same way it had been for the past few years that she'd known him. You never saw a strand out of place. He had paired his graduation robe with off white dress pants and a white and blue dotted dress shirt, matched with a blue tie and black dress shoes.

"I've never cheated a day in my life. I won fair and square."

"Nothing you do is fair."

The pair shook hands, allowing themselves a brief moment to linger in each other's warmth. Colin leaned in and whispered softly, "I'm going to miss my sparring partner."

"You've been a fun adversary," Caroline murmured back. They were still holding hands, although the long black sleeves of their graduation robes were covering the sight from other onlookers. They locked eyes, neither looking away. The corners of Colin's mouth tipped up to form a smile and she returned it with her own sly grin.

The sound of Caroline's brothers calling her name snapped them out of their haze; she pulled away reluctantly, "Good luck Colin."

He let out a little chuckle, "Good luck, my dear." He had an indecipherable look on his face as he shook his head, turned and left the blonde to her own devices.

Caroline rolled her eyes. If she were lucky, they'd never have to meet again in the future.

Her brothers, Damon and Stefan, joined her and watched him disappear into the crowd. "Who was that?" Stefan questioned, his brows furrowed quizzically.

"Colin McNaughton," She answers nonchalantly. Both men shared an impressed look. They'd heard that name and knew how much weight it held. It was almost as powerful as their own.

Xxx

Two months later...

Caroline stepped off the private plane, her long blonde hair billowing in the wind as she slid her white sunglasses off. She was dressed to impress with white shorts, a white bandeau, and a turquoise cropped off the shoulder short sleeve top. She had turquoise heels and matched it with a light blue Chanel purse.

She smiled at the taller, older man with short greying hair. His blue eyes, similar to her own, glistened faintly. He was in a smart black suit, as per usual. She'd never seen him out in public without one. "I missed you, Bill," Caroline said as she stopped in front of him.

"That's nice of you to say, Miss Caroline." Bill strode over to the plane, retrieved her luggage and loaded it into the car. He opened the backseat door and gestured for Caroline to get in. She did so, happily.

"Honestly, living the last four years without a driver or housekeepers that like you has been so taxing. I had to learn how to drive," She whined, leaning back against the black Salvatore town car.

"What did you do to make the estate staff not like you?"

Caroline opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it after a moment deliberating. She sighed, "Nothing… They've always treated us that way. I did overhear them talk about how they think I'm just another spoiled brat, so that may be it. You know my brothers and I don't like anyone calling us spoiled. As if our father would ever spoil his three children. He doesn't even respect us as people. We're merely his playthings—take us out when he needs to show the world what a perfect family we are."

Bill glances at the blonde in the backseat through the rearview mirror. "Which home am I dropping you off at, Miss Caroline?"

"The penthouse. I had thought of moving back into the mansion, but It'd just be me, I don't need six floors."

While Caroline and her brothers were away in college, Bill had travelled between Paris and Spain to work as their mother's driver. When the news of Caroline's return back to New York City began circulating, he was released from his duties and ordered to resume his job as driver of the Salvatore triplets—even if two of the three children were not there.

Xxx

As she made her way through the lobby, Caroline noticed the enthusiastic receptionist at the front desk, eagerly waving her over, "Welcome back, Miss Caroline!"

"Thank you, Vonya. Do you know if Dorota had the penthouse purified with sage? I'm not sleeping in that penthouse with the bad vibes that bitch left."

"A crew came and cleansed the whole place this afternoon."

Caroline clapped her hands excitedly. She would not allow the bad vibes that remained after what happened when she last lived here ruin her new life as a single woman running a business. Although, the business has been lead by her since she first created it when she was seventeen. It was in this same lobby, over by the bar, Caroline had discovered her first model—Zero. She glanced over and saw there was a new bartender.

Xxx

Caroline took an elevator up to the penthouse apartment and breathed a sigh of relief when the doors opened. It was just like she remembered.

She stepped off the elevator and into the foyer. From there, she surveyed her surroundings: the spacious living room with multiple floor-to-ceiling windows and giant roman pillars to the left, and the grand staircase that led to the upper floor on her right.

A staff member scurried over quickly to greet her, "Welcome home, Miss Caroline. Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Take my bags upstairs and tell the chef to stop preparing food, I'm not hungry. Plus, I already ate on the plane. I'm just going to sleep off the jet lag." And with that, she leaves the girl to her work and wanders off toward the direction of the bedrooms.

When Caroline enters her room, she muses silently to herself about how it wasn't quite as big as her room at the mansion—which had taken up an entire floor. Still, if Caroline were to be completely honest, she'd much prefer it here. The royal blue walls, the hardwood floors and even the large champagne colored rug; she had picked everything out herself. In between two windows was a fireplace with a mantle decked out in several photos of friends and souvenirs she'd collected from her travels, as well as a flashy, decorative mirror that hung overhead. There was a burgundy chaise in the corner, right by her vanity that sat below an eight-foot portrait of Marie Antoinette. On the one side of a light fixture sat two glass doors that opened up to her walk-in closet. All organized and all designer. The new renovations that were made last summer included: a second floor that was accessible via the floating, glass staircase, an island with all her favourite jewelry laid out in personalised displays and a full length mirror. Her bed was nothing if not fit for royalty. The gold encrusted headboard with pink upholstery would make anyone jealous and don't even get her started on the baby blue pillows and matching comforter. This room was built for a queen.

A young blonde woman who looked as though she could pass for Caroline's double came into the room with her many suitcases. "Who are you?" Caroline demanded.

"My name is Dana, Miss Caroline."

"You're fired for looking too much like me. Get out."

Dana scoffs, "The rumors are right, you're awful."

Caroline rolled her eyes. If she had a quarter for every person who called her awful, mean, a bitch, satan incarnate, she would be as rich as her father.

Xxx

The next day, due to jet lag, Caroline had slept on-and-off-again all day. She'd finally managed to get out of bed sometime in the evening, only to put on a short black dress with purple heels and a purple Chanel purse.

The bouncer at Club Augustine let Caroline in when he saw her and people in line yell profanities one after the other, cursing her and the privilege she was born with.

Caroline and the bouncer shared a look and she huffed an annoyed breath before turning to address the line. This was not the first time this sort of thing had happened and it probably wouldn't be the last. "Of course he let me in right away, for three reasons. One, I'm Caroline Salvatore. Two, I've been coming here since I was a teenager and the bouncer knows me. Three, the owner of this club, Enzo St. John, is one of my best friends."

Enzo, who'd been making his rounds of the club with his boyfriend, Jason, spotted a familiar head of blonde hair in the VIP area. He hurried over, annoyed, because once again Cami had most likely found herself in a place she didn't belong. That room was reserved solely for Enzo, Jason, and their friends—whenever they visited the city. He needed to fire Cami, he'd only hired her out of courtesy since they did, after all, attend high school together and ran in the same social circles. But lately, the effort she put into work had been declining and she was beginning to cut corners. He couldn't have that sort of nonsense work ethic in his establishment.

As he approaches, however, Enzo is met with a face he hadn't seen in a while. A massive grin lights up his entire demeanour, "That California sun did wonders for you, Gorgeous."

Caroline laughed as she placed her martini down and hugged him in greeting. Enzo sat down next to her, with Jason taking up the empty space on his other side.

After welcoming Enzo, Caroline kissed Jason on the cheek and said a quick hello. Whilst Enzo was British with a thick head of jet black hair, Jason was an American with curly, black hair. She didn't really know Jason beyond the fact that he was Enzo's boyfriend and that the two of them had met by chance when Enzo stopped by California during one of his many spontaneous road trips, almost five years ago. They only had a couple days together before they had to do long distance. Enzo would fly out to Bel Air often and Jason would come out to New York during the school holidays. "I missed you too, Enzo. California sun and competition does the body well."

"Competition? Who is the unlucky soul licking its wounds after going up against you?"

She giggled as she gave Enzo a playful shove, "Funny, I wouldn't say Colin McNaughton is unlucky or licking his wounds. He's the first person to go up against me and win… Sometimes."

"Colin McNaughton—heir to McNaughton Media Empire. That McNaughton?"

The blonde nodded as she took another sip of her martini. It'd been months since she'd had a drink. Not since that night. It was still a little hazy but she definitely remembers the morning after and the shock of who was in her bed. "So, how are you?" Caroline inquired, eager to change the topic of conversation.

"I've been good, Jason and I have been living together for the last three years. The club is thriving and it seems my customers are aging too, we've got less teenagers and more young adults."

Jason kissed Enzo on the cheek and promptly excused himself, with the intention to leave the pair alone to catch up on lost time.

Caroline eyed the couple enviously. She had not been as successful as they'd been at finding a partner in life. Either people were far too intimidated by the money and power her family held or just the sheer luxury of her life. She had a couple boyfriends in high school, two of which she'd thought would be the one. The first was Klaus Mikaelson, with whom she shared the same group of friends. They hadn't spoken in four years. Her other boyfriend had been Chadwick Gekko; they were on-again-off-again for years. She had not dated anyone in three years. It is the longest she has gone without a boyfriend since she was twelve.

Enzo made sure Jason couldn't hear them as he leaned closer to her. Before Enzo had become her best friend, he'd been her brother, Damon's, old drinking buddy. Enzo lived with the Salvatore's in high school. His mom had moved back to London and his father was off doing who-knows-what and getting remarried every couple years. When Caroline had her emotional breakdown before Paris fashion week it was Enzo that helped her get some of the emotion out. "I'm going to ask Jason to marry me," Enzo whispered conspiratorially.

Caroline squealed in excitement and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh my god, that's amazing! I'm so happy for you. When are you thinking of having it and can I plan the wedding?"

Enzo chuckled, eyes alight with mirth. It was as if no time has passed. "I'm going to do it tomorrow afternoon. I'll text you after. And of course you can plan the wedding. I know you like to plan parties, but I'm planning it with you."

"Caroline and Enzo, planning back together."

"I do have to say, all of you left the city for an extended period of time and I didn't get one proposal."

Caroline leaned against him, a series of giggles falling from her lips, "My apologies, Enzo St. John, my favorite British person—the only other person who loves how hot the Australians are besides me and the best wingman anyone could ask for... Will you marry me?"

Enzo dramatically puts a hand over his heart and gasps, "I thought you'd never ask, Gorgeous."

Both of them once again erupt into a cacophony of laughs as they embrace each other.

Xxx

Caroline screeched in annoyance. She couldn't find anything decent to wear to her first day as a full-fledged CEO at Royalty. Up until now she had not only been a CEO but also a student be it at high school or at college. But now she is a full-time CEO. Should she go with the pantsuit or a matching yellow plaid shorts and blazer? Maybe she should keep it casual with a tan skirt and white dress shirt. Although that last option was basically her school uniform. At this rate she was going to be late for her first day.

Maybe some breakfast would help her think. She ambled down the spiral staircase in her red silk mid-thigh length robe she'd gotten from one of her mother's fashion shows. As she passed by the foyer she noticed the majordomo of the penthouse replacing the old flowers on the table with a fresh batch.

"Dorota, I've missed you so much," Caroline squealed gleefully. She rushed over to her, but when Dorota shifted from behind the flowers, Caroline noticed she was not alone. Attached to her chest was a two month baby girl. The younger woman halted at the sight, her mouth falling open in shock, "You have a baby!?"

"Yes, say hello to Anastasia."

The sudden revelation of Dorota now having a baby wears off, albeit slowly. She tiptoes closer, desperate not to disturb the baby, and reaches out, allowing Anastasia to wrap her little fingers around one of hers while she hugged the older woman. Dorota practically raised Caroline and her brothers, since their parents were always out of the country when they were growing up. Caroline's mother is a fashion designer and she often split her time between Paris and Spain where her new husband lives. Caroline's father travelled a lot in Europe, but his primary base of operation was in England. Dorota loves Caroline and her brothers as though they were her own children. Dorota was in her early forties and was Polish-born. Whenever she got upset, she had a tendency to start speaking polish.

Caroline stopped just outside the dining room and looked down at the hardwood floors. She gulped, bad memories flooding throughout her mind as she closed her eyes. Dorota reaches out and lays a comforting hand on her shoulder, "It's ok, Miss Caroline, they've left the country. You made sure of that. And you've banned them from the city and got a restraining order."

"I know. It's just no matter how much cleansing you do, you can't erase the bad memories."

As Caroline sat down at the head of the table, a bowl of raspberries was brought out and placed in front of her. "I need your help upstairs, Dorota, I have no clue what to wear. Oh, and you should know I fired Dana. I know we brought all the staff to the mansion so when I moved back here we had hired all new staff here, but I'm not sure I like this new staff," Caroline informed her, nabbing a raspberry and nibbling it lightly.

"Miss Caroline, the new staff has been vetted intensively and none of them harbor ill will against you or this family or know what happened before you left New York."

"You mean it? Nobody except you, me, my brothers and our friends remember the traumatizing event that happened right there?" Caroline points just outside the dining room.

"No, it's as if they didn't exist."

The blonde smiled excitedly up at her as she popped the last raspberry into her mouth. She can't even form words. She is so ecstatic that nobody currently working here remembers the annoying hell that went on involving this family almost five years ago. In this city, in this penthouse apartment. It's true she could have chosen any place to live, but not only is this her home—she does love this penthouse. The good memories outweigh the bad ones. Even if there are bad memories going into the dining room. She'll just have to take an alternate route.

Xxx

Bill pulled the car up in front of the tall, glass building. It was almost skyscraper level. The word 'Royalty' was plastered on the doors. As soon as Caroline entered the lobby she was stopped by a stern-looking woman with a pair of cat eyeglasses, "I'm sorry but we're not open yet."

Caroline glanced over at the receptionist by the door. Clearly this woman does not know who she is. "I know, it's my first day. I'm Caroline Salvatore—the CEO," she quipped, before turning on her heel and continuing on, not even giving the other woman a chance to speak.

When Caroline arrived at the main floor of Royalty, she runs into the interim CEO she'd personally hand-picked, Jude, and his husband—as well as her first model—Zero. Whereas Jude was in a suit and sporting short brunette hair, Zero had bleached blonde hair and was wearing a pair of casual jeans and a hoodie since he'd most likely have a shoot today and would be changing later.

She hugged and kissed both on the cheek. Working with both Zero and Jude had helped her grow into what she was now: a confident young woman. She hadn't always been responsible in all aspects of her life. But when they formed royalty, she reevaluated her life and chose to stop jumping from guy-to-guy, from relationship-to-relationship and decided to get her head on straight. "I've missed you both. Since I'm back, Jude you can return to just being our in-house lawyer, although if you want, you can be my VP. So while you're being demoted from the current interim CEO, you're still being technically promoted. Plus you will always be the one left in charge when I'm not here."

The husbands looked at each other as if she weren't even there. Not five minutes and she'd already promoted Jude. Zero was the bartender in the building Caroline lived in and she thought he would make a fantastic model and offered him a job. Zero had been there since the beginning of Royalty. Before it had a building or even a name.

"Guys, where is my office? Mason is coming by later and I need to tell him what floor to come to." Caroline found the building on the plane to California, so she'd actually never been inside til now. When she left for College, she'd put Jude in charge because she knew he could handle it. She not only hired Zero, but she also hired Jude on the spot.

"Top floor," Jude answered, his usual megawatt smile on show.

"Thank you, I want to have a meeting with all our models. Oh, and Jude, are there any meetings today?"

"Board meeting at two. Zero and Brad have shoots. Brad is in Fiji doing a commercial for cologne, Zero has a shoot in Central Park and some just have shoots here." Jude was thrilled he didn't have to deal with the board anymore. They never accepted that he was interim CEO and they had always thought he favored Zero over the other models just because they are married.

Xxx

The elevator doors opened up to her office floor and a brunette woman stood from her position at the desk by the door. She was dressed in a black long sleeve lace romper with a black ribbon tied into a bow around her waist. There is a black leather jacket on the back of her tan chair and she had black peep toe heels on. "Caroline Salvatore?" she queried hesitantly.

"Yes, and you are?"

"Your assistant, Nora Hildegard. If there's anything you need I'll be right here." Whereas Nora is in all black Caroline went a simple tan pencil skirt and white tucked in dress shirt and brown belt around her waist. With brown peep toe stilettos and a brown Gucci purse. "Thank you. When my contractor, Mason, arrives, send him in," she ordered, gliding past Nora and into her office.

Caroline's office was huge. There were two sets of double doors opposite of Nora's desk and the other, near hers. There was a black swivel chair behind her desk and Caroline debated whether or not she should bring the throne she has in her office at the mansion. In the actual office space, off to one side was a couch and two chairs. Located opposite of them was a table and some chairs.

Xxx

"So some of you might not know who I am and that's ok, clearly you haven't read page six—probably a good thing. Now, some of you, like Zero and Brad, know me and have been here since the start. But most of you, I have not technically met. So, I'm Caroline Salvatore, your boss. I may look young and naive but do not cross me. Not only do I know people, I have connections."

Xxx

Jason rolled over in bed and extended an arm out in search of Enzo but found him missing. There was a rose sitting innocently on his pillow and when Jason sat up, he noticed the trail of rose petals that led him out of the room and down their apartment hallway. He finds Enzo on his knee in the middle of their living room, the sun reflecting off their black furniture. Jason beamed at him; he couldn't believe this was happening.

"Jason, you have made me so happy these past years and I bet it's not easy coming into this world of extreme wealth, but it's like all my life has been spent waiting for you. I love you so much. I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together. Will you marry me?"

Jason smiled down at him and at the black steel ring with a row of diamonds around it in his hand. He loves Enzo, he always had since that first glance at him in Bel Air. When that limo drove past he never expected to fall in love with one of the passengers. Enzo has changed his life, this extremely wealthy life was a shock at first, but he got used to it. "Yes…Yes, of course I will!"

Enzo jumped up and kissed him. They embraced, so happy to be engaged at last.

Xxx

Mason Lockwood had been Caroline's contractor since she was in high school. She also has a history with his nephew—not a good one. Mason was tall, had short brown hair and a stubble his hands are smooth even though he uses them everyday lifting and building things. Even though he came from a rich family he didn't enjoy the fame and publicity; instead opting to tell his sister she can be in the spotlight all she wanted and that he'd take his inheritance and use it to open up a construction company. He was very well respected and the go-to contractor for the rich. He was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt.

"Mason, my favorite contractor, how have you been?" Caroline navigates around her desk and gestures for him to sit at one of the many unoccupied seats in the room.

"I've been good. I have a girlfriend now. Her name is Jenna. I met her during my time in New Jersey."

Caroline had heard the name Jenna before and she's pretty sure her best friend, Katherine, has an aunt named Jenna. She shook her head and refocused back to the conversation on hand, "Thank you for renovating my closet. I know the last time we tried to do this we had to put a four year halt on construction. Would it be difficult to replace the flooring downstairs? Mainly the living room."

"It would be difficult if you have the pillars in the living room and like everything in the penthouse it's rare. Plus, it might damage the other floors in surrounding rooms."

She nodded, looking away and went to stand up and straighten out her skirt when Mason spoke again.

"I know you. You only ask me to build you stuff that you need. The adjoining bedroom was a Christmas present for your friend, the second floor closet was because you were running out of room. You took me to come take a look at your new mansion to point out if anything needed to be fixed. I built your office in that mansion. Plus, I was there through all that drama, including the death in the family. Even though we can't replace the floor, I'll send you something that will help."

She turned around and bit her lip, "Don't remind me about the death in the family. I still have flashbacks. Thank you, Mason." She walked over to her desk and handed him his cheque for the project regarding her closet.

Xxx

As Caroline is leaving her office Nora pipes up, saying, "Your father keeps calling."

"I know..." She is tired of talking to her father, whenever he calls her it's never because he just wanted to say hi and that he missed her. There's always a problem and she has to drop what she's doing to fix it. As she is about to speak again, the phone rings. Caroline picks it up and answers, "I'm not doing your dirty work. I have a company of my own to run and a meeting I'm going to be late for—"

"Caroline!"

"What… I… can't… hear… you," She hangs up and looks up at Nora, "Who knew we had a dead zone in this building?"

Xxx

"Ladies and gentlemen of the board, how are we today?" Caroline addressed jovially.

The long conference table is filled with men and women in their forties, all of whom wore suits. None of them looked pleased to be there.

"We are delighted with the results of this company and the public positive feedback, but not with the way the company is going in a management position. Things have to change," grunted a dour-faced man.

"Um, I wasn't aware management was not in a good position. I will work on that immediately, now that I'm back. We will make improvements by the next meeting."

The board shared a glance, then looked at the blonde. Nora was standing quietly by the doorway, observing.

This time, a different man spoke, "We are thinking of going in a different direction at the top."

Fury bubbles inside her as she realizes what they mean. How dare they! Without her, there would be no board for them to kick her out of.