Cruel Beginnings: A Dark Academia Enemies to Lovers Romance (Cruel World Book 1) by Lili St. Germain & Lyra Parish

Author:Lili St. Germain & Lyra Parish [St. Germain, Lili & Parish, Lyra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-03-23T16:00:00+00:00

The room is… cozy. Not really what I’d expect for the obscene amount of money I’ve just spent, but I guess it’s not really the room I was buying, is it? It’s the girl.

The girl who, right now, is tossed over Rafe’s shoulder as he enters. He drops her onto the bed, and she barely rouses. Fuck. Whatever they gave her must have been strong.

At least somebody’s had the decency to wrap a robe around her.

“Thanks,” I say. “How does this work? Do I tip you?”

Rafe looks like he wants to punch my fucking lights out, his balled fist twitching by his side. “Uh-uh,” I chide, wagging my finger. “No fighting in front of my new girlfriend.”

“What the fuck are you doing buying her?” Rafe demands.

“Would you prefer it if one of those old fucks out there acquired her instead?” I challenge. “You think they’d treat her better than me?”

Rafe’s jaw clenches; he clearly doesn’t have an answer to that.

“Are you taking her back to the Island?”

“No, I thought I’d leave her in that trailer park. Of course I’m taking her to the island.”

Rafe scrubs his hand over his face, clearly agitated.

“This is your fault, you know,” I continue. “You set me on this course.”

“I thought you’d speak to her mother!” Rafe insists. “I didn’t exactly bank on Mia OD’ing and her daughter having to make a deal with Javier to pay for her mother’s fucking funeral.”

That slams into me like a gut punch. “What did you say?”

“She came to my father for a loan. Five thousand dollars.” Rafe shakes his head, glancing at the unconscious girl on the bed. “If I’d known, I would have given her the money myself. And avoided this.”

Five thousand dollars. I’ve spent more on a night out. On a pair of custom motorcycle boots. On a tailored suit. And this girl sold her virginity for five thousand dollars, so she could pay for her dead mother’s funeral. She probably felt like she was selling her soul when she signed that contract. Javier would have smelled the desperation on her and pounced.

“Yeah,” Rafe adds, seeing my reaction. “The girl came here wanting a loan and ended up selling her fucking soul instead.”

“I didn’t buy her soul,” I protest.

“Yeah, well, Javier will find a way to get it, anyway. He always does. Always has.”

“Like he got yours?” I ask.

He doesn’t answer.

“Bye, then,” I say impatiently. “You don’t have to babysit her. Or do you come as part of the deal? I could use a little errand boy.”

A cracking pain radiates through the top of my skull, and a moment later, I feel warm blood ooze from the spot where Rafe’s just smashed something blunt and heavy against my head. “What the fuck was that for?” I swear, stepping back as I touch my fingertips to the split flesh at my scalp. He’s holding a gun in his hand. He was so fast I didn’t even see him whip it out. That’s what she said.

“Don’t make me regret bringing you this information,” Rafe says tightly, gesturing to Birdie with the gun.

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