Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 38545 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 193(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38545 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 193(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
“Thank you…” I reached out and took the envelope.
It was a plain black envelope with no writing on the front. I flipped it over and my blood ran cold when I saw the seal on the back—the Windsor family. I didn’t have to open the envelope to know who sent it—Devlin Windsor. I stared at the seal for a few minutes before I finally pushed my fingernail into the flap of the envelope and tore it open. Inside, I found a piece of folded paper that was the same color as the envelope. It appeared to be a letter. When I unfolded the piece of paper, I saw that the words were handwritten in crimson-colored ink.
My Dear Violet,
It’s come to my attention that you have fallen on hard times. Our families have not always gotten along, but I felt compelled to reach out to you. I would like to extend an invitation for you to stay with me until your father is exonerated. I might even be able to offer some assistance with that, as I have many resources at my disposal. Let’s make a deal—one that will benefit us both. You know where to find me.
-Devlin
My hands trembled as I read the letter. Was my fall from grace so horrific that the only person outside of my immediate family who dared to reach out to me was Devlin Windsor? He wasn’t just a man—he was the devil himself. He was cruel, vile, and the personification of evil. But, there was truth in his words. He did have many resources at his disposal—and I had nothing. The life I knew was over, or at least suspended in abeyance until my father’s trial. Things didn’t look good, and every call from Raymond was worse than the one before it.
Am I really considering this?
Am I brave enough to make a deal with the devil to save my father’s empire before there’s nothing left but ashes?
And what does the devil want in return?
Six
Devlin
2 years ago
“Devlin?”
Her voice on the phone was small, timid. She was scared.
“What’s up?” I asked, motioning at my secretary to leave the room.
She furrowed her brows, leaving a tall stack of papers on my desk before leaving me alone and shutting the glass door of my office behind her.
“I’m not going to prom.”
The second the words were out, she burst out in tears, and guilt gripped my fucking heart like a vice.
“Calm down, Violet,” I managed, gritting my teeth together so I wouldn’t give myself away. “Start at the beginning. Tell me what happened, okay?”
“I don’t w-want to bother you,” she hiccupped, the tears coming in hot and heavy. “Are you at work? Am I… am I being annoying?”
“No,” I replied firmly. “What happened, princess?”
I cursed myself inwardly when she followed up with a pause.
She was never supposed to know about the nickname I’d given her in my head.
But she didn’t mention it, just kept talking as if nothing happened. In a way, I was almost disappointed.
“Matthew just came up to me in school,” she went on. “He looked like he’d been in a fight or something… there are rumors going around about it, but no one really knows what happened.”
Fucking good, I thought to myself. The kid kept his mouth shut.
“And then what happened?” I prompted her to go on, my hand absent-mindedly going to the bulge in my pants and stroking my rock-hard dick over the fabric.
“He told me he couldn’t go to prom,” she whimpered. “I thought he’d changed his mind about going with me, but he’s not going at all.”
“I’m sorry, Violet,” I managed despite the smile playing on my lips.
“You should be!” she cried out, rendering me speechless.
Does she know? Had she somehow found out that I’d threatened the kid?
He better not have spilled the beans. There were plenty of other limbs I could break, organs I could harm.
“I don’t have a date now,” she finished, and a weight fell off my chest. “I got that gorgeous dress and now I don’t even get to wear it.”
“You could still go alone?” I suggested. “Or maybe with some friends.”
“No,” she muttered, her voice soft. “I’m… I don’t really… I guess I’m kind of a loner.”
“What does a high school prom matter, anyway?” I asked. “You don’t really care about that shit, do you?”
“Kind of,” she admitted. “I’ve never been to a school dance. I just want to experience it at least once. And now I can’t go.”
I could practically see her pout in front of me.
I sighed heavily, knowing full well what I had to do. But that didn’t mean I liked it.
“Get dressed,” I got out through gritted teeth. “I’ll pick you up in two hours.”
I could hear her sharp intake of breath, the barely held-back glee evident in her soft little voice. “Do you mean it? Are you going to find someone to take me?”