Avery Cole

I obeyed the rules, Never stepping out of line, I knew my place. I was a good girl, until he ripped my heart from my chest and stomped on it and never looked back.

I haven’t been the same since.

My father makes sure he pervades me around to potential suitors, someone that will benefit his business.

It’s always about the business.

My father is far from gentle, he’s a callus man. Cruel, and twisted even to me, his own flesh and blood. The only time his features softened even the slightest is when my mother walks into a room, his eyes flash with lust, desire other than the cold heartless eyes that everyone else sees.

I want that.

I long for someone to love me the way my father loves my mother. I thought I found it, but I was wrong….so wrong.

Sierra and I grew up on this island, we even went to college here not that I had a choice in the matter my father ‘Dwayne’ Told me I had to and I obeyed. Sierra stayed because of me she was dying to attend a college in Los Angeles California where her brother who shall not be named lives. But since I was forbidden to leave she felt wrong to leave even though I told her it was fine that I would be okay she passed and joined me.

“I did it, they said yes!” Sierra squealed.

Raising my brow I glanced up from the stacks of paperwork from my father, did I mention that he also has me working for him? That’s his way of keeping a close eye on me and he knows my whereabouts at all times. I’m far from perfect and when my heart was broken at sixteen it broke my innocence I became what father calls a Trollop.

I’ve never gone that far with anyone I haven’t been touched. Yes I’ve kissed guys….lots of guys. Although my father believes that I’m a ‘Trollop’ as he uses the old fashioned phrase for what we would call nowadays a slut I really never said otherwise to him. I've let him believe all this time I have done things with many men.

“What did you do?”

Sierra and I are totally opposite. She's the good girl, shy, quiet and doesn’t cause trouble and does anything and everything her Father Archer tells her too. I’m the loud outspoken and wild one that doesn’t give a shit to break the rules and I love trouble and my father hates that I disobey him.

Sierra throws a white envelope on the table and once again I look up at her and raise my brow.

“What's this?” I wave the envelope in the air and she rolls her eyes and huffs.

“Just open it Whitney,”

I groan, “Fine. But it better be good, Dwayne has been on my case lately about these files,”

“Grandpa, Dwayne will understand, if you're late with the files,” Sierra says, folding her arms.

That’s because you haven’t seen his dark side.

But I kept that thought to myself as I tore open the envelope and pulled out three plane tickets to Los Angeles.

The frown that was etched between my brows deepans and Sierra sighs.

“We’re going to Los Angeles for two weeks so we can have my bridal shower before we come back,” She squeals yet again and I cover my ears.

“Sierra you know Dwayne won’t let me go,” I placed the tickets back into the envelope and slid it back to her and continued to work on the files that Dwayne gave me that had to be on his desk before eight pm.

Sierra groans.

“You’re twenty four, Whitney he can’t stop you,” Sierra says, and I narrow my eyes at her.

We both know that’s not true. Dwayne would kill me if I was to go. He said my days of being a Trollop are over.

I’ve endured his wrath before. Not only was my heart broken that night but so was the skin on my back. Dwayne has never put his hands to me, he just has his men do it for him, which is the same thing I have the scars to prove how far Dwayne is willing to go to beat me into submission to be the perfect daughter, one that will benefit his work.

“Just take Aurora, and have Have fun and enjoy your trip,”

“No! It’s not the same without you, we’re besties,” Sierra says.

“I know,” I nod my head.

“But I won't be able to go. So just go without me this once, you won’t be able to have me around once you're married,” I reminded her.

“Which is why I want you with me. I thought we could explore the city together and hang out before I leave. Plus you could see…”

“Don’t,” I cut her off. She rolls her eyes and stands to her feet. I hate the look of disappointment in her eyes. She just doesn’t know the consequences I would have to face if I brought this up to Dwayne.

“I’ll just see you later,”

I don’t have time to reply before she’s out the door. Hopefully the gift I got her will make up for the lack of being a shitty friend right now. I just wish I could tell her the truth about Dwayne but I can’t….not even my mother knows. She looks at Dwayne as if he’s the only person on the planet and I can’t take that away from her by telling that Dwayne makes his men beat me when I step out of line.

I don’t see that conversation ending well, besides she might not even believe me he has her brainwashed.

I love my mother Clara but she’s an imbecile and believes everything that spills from Dwayne’s mouth. If it wasn’t for the fact I’ve seen how gentle he is with her I’d say he didn’t care for her but I’d be wrong anyone can tell he loves her.

By the time I finished checking over the files from the shipping companies and storage companies it was already five minutes past eight when I sat the folders on his desk.

“You’re late,”

I bite my jaw to conceal the groan in the base of my throat.

“I’m sorry. Mom bought me dinner and she wouldn’t stop talking,” I held my breath for moments when he huffs and takes the files.

“She’s a talker, that’s what I love least about her,” He cracks a smile. It’s a genuine smile but it’s always the same when he talks about mom.

“If that will be all sir I’ll be heading off to bed,” He bobs his chin once and I head for the door quickly before he looks at the notes I left in the storage files.

“Whitney, there is one thing,”

I silently curse and turn around to face him.

“Sir?”

I move forward with wobbly legs as he gestures for me with his hand. When I got to his desk my stomach was knotted so I blurted, “I know you hate notes, but the Volkov’s Storage yards were suspicious and they’re recent income was also suspicious and when I dug deeper I found…”

“It’s not about the notes,” He raised his hand to silence me.

Pfft. That’s a relief.

“You’re brother came to see me and it appears Sierra has book tickets to California for two weeks,”

I quickly shake my head.

“I informed her I wouldn't be able to attend…”

“Did I give you permission to speak?”

I bow my head.

“No, sir,”

I hate that I have to call him sir. He's my father but not when he's in the office. It's no wonder that who shall not be named left and didn’t want to take over the family business he even changed his name entirely breaking all strings attached to Isla Martago.

And right now I wish I could do the same. But leaving isn't an option for me, not When Dwayne knows my every waking move.

"You've been doing these last few years of being under my wing," Dwayne said, standing from desk. His tall broad stature covers half the window behind him from the look of his shadow you'd be terrified.

"I'm willing to give you the two weeks with Sierra," He lit his cigar and took a drag, the smokes so thick you cut it with a knife.

I hate the smell of his imported cigars. I know my father all too well and when he smokes those expensive cigars he has something up his sleeve. If he's willing to let me go to LA for two weeks with Sierra there's a catch.

"Really?"

He nods, walking in front of his desk and he sits ath edge facing me. His eyes were cold as always.

"If I do this for you when you come back you will marry the suitor that i've found,"

I shake my head. No time away from this island is worth my freedom. I don't have much freedom now but being tied to someone that Dwayne has picked for me is worse. I'd rather be dead.

"You do not get a say in this Whitney. I wasn't asking for your permission," He scoffed, "Like I was saying, I've decided to let you go. Once you return your engagement will be announced."

For fucks Sake dad.

"Do I at least get to know who I'm marrying?" I ask folding my arms over my chest.

"No, it’s good for business,” Was all he said.

I turned to leave and when I got the door open Dwayne cleared his throat.

"One more thing," He said.

"He will be joining you in California,"