A Hurt So Sweet Volume One: A Dark High School Bully Romance Read online

  A Hurt So Sweet Volume One

  A Dark High School Bully Romance

  Betti Rosewood

  A Hurt So Sweet

  If you can't beat the rich boys...

  F*ck them.

  Lily Anna Oakes and I share everything.

  We have the same billion-dollar name, the same designer clothes, and the same messed up problems.

  But Lily Anna and I will never meet. She died years ago.

  This town broke her. I’ll burn it to the ground before I let that happen to me.

  In Eden Falls, I’m forced to attend a school for the elite. The Firstborns own this place and they think they own me, too. It’s not long before Dexter, Caspian, Lai, and Julian become the bane of my existence.

  There are only two people I’m afraid of – my strict father, and my malevolent fiancé. Unfortunately for me, my husband-to-be is one of the Firstborns ruining my life.

  Dexter Booth and I will marry on my birthday to secure our families’ bond.

  Every woman in this damn town wants to be Dexter’s toy. Except me.

  Dex and his Eden Falls Prep cronies have forced me to give up my body. I know my betrothed wants my mind next.

  I play along… But soon, I’ll leave the beautiful jerk behind without the thing he wants most from me.

  His heir.

  Copyright © 2019 by Betti Rosewood

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover designer: Najla Qamber with Najla Qamber Designs

  Developmental & content editing: T with The Plot Thickens

  To anyone who encouraged me to let my dark side out… I hope A Hurt So Sweet takes you on a wild ride!

  xo Betti

  Playlist

  “Gimme” — BANKS

  “Mad Love” — Mabel

  “Cruel World” — Phantogram

  “Infra-Red” — Placebo

  “Gone” — Charli XCX, Christine and the Queens

  “Hate Me” — Ellie Goulding, Juice WRLD

  “Bruised Not Broken” — Matoma, MNEK, Kiana Ledé

  “Bad as the Boys” — Tove Lo, ALMA

  “Fuck it I love you” — Lana del Rey

  Contents

  1. Pandora

  2. Pandora

  3. Pandora

  4. Dexter

  5. Pandora

  6. Pandora

  7. Pandora

  8. Pandora

  9. Dexter

  10. Pandora

  11. Pandora

  12. Pandora

  13. Pandora

  14. Pandora

  15. Pandora

  16. Dexter

  17. Pandora

  18. Dexter

  Join Book Bettis!

  Preview of Boys That Read

  Also by Betti Rosewood

  One

  Pandora

  Taking the steps leading up to Oakes Estate is making me quiver in my studded boots.

  But I’ll never show my family how scared I am.

  It’s been four years since I’ve seen my biological father. Four years since he and my stepmother shipped me off to a boarding school, just hours after meeting me for the very first time.

  Now, I’m back – armed with the knowledge of etiquette, having learned two foreign languages, and having spent day after day buried between the pages of books. Now, I’ve finally been deemed ready to be introduced to their high society.

  The driver who brought me from the airport appears by my side, giving me an encouraging smile. “Excited to see your family again, Miss Lily Anna?”

  I’m desperate to interrupt. Tell him to use my real name, Pandora. But I fight the urge to correct him.

  “About as excited as they seem to be,” I mutter in response.

  He laughs, then coughs to cover it up. Of course, he isn’t allowed to think badly of my real family, just like I’m not. They’re practically royalty in this town.

  “I’ll walk you in,” the driver, Kelley, offers, and I give him a curt nod, falling into step beside him.

  There’s nobody waiting outside for me. You’d think my new family would be excited for the prodigal daughter to return, but Oakes Estate looms before me, silent, and majestic.

  I step inside the impressive mansion that carries my real last name, trembling all over. The staff has gathered in the marble hall – over fifteen people who seem to be more interested in their shoes than getting a good look at the heiress of their workplace.

  I look at them one by one. They’re all wearing the same uniforms – men in black and white, and the women in white and sky blue. Their faces are hard, rigid. All except for one girl – tall, willowy and incredibly beautiful. I’m mesmerized by her, but before I can inspect her further, a figure appears at the top of the stairwell, staring at me critically.

  My father commands attention. Even I can’t deny that.

  He’s tall, handsome and everything about him screams money.

  Now, he stares down at me, his gaze filled with cool curiosity as he bellows, “Welcome home, daughter.”

  I bow my head in respect just as I’ve been taught as he descends the impressive staircase. He doesn’t offer me a hug, or a smile. He just inspects me without mercy, as if I’m there for a job interview.

  “You will find a few new items in your chambers. The help will have to take you shopping one of these days too, so you can fit in better. Your old clothes were…” He smirks. “Not appropriate.”

  “Thanks,” I grit out. “And when do I get to see the rest of my… family again?”

  “Your brother and sister are out,” Father says. “And your stepmother is… visiting a dear friend.”

  “Of course,” I scoff.

  I’m sure a dear friend is so much more important than me coming home. And I’m also sure it’s code for her plastic surgeon.

  Father narrows his eyes at me. Great. I’ve been here five minutes and I’ve already managed to piss him off.

  Such a warm welcome from the Oakes family, I think bitterly. After years of being away, this is how they treat me?

  “Belle will show you to your room,” my father continues, gesturing to a tall blonde woman standing by the girl I’d admired earlier.

  They look so alike I can’t help but think they must be related – mother and daughter, perhaps?

  “Thank you,” I reply sans emotion, staring at the ground.

  “Oh, something else, daughter.” He pauses, and I can feel how displeased he is with me already. “Could you pay attention?”

  I don’t even want to look at him. I’m too nervous to hold his gaze. I barely know this man, despite being his biological daughter. And even though his ‘welcome back’ greeting is cool and collected, I can’t help but hope he’ll warm to me. Regard me with more interest, and perhaps, someday, even love me like a father should.

  “Yes?” I manage to get out, raising my eyes to his. “How can I be of service, father dearest?”

  Again, displeasure flashes across his face.

  I search his features for familiarities and am disappointed when I find some. We look alike. I am Emilian Oakes’ daughter – not that there was any doubt of it before. Not after the DNA test he made me take.

  “There will be new rules now that you’re in Eden Falls,” he explains. “There is a notebook explaining a few of them in your room.”

&nbs
p; “Great.” I fight the urge to roll my eyes. “Can’t wait.”

  “I will see you tonight at dinner, daughter,” my father continues. “It’s served at seven p.m. sharp. Do not be late.”

  His words don’t leave any room for arguments, and I nod wordlessly as he takes a step closer to me. He regards me yet again, his eyes scrutinizing my appearance. Despite the graying hair at his temple and the hint of silver in his beard, my father is a very good-looking man.

  “I was hoping to speak to Tatianna and Brazen before I start school next week.” I fidget with the hem of my dress.

  “They will be at dinner. And daughter… I sent you to that boarding school to learn some manners.” He glares at me. “Please don’t tell me I wasted my money.”

  “Of course not,” I smile icily.

  I know exactly how he wants me to behave but refuse to give him the pleasure of doing as he says.

  “I want you to know,” he goes on calmly. “There are consequences for girls who don’t follow the rules. Bad, bad consequences.”

  He approaches me, reaching out and touching the skin on my face. He strokes my jaw and I swallow thickly, unsure of what his next move will be. He grips me tight then, as if testing me for resistance. And then his arm just drops down, as if nothing has happened at all.

  “I’d much rather you never found out what they are. Goodbye for now, daughter.”

  I stare at the floor as he leaves me standing there to fend for myself.

  The hired help disperses muttering to themselves, leaving only the beautiful Belle in its wake. She takes a step toward me, offering me a tight smile.

  “Miss Oakes, I’ll show you to your room.”

  “What about my stuff?” I ask, following her up the staircase to the even grander first floor. “I wanted to unpack. Are they going to put my suitcase in my room?”

  “Mr. Oakes has informed us your luggage is to be tossed away,” Belle retorts coolly. “You are starting afresh at Oakes Estate.”

  “What the hell do you mean?”

  She gives me a surprised glance and looks like she’s about to answer, but no words leave her lips. I’m seething with anger. How dare they do this to me?

  The only suitcase I had was filled with mementos from my old home. The only memories I had left of my sister and my other family. To think of it all gone makes me ache inside.

  I want to fight this decision desperately, but I’m guessing there’s nothing Belle can do about it. I make a mental note to ask about my belongings at dinner.

  But there are still five hours to go until the meal, and I have no idea how I’m going to fill that time. Nobody here seems particularly interested in me.

  The maid leads me down the gallery with portraits on the walls on either side. Everything I touch or look at seems ridiculously expensive. I’m afraid to even think how much the upkeep is on a place like this. But like my friends told me when we found out about my real family… it doesn’t look like money is a problem for them.

  Belle opens a polished oak door, leading me inside an elegant room that opens into an en-suite bathroom, a lounge room, and a walk-in closet.

  “I trust you will find everything you need here. Should you need assistance, the staff is available to your request. There is a wall tablet you can use to call one of us up. In the following days you will be assigned a personal maid to take care of your needs.”

  “Thank you,” I say grumpily as she opens the billowy white silk curtains framing the bay window.

  The view out there is incredible. Oakes Estate sits atop a rocky hill, and I can see where the stone drops into the sea.

  “You must be looking forward to living in such an incredible place,” Belle says, making it sound more like an order than a heartfelt statement.

  “Oh yeah, big time. Can’t fucking wait.”

  The sarcastic words feel thick and heavy on my tongue, but Belle pays them no mind.

  She waits for further instructions and I hesitate before saying, “Do I have access to a computer, or maybe a phone?”

  “That’s something you’ll need to take up with your father,” Belle informs me. “I’m not at liberty to provide you with communication devices.”

  Okay, weirdo, I think to myself.

  “Oh?” I ask innocently. “Maybe I could just borrow your phone for a quick call.”

  She pales. I can tell she’s trapped between my father’s strict rules and the fact that she’s a maid here. Whose orders will she follow?

  “I just want to call home,” I say, putting on my most innocent face.

  “Oh, but Miss Lily Anna…” She takes my hand in hers, her fingers hard and cold. “This is your home, always has been.”

  I’ve lost. She smiles brightly, knowing it as well as I do.

  “Now if that’s everything, I do need to get on,” Belle says.

  “Fine,” I grit out. “See you.”

  She curtsies. Actually fucking curtsies. And then she’s gone, closing the door firmly on her way out.

  A moment later, I hear a key turning in the lock. Furrowing my brows, I head on over there and try the door handle.

  It’s locked.

  My mouth forms a thin line as I try the handle again and again, but it doesn’t budge. I’m locked in here with no way out. I want to scream.

  When I turn around, I’m already seething, and half-expecting to find iron rods barring the windows. But there’s none of that here, though I can’t quite get out through the window, either. There’s nothing outside to help me climb out. So, unless I want to climb up to the roof, there’s no use thinking about escaping through the window.

  I examine the room further. It’s stylish, expensively furnished, and doesn’t feel like me at all. I’m hoping my new family will allow me to add some personal touches to the space, because right now, it reminds me of a hotel bedroom.

  A thick notebook lies on my bed. I’m assuming it’s the manual my father talked about. Who the hell needs a manual on a friggin’ town, anyway?

  There’s only one thing that makes the bedroom more personal – a black and white photograph in a silver frame resting by the ornate bed.

  I pick up the heavy object and examine the photo closely.

  Shivers go down my spine as I realize who’s in the shot.

  A beautiful, painfully thin girl has her arm around a brutally handsome boy. They’re both wearing navy school uniforms. The girl is staring into the camera stoically, her expression not giving away a thing. She’s so pretty it makes me feel wildly inadequate as I reach to my lanky hair. Hers falls down her shoulders in sun-kissed, glossy waves. Mine kind of just hangs there.

  Her beauty isn’t what hurts the most.

  It’s the fact that she looks just like Andromeda, my sister.

  I focus on the boy next. He’s looking at her in the photo, eyes full of love for this girl I could never live up to. He has dark hair, stormy eyes, and a jaw that looks like it could cut glass. And he looks smitten for her.

  The old Lily Anna.

  The girl who jumped to her death from the cliffs of Oakes Estate after realizing she wasn’t Emilian Oakes’ real daughter. They kept me a secret from her for years. But she found out a year before my return. She knew she’d have to return to her real family – the people who raised me, and my little sister, Andromeda. But Lily Anna couldn’t handle the thought. She chose death over being separated from her fiancé, the handsome boy in the photo next to her.

  My fiancé now.

  The thought makes my breath catch in my throat and I wonder when I’ll get to meet him.

  My father has already explained the hierarchy here in Eden Falls. The town was built from nothing by the six founding families, who are now middle-aged, but still running the place. The new generation will ascend the throne after them. Only the first children of the founding fathers will have a right to the most influential role in Eden Falls. Only they will become the leaders of this picturesque, filthy rich town that is home to the elite.

&nbs
p; And I am one of them now.

  Since I am Emilian Oakes’ Firstborn – my siblings are younger than me – I stand to inherit not only Oakes Estate, but also the position of power my father has in this town. My brother and sister will never want for anything in their life, but they are a league below me.

  But he isn’t.

  Dexter Booth, my handsome and mysterious fiancé. The boy who was set to marry Lily Anna but will have to make do with me now that she’s gone.

  I press a fingertip to the glass covering the black and white photo, touching the face of the boy I’ll one day marry. My fingers leave smudges on the frame, and I put it back down on the bedside table before grabbing the back and slamming it against the wood.

  I smile to myself when I hear the satisfying crunch of glass.

  At least I’ve put my mark on something in this place.

  I pick up the notebook next. It’s filled with newsletter clippings, articles and daunting headlines.

  Eden Falls was nothing but dirt thirty years ago. That is, until the founding families made it their home. Their last names ring out in my mind. Oakes. Booth. Brantley. Fox. Hawkins. Jenkins.

  There’s one part of the manual that catches my interest, and it’s regarding the female Firstborns. I find out I have some importance in this town, but I will only be equal to the male Firstborns once I get married – and only if I’m a virgin until then. If I am not, I will lose all privileges, and the Firstborn status will go to the next in line. Brazen. My half-brother.