Page 1 of Ruthless Prince
Prologue
Willow
November 18th,2018
WashingtonD.C.
It was the perfect night.
I had the perfect dress, the perfect makeup, the perfect accessories, and the perfect man on my arm. Little girls across the country would see photos from the evening splashed across magazines and papers tomorrow morning, and they’d marvel at all the perfection with shining eyes and fervently hope it could be them oneday.
I wouldn’t wish it on my worstenemy.
Beneath my couture gown, my body was aching and battered, marked with bruises and fiery red stripes. My flawless, glowing skin was the result of an hour in the makeup artist’s chair, where she’d used at least nine different products to hide the dark circles and discolored patches on myface.
As for the gorgeous accessories, the sparkling diamond choker around my neck was nothing more than a tracking device and symbol of subjugation, like a collar given to a pet by its new owner. If I ever tried to tear it off and throw it away, my world would be shattered to pieces before the diamonds scattered on thefloor.
That was my life now. Looming threats of destruction. Constant, coweringfear.
My chest felt hollow as I stood poised on the edge of the hotel ballroom, waiting to make my entrance into the party. Tonight’s extensive guest list was a veritable Who’s Who of Washington, and the exclusive venue was admired all across the globe for its prized artwork, glossy marble floors, and tall French windows draped with thick goldencurtains.
Like everything else in my world, it was rich and dreamily beautiful with a dark, slimy underbelly. The owner was a well-known tax evader, hoarding his riches like a dragon while the overworked staff were barely paid enough to stay afloat. He would get away with his appalling behavior, though. Men like him alwaysdid.
“Ready to dothis?”
I looked up. Logan Thorne’s steely gray eyes were laser-focused on my face. He was the most handsome man I’d ever seen, but that gorgeous veneer disguised one of the ugliest souls on the planet. I hated him with every inch of mybeing.
I swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes,” I replied. My voice was nothing more than a tiredmurmur.
“Good. You know what to do, and you know what will happen if you failme.”
I nodded and took a deep breath. Then I stepped out and glided through the room with a smile on my face, one which I’d spent hours practicing in front of the mirror. I looked radiantly happy, but I felt like a prisoner walking to my execution, all hope longgone.
Logan held me beside him in a tight grip, short fingernails digging into my upper arm. He made it seem like a protective gesture, but in reality, he was protecting himself and his family from what I might do if I gotaway.
He didn’t need to worry. I wasn’t going to say anything to anyone or try to escape his clutches. I knew better. He had too much on me. Knew too many of my secrets. If I breathed a single word to anyone about the reality of my life, it wouldn’t be worth livinganymore.
The thought made tears spring to my eyes, but I widened my smile and made it seem as if they were tears of joy. Logan would probably still make me pay for the act of defiancelater.
He alwaysdid.
Our guests mirrored our bright smiles as we made our way through the party. A photographer followed us with a flashing camera, capturing all the phonyhappiness.
On our right were several girls who called themselves my friends, standing beside a circular dining table with a white tablecloth. They were dressed to the nines in beautiful flowing gowns and sparkling jewelry, and when I passed them, they squealed and clapped their hands. It took all the willpower I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. The diamonds adorning their wrists and ears might be real, but their friendship wasn’t. Their personalities were as fake as their collagen-enhancedlips.
I turned my head to the left and glanced at my mother, the current US president. She was a ruthlessly-ambitious woman with a heart of stone. If this engagement didn’t benefit her political career in some way, she would’ve missed thecelebration.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t the worst parent I had. Not by a longshot.
Standing beside her was my father, a pathetic excuse of a man who sold me—his only daughter—to pay off a debt that was never mine to begin with. I used to be a real daddy’s girl, but now that I knew the horrifying truth about what he’d done, I couldn’t imagine myself caring one bit if he fell right off the face of theplanet.
In front of my parents was the only true light in my life, my little brother Jared. Unlike the others in this room, his smile was innocent and real. He didn’t know he shouldn’t be happy about this event. He had no clue what had happened to me over the last couple ofmonths.
I intended to keep things that way for as long aspossible.
I kept walking toward the front of the ballroom, where Logan’s parents stood by an elegant table. It was stacked high with gift-wrapped boxes and envelopes already; money and presents he didn’t need and would never allow me touse.
When we reached the table, his father patted him on the back before sliding his hand onto the small of mine, fingertips resting dangerously close to my ass. His slimy touch made me want tosquirm.
