Savage Empire
Bri Blackwood
Bretagey Press
Copyright © 2021 by Bri Blackwood
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. For more information, contact Bri Blackwood.
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.
The subject matter is not appropriate for minors. Please note this novel contains sexual situations, violence, sensitive and offensive language, and dark themes. It also has situations that are dubious and could be triggering.
First Digital Edition: March 2021
Cover Designed by Amanda Walker PA and Design
Created with Vellum
Contents
Note From The Author
Blurb
Playlist
1. Anais
2. Anais
3. Damien
4. Anais
5. Anais
6. Anais
7. Damien
8. Anais
9. Damien
10. Anais
11. Anais
12. Anais
13. Anais
14. Damien
15. Anais
16. Damien
17. Anais
18. Anais
19. Anais
20. Anais
21. Damien
22. Anais
23. Damien
24. Anais
25. Damien
26. Anais
27. Anais
About the Author
Also by Bri Blackwood
Note From The Author
Hello!
Thank you for taking the time to read this book. Savage Empire is a dark billionaire enemies-to-lovers romance. It is not recommended for minors and contain situations that are dubious and could be triggering. It isn’t a standalone and the book ends in a cliffhanger. The next book in the series is Scarred Empire.
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Blurb
He’s a savage
Damien Cross treats New York City as if it’s his personal playground.
He sees.
He touches.
He conquers.
He holds the fate of my family in his hands
And makes a deal with me I can’t refuse.
He’ll forgive my father’s debt if he can have something in exchange: me.
I promised myself I wouldn’t get addicted, but nothing is guaranteed when you make a deal with a savage.
Now this debt is my cross to bear.
Playlist
What I’ve Done - Linkin Park
bad guy - Billie Eilish
I Hate Everything About You - Three Days Grace
Hate Me (with Juice WRLD) - Ellie Goulding
Monster In Me - Little Mix
Bad At Love - Halsey
ocean eyes - Billie Eilish
Paralyzer - Finger Eleven
Dance With The Devil - Breaking Benjamin
Panic Room - Au/Ra
everything i wanted - Billie Eilish
Love Is Madness (feat. Halsey) - Thirty Seconds To Mars
The playlist can be found on Spotify.
1
Anais
“Anais?”
I looked up from the document I was reading and smiled at the man standing at the door, but he didn’t return it. I waited to see if he would walk into my office, but he stayed where he was. “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”
He cleared his throat. “Are you still coming home tonight? I need to talk to you.”
I almost missed his question because I was more concerned with the dark circles under his green eyes, the eyes we shared. It seemed as if he had aged overnight. A myriad of emotions crossed his face when he uttered those words, and a feeling of dread came over me that had nothing to do with his question. The expression that settled on his face was one of worry. What is going on and what does he need to talk to me about?
I racked my brain for a moment, trying to remember if I said I would go to my parents’ home tonight. “My mind is drawing a blank. Was I?” I picked up my phone and checked the group text message I had with my family. I confirmed my father was right and sighed. The stress had to be getting to me.
“Does eight still work for you?”
I nodded, closed my eyes, and placed my index fingers on my temples. I wished the building tension away while my father remained at the door. Part of me wanted to postpone dinner and crawl into bed after work, but it was clear that Dad needed to talk to me about something important and I wanted to be there for him.
“Anais, are you okay?” I could hear him move closer to me.
“Yeah, Dad. I’m fine. Just had a long day. I’ll be there tonight.” I opened my eyes to find him just to the left of me. He leaned down to give me a warm hug and patted my back. My father was the CEO of Monroe Media Agency and I worked as the social media director. Our company was established over twenty-five years ago and we took care of just about everything that a company might need for their public image. I was the lead on the social media team and that included managing a few people who helped oversee the online presence of our clients.
“Don’t work too hard, kiddo.”
I spared him a small smile as he took a step back. “I won’t. Is everything okay with you?”
He nodded his head, but it wasn’t hard for me to notice his hesitation.
I debated whether to ask but refrained because I didn’t know how that conversation would go. He might be more willing to talk at home. “Okay. I’ll see you tonight.”
Dad finally returned my smile with a small one of his own and left, closing my office door behind him. The air in the room shifted dramatically once he left. Before I could analyze the interaction further, my office phone rang.
“Monroe Media Agency, Anais speaking.”
“Anais? Hi. This is Edward from CASTRA.”
I held the phone away from my ear and sighed before I could stop myself. As if I didn’t recognize his voice because Edward and I had talked multiple times a week about CASTRA and how to help them with their social media accounts. Even though I was the senior director of public relations and social media and managed a couple of employees who had taken on the CASTRA account, Edward still preferred to call me, no matter how many times I asked that he didn’t. Since CASTRA was one of our biggest clients, I bit my tongue to stop myself from asking him once more.
“What can I help you with today?”
He rattled off a couple of issues, which could have easily been sent to me in an email and hung up the phone. I placed it back down on the hook and groaned. A quick glance at my laptop told me I had a couple more hours before I could go home and prepare for dinner with my parents.
A long day of work meant by the time I left the office it was already dark outside. It didn’t help that it was December in New York City. The sun set earlier, the temperatures were colder, and people were preparing to celebrate holidays. That made a long day in the office feel even longer. I zipped up my thick, insulated winter coa
t, pulling it tighter around my neck as I steeled myself to brave the cooler temperature outside.
I left the office and headed to the subway. Thankfully, it took no time to get there because the closest station wasn’t too far. Sometimes having a car in New York City was helpful. Sitting in a traffic jam in the driver’s seat wasn’t, which was why I didn’t have one. When I needed a car, I would rent one.
The familiar smells of the subway greeted me. If someone were to ask me what those smells were, I’d tell them it was a combination of many things and leave it at that. I checked my phone to see what time it was when I reached the platform, somewhat patiently waiting for the train. I had about ninety minutes to get to my parents’ home, but I was going to stop by my apartment first. I didn’t have to wait long for the train to come into the station, screeching to a halt. The conductor opened the doors, and I quickly stepped inside, making my way toward a vacant seat.
I kept my eyes focused on the window once the train pulled out of the station. As the train moved closer and closer to my destination, I was glad I only had to take one train to get to and from work, making my commute easy. Unless there was some sort of incident that screwed up the trains’ schedule. About twenty minutes later, I walked over to a set of doors on the left side of the car. Once the train stopped, I jumped off, not paying attention to all the other people who had followed suit. It took almost no time for me to exit the station and start walking down the street. My normal stroll turned into a fast-paced gait because I wanted to escape the cold and get home. I mentally made a list of things I needed to do, like change my clothes, before I headed out to my parents’. I was caught up in my own world when I felt something brush up against me, causing me to jump back.
“Sorry,” I said as I realized I had bumped into someone who was walking in the opposite direction. When I heard nothing back, I looked over my shoulder and found a man. The way the streetlights bounced off of his face hid some of his features, but exaggerated others, painting a sinister picture.
“Watch yourself,” was all he said. His voice was rough, like how I imagined someone with vocal cords wrapped in sandpaper would sound.
I didn’t give him a chance to say or do anything else. I started walking backward down the street, trying my best to keep him in view, in case he tried to do something. Instead, he continued in the opposite direction, not once bothering to turn around to give me a second look. Alarms went off in my head and I became more aware that there weren’t any people nearby.
I switched back around as I reached into my purse to grab my keys and my phone, hoping the former was enough of a weapon to buy me time in case I needed to get away. I walked even faster down the street, not caring how silly I looked because I knew I had to get home.
When I could see my building, I said a silent prayer, thankful that I was almost home, and I was pretty sure that the man hadn’t followed me. When I crossed the threshold into my apartment building, I breathed a sigh of relief. I was safely in my lobby where there were other people wandering about, and the warmth from the heated building wrapped around me like I had just taken a sip of hot chocolate on a cold winter day.
I made it up to my apartment in record time and whipped off the coat and blazer. A quick call out to see if Ellie Winters, my roommate and best friend, was home confirmed she wasn’t. It took longer than normal to unwrap the bun I had placed my hair in that morning, but once the pins were on the table, I could feel the tension easing from my head. But it soon came back with a vengeance when I replayed the scene that had unfolded with my father earlier.
If I knew my father as well as I thought I did, I knew something had to be wrong. Throughout my life, he had been this pillar of strength, never one to sway much in any circumstance. If anyone had a problem and wanted help to solve it, he was there to lend a hand. There wasn’t a time I could think of that I’d ever seen him rattled until today. Although he tried to put on a brave face, it did little to prevent his actual feelings from showing through the cracks.
I somewhat dreaded dinner at my parents’ house tonight, although it had been a while since we’d had dinner together, just the three of us. If I had to be honest with myself, that was something I missed, but with being so busy it had become a lower priority. I was still feeling weird about the encounter with the strange man and all I wanted to do was put on my pj’s and go to bed. But I vowed there was no way I was going to do that. I needed to find out what was going on with Dad. Before I got too lost in thought, my phone chimed, and I placed the creepy incident behind me.
Ellie: Do you want to go to a gala with me?
I closed my eyes and groaned before my fingers flew across my keyboard.
Me: You know how I feel about those types of things, El.
Ellie: I think you’ll like this one. It’s a fundraiser for Project Adoption.
Project Adoption was a nonprofit created to support the rescue of cats, dogs, and other animals, and to help them find their forever homes. Now I had another reason to go. Besides, Ellie would have dangled my not going over my head for the rest of my life. Ellie’s love for animals was one reason her parents supported Project Adoption, so I knew she was dying to go.
Me: Fine. I’ll go.
Ellie: Awesome! We can even go dress shopping.
Me: I might have something here, but I’ll never turn down the excuse to go shopping. Would Thursday work for you?
Ellie: Yes, it would. I’m so excited!
I put my phone in my pocket, determined to finish getting ready for dinner at my parents.
“Dinner was superb as usual, Mom.” I leaned back in my chair, debating whether or not it would be proper to loosen the belt I had on. It might not be out in public, but hell, I was home anyway.
“Thanks, dear. I’m glad you liked it.” The grin she gave me didn’t quite reach her eyes, reaffirming my belief that something was wrong. My mother and I were very open with each other when it came to a multitude of things, and I knew when something was up. Or so I thought. My mom and I shared the same pale skin and long, dark brown hair. I also inherited her thin, fit body type and we shared a love of fitness.
“Anais is right. You really outdid yourself tonight. Thanks, honey.” The roasted chicken, broccoli, and crispy potatoes hit all the right spots when it came to a wonderful, comforting meal.
Mom’s gaze turned to my father, and she beamed.
Although my parents had enough money to hire people to help them around the house, my mom enjoyed cooking. Heck, sometimes we would cook together, which had always been fun.
“Anais, can we talk for a moment?”
Dad’s words stopped my thoughts. I nodded my head and sat back. “Thanks for dinner, Mom.”
“You’re welcome. Why don’t we take this to the living room?”
“That’s a good idea, Ilaria. I’ll put the dishes in the sink and then I’ll join you in there.”
“I can help.”
“Don’t worry about it. Go relax with your mom while I do this.” Dad stood up first and walked over to Mom and rested a hand on her shoulder. He held his hand out and she placed her hand in his and they both stood up. I stood up as well and my mom and I walked together into the living room as Dad was taking the dirty dishes into the kitchen.
I almost asked Mom what was going on, but it was clear that this was something they wanted to tell me together. After we sat down on the couch, Mom reached over and squeezed my hand, telepathically telling me that things were going to be okay. That made me feel worse.
Dad soon joined us and sat next to Mom. He glanced at me but said nothing.
“What is going on? Are you both okay? Is someone sick?”
Mom nodded her head as Dad said, “We’re both fine and no one is sick. It’s related to work.”
I could have fallen back on the couch as relief came over me at the news that no one was sick. Dread trickled in at what he could possibly want to talk to me about regarding work. There was no way he was retiring yet because we'd talked ab
out that briefly earlier this year. I was somewhat shocked he didn’t want to talk about this in his office, a place with which I was all too familiar. I remembered being allowed to play on the floor in front of his desk while he spoke on the phone with a client. Then once he’d finished with his calls, he would pull me into his lap and tell me about what he was doing and how he was helping communicate their company’s vision with the world. I would say that, without a doubt, he inspired me to go into the field, and I hoped one day when he retired, I would be next in line to run Monroe Media Agency.
“Dad, you’re making me nervous. What’s up?”
He took a deep breath, and I waited. The weariness I had seen in his eyes earlier that day returned, causing my stomach to shift. Was I even ready to hear what he had to say? If it had something to do with work, was he going to fire me?
“Kiddo, you know how much I appreciate everything you do at Monroe. I don’t know where we would be without you and the work you’ve done over the last five years.”
I’m getting fired. I said nothing, but I knew he must have interpreted the look I was giving him correctly: rip off the Band-Aid and tell me what this is all about. I was scared shitless.
It took a second for me to calm my anxieties down when I told myself that he had no reason to fire me. I had done nothing to warrant losing my job. Another idea floated into my mind that shook me even harder: Was Monroe Media Agency going under?
Savage Empire: An Enemies to Lovers Dark Billionaire Romance (Broken Cross Book 1) Page 1
