Page 20 of Lesson on Depravity

“I do!” I accidentally raised my voice, and my shoulders instinctively shrink back at his glare. “I have to leave, Daddy. I’ll never be someone you can be proud of if I don’t better myself.”

“You can do it here,” he reasons.

I nod. “I can, but I want to try something new and—”

I bite my tongue on the rest of the words. Meeting new people would definitely trigger something in him because he sees everyone at their worst, and Daddy doesn’t give anyone the benefit of the doubt as he knows that everyone is a murderer.

Some just haven’t been pushed hard enough to cross that line, but they will with the right unfortunate cards that life deals to them.

“You don’t give up, do you, princess?” he asks quietly; the soft tone is louder than anything my ears have heard.

When he speaks like that, it scares me because I don’t know what he’s thinking. He’s too calm, too deliberate, and I just know the gears in his head are moving in complete synchronization.

“I really want to go work at Intergrade.” It’s one of the best companies, and it has been praised to be the hardest to get into. I want to work my way into that company, and it’s going to be the biggest accomplishment I will have, but I have to get past the iron-cage of Daddy’s approval.

“Have you not learned your lesson, Coco?” He scowls, pulling my meek gaze with his penetrative stare.

Yes, I’m aware that the issue with Javier is not resolved yet. He’s still out there, wandering and likely looking for the chance to get to me. I’ll have to take that risk if I want to regain a sense of self.

“I know Daddy will always protect me, so I’m not scared. I promise I’ll be very careful, please let me do this!” I beg him, leaning forward and hoping he could see the determination and sincerity in my resolve.

Out of nowhere, he surprises me with his answer. “If that is what you want, Daddy will support you.”

My lips stretch, and my cheeks ache at how much I’m pulling at them. A wave of happiness and victory escapes my lips in the form of giggles. I bounce on my knees, eagerness tumbling through my veins, and I shake with restrained limbs.

“It would be beneficial for you to learn on your own.” He cups my cheek, rubbing the skin with a strange hint of atrocity.

“Know this, baby, you will come across something that will make you cry.”

That sounds too much of a promise and a threat. I mean, Daddy would never threaten me. He cherishes me, and he doesn’t even raise his voice at me, let alone his hands.

He’s warning me about the dangers of people in the busier part of the city. Bad people come in every form and shape, and I should be wary of those who are too giving. They generally have something they want when they are too nice.

“I promise I’ll call every day, visit every weekend—”

Daddy scoffs, a vacant and blasé look on his face. “You will not be visiting me, baby. Daddy is coming with you.”

“I—” I stammer, lost in the moment of speechlessness. “You are?”

“I can’t let my princess get swept into the wrong crowd,” he says, and his reasoning makes me pout.

“I’m not that stupid.” I wrinkle my nose, huffing with my arms crossed over my chest.

He pinches my cheek. “My Coco is a smart girl, but you are too gullible.”

I pull my cheek from his fingers, rubbing the sore spot with a weak glare to him. “I’m not. I can tell right from wrong.”

Daddy’s lips pull out a wolfish grin. “Am I good or bad?”

I shudder at his hot breath, the hungry lust in his dark eyes swirl tantalizingly slow. “Daddy needs holy water.”

His teeth snap on my skin, nipping and licking a mark on the smooth column of my throat. The sudden attack throws my guard off as a squeal tapers off into a giggle.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry—please have mercy, Daddy! You’re good, really good! Daddy’s not a bad man!” I laugh through my words as his big fingers dig into the fleshiness of my sides.

I push against his burly chest, the muscles under my hands are too stiff and way too hot. I love this man, but he needs to find out why in the world does his body heat tends to stay on an abnormally hot scale.

The foreign ringtone reaching to my ear from my phone is not of anyone I know. In my contacts, there are only a handful of numbers. Daddy, Mr. Tito, Mrs. Curtis, and the very kind bartender at the bar all have different ringtones that I assigned to them, so I know who is calling without looking at the screen.

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