Page 1 of The Deceived

CHAPTER1

WINTER

Istand, arms folded, and stare at the plain garment. The white dress dangles from the satin hanger on the hook of the bathroom door, taunting me. Honestly, it is prettier than I thought it would be.

I used to have all sorts of beautiful things.Those days are long gone.

There’s no reason to dwell on what was. That time has passed. My anger over the situation, not so much.

Reaching out with a shaky hand, I grip the fabric, allowing its softness to press against my flesh.

White. What a joke.

Its color is as pristine and bright as the moonlight streaming through my bedroom window. A full moon has never seemed as ominous as it does now. Worries for what this dress means and for what this night will bring, dance in the corners of my mind.

“You knew this could happen. You knew that you might be picked. It was always a possibility.”

I’ve repeated this to myself several times since the knock came and I opened the door to find one of the Manor staff holding the white box tied with black velveteen ribbon.

I knew when I came to Hale Manor that this was a likely scenario. I knew my odds of being picked were growing higher with each passing day. I just hoped that maybe, just maybe by some miracle, my time here would come to an end and I would never be subjected to putting on this dress. I should have known my luck wouldn’t hold out.

“Suck it up, Winter. You’ve done way worse than this.”

That’s the sad truth.

Ever since that dayheturned my life upside down twelve years ago, I’ve had to scrape and claw to survive every damn minute. I clench and unclench my fists at my sides as I inhale deep breaths, trying to calm down. Just thinking abouthimmakes my blood boil.

But I’m no longer that smitten little girl with an unrequited crush on a man who was far too old to see me as anything more than a child. No, I was far from that naïve girl.

This current situation is a means to an end. It’ll all be over soon enough. Then, I can do what I need to do because I will finally have enough money to move forward with my plans.

Revenge.

I smile at the thought. The one that keeps me going as I toss off my robe, letting it puddle at my feet. I snatch the dress from the hanger and unzip the side, stepping into the new concoction. I pull the dress up my body and yank up the zipper on the side, barely containing my fury.

Just thinking abouthimis more than enough to have me seeing red.

I rush through my room toward the vanity, where I settle onto the bench in front of the lighted mirror. My things now take up the entirety of the marbled surface because my last roommate, Madeline, fulfilled her contract a few weeks ago. I’ve had this room to myself ever since and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the privacy. I haven’t had such fine accommodations in a while. Maybe I won’t be paired with another roommate.

If I could only be so lucky.

I look at myself in the mirror, and I hardly recognize the angry woman who stares back at me. I still have the same long, snow-colored hair and silvery ice-blue eyes, thanks to genetics. But my happiness is gone, or as my momma used to say, my shine is dulled.

God, Momma, I miss you.

I can’t wait to move on from this place. Not that it’s been all bad. It hasn’t. I’ve made some valuable, promising contacts during my time here and I fully intend to call upon them for help when the time comes. And I’d also be a liar if I said that I haven’t enjoyed their company more than a time or two.

I grab my brush and pull it through my hair a few times before I set it down and pick up the tube of lipstick. Pursing my lips, I smooth on the burgundy color with expert precision, rubbing my lips together as I place the cap back onto the tube, and I assess my reflection.

If someone had told me even just a couple of months ago that I would be here, in this place, doing the things I do for money, I would never have believed them. It would have been laughable. I never would have considered this place as an option. But times were dire, and I was working as a waitress at a diner in town, barely making enough to eat. I was living in my beat-up car, scraping the bottom of the barrel. I had no idea what I was going to do to continue my meager existence.

I was cleaning a table after the lunch rush one day when I overheard a group of ladies gossiping and discussing the Manor. One of the women had just returned from time spent at Hale Manor. I couldn’t help but listen as she discussed the lavish parties and the money she made in just one year spent within the Manor walls.

For years, the locals talked about Hale Manor and what went on here, but no one knew for sure. The Manor sits gated and hidden so far off the road that people can’t see it. No one can get in unless invited.

I decided to investigate. I hid out in the bushes near the entrance and watched delivery trucks as they entered. A week later, I used that information to track down their liquor supplier and snuck onto a delivery truck headed onto the property. When the truck stopped to unload, I tried to sneak out and hide again, but I was caught by security and hauled into the main office.

I was terrified. I thought they would kill me, but they didn’t, and after much begging, I was allowed to stay. I signed a nondisclosure agreement and started to work the next day.

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