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  Worthy

  A Villainously Romantic Retelling

  Lacey Carter Andersen

  Contents

  1. Jade

  2. Jade

  3. Jade

  4. Jade

  5. Evan

  6. Jade

  7. Jade

  8. Jade

  9. Jade

  10. Emmett

  11. Jade

  12. Owen

  13. Jade

  14. Jade

  15. Evan

  16. Jade

  17. Owen

  18. Jade

  19. Emmett

  20. Jade

  21. Jade

  22. Jade

  23. Evan

  24. Jade

  25. Jade

  Want a Preview of Ferocity, The First Book in This Villainous Series?

  Read ALL the Villainously Romantic Retellings!

  Also by Lacey Carter Andersen

  About the Author

  Copyright 2019

  Published by Lacey Carter Andersen

  Cover Art by Everly Yours Designs

  Formatted By Kassie Morse

  This work of fiction is intended for mature audiences only. All characters are over the age of eighteen. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.

  To every person who ever lost someone they loved.

  ~ Lacey Carter Andersen

  Chapter One

  Jade

  Fifteen Years Ago…

  I’m lying in my bed, but I’m not sleeping. Something’s wrong. I’ve felt it building all week. The guards that are assigned to follow me have doubled. The few times I’ve seen my father he’s seemed… not just stressed, but maybe afraid.

  And my father is never afraid.

  That’s why he’s an advisor to one of the wealthiest men in the world. That’s why we get to live in this palace. That’s why my life is filled with expense and beauty.

  Never in my six years of life have I felt scared. But I do now.

  My father’s boss…he’s been sick. And that’s changed everything in the only place I’ve ever called home. I just don’t completely understand how.

  I hear the door to my room creak open. Sitting up slowly, I see my servant. The woman who has raised me since I was a child.

  She presses a finger to her lips, and I understand without words that I should stay silent. The woman leans over my bed. There aren’t any lights turned on in my room, but the moon is bright tonight, bathing us in its soft glow. She pushes my dark hair back from my face with a tender touch. The look in her eyes is like nothing I’ve seen before, like she’s memorizing me.

  Then she leans closer. “Jade, get dressed. In your traveling clothes.”

  I nod. Even though I’m not the obedient type, I sense deep within myself that this is not a time for questions or arguments. I go to my dresser and shed my nightgown. Then I put on one of the few outfits I don’t like. It isn’t a bright sari in beautiful pinks, purples, and blues. It’s plain. A tan shirt and dark pants. Something my father has me wear on our flights to exotic places.

  I dress quickly, put on my plain but comfortable boots, and then go to my mirror. My image, surrounded by blue gems, is that of a six year old girl. But what makes me stare is something that also surprises me; I look scared.

  When I turn around, my servant has gotten my backpack out of the closet. She moves quietly, but with absolute certainty, as she packs a few outfits and other little items that have meaning to me. Then she motions for me to come closer.

  “We’re going out into the gardens. You must be silent as we go.” Her voice is soft and tender, but there’s a firmness to it that yet again makes me feel that something is wrong.

  But I nod and follow her.

  We pass the four guards that stand outside my room. She hesitates at the junction to every hall, peeks around and searches for anyone, and then hauls me forward. We reach the gardens that surround the palace, but she pulls me on. Deeper into the tangled garden. When we arrive at the wall, in the very back of the garden, my father is waiting.

  For reasons I don’t understand, I run to him.

  He kneels down and wraps me in a tight hug. Then he pulls back. “My precious Jade,” he says, his voice holding a tone I’ve never heard before. “Can you be brave?”

  “I’m always brave.”

  His mouth curls into a smile. “Yes, that you are.”

  “What’s happened?”

  A darkness comes over his face. “Azim Shanghvie has died.”

  My air rushes out of me, and I feel my eyes sting with unshed tears. Azim is my father’s boss, and like an uncle to me. He’s also not much older than my father.

  Just a few weeks ago, he was healthy. I don’t understand how he died so quickly.

  “His brother will be coming soon. All Azim’s many estates belong to him now.”

  I wipe tears from my eyes. “Okay.”

  He shakes his head. “His brother…he is not a good man. I suspect, well, it doesn’t matter what I suspect. But because of what I’ve seen, what I know, this place is no longer safe for you and I.”

  I tense. “Father?”

  “There is a rickshaw waiting for you just outside the gates. It will take you to the airport. From there, you will go to the Americas. You will live with your aunt.”

  “Until you come?” I ask, my thoughts scrambling.

  He doesn’t answer. Instead, he swings his own bag off his back and pulls something out. A lamp. I recognize it immediately as the one that has been handed down from generation to generation in my family line.

  “Do you see this?” he questions.

  I nod.

  “When you get to the Americas, you will hide it. You will never let your aunt see it. And when you are old enough, you will sell it. It will buy you everything that you deserve. A life of wealth and privilege. Do you understand?”

  Again, I nod.

  “And you remember the secret of the lamp, don’t you?”

  Of course I do. How could I forget?

  “Jade?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “You’re certain?”

  My gaze meets his. “It’s magical.”

  A smile tugs at his lips. “Yes, it’s very special.”

  He takes my bag off my shoulder and hides it beneath my clothes.

  “When will you join me in the Americas?”

  He closes my bag slowly, then looks up to meet my eyes. “You know that I love you, more than anything in this world. Each and every time I look at you, I see your mother.”

  “I love you too,” I say.

  Then he pulls me into another tight hug, his rich smell washing over me, the safety of his big body telling me that it’s okay that I’m only a little girl, because my father will always protect me.

  He releases me, stands, and takes my hand. When he reaches the gate to our home, two guards pull it back. He leads me out, where a rickshaw waits.

  As I climb in, he hands the man a massive wad of bills.

  With my bag in my lap, I watch my father stand back. I look at his dark hair and dark eyes, the same shade as mine, and I swear I see it in his eyes again—fear. But I tell myself not to worry. My father is my world. Everything to me since my mother died. He will keep me safe.

  He always does.

  Years later, I remember that night as the last time I saw my father. The last time I sa
w my home. And the moment my life changed forever.

  It was also only a short time after that when my lamp was stolen, and all my hopes along with it.

  Chapter Two

  Jade

  Present Day

  A police siren goes off, and my eyes shoot open. I was dreaming again. Of that night. The last good night of my life. My father’s face floats in my memories for a moment before it fades away. No matter how much I try to reach for it, I can’t.

  Sitting up, I blink stupidly at my studio apartment. The paint’s peeling. The kitchen is so close I could make eggs from my bed, if the fucking oven even worked. And the lingering smell of mold makes me want to hide in my dreams.

  Instead, I pull out the drawer to my beat-up nightstand and stare at the photo. It’s of my father and I standing before our massive home, smiling.

  I stroke the image of the little girl. And for one moment I feel a shadow of happiness before it fades. There’s so little I remember about that other world. Other moments have pushed away the memories of servants and delicate snacks, of traveling, and of new clothes and jewelry.

  But what I’ve never forgotten…the lamp my aunt stole from me and sold.

  The lamp I’ve been tracking down ever since.

  Suddenly, my alarm starts ringing. I sigh, put the only picture I have of my father away, and rise to my feet that still ache from the day before. I’m twenty-one years old, and I’m done with this life. With everything about it. But I still need to eat, so not going to work isn’t an option.

  Unfortunately.

  Going to my shower, I strip off my clothes and turn the knobs. My shower makes a pitiful sound, and brown water pours out of it. I stand in the tiny bathroom and wait until the water clears. Then, clenching my teeth, I step beneath the permanently freezing spray.

  I wash quickly, jump out, dry, and put on my maid’s uniform. Then, standing before my cracked mirror, I secure my dark hair behind my head, staring at my exhausted reflection. If I look this rough already, I’m going to look like I got run over by a garbage truck by the end of the day. I hold back a sigh, because it’s not like I can do anything about it.

  And now I can’t waste any more time.

  Grabbing my bucket filled with cleaning products, I lock the door and hurry down the stairs, trying to ignore the familiar sounds of crying infants and people fighting. I hate this building. Every fucking thing about it. The place just permeates a kind of misery that’s soul-deep.

  Rushing out the doors, I feel relieved as the crisp air outside rushes over me. Pausing, I stare out at the quiet city. The sea of buildings and pavement do nothing to hint that autumn has come, but I know somewhere outside this area leaves are changing color. It’s strangely sad to be trapped in this concrete world, knowing somewhere not far away the world looks so different.

  But some day things will be different. I’ll see seasons. I’ll travel. I’ll…escape this life.

  If I can just find my lamp.

  I start walking down the street, shoving my free hand into the apron at my waist, lost in thought. I’m only walking for a few minutes before I hear it. Allie.

  “Girl, why are you always up so damn early?”

  I spin and spot my closest friend, Allie. She’s wearing her typical outfit, a long tan coat and beat-up jeans. People might not know it, but hidden in her huge coat is about every different type of knock-off piece of jewelry you could imagine.

  “You know me, I love rising with the sun to enjoy this fucking beautiful life,” I say in a falsely chipper voice.

  “I haven’t been to bed yet,” she admits as she stomps up to me in her oversized boots, her dirty blonde hair wild and frizzy around her face. “Starting your day off with a leisurely breakfast?”

  I keep walking, and she matches my pace. “Followed by a massage.”

  “And maybe some shopping?”

  “Then a nap,” I say.

  We both grin at each other.

  Then I sigh, and my smile falls away. “I’ve actually got a full day. How about you?”

  Her blue eyes sparkle. “I have a plan.”

  That means she’s got another mark in mind. Allie says she only steals to feed her family and take care of her “asshole” dog. But I know better. If she wanted to really take care of her family, she’d get a real job. A regular soul-crushing, labor-intensive job like mine.

  Instead, she steals, sells her stolen goods as a living, and loves every second of it.

  But then, I’m not judging her. It’s not the worst thing she could do.

  We walk until we reach the bus stop, and then we sit together, watching the early morning traffic pass by. My thoughts start to drift back to my dream, and I have a moment when I’m tugged into another daydream. I picture a happier, easier life than this.

  Allie jostles me with her shoulder and the weight of real life comes firmly back. “You should come out with us tonight.”

  I shake my head. “The last thing I want to do after a day on my feet is go dancing.”

  “Then just sit and let guys buy you drinks.”

  I imagine having to get ready and go out after my long ass day. “Maybe.”

  She laughs. “That’s a big fat no.”

  I manage another smile. “I’m seriously just exhausted. I’ve been pulling extra shifts at night.”

  She shakes her head, her messy hair bouncing with the movement. “Girl, with your face and curvy body, you don’t need to work that hard.”

  I scoff. “Allie, I’m not going to—“

  “I don’t mean a street chick. Although…there are some expensive escort companies, or you could get yourself some old sugar daddy.”

  I raise a brow. “That’s a hard no.”

  “Then, how about you go in on a job with me?”

  We’d discussed this more times than I could count. “No.”

  She rolls her eyes. “It’s not wrong, Jade. I don’t take from people who will miss it. Just the rich assholes who don’t even notice.”

  I don’t say that I still can’t bring myself to do it. That I want to be the kind of woman my father would be proud of, because that would hurt Allie. Her dad is a drunk asshole who doesn’t give two shits about her. And I don’t want her to ever think I look down on her, because I don’t.

  “Maybe someday,” I say instead.

  She gets really quiet for a second. “One of these days I’m going to bag me some rich asshole, and then I’ll get everything I want.”

  “But then you have to be with someone you don’t even care about.”

  “Yeah, but if it was someone like your boyfriend I wouldn’t mind.”

  I feel my cheeks head. “You don’t even know him.”

  “Yeah, but the way you describe him is enough. Tall, blond, muscular, and just all around yummy.”

  Allie has no idea just how beautiful that man is. “No offense, but neither of us has a shot with him.”

  “Not the way we are now, girl! But Mr. Sexy wouldn’t even know how to handle us if we fixed ourselves up enough. We could use our street smarts to keep him at our heels.”

  I think of him. Mr. Blake was a young millionaire I cleaned for. He was handsome and rich, but the reason I liked him was that he was kind too. He always acknowledged me, even though I was ‘the help.’ And I knew from researching him that he was very generous to people in need.

  “I don’t think Mr. Blake would fall for our crap. He’s too smart for that.”

  She rolls her eyes. “If I got a water bra, that guy would act like every other guy. I guarantee it.”

  “Not him.”

  She laughs. “You just think he’s perfect.”

  Yeah, I do, but she doesn’t need to know that. I’m kind of relieved when I see the bus coming down the street.

  Standing up, I hold back a groan at my sore back. “Well, until a rich boyfriend comes along to pay all our bills, I guess it’s business as usual.”

  She stands and smirks. “Maybe for you, but I’m going to take ca
re of this score and spend the rest of the day in bed eating pizza.”

  I smile at her as the bus stops. “Enjoy yourself.”

  “I always do,” she says, winking.

  Climbing onto the bus, I pay, then head to my seat in the back. Today might already suck, but I had one high point, even though I didn’t tell Allie. I was going to Mr. Blake’s place today.

  Chapter Three

  Jade

  Still wearing my gloves, I grab the handle on the bucket and head for the next bathroom. Opening the door to the master bedroom, I take three steps inside and freeze. Mr. Blake emerges from the steamy bathroom. He wears a towel low over his hips, and has another one in his hand, drying his shaggy blond hair.

  My mouth goes dry, and my brain stops working. My gaze moves from his muscular legs up to the towel and the way it’s low enough to show his very lucky, very happy trail. For a minute, my gaze is glued to the little line of hair, and then I force my eyes up to look at his smooth stomach, then up to his muscular chest and shoulders, and finally to his ‘too-beautiful to be real’ face.

  “Jade,” he greets me. “Sorry, I stopped home for a quick shower after the gym.”

  It takes me an embarrassingly long time to remember how to speak. “You’re wet.”

  Oh hell, that was not smart.

  He smiles, flashing me those perfect white teeth. “Yeah, but don’t worry, I’ll be out of your hair in a minute.”

  “No rush,” I blubber out.