All Chapters of The Devil’s Favorite: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

KAEL “Who was that woman?” Damon looked up from his phone. “Which woman?” I stared at him. He sighed. “Right. The one you looked like you wanted to strangle in the corridor.” “I didn’t look like I wanted to strangle anyone.” “You had that little vein in your forehead.” I turned toward him. Damon held up both hands. “Fine. You looked perfectly relaxed. Almost welcoming, actually.” “You’re enjoying yourself.” “Immensely.” I picked up a glass of water from the nearest table and drank half of it in one go. Across the ballroom, Serena Sinclair was talking to her parents. She was smiling at something her father had said, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Every so often, she’d glance in my direction, then quickly look away as if she hadn’t been caught. She was a terrible liar. Or perhaps she simply didn’t care whether I noticed. Either possibility annoyed me. “Serena Sinclair,” I said. Damon followed my gaze. “Richard Sinclair’s daughter?” “You know another one?” “Not perso

SERENABy one forty-five on Sunday afternoon, I had changed my outfit three times.Not because I cared what Kael Blackwell thought of me.I didn’t.The first outfit made me look like I was attending a job interview. The second made me look like I was going on a date, which was absolutely not happening. The third was a pair of jeans and an oversized sweater that made me look like I’d given up on life.I eventually settled on black tailored trousers, a fitted white blouse, and a pair of heels I hadn’t worn in months.I looked good.Which was entirely beside the point.My phone rang while I was fastening my earrings.Nina.“Please tell me you’re not calling to ask about Adrian again.”“Good afternoon to you too, sunshine.”“Did he finally remember how to use his phone?”“Actually, yes.”“Oh, wonderful. Should I alert the media?”“You’re such a bitch.”“And yet you keep calling me.”She laughed.“Anyway, what are you doing?”I hesitated.“Going out.”“Where?”“Manhattan.”“Serena, you liv

SERENA I woke up to Nina screaming. Not the kind of scream that meant someone was trying to murder her. More like the kind she made whenever she couldn’t find her phone, which happened at least three times a week. “SERENA!” I pulled the blanket over my head. “No.” “Get up!” “Whatever it is, I didn’t do it.” My bedroom door flew open. Well, technically, it was Nina’s guest bedroom, but I’d slept there, so I was claiming temporary ownership. “Why is there a man standing outside my apartment?” That got my attention. I pushed the blanket off my face. “What man?” “A very large man in a black suit who looks like he eats people for breakfast.” I sat up. “What?” “Exactly! I went downstairs to collect my delivery, and he’s standing by the entrance. I asked who he was waiting for, and he said he’s here for you.” I reached for my phone. Three missed calls. Two from my mother. One from an unfamiliar number. And a text message. KAEL BLACKWELL: Securi

SERENAMy father had never been good at asking for things.He preferred to announce what was going to happen and leave everyone else to adjust.When he called the previous evening and told me to come home, I knew better than to expect a pleasant family reunion. The fact that he’d mentioned something my mother hadn’t told me made it worse.My parents had secrets. I wasn’t naive enough to believe otherwise. But there was a difference between knowing people were keeping things from you and discovering that those secrets might have something to do with a woman who had been dead for eight years.I still hadn’t decided whether I wanted to hear what my father had to say.Unfortunately, curiosity had always been one of my less manageable qualities.By eleven the following morning, I was standing outside the Sinclair mansion, wondering whether I could turn around and leave without anyone noticing.A ridiculous thought.The security cameras had probably recorded my arrival before I had even par

SerenaI had exactly three regrets about visiting Kael Blackwell’s office.The first was wearing heels. My feet were killing me.The second was allowing him to make me smile when I’d gone there fully prepared to be difficult.The third was not having a better comeback when he asked whether he’d earned my trust.That last one bothered me more than I cared to admit.I kicked off my shoes the moment I entered my apartment, dropped my handbag on the sofa, and went straight to the kitchen.My phone buzzed before I could open the refrigerator.Kael: Did you get home?I stared at the message.Me: No. I’ve been kidnapped. They’re demanding twenty million dollars.His reply came almost immediately.Kael: Tell them they’re overcharging.I laughed.Actually laughed.At my phone.Alone in my kitchen.Disgusting.Me: You’re a terrible person.Kael: I’ve been told.Me: By everyone you’ve ever met?Kael: Mostly by one woman who keeps showing up at my office without an appointment.I shook my head.