Hated By The Bully King

“You don't belong here, pest,” Alessandro spits, his grip on my hand tightening. I bit my bottom lip, trying not to wince. Trying to suppress the pain shooting up my arm and spreading to the rest of my body.

Tears prickled my eyes, but I'll rather eat mud than let them fall.

“You're a poor, stinky menace! And I will make life a living hell for you, so long as you still show your face around!”

—

When eighteen-year-old Cora Williams saves spoilt, rich, arrogant, and bratty Alessandro Beckham's life, she doesn't count on getting rewarded for her heroics.

To show his gratitude to her for saving his son's life, Alessandro's father enrolls her in the notorious Royal Elite Academy, the top high school in the country, exclusive to the wealthy and snobby kids of the elite.

Although Cora is sad to let go of her old life, and friends, she's coerced by her parents to accept the offer. She knows the rich and the poor don't mix, and intends to lay low until she scales through senior year.

But Alessandro Beckham is the king of Royal Elite Academy, and he's made it his personal mission to make her life a living hell for reasons best known to him.

Cora has never been a pushover. And she won't start now.

She wouldn't let Alessandro belittle her whichever way he pleases. She would fight.

But fighting Alessandro might cost her something.

Her heart.

one.

Cora

This isn’t a house. It’s a palace.

As I weave through the plethora of guests, balancing a tray on my palm and offering hors d’oeuvres I can’t even pronounce, my gaze roams around the ballroom. My mouth practically reaches the floor, my brain trying to comprehend that people actually live this way.

Chandeliers are suspended from the ceiling, their crystals sparkling across the walls and bouncing off the expensive jewelry on the guests. The marble floor is so polished I can practically see my reflection. The tables are set with crisp white, elegant tablecloths, the dishes and utensils glittering, and the guests are dressed in their finest.

We’ve catered to the wealthy before, but this is a whole other ball game.

And the guest of honor? None other than sixteen-year-old Alessandro Beckham, the sole heir to the Beckham Empire. His dad is Asher Beckham, the richest man alive. He owns practically the whole world, no joke. From hotel chains to tech companies, sports teams, international enterprises, you name it.

It seems he couldn’t make it to his only son’s birthday party, hence the new entertainment system at the corner of the room, still wrapped in its blue bow.

Alessandro Beckham is at the center of the ballroom, chatting to a man three times his age. His hands are stuffed into his expensive black slacks, his head twisted to the side like he’d rather run himself over ten times than listen to the older man. His russet-colored hair falls over his face in the perfect bad boy