Cruel Beginnings: A Blackmore University Prequel

By Cora Kent

Her innocence draws me to her.
My obsession keeps me coming back.
I will break Kaye Pennington, no matter what it takes.

Cruel Beginnings takes place three years before the start of Cruel Intentions. When Xavier's father marries Kaye's mom, it tangles their futures together forever.

In life, you have to decide if what you want is worth the evil you do.
For Xavier McCade, the answer is always yes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cora Kent
• Release date: Jun 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223918745

Book preview

Chapter 1

Xavier

Cruel Beginnings is a prequel. It is not meant to be a full-length novel, but the events preceding the start of Cruel Intentions.

As I enter the kitchen, I am met with the sound of shattering glass. It is a beautiful summer day, but a chill runs down my spine, and goosebumps rise on my arms as my mother’s blood-curdling screams echo through the halls.

You can’t do this to me, Malcolm! Her stilettos click impatiently against the marble floors as she follows my father from room to room.

My father, for his part, is not impressed by my mother’s high-pitched yells. I hear him snort in disdain as he makes his way down the stairs toward the kitchen. Give it up, Victoria.

I try to console myself with a lie. They're fighting over money or a renovation that they can't agree on, or simply because they're married and that’s what married people do. Hello? Maybe they didn’t hear the garage door open when I came home. Maybe if they know I’m here, the screaming match will stop.

"I knew you’d been fucking around, but I didn’t think you’d have the audacity to leave me for your whore." My mother’s voice cuts through the lies; I can no longer soothe my fears with deception. The anger in her tone bristles my edges. What did my father do? How could he hurt my mother?

Hey, son, Malcolm smiles as he enters the kitchen. I had hoped we would have had this finished up before you got back. How was France?

I regret going on vacation. My bags are still in the back of my car, but all of my father’s are in his hands. Something is wrong. Where are you going? My voice sounds like a stranger to my ears. Who am I? Am I the child