When Beauty Met The Beast Read online

  Vandervilles

  Book 1: When Beauty Met The Beast

  Khardine Gray

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  To my dear family, friends, and my readers.

  Where would I be without you….

  This one’s for all of you. Hope you enjoy it.

  Vandervilles: Book 1 When Beauty Met The Beast

  Copyright © 2017 by Khardine Gray

  All rights reserved.

  This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  The author asserts that all characters and situations depicted in this work of fiction are entirely imaginary and bear no relation to any real person.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Design : Erin Dameron -Hill

  Prologue

  The Observer

  The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.

  Sun Tzu couldn't have said it better in The Art of War.

  What a great book, with solid words of wisdom. Wisdom that could be applied to everyday life. Those were the best books. Books that captured the essence of the human mind and helped you to overthrow your enemies.

  Precision was the key, along with meticulous planning. That was what you needed when you were dealing with people like the Vandervilles. You had to plan for them with accuracy. Otherwise, there would be no effect.

  To destroy people like them you had to work your way in from the inside, and by the time they realized something was amiss, it would be too late.

  Like being poisoned. And, like the insidious toxins from a potent blend of poison, that was exactly how he planned to work.

  Find their weaknesses, exploit and obliterate them, along with anyone dumb enough to associate with them. As far as he was concerned, they were just as bad and would have no mercy from him.

  No one would.

  His mother didn't get any as she begged for her life. There was no form of mercy shown to her, none whatsoever as she pleaded and cried from the depths of her soul. Praying and screaming for God until her last breath departed from her body. Mercy never even entered their minds.

  His mother was a sweet woman who loved too much. Her kindness and sweet nature were her weakness. She wore her heart on her sleeve, and evil people took advantage.

  He would never forget her, and how she suffered as he watched her die. He was helpless then but promised he wouldn't allow her death to be in vain. He wouldn't allow the life she lived to signify nothing.

  He wouldn't allow the beautiful spirit she had to fade away.

  Those people would not take that from her.

  It had taken him a long time to get to this stage. A very long time. Years and patience. But, now he was here, at this point, and ready with a plan so dark and impenetrable it would strike them down with crippling effects. He'd conquer them all and make sure that they all paid for what they did. Every last one of those self-indulgent, vile, materialistic Vandervilles.

  By the time he finished with them, they'd all beg for death, which he'd gladly offer. Oh, so gladly. He relished the thought just like he did the taste of candy. Sweet and desirable.

  The stage was finally set and the actors all in position. All he had to do now was sit back and watch the long-awaited, grand performance.

  Lights, camera, action…

  Chapter 1

  Chloe

  "Damn it," Chloe hissed.

  She just managed to grab her portfolio out of the way before her orange juice spilled all over the breakfast table.

  Some of the juice splashed on to the plastic cover but thankfully didn't go inside to ruin her designs. She didn't know what she would have done if it had. The damn thing had taken her weeks to compile. Hours of planning, day in day out with hardly any sleep.

  She placed the folder on the far end of the kitchen worktop and rushed over to the cupboard to grab the paper towels. Kelly and Taylor would have a fit if the juice reached the lacquered Oakwood floor. They were super clean freaks and always kept the house spotless. As quickly as she could manage, she covered the table with a big wad of the towels and soaked up all the juice. She then followed that with some lemon cleaning spray to truly be rid of the evidence of her clumsiness.

  What was the matter with her? She shouldn't be so nervous.

  There was no reason to be, but sadly she was. How long had she been in the fashion business? More than ten years. And she had even more years of knowledge on her. A simple job application should have been nothing to her, especially since she was already technically doing the job. It was just that she wanted this job so badly.

  Chloe had always wanted to be a creative director. When she was little, she didn't know what the job title was, but she knew she wanted to work for a prestigious fashion magazine and be responsible for the planning that went on behind the scenes with their designers, marketing, and fashion shows. She had a creative, imaginative mind that loved the chance to be used and offer originality. The minute she knew what a creative director did she shaped her life around getting all the qualifications and experience she needed for it.

  But, now it seemed like nerves would get in her way.

  Her nervous state began last night when she'd done what she thought was the final run through of her portfolio. It consisted of two sections. One displaying a collective assortment that spanned across her work experience. The other with a prospective plan and design for any of the upcoming fashion shows. She'd chosen the spring show because she loved spring and everything about it.

  It was as she was going over those designs that it occurred to her that maybe the deep red color scheme she'd chosen in her layout was too bold for spring. She wondered if maybe she should have gone with yellow. Yellow signified happiness and freshness; it was light and had that placidity about it. Yellow was daffodils and honeysuckle, tulips and roses. It was a good color for spring.

  Blue was a good color too. Chloe had always thought blue had the ability to have the same effect as red, but with more subtlety and tact.

  Chloe had been up since two a.m. contemplating the color scheme, and now she was so exhausted she couldn't control her erratic thoughts.

  She let out an anguished sigh and rested her head on the kitchen counter.

  What was she going to do? There was no way she could change anything now. Today was the deadline. Today at twelve o'clock the panel at Runway Magazine would receive her application and decide her fate amongst a hundred others who coveted the highly esteemed position. Then it would be the month-long wait to find out if she'd been successful. That alone would fra
zzle her mind and make her go psychotic.

  Honestly, this was one time when she wished her association with Regina, the proud owner of Runway, would help her out. Chloe wasn't the type to accept a handout. She loved the sense of achievement that came from working hard, but today she would gladly accept the job if it was handed to her.

  Her parents had been friends with Regina and Benjamin Vanderville for a number of years. Chloe had known them since birth. She'd been friends with Taylor, their daughter, from then too. They were the same age and had gone through life together. Chloe was practically related and had grown up in LA with the rest of the family.

  Apart from the fact that Chloe had always idolized Regina, she considered herself her protégé, so she would have been ecstatic if Regina just came up to her and said, "Here, Chloe, have the position; you worked hard and earned it."

  Regina would never do something like that though. She'd never been lenient when Chloe started working at Runway, and she wouldn't go soft on her now.

  Chloe started at Runway as an entry-level fashion assistant, the same as everyone else in her team. It didn't matter that she was overqualified for that position, having worked with the creative team at Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and GQ. But since she'd only worked at those magazines to get her foot in the door at Runway, Chloe was glad for the opportunity no matter the job. In another company, a fashion assistant could expect to move up the ranks in a few years. At Runway, you could be there for ten years and still have the same job until Regina decided that she trusted you enough to move you along.

  Regina liked to keep tight control and didn't trust many people outside of the family to step up to seniority. She did everything herself because Runway was her baby, and she was like a formidable queen of the fashion realm. Chloe had been lucky to join the creative team four years ago, but she craved more. She wanted the title of creative director.

  This was the first time in years that a chance to apply had come about, and only because Runway had been chosen to host LA Fashion Week this year. Should this year's event go well they'd get the contract to host it for the next five years.

  It would be a massive achievement for Runway and an even bigger achievement for Regina. As such, that's where she wanted her focus, thus opening the chance for Chloe to apply for her dream job.

  "Good morning, sunshine," Kelly beamed floating into the kitchen. Her radiant brown hair bounced with life across her silky beige halter neck as she moved. Chloe didn't know how Kelly could look so vibrant at this time of morning. And did she have to be so chirpy?

  Chloe wasn't like that at all. Normally it took her a good hour or so to wake up, after waking up. Today she'd had several hours of prep, but her nerves had drained her of what little chance she might have at brightness. She lifted her head and regarded her friend.

  Kelly wrinkled her nose when she saw Chloe's face and frowned. Her large brown eyes widened too and looked Chloe over with disdain.

  "You look terrible, what happened to you?"

  Chloe always appreciated Kelly's honesty, but she was in no mood for it today.

  "I know I look bad. I barely slept." Chloe winced, bringing her hands up to her cheeks, which now felt hot. "I was thinking of the color scheme I chose for my portfolio. I don't know if it's right."

  "Chloe, you think of this now on D-day, and an hour before we have to leave for work?"

  Shit. She hadn't been keeping tabs on the time. At this rate, she'd have a nervous breakdown.

  "What am I going to do?" she shrieked. A shiver of panic raced down her spine and fear knotted inside her.

  "Calm down. How about just leaving it all alone?" Kelly grimaced at her. "You should go sort out your hair. Remember your date tonight."

  Oh no. She'd completely forgotten. She'd have to cancel. There was no way she'd be able to go out with anyone tonight and present her best self. She didn't even know if she'd make it through the day.

  Aside from working as an editor at Runway, Kelly had dabbled in many unique and interesting business ideas. The latest was a dating site that focused on the Malibu area. She was having Chloe play guinea pig to date the guys who signed up and assess if they were decent.

  "I can't do it today. I'm too tired."

  "Well, whose fault is that, missy? I set you up with a total hunk. You have to go. This guy teaches water polo at East Beverley High. He's got muscles on muscles." She wiggled her fingers with excitement.

  He definitely sounded like Chloe's kind of guy. She loved muscles on muscles and loved a guy who was athletic. They were always the ones who took care of themselves and had that confidence about them that could make a girl weak kneed. Great as he sounded, she'd still have to decline. She couldn't gear herself up for a date, and she didn't think she'd be able to fix the mess she was.

  Flicking her head to the side, she caught the ends of her blonde hair and frowned when she saw how dry and straggly the strands were. She'd have to get a super-deep conditioning mask at the salon tomorrow. That was the only thing that could bring her hair back to life.

  "Can we reschedule for tomorrow? I need sorting out." Her hair, herself, and her mood all needed to be fixed. She needed to get through the day at work and get back here to chill her mind out.

  Kelly grabbed the pineapple juice from the fridge and shook her head. "No. I'm not rescheduling." A smile then suddenly lifted her face. "I know. How about you have some dried paw-paw and fishtail tea. That'll do the trick."

  "No!" Chloe held up her hands in protest and shook her head with complete distaste.

  This was another business idea of Kelly's. She was into all the natural and organic foods from the earth stuff. She'd come up with her own brand of natural remedies to sell. It sounded like a neat idea and would have been quite appealing, too, if only everything didn't taste like hell.

  As like with all of Kelly's business ideas she made Chloe play guinea pig. At first, Chloe was up for the idea. She loved her vegetables and eating right, but Kelly's blend of whatever it was she'd mixed up tasted like it could kill you. It was torture food. Forget electric shocks, being held in freezing water, or any other torturous activity you may see in movies. Kelly's blend would do the trick.

  Chloe would rather shave her head than have that nasty tea.

  "Tea would be good to calm you down and chill you right out. Plus it would bring back the luster in your cheeks." Kelly smiled, batting her long black lashes as she poured herself a glass of juice and sipped on it.

  "Kelly if I have that tea I won't be able to go anywhere today. That thing is a despicable abomination." That was the best way she could describe it.

  "It's good for you, and will give you vitality to deal with all the men chasing you."

  Chloe pressed her lips together and scowled. "That is your fault."

  Sure, she always got asked out, but since the inception of this flaming dating site she had daily requests. It was because she was the only decent-looking woman on the site.

  Chloe wasn't the kind of girl to criticize others or think herself above anyone because she looked better, but good grief Kelly had let in the circus. And, that was saying something considering this was Malibu. At least ninety percent of the residents took the utmost care of themselves. Most days she felt like she was walking around in a magazine. Kelly had, however, attracted a majority of the remaining ten percent and hadn't exactly vetted anyone, male or female, before they signed up. Chloe supposed, though, that that was the whole point of enlisting yourself on a dating site. It jumped over the first hurdle of presenting yourself so that you'd attract someone. If your picture was what you really looked like, then that part was done for you.

  "You should be thanking me," Kelly smiled. "And they’re all hunks."

  Hunks with an ego, who weren't interested in going on a date and getting to know her first before they tried to jump in her pants.

  "Kelly, I'm seriously stressing out here," Chloe winced.

  "Okay, talk to me. What is bothering you about the color scheme?"r />
  Chloe pulled in a breath and eased herself onto the kitchen stool. "I'm not sure red was the best color for the spring show designs. I was thinking yellow or blue may be a better choice."

  Kelly smirked. "Why on earth would you think that?"

  "Those are springy colors. Right? Think flowers, blue skies, and the warm sun."

  As she spoke, she became more convinced that she should change the color scheme. But it was indeed too late. There was no way she could change something that took her weeks to compile in less than an hour. Even if she went to work late, it was just too little time.

  "Chloe, the average person applying for the job will most likely pick yellow or blue too. In case you didn't notice, we work at Runway. We pride ourselves on being different, not average, and it's that difference that made you choose red in the first place."

  Chloe released a breath and looked at Kelly, grateful for the encouragement.

  Kelly was right. Everyone at Runway was there because they had the ability to be unique and push the barriers of average. They kept people wanting more and brought style and originality to the real world.

  "I just want this job so much. The opportunity won't come around again." Maybe she sounded like she was overreacting, but she knew Regina. Once she picked who she wanted, another position wouldn't come around until that person either died or resigned.

  It would be sad if she didn't get the job, but what was even sadder was that she'd have to leave.

  Chloe loved working at Runway, absolutely loved it. She was great at her job, loved working with Regina, and adored her friends. But she was too comfortable there. Leaving would be a personal decision she'd have to make if she wanted a career. She feared another ten years would pass and she'd be the same. At thirty-three years old she was already significantly behind most of the people she'd graduated college with. They'd chosen other magazines that recognized their talents and moved right up the ranks. A friend of hers had even managed to secure a position as editor in chief at Style Magazine in Australia, and here Chloe was, just a little better than a fashion assistant still trying to get to the top.