Brutal King

Valya: My mother taught me from a young age that hate was a cowardly feeling. It’s so much harder to love. And there’s nothing harder than loving Andrej Novak, the brutal king of Oakwood City. We grew up in the same household—him with a silver spoon, me with a dust rag. He’s always been brilliant, beautiful, and tortured, and he hates that I see the good in him when he can’t see it for himself. Maybe that’s why he’s always pushed me away. When we come back into each other’s lives after years apart, though, it’s finally time for me to push back. Andrej: To an Oakwood Boy, image is everything. Valya Strakova is poor, nerdy, and knows too much about me. That’s why she’s completely off-limits. But when she reappears in my life after my father’s death, old wounds open, and old feelings are rekindled. We have every reason to hate each other, but we can’t seem to stay away from each other. When she finally stands up for herself, am I ready to admit that the reason I’ve loathed her all these years is because I secretly love her?