Breaking Ace Sneak Peek!

For those of you waiting in anticipation for Breaking Ace’s release, here’s a sneak peek of Chapter 1 for you!

Chapter 1

“I DON’T WANT YOU TO freak out, cariño.“

Victor clenched his cell phone. He didn’t want to freak out either, but he was going to if Celina didn’t say anything. The panic in her voice was driving him crazy. “Mom. Madre. Just tell me what it is already.”

“Promise me you won’t worry too much.”

Victor snorted. He’d been worrying about her for the last nineteen years. “Mom …”

“I might be out of a job soon.”

“What’d you do?”

“Nada! The factory might be shutting down, that’s all.”

Fuck.

Celina continued, “I don’t want you to worry, Victor. Your madre is resourceful. I’ve got some things lined up. You just stay focused on school, you hear me? I want you to make friends and enjoy college. I’ll be fine, I swear.”

Victor tuned her out as he rubbed his fingers across his eyes. There was nothing he could do with her in Houston while he was in Greenwich attending the prestigious Fairchild University. The thought of her losing her apartment, or worse, spending a night alone in a homeless shelter made his stomach churn.

“I love you, cariño, but I have to go to work.”

“Wait—” The line went dead. He barely refrained from tossing his phone across the room.

“It’s called Breaking Ace.”

Victor looked up at his roommate, Seth Waldorf. At eighteen years old, Seth was a year younger than Victor. Lean and fair with freckles, Seth wore his brown hair slicked back. His hazel eyes were hidden behind a pair of designer glasses. Seth was also heir to Waldorf Holdings, the sixth ranked holdings company in the entire nation. A fact he never let anyone forget. “What?” Victor asked.

“The game I mentioned to you. It’s an annual tradition here at Fairchild, and it’s an honor to be chosen to participate. Timothy told me all about it.” Timothy, Seth’s older brother, and another thing he refused to stop bragging about since they’d roomed up last month. Victor was pretty sure he knew Timothy’s entire life story.

“You can tell me all about it later.” Or not. “I’ve gotta go. First day of work. Don’t want to be late.”

Seth shrugged. “Okay. Later.” He stretched across the chocolate leather sofa to stare at the hi-def plasma mounted above the stone fireplace.

Victor shook his head as he walked to the door. College dorms weren’t supposed to look like five-star hotels. They weren’t even called just dormitories, but dormitory suites. Even though he’d been a student at Fairchild University for over a month, Victor still wasn’t used to his luxurious accommodations or the wealth that bled from every pore of the school campus. Most of Victor’s life had been spent in rundown apartments and shelters. When he was a kid, his mom hadn’t been able to afford a TV.

Victor boarded the elevator to the lower floor and stepped outside. September had only started, but it was still warm. A cool breeze brushed over his skin as he made his way across the neoclassical and baroque designed buildings, headed toward the registrar’s office. One thing he liked about Greenwich more so than Houston was that there weren’t any crazy hot summer days. In Houston, with no functioning air conditioner, it’d been unbearable. But in Greenwich, the days were mild at best.

Victor arrived at the registrar’s office with minutes to spare. He didn’t think it wise to be late on his first day, and luckily for him, he’d scoped out the place a few days ago to make sure he didn’t get lost. The reception area looked like something out of a movie, with its cream pillars and polished marble floors. There was a young man sitting behind a large glass desk, staring into his laptop. Victor approached. “I’m looking for a Mr. V. Salvatore.”

The kid didn’t look up. “Last room at the end of the hall.”

“Thanks.” Victor headed down the bright hallway, lit by multiple chandeliers that must have been made of Swarovski crystals. All the doors he passed were large and crafted from some sort of stained oak. He finally made his way to the last door and knocked. The sound echoed loudly in the massive space.

A deep male voice answered, “Come in.”

Victor pushed the door open. The office was large and decorated with more stained wood. The bookshelf was filled with all manner of textbooks and school volumes. A TV and lounge stood in the farthest corner of the room, while two desks sat in the center and side, complete with a fax machine, a printer/copier/scanner, two laptops, and other office amenities. In the largest desk sat a man who was probably a few years older than Victor. He was tall and lean muscled, dressed impeccably in black cashmere and slacks. Platinum blond hair was styled away from a chiseled, handsome face, while pale blue eyes gave him a discerning look.

“I’m Victor Torres, here for work. Are you Mr. Salvatore?”

“Call me Vincent,” he replied in a deep, cultured voice. Vincent raked Victor with a repugnant glare. “What are you wearing?”

Victor glanced down at his baggy jeans, wife beater, and high tops. “Clothes?”

“This school does have a dress code policy. I’m sure it’s stated in your student handbook.”

Victor grimaced. “I haven’t gotten around to it yet.” And he wasn’t likely to. The thing was over a hundred pages long.

“I can’t let you stay dressed like that. Richard frequents this office regularly. You do know who that is, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Victor said through clenched teeth. Like he wouldn’t know who the dean was …

“Not just him, but other alumni and notable figures have been known to make appearances, as well.” Vincent waved his hand dismissively, his expensive watch glinting in the overhead light. “You can go home now.”

Shit, was that it?

“Sir, I—”

“Vincent.”

“Vincent, I really need this job.” His academic scholarship did offset most of the costs, but not all of it. He did need to eat, and there were other things he needed to buy as well. Money he needed to send home to his mom, just in case. “I’ll do anything.”

Vincent laced his fingers together as he gave Victor what seemed like a thorough examination. Victor squirmed. He hated when men looked at him like that.

“All right,” Vincent said finally. “You can be my errand boy for today. I need a few things picked up.” He handed Victor a list, as well as a platinum credit card. “It’s school property, so don’t even think about running off with this.”

Victor snatched the items and shoved them into his pocket. “Just because I dress like this doesn’t make me a thug or a thief.”

“Of course not.”

Victor balled his fists, wanting badly to punch that smug smile off his face. Instead, he headed for the door. Putting some distance between them would be good.

“Victor. Show up like this tomorrow, and you can find another job elsewhere.”

Victor left the office, taking deep breaths until he made it outside. Bastard. Who the hell did he think he was talking to? He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Seth’s number. Most of the items on Vincent’s list couldn’t be bought at the campus stores, so he’d need a ride since he didn’t have a car.

His roommate answered on the second ring. “Hola, Victor.”

Victor cringed. He hated whenever Seth did that. “Hey, listen, I need a ride. Can you meet me out front in five?”

“Yeah, sure. Grabbing my keys now.”

“Thanks.” Victor hung up and took a seat on the main campus building’s stone steps. Classes didn’t officially start until tomorrow, so the school was pretty dead. Not that Victor minded. He’d seen enough of the students when the dormitories opened last month. Fancy cars everywhere, guys draped in designer everything, bragging about where they’d gone during summer vacation and acting like they owned the world. It made him nauseous.

An engine roared nearby, and Victor looked up, expecting to see Seth’s gray Tesla. Instead, a silver Maserati GT pulled up in front of the main building. Even from a distance, Victor could make out the red leather interior. It was a sweet ride, one he’d only dreamed of driving someday. Several other cars closed in, parking a few feet away. Victor noted a white Aston Martin, a black Ferrari, and two Porsche 911s, one in gray, the other black. Seth pulled up the same time the guy driving the Maserati got out of his car. Though his eyes were covered by a pair of opaque aviators, Victor knew the guy was good looking. His auburn hair was stylishly cut, tossed lightly by the wind that’d started to pick up. He was dressed casually, but Victor was sure his gear cost a small fortune. The guy went to greet the other males, all well dressed and handsome. He wasn’t surprised that the two drivers of the identical Porsches were identical twins.

“I see you spotted Alexander and crew.”

Victor turned toward his roommate standing beside him. “Who?”

Seth pointed at the guy in the aviators. “Alexander Fairchild. His grandfather is Maximillien Fairchild, founder of Fairchild University.”

Figures.

Victor was probably the only normal person in attendance. “God, I hate this school.”

* * *

A WEEK HAD PASSED SINCE Victor started classes at Fairchild. Even longer since he’d heard from Celina. Every day he waited for her call, to get an update on her employment status. Though he liked to think that the reason she hadn’t called him was because things were okay, he knew better. His mother was likely to keep it a secret so as not to worry him.

“Mr. Torres.”

Victor started at the sound of his professor’s voice. Students had already filed out of the classroom. He’d lost track of time. Again.

Archer van Allen, Victor’s Principle of Microeconomics professor, signaled him to approach his desk. Victor grabbed his things and trudged to the front of the room. There was a concerned look on Professor van Allen’s lined face. “Hi Son, how are things?”

“Good, sir.”

“Are they? I’m a little concerned, Mr. Torres. You’ve been spacing out a lot in class. You don’t seem focused, and though you’re my scholarship student, I’m wondering if the curriculum is too difficult. You know it’s not too late to change your concentration.”

No, but graduating under his current major was going to open more opportunities for him.

“It isn’t too hard, sir. There’s something else on my mind. That’s all.”

“Is everything all right at home?”

Victor didn’t respond. No matter how nice Professor van Allen was, Victor wasn’t getting into his personal business with the guy.

“Well, if you ever need to talk—”

“I know where the freshman’s dean office is.”

After he left class, Victor headed straight to the registrar’s office for work. Over the last week, Victor learned that Vincent could be pleasant, as long as he obeyed the school dress code and stayed on his good side. He also learned that Vincent was a senior, majoring in Chemical and Physical Biology. The guy was headed to Harvard Medical School next year to become a doctor. Vincent was also enrolled in a lot of activities, which was why he needed an assistant.

“Hey.” Victor sat in his designated desk.

Vincent mumbled something incomprehensible, his pale gaze locked onto the laptop.

“I already typed up that proposal you needed. Want me to read it to you?” Victor opened his Italian textbook. Sometimes, when Vincent was especially busy, he would wait a little while before giving Victor something to actually do. Victor usually spent that time catching up on homework or studying.

“Later. I need you to proofread the review I’m sending you now. And I need a hundred copies of these.” He slid over a flyer for the After School Tutoring Program.

“Copies? Why don’t you just send it through the Network Portal?”

Vincent arched a brow. “You’re going to do that too, and you’re going to make my copies and place them all over the school.”

Victor rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mother.” He went over to the copier machine. So much for doing homework for his Italian class. “Vincent?”

Vincent didn’t look up from his document. “Yes?”

“I was wondering if you knew of any job opportunities where I can make more money. Not that I don’t like working for you, pain in the ass that you are, but it’s family related. I want to send some money home.”

Vincent finally gazed at him, the expression on his face unreadable. He seemed to be lost in thought all of a sudden. Victor didn’t like that look. More importantly, he didn’t trust it. “What?”

“If I think of something, I’ll let you know.”

* * *

Breaking Ace releases in Kindle Unlimited, paperback, and e-book on February 17th. You can pre-order your copy here: https://mybook.to/breaking_ace

Or, you can sign up for a limited ARC and read and review the book before it goes live here: https://booksirens.com/book/DT3O8VH/OINZ1D

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Until next time,

Jessamyn