Free The Billionaire and the Con Artist: A Bad Boy Romance (Bad Girls Series Book 1) by Leanne Brice

Taylor? Of all people?
    How could she do this to me? We were supposed to be in this together!
    I throw the ball I’ve made of Taylor’s note across the room in rage, and I suddenly realize I am dangerously close to tears.
    God damn it, no way.
    The last time I cried was the day Taylor found me, crumpled near a garbage can.
    Since then, I had at least one person I could put my trust in, someone to look up to, someone to keep an eye on me. Someone who made me feel like I wasn’t completely alone.
    Since that moment, I figured all wasn’t lost. I learned that there was always hope.
    I should have known better.
    If I can do this sort of thing with her, and if I could watch her do this sort of thing to others, she could easily do the same to me.
    She pretty much warned me not to trust her, didn’t she?
    A specific memory comes back to me, one that makes it clear that, had I been less green at the time, I would have known how this would end…

    " Y ou really thought he’d come through, didn’t you?" Taylor says with a slight smile, her hazel eyes practically dancing.
    I’m not sure if she’s even bothering to try to hide the amusement in her eyes.
    "I told you," she continues, shaking her head, "you can’t really trust anyone. Not like that. Sure, the kid had a sweet face, sure he looked sincere when he said he’d do it. But people are born to be self-serving, self-preserving.Why should he follow up on the job you hired him for when he could just flee with the money, without having to do the work? Sometimes you have to trust for the time being, but let this be a lesson, A—prepare to be betrayed."
    I realize I’m hanging my head, whether in sadness or shame, I’m not aware, but I do feel pretty stupid. I’m also unwilling to believe her fully—some people are trustworthy, right? Even if they’re few and far between? Taylor makes it sound like trusting is pretty much a lost cause.
    I try not to think about all the evidence I’ve gathered over my short lifetime that actually backs up her claims. My mom, my foster homes… I pretty much haven’t been able to lean on anyone for too long.
    I realize Taylor’s voice has softened as she speaks again.
    "Obviously, you can’t do everything on your own, A, but to get people to stay true to you temporarily, you pretty much have to sweeten the deal. Promise more of where that came from—whatever you decide is most valuable. In this case, it was money. Maybe the kid still would have fled, but you would have increased the chances he’d carry out his part by appealing to simple logic. You could have offered twenty dollars now, thirty dollars when it’s done. Simple."
    She rubs my shoulders in a comforting gesture.
    "Don’t give in to your emotions like that—you feeling sorry for the kid compromised your ability to do proper business. Always remain logical when you’re the one dealing the cards, even as you prey on others’ emotions when you’re working with what you’ve been dealt. If you’re going to default to anything, default to logic. Is the kid more likely to take the money and run, failing to play a part in your distraction? The answer, according to probability, is yes. Therefore, the next question should be, ‘how can I appeal to the reasonable, greedier part of his brain?’ How can I make him see it’s worth it to work with me? The answer is pretty much always: offer more. Could be money, could be shelter, could be food. Could be companionship. If you don’t want to be done with them and have them take off on you, offer more.
    She pauses.
    “Of course, that doesn’t mean you actually have to follow up on whatever you promised. Once they return, the ball is in your court. Depending on your next immediate or even long-term goal, you can either continue the cycle or disappear yourself."

    B asically , you can’t count on anybody.
    I kind of knew it before I met Taylor, and somewhere along the way, she distracted me from the truth.
    At the very least,