Corrupt

Corrupt is a novel written by the American author Penelope Douglas. Douglas is well-known for writing romance novels that dive into often taboo topics, such as her novel Credence (2020). She is a New York Times bestselling author of over 15 romance books.

Published in 2015, Corrupt is a dark romance that follows Erika “Rika” Fane who moves to a new city hoping to find independence from her sheltered life. However, she soon reconnects with her family friend Michael Crist and his friends, who are determined to seek revenge against Rika for the events of Devil’s Night three years earlier. The novel explores themes such as The Power and Limitations of Brotherhood, Freedom through Performativity, and Overcoming Fear and Victimhood to Find Empowerment.

This guide refers to the 2023 paperback edition.

Content Warning: The source text contains references to physical and sexual assault, suicide, alcohol addiction, and incest.

Plot Summary

Erika “Rika” Fane is a beautiful college student and diamond heiress. Desperate for independence from her sheltered life, she decides to transfer to a new college in Meridian City. Her ex-boyfriend, Trevor Crist, is unhappy with this decision, both because he cannot keep an eye on her in the big city and because his brother—and enemy—Michael Crist lives there. Rika has known the Crists all her life, and their father is a financial advisor who manages her estate. Rika is unaware that Michael wants her to move to the new city so he can seek revenge on her for sending his three best friends—Kai Mori, Damon Torrance, and Will Grayson III—to prison three years earlier.

Rika moves to Meridian City, and things immediately go awry. She is upgraded to one of the penthouse suites in her apartment building against her wishes and is woken up in the middle of the night by frightening noises coming from the vacant apartment next door. When she goes to investigate, she runs into Michael and realizes he lives in the penthouse above her. The two share a terse exchange, and it is revealed that they had a falling out after Devil’s Night three years earlier. When they were teenagers, Michael, Kai, Will, and Damon liked to wear spooky masks and call themselves the Four Horsemen. They would wear the masks while committing crimes and throwing debaucherous parties. Three years earlier, Rika snuck out to one of the parties, and Michael caught her. The two became close and flirted.

In Meridian City, Rika quickly realizes that Kai, Will, and Damon are out of prison, and she wonders why no one told her they had been released. She and Michael continue to argue and fight. Michael, Kai, Will, and Damon begin the first phase of their plan: isolating and hiding Rika’s mother from her.

As time goes on, the guys continue to torture Rika. When Rika cannot get ahold of her mother, whom she thinks is on vacation with Mrs. Crist on the family yacht, she asks Michael for the number. He agrees to give it to her only if she comes with his friends to a swim party, and she reluctantly agrees. At the party, she and Michael engage in oral sex for the first time. After Kai chastises Michael for getting too close to Rika, Michael goes forward with the next phase of their plan. He asks his father if he can take over the management of Rika’s estate until Rika and Trevor presumably get back together and get married (at which point all of her money would become Trevor’s), and his father reluctantly agrees. As he’s leaving his father’s office, Michael receives a text message revealing that his friends have burned down Rika’s childhood home.

Rika rushes to her family home in Thunder Bay and is devastated to find it burned down. Michael meets her there and comforts her. The two bond throughout the evening and begin to have sex again, but Michael becomes frustrated and stops when Rika will not admit that fear arouses her. To frighten her, he cuts the power and puts on his mask from Devil’s Night three years earlier. Rika admits to being frightened and aroused, and the two have sex multiple times. The next day, Michael realizes he cannot be with Rika long-term because of his belief that her actions sent his friends to prison, so he moves forward with the final phase of his plan.

Several days later, Rika goes to buy some books at a bookstore and learns that none of her credit cards work. Further investigation reveals that her accounts have been drained. When she calls Mr. Crist to find out what happened, she is told that she should ask Michael since he is in charge of her estate now. Furious, she confronts Michael and his friends, who reveal that she and her assets belong to them now. Michael tells her to meet him at his family’s house in Thunder Bay within the hour, and she complies, realizing that no one but herself can save her from this situation.

When Rika arrives at the house, the guys are masked and begin taunting her, verbally, physically, and sexually. They explain that she must have sex with them in return for her money, and she stabs Damon to escape. After running out of the house, Rika realizes no one will come to rescue her from this situation, so she returns to confront her attackers.

The guys explain that this is all punishment for Rika uploading damning videos of them from their exploits on Devil’s Night three years earlier, which included arson and sexual assault of a minor. Rika joined the guys on their exploits that night but broke off from them when Michael rebuffed her sexual advances. Frustrated, she left wearing Will’s sweatshirt, which had the phone he used to film their crimes in the pocket. Damon, Will, and Kai followed Rika and picked her up in Michael’s car. They took her to an empty field and began to assault her, during which the phone fell out of Rika’s pocket. Rika fled once Damon told her never to speak to any of them again. The next morning, videos of Will, Kai, and Damon committing crimes were uploaded to the internet, leading to their arrests. Michael assumed that Rika had uploaded the videos because she was angry at him and because he saw Will’s sweatshirt in the kitchen after she slept over at the Crist house.

Michael initially accuses Rika of lying about her version of events, saying Kai was with him. However, they soon realize that Trevor was wearing Kai’s mask and that Trevor was the one to upload the videos. Furious that he’s been caught, Damon flees. Rika tries to leave too, but Michael won’t let her. Will, Kai, and Michael throw a party, much to Rika’s frustration. At the party, Rika and Michael fight but ultimately have sex in Trevor’s bed. The next morning, Rika leaves without saying goodbye.

Several days later, Rika is growing frustrated with Michael’s overprotectiveness. He is not allowing her to leave the house unless he is with her. He sneaks her out to take her to a fencing match at his gentlemen’s club. Following her duels, she has a threesome with Michael and Kai.

After a few more days of Michael’s overprotectiveness, Damon kidnaps Rika from her apartment and takes her to the Crist family’s yacht. There, it is revealed that he is working with Trevor, and they plan to kill her and Michael. Michael, Will, and Kai come to rescue her. Trevor forces Michael to choose between Will’s life and Rika’s. When he is unable to do so, Trevor pushes Will into the ocean with cinder blocks tied to his legs. Before jumping in to save Will, Michael shoots Trevor three times. Michael rescues Will but sees Rika being tossed into the ocean when he surfaces. He tries to save her but fails. However, Rika soon surfaces after freeing herself. Back on the boat, Trevor is dying. Michael pushes his brother into the ocean and watches him die. Damon escapes on a speedboat. Michael goes to help Rika clean up and tells her he loves her for the first time.

Several months later, everyone gathers at the Crist home for Thanksgiving. Michael takes Rika to St. Killian’s Cathedral, his favorite place, and reveals that he is restoring it to be their new home together. He proposes to her, and she says yes.