Novels by Hayley

HarperTerese had set me up.There was no way Xavier’s housekeeper had suggested for me the exact dress his ex had worn by coincidence.She knew what would happen and had pushed me toward it. I needed to tell Xavier, explain to him that it wasn’t my fault. But I couldn’t stand up from the floor. Even after Stella had left, I stayed on the floor, the embarrassment still imprinted on my mind. How could I face anyone in this godforsaken place again?Xavier’s family, the Giovannis… I was already the laughing stock of everyone present.I didn’t know when I fell asleep, but later on I woke up on the bed, the duvet draped over me. No one was in the room when I woke up, and I still had the damned dress on. I checked the clock on the bedside table: 7:23am before leaving the bed. Within minutes, I took it off and headed straight to the shower, doing everything as if I was in a trance.There was still no sign of Xavier, but I had a feeling he was the one who had taken me to bed. Maybe he went f

HarperMy nerves were on edge.My mind raced back to last night when I and Xavier had come back from sightseeing. I had decided to inspect my dress again before the ball, and inside I had found a note in the wrapping.. I didn’t want to tell him about it, it probably meant nothing; maybe someone was just playing a prank. But the words; I could remember every sentence:TEMPORARY THINGS HAVE A HABIT OF FORGETTING THEY’RE TEMPORARY- UNTIL THEY BECOME ANOTHER TRAGEDY.DON’T BE ONE OF THEM.No one plays a prank with that kind of statement. Those words now lived rent-free in my head, sending chills all over me intermittently.‘Hi baby,’ I felt Xavier hug me from behind. ‘What’s up?’I had been standing aloof, facing the swimming pool. Captivated by the way the light from the midday sun made the blue colors dance around the water, I stood, my thoughts trapping me back in time.And that’s where he found me.‘Hi,’ I turned to him, forcing another smile. I had been doing that a lot since I foun

XavierIt was almost too good to be true, until I recalled it was temporary.She was temporary.After this whole sham, I wouldn’t see her anymore. I wouldn’t go to sleep with the lulling sound of her steady breathing beside me, or waking up to see her face just before she woke up.I felt like Alice in Wonderland, only to wake up one day and it would be like a dream.A wonderful pleasant dream.‘Is there something on my face?’I blinked as Harper looked back at me with concern. I’d been staring at her, reminiscing… but that wasn’t the only thing I noticed. She was nervous. I could tell from the way her hands trembled so subtly no one else took notice, or the way she bit her lower lip at intervals. Those tiny details about her… I held her hand with my free hand and gently rubbed with my thumb to calm the shaking. It worked.‘I hear the Giovannis are going to be at the ball tomorrow,’ Mother broke the silence at our table. ‘Gosh! I cannot wait to meet Carmela.’‘I didn’t see them yest

HarperI woke up before Xavier.At least, I thought I did.The room was still dim, the curtains drawn against the early morning sunlight. For a few seconds, I remained still, trying to remember where I was.Then I felt an arm tighten around my waist.Xavier.My stomach immediately performed an embarrassing little flip as I stared at the hand resting on my stomach. Those strong annoying hands, because they belonged to a very annoying man.Slowly, I turned my head.Xavier was asleep beside me. Without his usual smirk or sharp remarks, he looked younger somehow and less intimidating; quite peaceful. My gaze drifted over his face, those dark lashes, the slight stubble along his jaw, and that stupidly attractive mouth that had caused me far too many problems recently.I should turn away but instead, I continued staring, and that was a mistake because Xavier’s eyes suddenly opened.A small smile appeared immediately. ‘Enjoying the view?’I yelped and smacked his shoulder. ‘You were awake!’

HarperI was just a substitute.A cheap photocopy, just as that woman had called me that day.The thought had followed me all night, refusing to leave no matter how many times I told myself I was being ridiculous.But was I?The photographs, the striking resemblance, the note written behind the picture, the way Xavier had reacted when I confronted him…I buried my face deeper into my pillow.How could I have been so blind? From the very beginning, the signs had been there. First there were the photographs in that hotel room, and the way he somehow knew things about me before we had even spent enough time together; the way he had sought me out specifically.Of course he had researched me, because what were the odds that a billionaire like Xavier Blackwood would randomly choose me for an arrangement?A humorless laugh escaped me.The answer was simple.He hadn’t chosen me- not really. He had chosen her. I just happened to look enough like her to keep the memory alive.The realization se

Xavier‘I am a bit hesitant about releasing the shares to you though.’Those words stung me more than I expected, and I had to clench my fists to control myself. My father had wanted to see me in his office alone, and now he looked at me through those annoying glasses of his, his expression calm- as always.‘May I ask why?’ I asked him through gritted teeth.‘I told you between you and your brother Stan-‘‘You keep calling him my brother…’‘Because he is!’ Father cleared his throat before continuing. ‘As I said, I want someone stable enough to manage that amount of shares.’‘Stable? I did what you wanted me to do; I went where you asked me to go. Hell, I’m bloody engaged. What more do you want from me?’‘Your sudden engagement to your brother’s ex-wife… it’s uhh… quite hard to accept.’‘But Stan cheating on her and getting another woman pregnant even while they were married isn’t? You people never cease to amaze me.’‘At least he’s stable for the time being.’‘No, Dad! He’s a lying sc