Chapter 002: SWEET,SWEET, REVENGE

William stared at me. I stared back. And for a moment, neither of us said anything. Then he laughed. Not a nervous laugh.

A genuine laugh.

“You're serious.”

“Completely.”

He shook his head, looking at me as though I'd just announced that I wanted to buy the moon.

“You met me less than an hour ago.”

“And?”

“And you're asking me to have the biggest payday of my life.”

“Yes.”

“You don't even know what I do for a living.”

“You told me you're a journalist.”

“Exactly.”

“And?”

He leaned back against the bench.

“And why would a journalist agree to whatever insane idea is currently running through your head?”

I smiled.

“Because journalists are usually curious.”

“Curiosity isn't stupidity.”

“I never said it was.”

He studied me for a few seconds.

“Okay. What exactly are you proposing?”

I folded my arms.

“A marriage.”

His expression went blank.

I smiled.

“A legal one.”

His eyebrows shot up.

“I'm sorry?”

“You heard me.”

“Marriage?”

“Yes.”

“To you?”

I looked down at myself.

“Unless you were planning on marrying yourself.”

He laughed again, rubbing his jaw.

“You've known me for what, thirty minutes?”

“Forty-three.”

“You counted?”

“I notice details.”

“That is slightly terrifying.”

“I've been told.”

William stood from the bench.

“Why me?”

“Because you're a stranger.”

He frowned.

“That's your reason?”

“It's one of them.”

I walked a few steps before turning back toward him.

“Everyone I know has an opinion about my life. My family. My friends. Business associates. People I've known since childhood. If I married someone they already knew, they'd ask questions. That’s why I need a husband. Real or fake, it doesn’t matter. He just has to be male, alive, and legally able to marry me.”

“So I’m your male and alive option?”

“Well… yeah.”

He stared at me like some kind of patient that came out of a psych ward. I could practically see the questions forming in his head.

“And there's more.”

“Obviously.”

I smiled.

“I need a husband.”

“And I need to understand why.”

“You don't.”

His expression hardened slightly.

“Then we have a problem.”

I sighed.

“Fine.”

I turned fully toward him.

“My fiancé cheated on me.”

“I know that.”

“I don't want him back.”

“I know that too.”

“I want him to regret losing me.”

William's lips twitched.

“So this is revenge?”

“Partly.”

“And the other part?”

I hesitated.

“My family.”

His expression changed.

“My father has been trying to control my life for years. So my engagement to Miles was my way of showing him I’m a grown-ass woman who can make her own decisions. But well… that didn’t go as planned either.” I laughed bitterly.

“Everyone hated Miles for me.”

“Except you now.”

“Apparently.”

William shoved his hands into his pockets.

“And what exactly would marrying me accomplish?”

I looked him straight in the eyes.

“Everything.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“You'd become my husband for thirty days. I'd become your wife until I accomplished my goal. We would attend events together, appear together, and make everyone believe we were hopelessly in love.”

“Thirty days?”

“Yes.”

“That doesn't sound like enough time to pull off whatever revenge fantasy you've created in your head.”

“I don't need a lot of time.”

He looked amused.

“And what happens after the thirty days?”

“We get divorced.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

He stared at me for a moment.

“You've really thought this through.”

“I have.”

“Do you always make life-changing decisions this quickly?”

“No.”

“That's reassuring.”

“I usually take at least an hour.”

He laughed.

I couldn't help smiling. For some reason, talking to him was easier than I expected. Maybe it was because he didn't know me. He didn't know my family, my reputation, my father's expectations, or the version of Hilary Banks everyone else thought they knew. To him, I was just a woman sitting on a bench in the middle of the night, asking a stranger to marry her.

And strangely, I liked that.

“And in exchange?”

I smiled.

“Money. And of course I’d make sure you become a successful writer.”

“How much?”

I named the amount.

He stopped breathing for a second.

Then he looked at me.

“You're insane.”

“That's not a no.”

He laughed under his breath.

“You really have no idea who I am, do you?”

“Nope.”

He looked away, smiling faintly as if trying to process everything I’d just said.

I waited.

He remained silent for several seconds.

“Why do you think I need your money?”

I shrugged.

“Everyone needs money.”

“That's not true.”

“Fine. Everyone likes money.”

“And you think money can make me agree to this?”

“No.”

He looked at me.

“I think the right amount will make you think about it.”

That made him laugh again.

“You're very confident.”

“I have to be.”

“Why?”

“Because if I start doubting myself now, I'll probably end up crying over Miles, and I refuse to give him that satisfaction.”

Something in his expression softened.

“You really loved him.”

I looked away.

“I thought I did.”

“That bad?”

“Worse.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The night suddenly felt quieter. I hated that he had managed to make me admit that. I hadn't come here to talk about my feelings. I had come here because I needed a solution. And William was my solution.

He looked back at me.

“If I agree, there are conditions.”

I smiled.

“Of course there are.”

“No lies between us.”

I almost laughed.

“We're discussing a fake marriage.”

“Legal marriage.”

I nodded.

“Fine.”

“You don't control my life.”

“I wouldn't want to.”

“You don't interfere with my work.”

“Agreed.”

“And when this is over, we walk away.”

I studied him.

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether you're worth keeping.”

He laughed.

“You're unbelievable.”

“I get that a lot.”

He shook his head.

“I should probably be worried.”

“You should.”

“About marrying a woman who thinks she can buy anything?”

I smiled.

“Can you blame me? Money usually solves problems.”

“Does it solve heartbreak?”

My smile faded for a second.

“No.”

“Then what does?”

I looked at him.

“Revenge.”

He laughed softly.

“Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

“Too late.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“You're already planning to make me regret this?”

“I'm planning to make Miles regret everything.”

“Good distinction.”

“Very.”

He smiled.

“And just so we're clear, Mrs. Banks, I'm not the one you should be afraid of.”

I frowned.

“Why?”

His smile deepened.

“Because you haven't met the difficult version of me yet.”

There was something about the way he said it that made me pause.

It wasn't a threat.

At least, I didn't think it was.

There was just something in his eyes I couldn't quite understand. For a second, I felt like he knew something I didn't.

But I pushed the thought away.

I had bigger problems to worry about.

Like marrying a complete stranger.

He extended his hand.

I looked at it.

Then at him.

“Is that a yes?”

His smile slowly appeared.

“It’s a yes.”

I took his hand. His palm was warm and his grip was firm. And for the first time since I had walked into Miles's house, something inside me felt strangely calm.

I had no idea who William Carrington really was. I didn't know where he came from. I didn't know why a man who seemed completely uninterested in my money had agreed to marry me.

But at that moment, I didn't care.

Miles had cheated on me, but I would give him something far worse to live with.

I’ll show him Hilary Morel Banks never loses a fight.