Chapter 2: The Morning After

Hailey's POV

Sunlight burned through my eyelids.

I groaned and rolled over, my body aching. For a second, I forgot where I was then I saw the unfamiliar room, the expensive furniture, and the wedding dress crumpled on the floor where I'd stepped out of it last night.

Right. I was married now.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand, I grabbed it and saw seventeen missed calls from my best friend Mabel and about forty texts.

Mabel: GIRL WHERE ARE YOU

Mabel: Did you really marry Evans Wilson???

Mabel: The pictures are all over social media

Mabel: CALL ME RIGHT NOW

I groaned again, I'd forgotten about Mabel. She was supposed to fly in from London for the wedding, but her flight got delayed. She'd missed everything.

Before I could call her back, someone knocked on my door.

"Come in," I said, expecting a maid.

Evans walked in instead.

I yanked the blanket up to my chest even though I was wearing a T-shirt and shorts. He was already dressed in a sharp grey suit, looking like he'd stepped out of a magazine.

"Morning," he said casually, like we did this every day. "I brought coffee."

He set a mug on my nightstand. The smell of caramel and vanilla filled the room my favorite.

"You remembered how I like my coffee?" I asked, surprised.

"Of course I did." He sat on the edge of my bed. "We've been friends for years, Hailey. I know you."

Friends. There was that word again.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Nine. I let you sleep in but we need to talk."

My stomach dropped. "About?"

"About how this is going to work." He pulled out his phone and showed me the screen, pictures of our wedding were everywhere, every gossip site,and every news outlet. "The world thinks we're in love. We need to keep it that way."

"Why?"

"Because if people find out the truth, it'll be worse for both our families. The Wilsons can't look weak, your father's company is already struggling. If investors think this marriage was just a business deal, they'll pull out."

Of course. It always came back to business.

"So what do we do?" I asked.

"We act like a normal married couple in public. Smile, hold hands and be affectionate but in private..." He gestured around the room. "We live our own lives, separate rooms, separate schedules and no pressure."

"That's it? We just... pretend?"

"For now." He stood up. "I've already set up a job for you at Wilson Corporation. You start today. It'll look good if we work together."

"Today? Evans, I just got married yesterday and"

"And the world is watching," he cut me off. "If you stay home, people will ask questions. Trust me, this is better."

I wanted to argue but he was right, I couldn't hide forever, better to face it now than later.

"What department?" I asked.

"Design. You studied fashion design in London, right? We just opened a new luxury brand division. You'll fit perfectly."

At least it was something I actually knew how to do.

"Fine," I said. "Give me thirty minutes to get ready."

He smiled, he actually smiled,and for a second, he looked like the old Evans. My Evans. The boy who used to sneak into my backyard and throw rocks at my window just to talk.

"Thank you, Hailey. I mean it."

Then he left, and the mask was back up.

Wilson Corporation was a big and magnificent company.

The building was sixty floors of glass and steel in the heart of Paris. Everyone who worked there moved fast like a controlled robot, talked fast, dressed like they were worth millions. I felt like a fraud walking through the lobby in my simple black dress and flats.

Evans walked beside me, his hand on the small of my back. For show, I reminded myself. It was all for show.

"Mr. Wilson!" A short man in a blue suit rushed over. "Welcome back, sir and congratulations on your marriage!"

"Thank you, Bernard." Evans shook his hand. "This is my wife, Hailey. She'll be joining the design team."

"Wonderful! I'll make sure she gets the best office." Bernard turned to me with a wide smile. "Mrs. Wilson, it's an honor."

Mrs. Wilson. I still wasn't used to that name.

Evans led me to the elevator. We rode up to the fifteenth floor in silence. When the doors opened, I saw a massive open-plan office filled with designers, fabric samples, and sketches pinned to every wall.

"This is your world now," Evans said. "I'll introduce you to the team lead."

He walked me through the office. People stared, whispered and I caught bits of their conversations.

"That's her?"

"She's prettier than Valarie."

"Lucky girl, marrying Evans Wilson."

If only they knew.

Evans stopped at a corner office with floor-to-ceiling windows. Inside, a woman sat at a desk, typing furiously on her laptop. She looked up when she heard us and smiled.

But it wasn't a friendly smile. It was sharp and calculating.

"Chloe," Evans said. "This is Hailey, my wife. She'll be working with the design team."

Chloe stood up. She was gorgeous tall, blonde, perfect body in a tight red dress. Everything I wasn't.

"Mrs. Wilson," she purred. "What a surprise. I didn't know you had design experience."

"I studied in London for seven years," I said, trying to sound confident.

"How nice." Her eyes flicked to Evans. "Will you be staying, Mr. Wilson? I have those reports you asked for."

"Later," Evans said. "I need to get Hailey settled first."

Something flashed across Chloe's face. Jealousy? Anger? It was gone too fast to tell.

"Of course," she said sweetly. "Welcome to the team, Hailey."

Evans took me to a smaller office down the hall. It was nice big desk, comfortable chair, a window overlooking the city.

"This is yours," he said. "Chloe is the senior designer, so you'll report to her. If you need anything, call me."

"Evans." I grabbed his arm before he could leave. "Who is she? Really?"

He hesitated. "She's been with the company for three years. She's good at her job."

"That's not what I meant."

His jaw tightened. "She's no one, Hailey just an employee."

He left before I could push further.

But I saw the way Chloe looked at him, like she wanted to devour him whole.

And I saw the way he avoided my question.

This job was going to be a nightmare.

I spent the rest of the day trying to understand my new role. The design team was working on a spring collection for Wilson's new luxury brand. The pieces were beautiful elegant dresses, tailored suits, expensive fabrics.

But every time I suggested something, Chloe shut me down.

"That color won't work."

"That cut is too basic."

"Maybe we should stick to what we know works, hmm?"

By lunch, I wanted to scream.

I ate alone in my office, scrolling through my phone, more wedding pictures and more comments.

"They look so in love!"

"Evans Wilson is officially off the market, ladies."

"Hailey Grey is the luckiest woman alive."

Lucky,sure. If you called marrying someone who didn't love you lucky.

A knock on my door made me look up. Chloe stood there with a fake smile.

"Settling in okay?" she asked.

"Fine," I lied.

She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. The smile dropped.

"Let's be honest with each other," she said. "You and I both know this marriage is fake."

My blood went cold. "Excuse me?"

"Please. Evans was supposed to marry Valarie, you were just... convenient." She examined her nails. "So here's some advice: don't get comfortable. This won't last."

"You don't know anything about my marriage," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"I know Evans better than you think." She leaned against my desk. "We've worked closely for three years, very closely."

The implication hung in the air.

"Get out of my office," I said.

"Just trying to help." She walked to the door, then paused. "Oh, and Hailey? That wedding ring doesn't make you special. Remember that."

She left, and I sat there shaking.

Was she telling the truth? Had something happened between her and Evans?

I grabbed my phone and called Evans.

"What's wrong?" he answered immediately.

"We need to talk. Now."

"I'm in a meeting—"

"I don't care, your office in five minutes away."

I hung up and stormed out of my office.

If this marriage was going to work even as a fake one we needed to set some ground rules.

Starting with the truth about Chloe.