All Chapters of Billionaires flash marriage: Always you.: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

118 Chapters

CHAPTER 01- The Blind Date

Evelyn Hart had never considered herself dramatic. She was the kind of person who folded grocery bags neatly, apologized when someone bumped into her, and made pro and con lists before making even mildly important decisions. And yet here she was, storming out of a cafe like the heroine of a melodramatic soap opera except she felt nothing like a heroine. She felt foolish, betrayed, and painfully human. The screen of her ex-boyfriend’s phone had glowed with a text she couldn’t unsee: Had a great time last night. Same place next week? A small heart emoji at the end. Not from her. She hadn’t screamed. She hadn’t cried. She’d simply placed his phone back on the table, picked up her purse, and walked away as though her ribcage hadn’t just cracked open. Now, one hour later, she stood outside the restaurant where her mother insisted she keep the blind date appointment. “You can’t hide forever, Evelyn,” her mom had said. “One disappointment doesn’t define your whole life.” Maybe

CHAPTER 02- A Practical Proposal

The next morning, Evelyn woke up feeling like someone had quietly replaced her brain with a fog machine. She lay in bed staring at the ceiling, trying to decide whether the previous night had truly happened or if it was just another bizarre dream fueled by heartbreak and too little sleep. But then her phone chimed. A message from an unknown number: Jesse Ward. I’ve arranged meeting documents. I’ll pick you up at 10. Evelyn shot upright. Oh, it definitely happened. Her pulse quickened as she read the message again. Not because of the marriage partwell, yes, because of that but also because Jesse phrased everything so… normally. As if impulsive, late-night marriage agreements were completely standard and he did this every Tuesday. Evelyn stared at the time. 9:13 a.m. She scrambled out of bed. Evelyn lived in a small but bright apartment, scattered with plants she forgot to water and books she hadn’t finished. She rushed through her morning routine, brushing her hair with one h

CHAPTER 3- Lunch with a stranger

If someone had told Evelyn Hart two days ago that she’d be sitting in a café across from a man she impulsively agreed to marry, she would have assumed they were joking or deranged. Yet here she was. They’d chosen a simple café with large windows, wooden tables, and just enough background noise to make conversation comfortable. Jesse held the door for her without comment, and Evelyn found herself hyper-aware of how composed he always seemed. Even the way he walked quiet, measured steps felt intentional. As they took their seats, a waitress approached with two menus. Evelyn reached for hers. Jesse didn’t. He simply folded his hands on the table. “You’re not looking?” she asked. “I already know what I’ll order.” She lifted a brow. “That’s impressive. Or suspicious. Hard to tell which.” “Is it?” His expression didn’t change, but his tone dipped with something almost dry, almost teasing. Evelyn’s heartbeat steadied a little. This version of him, the slightly more human, s

CHAPTER 04-Lines in the sand

CHAPTER FOUR — Lines in the Sand Jesse Ward did not usually arrive early. He lived by a rhythm most people would find unnerving precise, efficient, never wasting time but he didn’t hurry. He moved through the world like someone who already knew exactly where everyone else would step before they stepped there. Yet today, he stood outside Hart & Willow Books a full twenty minutes before opening. The bookshop wasn’t impressive in size, but it had character brick walls, ivy climbing one side, a chalkboard sign out front with little sketches drawn by Evelyn’s mother. It looked like the kind of place people wandered into when they needed comfort more than literature. Jesse didn’t need comfort. He needed information. He checked his watch again. 9:11 a.m. Still early. He never paced, so he didn’t start now. He simply waited, hands in his pockets, eyeing a delivery truck across the street and memorizing its plate number out of habit. The truth was simple: he did not belie

CHAPTER 05- The unspoken Truth

CHAPTER FIVE — The Unspoken Truth Evelyn spent the entire day at the bookshop pretending she wasn’t waiting for the evening. She helped customers, organized shipments, arranged the display table twice, and then stood behind the counter with a pencil tucked in her hair as if staying busy could quiet the questions in her mind. Her mother watched her with worried eyes. Evelyn pretended not to notice. What mattered now wasn’t whether the engagement made sense, or whether it had started as chaos or necessity. What mattered was the feeling tugging at her—stronger than fear, stronger than confusion—that Jesse wasn’t playing with her life. He was hiding something, yes. But not in a way that suggested danger. More like someone carrying a load they couldn’t drop. When the shop finally closed, Evelyn walked home to shower, change, and gather courage. By the time the clock hit seven, her nerves were tight but steady. At exactly 7:15, her doorbell rang. --- Jesse stood on her

CHAPTER 06 - circle of influence

CHAPTER SIX — Circles of Influence The next morning, Jesse woke before his alarm. He never slept in, but today his mind was sharper than usual, tracing through the decisions he’d made the night before. They had been necessary. Logical. Yet he couldn’t ignore the unfamiliar edge of awareness that had settled in his chest after Evelyn walked out his door. Her clarity had surprised him. Her resolve had surprised him more. He wasn’t accustomed to people disagreeing with him calmly and still earning his respect afterward. By eight, he was already dressed and reviewing the messages on his phone. Most were predictable family associates wanting updates, his mother asking for a lunch meeting he had no intention of attending, and a brief alert from a private security contact about an upcoming political fundraiser his family expected him to attend. He deleted the alert first. Then he texted Evelyn. Jesse: We need to meet your father today. Let me know when he’s available. He expected

CHAPTER 07- Terms and conditions

CHAPTER SEVEN — Terms and Conditions The next morning, Evelyn arrived at the bookshop with a sense of cautious optimism. For the first time since the whirlwind engagement began, something had gone well. Her father hadn’t chased Jesse out of the house. He hadn’t yelled, slammed doors, or delivered one of his infamous lectures on responsibility and character. If anything, he seemed settled. Almost accepting. Evelyn unlocked the shop and flipped the sign to OPEN, still replaying the firm handshake between the two men. Jesse and her father had stood like opposing forces, yet somehow ended the night with mutual understanding. It was surreal. “Morning!” her coworker, Sophie, called from the back room, carrying a stack of boxes. “You look suspiciously calm today.” “Suspiciously?” Evelyn repeated. “Yes. Suspiciously.” Sophie set the boxes down. “Given everything happening in your life, I expected you to show up looking like a tornado in human form.” Evelyn laughed under her breath.

CHAPTER 08- The echoes of almost

CHAPTER EIGHT — The Echoes of Almost The hurricane of the previous night had passed, leaving Kaia Cove washed clean and shining, as if the storm had scrubbed the world back to its softer colors. The sky was a pale morning blue, streaked with stray clouds drifting like slow-moving sails. Evelyn stood on the back porch of her aunt’s cottage, her hands wrapped around a mug of tea that had long since stopped steaming. She wasn’t cold, not really. She was simply holding on to something solid because her thoughts absolutely were not. Last night had happened. Jesse had happened. The near-kiss had happened. And that was the problem. Every time she closed her eyes, she could still feel how close he’d been close enough that her heartbeat had gotten confused and tripped over itself. Close enough that she’d seen the small scar under his right eye, something she’d never noticed before. Close enough that her breath had caught like a thread snagging on a nail. And then he’d pulled away. He’d

CHAPTER 09- The distance between confessions

CHAPTER NINE — The Distance Between Confessions The cafe smelled like warm sugar, toasted bread, and the citrus zest Aunt Maren added to every batch of muffins “for luck.” Morning sunlight streamed through the wide windows, casting gold stripes across the counters. Evelyn tied her apron twice the knot kept slipping because her hands wouldn’t stop fidgeting. The reason stood beside the pastry case, pretending to inspect croissants. Jesse. Trying to look casual. Failing miserably. “You don’t have to pretend to know anything about pastries,” Evelyn said. Jesse straightened. “I know plenty. For example, this one is… probably bread.” “That’s a scone.” “Scone. Right. Got it.” Aunt Maren emerged from the kitchen with a tray of muffins. “If you’re done flirting, I could use help setting these out.” Evelyn choked on air. Jesse turned an impressive shade of red. “We’re not ... we weren’t ... he’s just....” Evelyn sputtered. “I was talking to Jesse,” her aunt said, alre

CHAPTER 10- The first fracture

CHAPTER TEN — The First Fracture By the time Evelyn returned home that evening, her mind still felt foggy. The café shift, her father’s unexpected visit, and Jesse’s steady presence had left her mentally overloaded, like she’d lived three days in the span of one. She opened the front door and found her mother at the dining table, surrounded by paperwork bills, recipe cards, and a notebook full of half-written plans. Marie looked up immediately. “You okay, sweetheart?” Evelyn shrugged out of her jacket. “I think so. Dad stopped by the café.” Marie froze. “Oh.” “He wasn’t… bad,” Evelyn said. “Just honest. Almost too honest.” Marie lowered her pen. “He wants to fix things, you know.” “I know.” Evelyn sank into a chair. “I’m not sure how I feel yet.” “That’s perfectly allowed,” her mom said. Before Evelyn could reply, her phone buzzed. A message from Jesse: I found something. It concerns us. Can we meet? Her stomach tightened. She typed back: What did you find?

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