All Chapters of Forever Was Never The Deal: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

HILARY's POV The first thing I learned about coming home early was that people were rarely prepared for you. The second thing I learned was that I enjoyed it, especially when those people had something to hide. I leaned back against the cream leather seat of my car, crossing one leg over the other as Las Vegas blurred past the tinted windows. Three days. That was how long I had cut my business trip short. Three miserable days of meetings, investors, endless presentations, and men twice my age explaining my own company to me as if I had accidentally inherited a billion-dollar empire instead of being raised inside one. But I was home now. I can’t wait to see everyone but most importantly my fiancé— Miles Morales, the famous self-made tech billionaire. I had a surprise waiting for Miles. Or, more accurately, Miles had a surprise waiting for him. I smiled to myself. The car slowed as we approached the familiar gates of the Morales estate. I frowned. “Why are we here?

By the time I returned home that evening, my mood had changed completely. I had left the Morales estate feeling like my entire life had collapsed.Now?I felt alive.Dangerously alive.I stepped into the Banks manor with a smile on my face.Arthur Bennett was waiting in the foyer. Our majordomo had been with our family for as long as I could remember. Impossibly composed, impeccably dressed, and somehow capable of knowing what everyone needed before they asked. He practically raised my older brother and me as my power-hungry father was busy building empires and sleeping around and my mother was six feet below the ground. My mother died when I was barely five, so there’s not much I knew about her. Or at least that was how my father explained it. He looked at me.Then at my smile.Then back at me.“Miss Hilary.”“Arthur.”“You’re back early.” “Well… you know me, Arthur. I always love to make an entrance.“That is reassuring.”I handed him my coat.“Where is everyone?”His expression s

I had always believed that if I was going to make a terrible decision, I should at least make it look expensive. Which was exactly why William Carrington was sitting across from me in a private room at one of my father’s favorite restaurants while I explained the terms of our very questionable marriage. He looked at the papers in front of him. Then at me. Then back at the papers. “You actually wrote rules.” “Of course.” “You made a list.” “I make lists for everything.” “You’re planning a thirty-day marriage like it’s a business meeting.” “It is a business meeting.” William leaned back in his chair. “You’re insane.” “I’ve been called worse.” “I’m sure.” I smiled. He was already getting on my nerves. Which, strangely enough, made me like him. I pushed the papers toward him. “Rule number one. No falling in love.” William stared at me for a second. Then he laughed. “What?” “You’re worried about me falling in love with you?” “I’m worried about every

“I know.”“No going back.”“I know.”“You'll be my wife.”I looked at him.“And you'll be my husband.”Something about saying it out loud made the room feel suddenly smaller.William was quiet.Then he smiled.“Still no falling in love?”“Absolutely not.”“Good.”“Then let’s get this over with.”We stared at each other. Neither of us laughed this time. Then William reached for my hand. I looked down at our hands.“This counts as unnecessary touching.”“I'm aware.”I should have pulled away, but I didn't. For some reason, I found myself looking at him instead.Up close, William was annoyingly handsome.His dark eyes held mine, steady and unreadable, while his jet-black hair fell slightly over his forehead. His sharp jawline made his face look almost too perfect, especially with the faint shadow of a goatee along his chin.I had noticed he was attractive when we first met. I just hadn't realized how distracting he could be this close. My eyes lingered for a second too long. William not

“We have a problem.”William's expression changed.“What kind of problem?”“Miles moved the wedding.”“To when?”“Tomorrow.”He stared at me.“Tomorrow?”“Yes.”He let out a quiet laugh.I turned toward him.“What?”“Nothing.”“You're laughing.”“I know.”“This isn't funny.”“I know that too.”“Then why are you laughing?”He looked at me.“Because we got married about an hour ago, and your other wedding is already tomorrow.”I folded my arms. “When you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous.”“It is ridiculous.”I gave him a warning look.“Careful.”He raised both hands. “I'm just stating facts.”I looked out the window. My mind was already working. This wasn't what I had planned. I had expected to have enough time to let Miles believe everything was going exactly the way he wanted. I would marry him publicly, take control of the situation, and then make sure he regretted ever thinking he could use me.But tomorrow?That was too soon.William watched me.“So what are you going to do?”