Page 9 of Deceit
At least, that’s what it felt like.
I’d managed to avoid Papa finding me a ‘suitable’ husband over the past few years, but my luck had finally run out. In one month, I was going to be married to a man who despised me.
A man who, four years ago, I’dliedto. A man who could barely lookat me without snarling.
Miles Wolfe.
Or, Milo, as he’d once been introduced to me as.
Of all the peoplePapahad tomarryme off to, I didn’t understand why it hadto be him. TheWolfefamily had been our sworn enemy since long before I was born. Yet, when adealwas presented to make a union between us and them,Papasnapped up the chance.
I didn’t think I’d ever forget the dayPapaordered me to the conferenceroom for ameeting. I should have known something big was goingtohappen.Papaneverincluded me in business dealings.But I could never have prepared myself for what had happened…
Papahad explained to Rafe and me thatHollows Bay was in dire trouble, and Miles Wolfe, along with his cousin's wife were on their way to discuss adeal. My entire body had turned as still as a statue at the mention ofMiles’ name, and overwhelming dread hadfilledmystomachat the thought of coming face to face with him again.
I didn’t hear what elsePapahad said, other than it was time to unite thefamilies for the greater good.But before I had time to compose myself, the door was opening, and a beautiful woman about the sameageas me walked in,followedby the man I’d thought about far too often over the past four years.
A man I’d fantasized about as I’d made myself come, imagining I wason astage, watched by hundreds of people as he claimed me for everyone to see.Imanagedtopullmyself together enough to be polite toRileyWolfe,but my composure fellapartthe second my eyes clashed with dark, intense ones.
The same thrill of excitement I’d felt the first time mygazehad landedon him shot through me. It wasfollowedby dormant butterflies suddenly fluttering wildlydeepin my belly, only to die instantly when his eyes had hardened andfilledwith hate, scorching me into ashes on thespot.
“Milo,”I’d said before I could stop myself, schooling myfeaturesanddoing my damned hardest to return his coldness.
“It’s Miles,” he’d replied, angrily.
AsRileyhad regaled the story of what had led her andMilesto besitting at our table, I couldn’t help butsneakpeeks at him from under my lashes. My breath caught almost every time I saw him looking at me, his hatred toward me rolling off him in great tidal waves.
I didn’t want to admit it, but he was ashandsomeas I remembered. No,that was a lie. Over the years, his body hadbecomemore defined with muscles, andsoftagelines marred his sharpfeatures, making him look even more refined.
On the night we firstmet, Miles had looked similar toTheo—or Ted as I’d knownhim—but then,Miles’ hair had beenlonger. Sitting at our table at the meeting with Papa, Miles had cut his hair short, and the resemblance toTheowas uncanny.
I preferred him with longer hair.
The other difference from the last time I saw him was that he lookedexhausted.Weary.Thereasonhe looked so tiredbecameapparent the moreRileyexplained their story, anddespitethe venomous glances he was throwing my way, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for him.
After discovering who he was in Exotique, I’d managed to find bits of information about the Wolfe family. Miles and Theo, the younger brother of Kai, were only a few months apart in age. Not only were they cousins, they were inseparable. When I learned that Theo Wolfe had been killed a year ago, I couldn’t help but think of Miles for a few days after. He would have been devastated at the loss.
As the meeting continued, I had lost myself in memories of that fateful night, until it registered that Papa told Riley he wanted an alliance between us and the Wolfes. I’d managed to shake the lingering images in time to hear Riley decline Papa’s proposition for her to marry Rafe.
No one ever said no to myPapa, but she did. At that moment, I thought thetorture would be over. That she andMileswould leave, and I’d never have to see him again.
How wrong I’d been.
Instead of never seeing him again, Papa promised him my hand in marriage.
Since that day, I’d beggedPapato not make memarryMiles, butPapawasn’thearing any of it. Thedealwas done, and it was my duty as the only Bianchi daughter to see it through.
There had been days when I’d consideredendingmy life as thecountdown to theweddingbegan. Especially after the events thatfollowed, whereRileyand I were kidnapped, and I’d been thrown in a cell, fearing that I was going to be raped and murdered.
But nomatterhow many times I thought aboutendingit all, I couldn’t do it.I couldn’t leaveRafebehind. He was drowning under the weight of his new responsibilities asPapa’sSecond-In-Command, and I couldn’t bring myself tohurtthe one person who cared about me.
So there I was. Lying on my bed, staring at a wedding dress I’d reluctantly picked out on Papa’s orders.
My mind flipped to my mama. I wished every damn day that she was stillalive. I doubted she would have been able to stop thewedding; after all, she andPapahad an arrangedmarriage, but I would have given anything to have herpullme into her arms and tell me everything would work out in the end.
A wish that would never come true.
Still, I had onemonthto go. Onemonthfor a miracle tohappen. Onemonthto devise a plan toescapethis life. Not that I’dmanagedto find a way in the past few months, but Iwasn’tready to give up just yet.
