All Chapters of The Wife He Never Planned For: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

22 Chapters

Chapter 1: The Night Everything Began

On a gloomy night in the city of Ashbourne, rain hammered violently against the windows of Saint Aurelia Medical Center as though the sky itself was furious. In contrast to the raging storm outside, an eerie silence lingered throughout the hospital hallways, swallowing nearly every sound that dared disturb it.Selena Reed sat motionless on a cold bench outside the intensive care unit.The sharp scent of disinfectant clung heavily to the air while fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting pale reflections across the polished floors beneath her feet. In her trembling hands rested a stack of unpaid medical bills and health reports. She gripped them so tightly the paper edges dug painfully into her skin.“Ms. Reed?”Selena slowly lifted her head toward the voice.A doctor in blue scrubs and a white coat approached from farther down the hallway. He appeared to be in his late forties, with streaks of gray lining his hair and exhaustion etched deeply across his face. Removing his glasses w

Chapter 2: The Marriage Arrangement

Selena forced herself to remain composed. “What does that have to do with me?”Sophia looked annoyed immediately.“Honestly, I still don’t understand that part,” she muttered beneath her breath.Vanessa ignored the comment entirely.“The request came directly from William Kingston,” she said calmly. “Former chairman of Kingston Global and grandfather of Adrian Kingston.”“Adrian Kingston?” Ethan let out a low laugh from the sofa. “The ruthless CEO everyone in Corvenna is terrified of?”Amusement flickered across his face as he leaned farther back against the couch.“I heard the guy’s so cold his own executives barely breathe around him.”Sophia shot him an irritated glare before looking back toward Selena.“You should feel lucky,” she said carelessly. “Women practically throw themselves at Adrian Kingston.”“Then why do you sound upset about it?” Selena asked coldly.Sophia’s expression tightened for the briefest second before she covered it with a light laugh.“Because now I have to

Chapter 3: The World Beyond the Contract

After departing from the old house, Selena took a cab back to her apartment.The drive passed in silence.Streetlights blurred beyond the rain-speckled window as she rested her head lightly against the cool glass. Outside, Ashbourne continued moving normally despite the storm lingering over the city. Cars drifted through glowing intersections while crowds disappeared beneath umbrellas along crowded sidewalks.Meanwhile, Selena felt strangely disconnected from all of it.Getting married.The thought still felt unreal somehow.Less than twenty-four hours ago, her biggest concern had been figuring out how to pay her mother’s medical bills. Now she was engaged to Adrian Kingston, heir to one of the most powerful families in Corvenna.The absurdity of it all left her exhausted.By the time she reached her apartment building, it was nearly midnight. Outside the quiet hallway, the soft clinking of her keychain charms echoed faintly as she tapped her key against the electronic lock. The door

Chapter 4: The First Meeting

The deep voice from the other side sent a small jolt through her.Selena tightened her grip slightly against the metal handles before slowly pushing the doors open. They were heavier than she expected. Cool air drifted against her skin as the scent of cedar and expensive leather settled around her almost immediately. For a brief second, Selena forgot how to breathe properly.Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the glowing skyline of Ashbourne while warm amber lighting reflected softly across dark wood shelves lined with neatly arranged books and crystal decanters. An expansive desk sat near the center of the office, its surface organized with almost intimidating precision.The entire room felt expensive, controlled, and quiet in the same way private museums often felt. And sitting behind the massive desk was Adrian Kingston. His black hair had been neatly combed away from his face, revealing sharp features that looked almost unfairly composed beneath the warm office lighting. Dark

Chapter 5: A Practical Option

The doors closed behind Selena with a soft click, swallowing the faint sound of her footsteps as she disappeared beyond the hallway.For several moments, Adrian remained seated behind his desk without moving. The office gradually fell silent again.Adrian’s fingers rested lightly against the file still sitting open before him, her photograph clipped neatly to the front page beside several background reports and financial summaries.The file contained everything his investigators had gathered on Selena Reed.Educated, quiet, financially desperate, and entirely disconnected from the kind of world usually associated with the Kingston family.Adrian stood and crossed toward the windows, dark leather shoes tapping softly against the marble floor beneath him.Rain fogged portions of the glass while headlights reflected across the soaked streets below in long streaks of gold and white. Somewhere beneath the storm, people hurried through the evening traffic desperate to get home to lives enti

Chapter 6: Maison Belle

The next morning, Selena slept peacefully beneath her blankets until the loud ringing of her phone shattered the silence from atop her nightstand.The ringing continued until Selena finally reached blindly toward the sound and grabbed her phone.“Hello…?” she mumbled groggily.“Good morning, Ms. Reed.”Selena’s eyes snapped open instantly.She shot upright in bed, quickly brushing the hair away from her face as Nathan’s calm voice carried clearly through the phone.“Good morning,” she replied quickly, her voice still rough from sleep.“My apologies for waking you up. Your first styling appointment at Maison Belle has been scheduled for ten o’clock this morning.”Selena blinked toward the digital clock beside her bed.Nine-thirteen.Her stomach dropped instantly.She had completely forgotten about the appointment after returning home from Kingston Global last night. Between the contract, the conversation with Adrian, and everything else happening around her, she had spent half the nigh

Chapter 7: The Grand Camden

Before she could sink deeper into the thought, Selena pushed aside the curtain and stepped out of the dressing room, making her way toward the lounge area. There, she spotted a familiar face. Nathan.He returned her gaze with a polite smile before speaking.“Ms. Reed.”Selena returned the smile with a small nod.“Hi, Nathan.”“How was the styling appointment? Were they able to meet your needs?”“It was great, thank you for asking. Everyone was wonderful.”Nathan nodded once.“I came by to check on everything and also wanted to inform you that the engagement photoshoot has been scheduled for tomorrow afternoon,” he continued. “The photos will be used for press releases and wedding materials.”Tomorrow? Selena’s stomach tightened instantly. The thought of standing through an entire photoshoot beside Adrian sent nervous sweat creeping down her back. She could hardly imagine seeing her own face plastered across articles and social media within the next few weeks.“Charles will pick you u

Chapter 8: The Photoshoot I

The next afternoon, flashing white camera lights exploded throughout the massive photography studio.Assistants hurried across the polished floors carrying garment bags, makeup kits, and trays of jewelry while stylists crowded around racks of designer clothing. Voices echoed from every direction beneath the bright overhead lights.Selena stood near the makeup station, nervously smoothing her hands down the sides of her cream-colored dress. This was insane. Absolutely insane.“Relax your shoulders a little, Ms. Reed,” one stylist reminded gently while adjusting the fabric near her waist.Selena forced herself to breathe. Then suddenly, the atmosphere inside the studio shifted. The conversations softened. And without even turning around, Selena somehow knew exactly why.Adrian Kingston had arrived.When she finally looked up, Adrian was already walking across the studio floor. Nathan followed several steps behind him, tablet in hand, speaking quietly with another assistant.Adrian’s gaz

Chapter 9: The Photoshoot II

Heat rushed instantly to her face.Selena suddenly became painfully aware of just how close they actually were.One of Adrian’s hands remained firm against her waist while the other rested lightly against her back, steadying her far too easily.The photographer looked seconds away from celebrating.“Yes,” he said excitedly while snapping several more photos in rapid succession. “That’s exactly the expression I wanted. Perfect.”Selena could barely look at anyone. Meanwhile, Adrian looked completely unaffected. After several more flashes, the photographer finally lowered the camera with satisfaction.“Excellent. Let’s reset for the next set.”The moment the photographer stepped away, Adrian released her immediately and took a calm step back as though nothing unusual had happened. Selena, unfortunately, still felt like her heartbeat had not recovered.One of the stylists quickly rushed forward to adjust her dress again while another touched up the corner of her lipstick.“You both photog

Chapter 10: The Last Normal Week

Monday morning arrived far too quickly.The moment Selena stepped back into Hartwell Financial Consulting, everything felt strangely surreal.Employees hurried through the lobby balancing coffees and laptops while quiet conversations echoed near the elevators about deadlines, meetings, and clients. Phones rang endlessly somewhere across the office floor while keyboards clicked beneath the fluorescent lights.Selena adjusted the strap of her bag over her shoulder before stepping onto her department floor.“Morning, Selena,” one coworker greeted casually while passing by her desk.“Morning.”She smiled back automatically before settling into her chair.The familiar spreadsheets glowing across her monitor suddenly felt oddly distant now. Just over a week ago, this had been her entire world. Budget reports. Forecast corrections. Client revisions. Long nights spent chasing promotions and salary increases that somehow still never felt like enough.Now she was engaged to Adrian Kingston. Eve

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