CEO Handed a Single Dad a Wedding Invitation—Then Whispered, “You’re the Groom”
Chapter 1
The invitation was made of thick ivory paper.
My name was printed across the front in dark gold letters.
Daniel Hayes.
I stared at it for several seconds.
Then I looked at the woman standing across from my desk.
Victoria Sterling.
CEO.
Billionaire.
And, according to half the employees in the building, the coldest woman in the city.
I turned the invitation over.
“Is this a joke?”
“No.”
Her answer was so calm that I almost laughed.
I opened it.
The venue was one of the most expensive hotels in the city.
The date was two weeks away.
The names printed inside made no sense.
Victoria Sterling
and
Daniel Hayes
I looked up.
“Your wedding?”
“Yes.”
I pointed at my own name.
“And I’m the groom.”
“Yes.”
I waited.
She waited too.
Finally, I said,
“You’re not serious.”
“I am.”
“You’re asking me to marry you?”
“Yes.”
“We’ve had three conversations.”
“Five.”
“That makes it worse.”
She almost smiled.
Then she placed both hands on my desk.
“I need a husband.”
I leaned back.
“Then I’d recommend a dating app.”
“I’m not looking for romance.”
“That is comforting.”
“I’m looking for a legal husband.”
I stared at her.
She sighed.
“My father left a condition in his will.”
I had heard stories about the Sterling family.
Victoria had inherited the company after her father’s death.
But the will had never been made public.
Apparently, only a handful of attorneys knew what it contained.
Victoria continued.
“If I remain unmarried by the date of the annual shareholder meeting, controlling shares will pass to my uncle.”
“Why?”
“Because my father believed the company needed a family representative.”
“And you?”
“I disagree.”
“So marry someone.”
“Yes.”
She slid another document toward me.
“That’s why I chose you.”
I stared at the paper.
It contained my employment history.
My salary.
My address.
My daughter’s name.
I looked up immediately.
“You investigated me.”
“Yes.”
“That is creepy.”
“I needed to know whether you’d exploit the arrangement.”
I laughed.
“You’re asking me to marry you and somehow I’m the one being tested?”
“Yes.”
I shook my head.
“I have a nine-year-old daughter.”
“I know.”
“I work at your company.”
“I know.”
“I don’t have time for billionaire family drama.”
“I know.”
“Then why me?”
Victoria’s expression changed.
For the first time, she looked uncertain.
“Because you don’t need my money.”
I said nothing.
She continued.
“You turned down a promotion because it would have required moving your daughter.”
I frowned.
“You know about that?”
“I know everything relevant.”
“That isn’t comforting.”
She looked down.
“My father also left another condition.”
“What?”
“The marriage must be with someone who has no existing financial ties to Sterling family interests.”
I understood.
“No lawyer.”
“No investor.”
“No executive.”
“No politician.”
She looked at me.
“Someone ordinary.”
I almost laughed.
“You think I’m ordinary?”
“Yes.”
“That might be the most insulting thing you’ve ever said.”
A small smile appeared.
“You’re not afraid of me.”
“I’m terrified of you.”
“Not enough to lie.”
I opened the invitation again.
“Why don’t you marry someone you actually know?”
“Because everyone I know wants something.”
“And you think I don’t?”
“You have something more important.”
“What?”
“A daughter.”
Silence.
Victoria looked directly into my eyes.
“I watched you leave work early every day for three months.”
“What?”
“You never complained.”
She paused.
“You never asked for special treatment.”
“You never used your position.”
“And you always went home.”
I didn’t know what to say.
Then she whispered,
“My father said that if he ever died, I should marry someone who would choose family over power.”
I stared at her.
“That sounds absurd.”
“It does.”
She pushed the invitation closer.
“I know this is unreasonable.”
“That’s one word for it.”
“You don’t have to love me.”
“That part I can promise.”
Her eyes met mine.
“Good.”
Then she said something that made my stomach tighten.
“But if you agree, I will protect you and your daughter with everything I have.”
I looked at the invitation again.
My daughter needed stability.
Victoria needed a husband.
The arrangement could help both of us.
At least on paper.
I picked up the invitation.
“Two weeks?”
“Yes.”
“That isn’t enough time to plan a wedding.”
“I already planned it.”
I stared at her.
“Of course you did.”
She turned to leave.
At the door, she stopped.
“Daniel.”
“Yes?”
She looked back.
“This isn’t a game.”
“I know.”
“You’ll understand why I chose you later.”
Then she walked away.
I looked down at the wedding invitation again.
My name was right there.
Groom.
I had spent years believing the hardest thing in my life was raising my daughter alone.
I was wrong.
The hardest thing was about to be pretending to marry a billionaire CEO…
while slowly falling in love with her.
