CEO Handed a Single Dad a Wedding Invitation—Then Whispered, “You’re the Groom”
Chapter 2
I didn’t tell my daughter that night.
Not yet.
I needed to understand what I’d agreed to before putting something this strange into her life.
Victoria had said the marriage was temporary.
One year.
Long enough to satisfy her father’s will.
Long enough to prevent her uncle from taking control.
After that, we could divorce quietly.
Simple.
At least, that was what she claimed.
The next morning, I met her attorney.
His name was Michael Reed.
He had the calm expression of a man who had seen every possible legal disaster.
He explained the agreement.
Victoria and I would marry.
We would live in the Sterling residence for at least six months.
Neither of us would claim the other’s assets.
My daughter would be financially protected but not controlled.
And the marriage could be terminated after the shareholder meeting.
I looked at him.
“What happens if we refuse?”
“Victoria loses voting control.”
“And then?”
“Her uncle becomes chairman.”
I asked,
“What’s wrong with him?”
Michael hesitated.
“That’s a conversation for Victoria.”
I looked at her.
She was sitting across the conference table.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“My uncle believes the company belongs to him.”
“And?”
“He has been trying to prove I’m incapable of leading it.”
“Are you?”
Her eyes narrowed.
“You’re asking a dangerous question.”
“I’m considering marrying you.”
She almost smiled.
“I can handle the company.”
“I believe you.”
“Good.”
Then Michael slid another document toward me.
It was a background report.
My personal debts.
My income.
My daughter’s school.
Medical records.
I pushed it back.
“You went too far.”
Victoria’s expression changed.
“I needed to make sure you were safe.”
“Then ask me.”
“I did.”
“When?”
“Now.”
I laughed.
“That’s not how normal people communicate.”
“I’ve forgotten how normal people communicate.”
That was the first thing she said that sounded vulnerable.
I looked at her differently.
She wasn’t simply cold.
She had built a fortress.
Maybe for a reason.
I signed the preliminary agreement.
Her attorney looked relieved.
Victoria didn’t.
She looked nervous.
“Why?”
I asked.
“You still haven’t asked the most important question.”
“What?”
“Why did I choose you instead of anyone else?”
I leaned back.
“Exactly.”
She was quiet.
Then said,
“Because my father once met you.”
I froze.
“What?”
“Before he died.”
“When?”
“Four years ago.”
I shook my head.
“I never met your father.”
“You did.”
“No.”
She opened a file.
Inside was a security photograph.
My old work badge.
My face.
And Victoria’s father standing beside me.
I stared.
“I don’t remember this.”
“You were working at a charity event.”
I looked closer.
“I was a volunteer.”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“My father asked you a question.”
“What question?”
She looked at me.
“Would you choose a higher salary or more time with your child?”
I remembered.
A strange older man had asked me that question while I was carrying boxes.
I had laughed and said,
“I’d take the money if you can also give me another ten hours a day.”
Victoria almost smiled.
“What did you actually say?”
I thought.
“I said money can replace almost anything except time.”
She nodded.
“My father remembered that.”
I stared at the photograph.
“Then why did he leave me nothing?”
“He didn’t.”
She paused.
“He left me instructions.”
“To marry me?”
“No.”
“To find someone like you.”
That made the room quiet.
Victoria looked down.
“You were the only person on his list who wasn’t connected to money.”
I looked at her.
“So this isn’t really about marriage.”
“No.”
“What is it about?”
“Trust.”
She opened another file.
Inside were company documents.
Several executives had secretly moved money through shell companies.
My daughter and I had been living near one of the properties targeted for acquisition.
I frowned.
“Why are you showing me this?”
“Because I think your father may be connected to the same investigation.”
My father had died when I was fourteen.
I had spent my whole life believing he had simply been unlucky.
Victoria pushed the file toward me.
“I think he knew my father.”
I stared at the documents.
And suddenly, the fake wedding didn’t feel fake anymore.
It felt like the beginning of a mystery.
