CEO Handed a Single Dad a Wedding Invitation—Then Whispered, “You’re the Groom”
Chapter 4
My mother gave us the file that night.
Victoria sat beside me.
Neither of us spoke while Mom opened the folder.
The police report said my father had died in a highway accident.
But the report had inconsistencies.
No skid marks.
No brake failure.
No witnesses.
And one missing piece.
His financial records disappeared the day after his death.
My mother had suspected something for years.
She had been afraid to investigate because she believed whoever had killed my father might still be watching.
Victoria read the report.
“Your father was investigating us.”
“Us?”
“My company.”
“What did he find?”
She opened another file.
A list of shell companies.
Two were connected to Sterling Holdings.
One was connected to a private investment group.
The same group had been trying to purchase land around the city.
I looked at her.
“Who owns it?”
“We don’t know.”
“What about your uncle?”
“He denies involvement.”
“Do you believe him?”
“No.”
That was honest.
For the next forty-eight hours, we worked together.
Our fake marriage began to feel less fake.
We talked late at night.
Shared coffee.
Argued about evidence.
Laughed when Lily interrupted serious conversations.
One night, Victoria fell asleep at the dining table.
I covered her with a blanket.
She woke up.
“You didn’t have to.”
“I know.”
She looked at me.
“Why do you keep doing things you don’t have to do?”
I smiled.
“Maybe that’s why you picked me.”
She looked away.
“Maybe.”
The next morning, we found the first real clue.
My father’s old bank account had made one final transfer before his death.
To a storage facility.
The payment was made in Victoria’s father’s name.
We went there.
A manager opened the unit.
Inside were boxes.
Financial documents.
Old photographs.
A voice recorder.
Victoria pressed play.
Her father’s voice filled the room.
“Thomas, if you’re hearing this, then something has happened.”
My father answered.
“I know.”
Victoria froze.
Her father continued.
“Your son must never know.”
My father’s voice:
“He’ll ask.”
“He shouldn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because if the board discovers the truth, they’ll use him.”
I looked at Victoria.
Our fathers had been working together.
The recording continued.
“The money isn’t the target.”
“What is?”
“The company structure.”
“Who wants it?”
A pause.
Then a name.
“Richard Sterling.”
Victoria stopped breathing.
Her uncle.
Her father’s younger brother.
The man who currently wanted to take the company.
The man who would inherit control if Victoria didn’t marry.
I stared at her.
“Your uncle.”
“Yes.”
“Your father knew.”
“Yes.”
“He was involved.”
“It appears so.”
The recording ended.
There was another message.
My father spoke directly.
“Daniel, if you’re ever hearing this, don’t trust anyone who tells you power is more important than family.”
My chest tightened.
Then:
“If Victoria Sterling ever comes to you, listen to her before you walk away.”
I looked at Victoria.
She looked stunned.
“Our fathers planned this.”
“Not the marriage.”
“No.”
“But they knew we might need each other.”
She nodded.
I picked up another document.
It was a shareholder agreement.
Richard couldn’t take control if Victoria had a legitimate spouse outside the company.
Suddenly, the wedding made sense.
But another discovery frightened me.
The final page contained an emergency clause.
If the controlling shareholder entered a marriage, the spouse could inherit voting rights if the shareholder became incapacitated.
I looked at Victoria.
“This isn’t just protection.”
She nodded.
“It’s a target.”
“Someone could hurt you.”
“Yes.”
Then she whispered,
“And by marrying me, you become part of that target.”
I stared at the wedding invitation.
Two weeks.
A simple marriage.
A powerful uncle.
A dead father.
A hidden financial network.
And now my daughter.
I realized something.
I wasn’t just agreeing to marry Victoria.
I was stepping into a war.
