“I Needed a Fake Girlfriend for the Office Party,” the CEO Muttered—Then She Slid Me a Note That Said “Pick Me”
Chapter 12
Their wedding was small.
Family.
Close friends.
A few colleagues.
Margaret sat in the front row.
She cried before the ceremony even began.
Claire stood beside Lena as maid of honor.
Before Lena walked down the aisle, Claire whispered:
“Can you believe this started because you volunteered to fake-date the CEO?”
Lena laughed.
“No.”
Claire smiled.
“You wrote ‘Pick me.’”
“I know.”
“Best two words you ever wrote.”
Lena looked toward the aisle.
Ethan was waiting.
She smiled.
“Yes.”
The ceremony was simple.
Ethan didn’t talk about money.
He didn’t talk about business.
He talked about how Lena made him feel understood.
Lena talked about how Ethan taught her that asking someone to stay wasn’t weakness.
When they exchanged rings, Lena whispered:
“No more pretending.”
Ethan smiled.
“Never again.”
After the wedding, they returned to the Carter Group.
Lena eventually became director of strategic finance.
Ethan remained CEO.
They kept their professional boundaries clear.
At work, they challenged each other.
At home, they laughed about those same arguments.
Their relationship didn’t make either of them less ambitious.
It made them more balanced.
Ethan learned to leave work on time.
Lena learned that not every problem required a spreadsheet.
They traveled.
They built a home.
They adopted a dog that destroyed Ethan’s favorite shoes.
Life became ordinary.
And they loved it.
Years later, a new employee asked Lena how she had ended up married to the CEO.
Lena smiled.
“It started with a note.”
“What did it say?”
She laughed.
“Two words.”
The employee leaned closer.
“What words?”
Lena looked toward Ethan’s office.
Then smiled.
“Pick me.”
