“Marry Me and I’ll Help Raise Your Daughters” — Billionaire to Single Dad, His Daughter Said…
Chapter 12
The next few weeks were brutal.
The company was investigated.
The foundation was audited.
Robert’s network was exposed.
He was eventually found hiding in a private residence outside the city.
His arrest made national news.
But the trial lasted months.
During that time, Victoria remained CEO.
She could have sold everything.
Walked away.
Started over.
Instead, she rebuilt.
She opened the foundation’s records.
Removed family-only governance.
Added independent oversight.
And protected every program her uncle had tried to privatize.
I went back to work at the hospital.
Victoria asked whether I wanted a corporate role.
I said no.
She respected that.
One evening, I came home to find her helping Sophie with homework.
Emma was at the table reading.
The scene looked so ordinary.
I stood in the doorway.
Victoria looked up.
“You’re staring again.”
I smiled.
“I like what I see.”
She laughed.
“That’s dangerous.”
“I’m your husband.”
“Temporary?”
“No.”
She looked at me.
“No?”
I walked toward her.
“I think we passed temporary a while ago.”
Her eyes softened.
She touched my hand.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
Later that night, Emma came to the kitchen.
“Can I ask something?”
“Yes.”
“Are you really staying married?”
I looked at Victoria.
“Yes.”
Emma smiled.
“Good.”
Sophie ran in.
“Does that mean Victoria is staying forever?”
Victoria crouched beside her.
“If your dad lets me.”
Sophie looked at me.
“You have to let her.”
I laughed.
“I don’t think I have a vote.”
Sophie nodded.
“Good.”
Then she ran away.
Victoria smiled.
“Your daughters are very persuasive.”
“They get it from their mother.”
She looked at me.
“Rachel?”
“Yes.”
“You talk about her without fear now.”
I nodded.
“I think she’d be glad.”
Victoria sat beside me.
“She saved all of us.”
“Yes.”
“She saved my mother’s life.”
“Yes.”
“She protected the girls.”
“Yes.”
She looked toward the hallway.
“I owe her everything.”
I took her hand.
“You don’t owe her.”
“What do you mean?”
“She didn’t save us so we could spend the rest of our lives paying a debt.”
Victoria smiled.
“She saved us because she loved us.”
I kissed her forehead.
“Exactly.”
There was silence.
Then Victoria asked,
“Would you have married me if Rachel had never left the evidence?”
I thought about it.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you became family before we admitted it.”
Her eyes filled.
“You know what I realized?”
“What?”
“I didn’t fall in love with you when I proposed.”
“When?”
“The day Sophie called me Mom.”
I smiled.
“For me, it was earlier.”
“When?”
“The day you braided that doll’s hair.”
She laughed.
“That was terrible.”
“I know.”
“I nearly broke the doll.”
“That’s why I loved it.”
She leaned against me.
For the first time, our marriage didn’t need a reason.
