My CEO… She Paid Me to Be Her Husband for 1 Year — Then Our ‘Fake’ Marriage Turned Real
Chapter 3
Their fake marriage became believable faster than either expected.
At company events, Victoria held Daniel’s arm.
He introduced her as his wife.
She introduced him as her husband.
They smiled for photographs.
They answered questions.
They played their roles perfectly.
Then something unexpected happened.
People began to believe them.
Employees started treating Daniel differently.
Board members watched him carefully.
And Victoria’s uncle, Richard Morgan, became suspicious.
Richard had expected Victoria to marry someone from their social circle.
Instead, she had chosen an ordinary logistics manager.
That made him uncomfortable.
At a private dinner, Richard studied Daniel.
“So, Daniel.”
“Yes?”
“What exactly did you do before working here?”
“Nothing interesting.”
Richard smiled.
“Everyone has something interesting.”
Daniel didn’t respond.
Victoria placed a hand on his arm.
“Richard, we’re here to have dinner.”
“I’m just getting to know my new nephew.”
Daniel smiled politely.
“Nice to meet you too.”
Richard’s eyes narrowed.
Later that evening, Victoria drove Daniel home.
“You handled him well.”
“Who?”
“My uncle.”
“He’s not exactly subtle.”
Victoria sighed.
“He wants the company.”
“I figured.”
“He’s been waiting for me to fail.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because my grandfather promised him control if I couldn’t prove I was capable of leading the company.”
“And marriage proves that?”
“Not exactly.”
She hesitated.
“He believes I’m unstable.”
Daniel frowned.
“Why?”
Victoria looked away.
“After my father died, I stopped trusting people.”
Daniel understood.
“That’s not instability.”
She smiled sadly.
“Try telling the board.”
Daniel didn’t answer.
The next morning, something happened.
A confidential financial report leaked.
The company’s stock dropped six percent.
Victoria called an emergency meeting.
Daniel wasn’t supposed to attend.
But he did.
He sat quietly in the back.
Executives argued.
Richard accused Victoria of poor leadership.
Victoria defended herself.
Then one executive said:
“The board needs stability.”
Daniel spoke.
“That’s not the problem.”
Everyone turned.
Victoria looked surprised.
The executive frowned.
“And you are?”
“Her husband.”
Richard laughed.
“This is a board meeting, Mr. Carter.”
Daniel stood.
“I know.”
He pointed toward the financial report.
“The numbers were altered.”
Silence.
The CFO looked at him.
“What?”
Daniel explained that the shipping projections didn’t match the company’s logistics data.
Someone had inserted false numbers.
The report hadn’t leaked.
It had been deliberately manipulated.
Victoria looked at Daniel.
“How do you know?”
“Because I’ve spent six years reading these reports.”
The CFO checked.
Daniel was right.
The room erupted.
Richard went silent.
Later, Victoria confronted Daniel.
“Why did you do that?”
“Because they were blaming you.”
“You could have stayed quiet.”
“I could have.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Daniel looked at her.
“Because you’re my wife.”
The words hit her harder than he intended.
Victoria stared at him.
Their marriage was fake.
They both knew it.
Yet for one brief moment, neither of them remembered.
That night, Victoria stood outside Daniel’s bedroom.
She knocked.
“Come in.”
She entered.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For standing beside me.”
Daniel smiled.
“That’s what husbands do.”
Victoria looked at him.
“Even fake ones?”
He paused.
“Especially fake ones.”
She smiled.
But neither slept well that night.
Because both were beginning to wonder where the pretending ended.
