My CEO… She Paid Me to Be Her Husband for 1 Year — Then Our ‘Fake’ Marriage Turned Real
Chapter 6
Daniel spent the next forty-eight hours investigating the photograph.
He didn’t accuse Victoria.
He didn’t trust the photograph either.
Instead, he checked the date.
The meeting supposedly occurred on a Thursday at 8:15 p.m.
But Daniel remembered that night.
Victoria had been home.
She had been helping Lily with a science project.
Daniel checked the security footage.
She had never left the house.
The photograph was fake.
But whoever created it knew enough about Victoria to make it believable.
Daniel showed her.
She looked relieved.
“Thank you.”
He nodded.
“I believe you.”
Victoria looked at him.
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve watched you lie to the board.”
She frowned.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re terrible at lying when it matters.”
She laughed despite herself.
Then her expression softened.
“Daniel…”
“I know.”
“What?”
“This isn’t fake anymore.”
She stared at him.
“No.”
For the first time, neither tried to deny it.
They kissed.
It wasn’t planned.
It wasn’t part of the contract.
It simply happened.
And afterward, they stood silently, both realizing what they had done.
Victoria whispered:
“That wasn’t in the agreement.”
Daniel smiled.
“Good.”
That evening, they finally slept in the same room.
Not because the contract required it.
Because they wanted to.
But the next morning, the situation became more dangerous.
Richard called Victoria.
“Resign.”
She refused.
“You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”
“I know exactly what I’m dealing with.”
“No, Victoria.”
His voice became cold.
“You’re protecting a man who doesn’t belong in this family.”
Victoria hung up.
Daniel looked at her.
“What did he mean?”
“I don’t know.”
But later that day, Daniel discovered something.
His own employment records had been accessed.
Someone had been investigating him.
His military records.
His financial history.
His divorce.
Everything.
Victoria looked concerned.
“Why would Richard care about you?”
Daniel didn’t know.
Then they discovered a sealed file from twelve years earlier.
Daniel’s name appeared inside.
Victoria opened it.
She froze.
Daniel leaned closer.
The document revealed that Daniel had once worked as a financial analyst for a government contractor before joining the company.
He had left after exposing an accounting fraud.
The case had been buried.
But one of the executives involved was…
Richard Morgan.
Daniel stared at the document.
“That’s impossible.”
Victoria looked at him.
“You knew him.”
“No.”
“Then why did you leave that job?”
Daniel remembered.
He had been twenty years old.
He had discovered millions missing from a government contract.
He reported it.
The company blamed him.
He resigned.
The investigation disappeared.
He had never known who was behind it.
Now he did.
Richard Morgan.
Daniel looked at Victoria.
“Your uncle has known about me for years.”
Victoria nodded.
“And he knew I was the one who exposed him.”
Suddenly everything made sense.
Richard hadn’t opposed their marriage because Daniel was an outsider.
He opposed it because Daniel was dangerous.
He knew where the financial bodies were buried.
And now Daniel had access to Victoria.
Together, they could expose him.
That night, Victoria made a decision.
“We’re going public.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“If we fail…”
“We lose the company.”
“And everything else.”
Victoria took his hand.
“Not everything.”
Daniel looked at her.
She smiled.
“I have you.”
For the first time, Daniel realized that the fake marriage had become the one thing in his life that was completely real.
