Married to My Boss (By Mistake)

Sophie Lang had two rules for life:

Never drink on an empty stomach. Never fall for your boss.

She'd broken both last night.

The headache wasn't just pounding-it was judging her. Throbbing behind her eyes, twisting her stomach, and radiating the kind of next-morning regret she usually reserved for blackout holiday parties or karaoke disasters.

But it wasn't the hangover that made her sit up in bed with a gasp.

It was the ring.

On her left hand.

A gold band. Thin. Elegant. Terrifying.

"What the hell?" she croaked, blinking at it like it might vanish if she stared hard enough.

Then she looked around the room. It wasn't hers. Not even close.

Luxury hotel. Champagne glasses. Rose petals?

Her dress from last night hung neatly over the back of a velvet chair. A tray sat on the nightstand, complete with toast, scrambled eggs, and a fancy folded napkin.

And then-the voice.

Deep. Calm. Familiar.

"You're awake."

Sophie's head whipped toward the other side of the bed.

Daniel Carter.

Her boss.

Her cold, emotionally unavailable, gorgeous boss... shirtless and sipping espresso like this was normal.

Like waking up beside her-married-was business as usual.

She flinched. "Why are you here?"

He glanced over his cup, completely unfazed. "We got married."

Sophie blinked.

Laughed nervously.

"That's not funny."

"I'm not joking."

"Wait-what?" she croaked. "That can't be true."

He stood up, walked over to the dresser, and returned holding a sleek black envelope. Without a word, he placed it on her lap.

Inside was a marriage certificate.

Real.

Signed.

Stamped.

Her name. His.

Her signature looked rushed. Like she'd been laughing. Or possibly... very drunk.

"I-no," she whispered. "No, I would remember this. I wouldn't do something like-"

Daniel raised a brow. "You told me I never take risks. I told you you never look at me like I'm anything other than your paycheck."

"I was drunk!"

"You were also very persuasive."

Sophie's throat dried.

This was her boss.

The CEO of Carter Tech. Cold and calculating in the boardroom. Known for firing an entire department over a mismanaged social campaign. And she'd somehow convinced him to marry her?

"But-why didn't you stop it?" she asked.

Daniel's eyes didn't flinch. "Because I wanted to."

Sophie's breath caught.

The silence stretched between them.

"Okay," she finally said, heart pounding. "We get it annulled. We pretend it never happened."

He crossed his arms. "We can't. At least not yet."

She blinked. "Why?"

"Because the press caught wind of it."

"What?"

"My team's spinning it as a 'private union' that leaked early. If we cancel now, the stock will dip. And right now, I have investors watching everything I do."

Sophie's jaw dropped. "So... what? We stay married and fake this?"

"Only for 90 days," Daniel said. "Long enough to settle things quietly."

Her heart thundered. "You're asking me to fake a marriage to my boss."

He gave a small smile.

"I'm not asking."