Married For His Grandmother’s Last Wish のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 31 - チャプター 40

The emergency board vote was scheduled for Friday morning. Daniel spent the week rallying support, using Mira's files to expose Marcus's tactics, calling in every favor he had.The night before the vote, he came home earlier than usual. Mira found him in the library, staring at nothing."How are you feeling?" she asked."Terrified. Exhausted. Angry." He looked at her. "Thank you for asking.""Of course I'd ask.""A lot of people wouldn't. They'd assume I'm fine because I'm good at pretending to be fine."Mira sat beside him. "You don't have to pretend with me.""I know. That's one of the things I—" He stopped."One of the things you what?""One of the things I value about you. About us."Value. Not love. But Mira had stopped expecting the word. Maybe some people just couldn't say it."What happens if you lose tomorrow?" she asked."Then Marcus gets control of Chen Technologies. I'll still have a seat on the board, but no real power. Everything Eleanor built will become his.""And what

Three weeks after Daniel's hospital stay, they had their first truly normal weekend.No board meetings, no media events, no crises demanding immediate attention. Just Saturday morning breakfast and a plan to do absolutely nothing productive."This feels wrong," Daniel said, sitting at the kitchen counter in sweatpants—actual sweatpants, not expensive loungewear disguised as casual clothes."What does?""Not working. Not strategizing. Just... existing.""Welcome to how normal people spend weekends." Mira poured coffee. "You'll get used to it.""I'm not sure I will. My brain keeps trying to solve problems that don't exist.""Then we need to give your brain something else to focus on.""Like what?""Like teaching me to cook something more complicated than toast."Daniel looked at her skeptically. "Have you met us? We're both terrible at cooking.""Which is why we should learn together. Relationship building and life skills in one activity.""Or we could order takeout and not risk burning

The photoshoot was Daniel's idea."Chen Technologies is rebranding," he explained over breakfast. "Modern, family-focused, values-driven. The board thinks having us as the face of the campaign would strengthen investor confidence."Mira set down her coffee. "A photoshoot?""Professional. Tasteful. Nothing invasive.""Daniel, I'm a librarian. I don't do photoshoots.""You're also my wife. And like it or not, that makes you part of the company's public image."The possessiveness in his tone made her bristle. "Part of, not property of.""That's not what I meant.""Isn't it?"They'd been doing so well. Two months of peace, of building something real. But apparently peace didn't last in Daniel's world.The photographer arrived at the estate three days later, a cheerful woman named Amanda with two assistants and enough equipment to outfit a small studio."We'll start in the library," Amanda said. "It's intimate, speaks to heritage and knowledge. Very on-brand."Mira felt ridiculous in the d

Mira kept her expression neutral despite her racing heart. "I'm not sure what you're talking about.""Of course you do." Vanessa moved into the living room uninvited, settling gracefully onto the sofa. "Daniel and I have a history. A deep one. The kind that doesn't just disappear because of a marriage license.""Daniel ended your engagement two years ago.""He did. And it was the biggest mistake of his life. He'll realize that eventually." Vanessa crossed her legs. "You seem nice, Mira. Genuine. Which is why I'm being honest with you. Daniel married you for his grandmother, not for love. That's not your fault. But now Eleanor is gone, and eventually Daniel will come back to where he belongs.""With you?""With someone who understands his world. Who fits into it seamlessly. Who doesn't need to be coached on how to behave at galas or what to say to investors' wives."Each word was carefully chosen to land like a dart. And despite knowing better, Mira felt them hit their targets."Thank

The interview was scheduled for the following week. Five days to prepare, to decide what to share and what to keep private, to figure out how much truth the public deserved."We should talk about how we actually met," Daniel suggested over breakfast."The truth? That I was supposed to marry someone else and overheard you desperately looking for a bride?""Maybe not that specific.""Why not? It's authentic. It shows we've come a long way from where we started.""It also makes us sound desperate and transactional.""We were desperate and transactional. At first."Daniel set down his coffee. "You really want to tell people our marriage started as a contract?""I want to tell people our marriage started honestly. That we made an arrangement that became real. That love can grow even from unconventional beginnings.""The board will love that," he said dryly."The board doesn't get a vote in how we talk about our relationship.""Actually, they kind of do. I'm still CEO. Corporate image matte