I married a homeless man, and the entire wedding hall was filled with mocking looks

The next morning, I woke up in the penthouse suite of the Grand Aurora. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the massive king-sized bed.

For a moment, I forgot everything that had happened. Then, the weight of the silk sheets and the sheer scale of the room brought the memories crashing back.

I turned over. Daniel was already awake. He was sitting in an armchair by the window, dressed in a crisp white shirt and dark slacks, reviewing a tablet. He looked completely different from the man I had known for a year, yet exactly the same.

"Good morning, Mrs. Carter," he smiled, setting the tablet down immediately.

"Good morning," I stretched, sitting up. "Have you been up long?"

"Just long enough to clean up a few messes," he said, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed. "Vance is officially locked up without bail. The board of directors has reinstated me as CEO. And Marcus's startup filed for bankruptcy this morning."

I blinked, trying to process the speed at which his world moved. "That's... a lot for one morning."

"I have a lot of lost time to make up for," Daniel said, brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "But my first priority is you. Where do you want to go for our honeymoon? Paris? The Maldives? I can have the jet ready in an hour."

I laughed, shaking my head. "The jet? Daniel, I have to be at work on Monday. I have a project deadline."

Daniel looked genuinely confused. "Emily, you don't have to work ever again if you don't want to. You're the wife of the CEO of Vanguard Tech."

"I like my job," I reminded him gently. "I like managing projects. I don't want to be a trophy wife sitting in a penthouse all day."

A slow, respectful smile spread across his face. "Of course you do. I should have known you wouldn't take the easy way out."

"Besides," I added, leaning into his touch. "We have a lot of things to figure out. The press is going to be everywhere. My parents are probably plotting a lawsuit for emotional distress. We need a plan."

"We," Daniel repeated, the word sounding like a prayer on his lips. "I like the sound of that."

"We're a team, Daniel," I said seriously. "No more secrets. No more hiding things to 'protect' me. If we're going to survive your world, we do it together."

"I promise," he swore, kissing my forehead. "No more secrets."

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I reached over and glanced at the screen. It was a text from an unknown number.

You think you've won, Emily? Vance isn't the only one who hates Daniel.

I froze. The blood drained from my face.