Legally stuck with you

Mira Kingsley had spent years proving she deserved this moment.

She wasn't just entitled to her family's empire-she had earned it.

For the last four years, she had worked at one of the international affiliates of Kingsley-Carter Enterprises-an empire spanning luxury hotels, high-end fashion, tech conglomerates, and media powerhouses.

And it wasn't just any affiliate.

Her grandmother, Eleanor Kingsley, had sent her to the most remote and difficult branch-a struggling luxury resort in Southeast Asia.

The conditions had been brutal. No boardroom comfort. No family name to shield her. Just her own merit and hard work.

And today, after successfully turning that division around, she was finally home.

This was supposed to be her moment.

She was supposed to walk into her grandmother's office, head held high, and receive what she had worked for-her family shares and a rightful seat at the table.

Instead-

She got this.

"Mira, darling," Eleanor Kingsley said, her voice smooth as silk, "before I transfer your shares, you'll need to marry Ryan Carter."

A ringing silence filled the grand, mahogany-lined study.

Mira stared. Blinked. Slowly. As if her brain needed extra time to process the sheer absurdity of what she had just heard.

She placed her champagne flute down very carefully, as if the action might somehow make reality shift back into place.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked, her tone measured.

Her grandmother, sitting regally behind her massive desk, gave her a patient smile.

"You heard me, sweetheart."

"No, I don't think I did." Mira laughed, though it lacked any real humor. "Because I could have sworn you just said I need to marry Ryan Carter."

"That's exactly what I said."

Mira's stomach dropped.

She took a slow, measured breath and folded her arms, voice deceptively calm.

"You're joking."

Eleanor Kingsley, matriarch of the Kingsley family and co-founder of Kingsley-Carter Enterprises, merely smiled. A composed, regal smile that screamed power move.

"I'm quite serious, dear," she said, setting down her teacup with an infuriating air of finality.

Mira clenched her jaw. "So let me get this straight. I spent the last four years working my ass off-building one of our affiliates from the ground up, proving my worth-only for you to tell me that the only way I can inherit my shares and officially work at the main headquarters is if I marry Ryan Carter?"

"Yes."

Mira sucked in a sharp breath through her nose.

The betrayal stung like a slap.

"You promised me, Grandma," she said, voice low. "You told me that as long as I worked for it, the company would be mine. No shortcuts. No special favors."

"And I'm keeping my promise," Eleanor said smoothly. "The shares will be yours. After you're married."

Mira stared at her, waiting for the punchline. The part where her grandmother laughed and said, Oh, darling, of course I wouldn't do this to you.

But it never came.

Mira pressed her fingers to her temple, exhaling sharply.

"This is insane," she muttered.

"It's necessary," Eleanor corrected.

Mira's head snapped up, her heart pounding. "Necessary for who? Because it sure as hell isn't necessary for me."

Eleanor arched a delicate brow. "For the company, Mira."

Mira almost threw the glass paperweight from the desk.

"Do enlighten me," she said through gritted teeth, "how exactly is my marriage to that prankster, arrogant, insufferable menace of a man beneficial to the company?"

Her grandmother gave a calm, knowing smile.

"You and Ryan will be co-CEOs of Kingsley-Carter Enterprises. This company was built by two families. It must continue to be led by two families-united."

Mira's stomach twisted. "The company is already merged."

"Yes, but leadership isn't. The board and our investors want stability. A united front. And nothing says stability like a Kingsley and a Carter leading the company as one."

Mira gritted her teeth so hard her jaw ached.

"This is ridiculous," she said, turning away before she threw something.

"It's a brilliant business move," Eleanor countered.

"No," Mira snapped, spinning back around. "A brilliant business move would be letting me take my rightful position without forcing me into some medieval-era marriage alliance. This is manipulation, Grandma."

Eleanor sighed, her expression softening-just slightly.

"Mira, you are one of the most capable women I know. But this is bigger than you." She gave her a pointed look. "Kingsley-Carter Enterprises is an empire. And empires require sacrifice."

Mira let out a short, bitter laugh. "Wow. That's rich. You want me to sacrifice my entire life for the sake of corporate optics?"

"Your life will remain yours, dear," Eleanor said smoothly. "You only need to be married for one year. If, after that, you and Ryan still don't work well together, you may file for divorce. You will still receive your shares and your title."

Mira's heart pounded. "And until then?"

Eleanor folded her hands. "No relationships outside of the marriage. You are to be fully committed to this partnership-both professionally and personally."

Mira felt sick.

A year.

A full year being legally bound to Ryan Carter-the bane of her existence.

She could already hear his smug voice.

Missed me, sweetheart?

She hated him.

Hated how he used to put fake love notes in her locker just to embarrass her.

Hated how he used to swap her coffee with saltwater just before exams.

Hated how he never took anything seriously.

He was a cocky, overconfident, insufferable guy who should not be anywhere near a position of power.

And now-he was going to be her husband?

No.

Absolutely not.

"There has to be another way," she said, her voice raw. "I can prove myself without this."

"You already have," Eleanor said gently. "This is about more than your abilities, Mira. This is about legacy. And I need to know that when I step down, this company is in hands that are truly united."

Mira shook her head. "Grandma, you can't force me to marry him-"

"You can say no," Eleanor said simply.

Mira froze.

"But if you do," her grandmother continued, "the shares will remain with me. And you will not be named co-CEO."

Mira's breath hitched.

A choice.

An impossible choice.

She could walk away. Leave the company behind. Let go of everything she had worked for.

Or she could marry the one person she never wanted in her life and secure the position she had earned.

Her hands balled into fists at her sides.

"This isn't fair," she whispered.

Eleanor's gaze softened. "Life rarely is, darling."

Mira clenched her jaw so hard it hurt.

This was her dream.

Her father's dream before her.

And she would be damned if she let Ryan Carter be the reason she lost it all.

Finally, she exhaled sharply, glaring at her grandmother.

"One year?" she said, voice like steel.

Eleanor nodded. "One year."

Mira straightened, smoothing down her blouse.

"Fine," she bit out. "I'll do it."

A slow smile spread across Eleanor's face. "Good girl."

Mira turned on her heel, storming toward the door.