By the next morning, Ava had convinced herself that maybe, just maybe, the whole marriage typo disaster would quietly disappear.
She had stayed up half the night praying that HR had shredded the certificate, that Ethan had forgotten about it, and that the world had moved on.
But the moment she stepped into the Blackwood Corporation building, she knew she was doomed.
Every single head turned toward her.
The receptionist gave her a knowing smile. The janitor actually winked. And as Ava walked to her desk, she swore she could hear whispers following her like mosquitoes.
"There she is, Mrs. Blackwood."
"Wow, she really bagged the boss."
"Do you think it was a secret romance all along?"
Ava wanted the floor to open and swallow her whole.
She sat down at her desk, clutching her coffee like it was a life-saving potion. Her inbox wasn't helping either half the emails were "urgent company matters," and the other half were from coworkers with subject lines like "Congrats!!!" and "When's the wedding party?"
Ava buried her face in her hands.
"Good morning, Mrs. Blackwood."
The voice came from Lisa, her least favorite coworker. Lisa was the type of person who wore heels like weapons and perfume strong enough to suffocate a whole department. She leaned on Ava's desk with a smirk.
"So," Lisa drawled, "you went from assistant to wife overnight. That's… impressive."
Ava shot her a glare. "I'm not his wife. It was a mistake. A typo."
Lisa's smirk only widened. "A typo that just happened to include his signature, HR approval, and a government stamp? Sure, Ava. Whatever you say."
A couple more coworkers gathered around, pretending to drop off papers but clearly eavesdropping. Ava could hear them whispering behind her.
"She must have planned this all along."
"Of course, why else would a billionaire marry his secretary?"
"It's the money. It's always the money."
Ava's blood boiled. She stood up suddenly, making Lisa stumble back.
"Listen!" Ava pointed at them dramatically. "I did NOT marry Ethan Blackwood for money. I didn't marry him at all! It was an accident!"
The room went silent for a beat. Then someone in the back snorted.
"Accidentally married a billionaire. Classic Ava."
Laughter rippled through the office. Ava groaned and sank back into her chair.
By mid-morning, the gossip had reached dangerous levels. People weren't even whispering anymore. They openly speculated in the hallways, in the break room, even in the elevator.
"I heard she seduced him during overtime."
"No, no, my cousin's friend's sister said they've been secretly dating for months."
"Did you see the flowers she got yesterday? That bouquet was huge. Definitely rich-husband level."
Ava wanted to scream. She wanted to stand on a desk and shout the truth. But deep down, she knew it wouldn't matter. People loved gossip more than the truth.
To make things worse, Ethan walked past her desk around noon. He looked perfectly calm, perfectly sharp, and perfectly entertained.
"Mrs. Blackwood," he said smoothly, making sure half the office heard. "Don't forget the meeting at two."
Ava nearly threw her stapler at him.
The entire office gasped like they were in a soap opera.
Lisa fanned herself dramatically. "Did you hear that? He called her Mrs. Blackwood."
Ava's face turned red. She wanted to protest, to correct him, to yell at him in front of everyone. But Ethan gave her a sly look that said, Go ahead. Make it more fun for me.
She bit her tongue so hard she almost bled.
In the break room, things only got worse.
Ava had barely poured herself a cup of coffee when two interns cornered her. Their eyes sparkled with curiosity like they had just discovered a celebrity in the wild.
"Mrs. Reynolds—I mean, Mrs. Blackwood!" the first one squealed. "Is it true that the boss proposed to you at the office?"
"No!" Ava nearly spilled her coffee.
The second intern gasped. "So it was at a restaurant? Or maybe Paris? Oh my God, tell us it was Paris!"
Ava slammed her cup on the counter. "There was no proposal! No Paris! No anything!"
But the more she denied it, the more excited they became.
"She's keeping it a secret! That's so romantic."
"Do you think she's pregnant? That would explain the rush."
Ava choked on her coffee. "WHAT?!"
By the time she stormed back to her desk, the rumor had evolved into: "The boss married Ava because she's pregnant with his heir."
Ava considered jumping out the window.
The final straw came during lunch.
She was sitting alone at the far corner of the cafeteria, trying to eat her sandwich in peace, when Lisa strutted over again with her army of gossip soldiers.
"So, Mrs. Blackwood," Lisa said loudly, making sure the whole room could hear, "how does it feel to go from paycheck-to-paycheck assistant to billionaire's wife? Must be nice having your bank account upgraded overnight."
The table next to them snickered. Ava clenched her fists.
"For the last time, I AM NOT HIS WIFE!" she shouted.
The entire cafeteria fell silent. Dozens of eyes turned toward her.
And then, as if on cue, Ethan Blackwood himself walked in.
He stopped, scanning the room with his icy CEO glare, until his eyes landed on Ava. Slowly, deliberately, he walked toward her.
Ava's soul prepared to evacuate her body.
He stopped right beside her table, bent down slightly, and said loud enough for everyone to hear—
"Mrs. Blackwood, why are you yelling? You'll upset the baby."
The cafeteria exploded.
Ava screamed.
By the end of the day, the entire building was buzzing with theories: secret weddings, hidden pregnancies, billionaire love stories. Ava was trapped in a circus, and Ethan was the ringmaster pulling every string.
As she packed up her things, Lisa walked by one last time with a smug smile.
"Don't worry, Ava," she whispered. "Some of us know the truth. You married him for money. But hey, at least you married rich."
Ava's hands itched to throw her stapler. Again.
She stormed out of the office, her head spinning, her dignity in pieces, and one thought pounding in her skull
This was only Day Two of being "married by typo."
If things kept going like this, she wasn't sure she'd survive the week.