Page 41 of The Marriage Clause

Christian inclines his head. I nod once.

"Your engagement," she says, not wasting time with pleasantries, which I appreciate. "Why did we learn about it through the press rather than through your office?"

Every eye in the room pins me where I stand.

I take my seat.

"We were keeping the relationship private," I say evenly. "That changed."

"Conveniently," one of the directors mutters.

Christian opens his folder, but I lift a hand. This part is mine.

"Aria worked closely with me during the Hawkeyes transition. We intended to handle the announcement more carefully. Circumstances forced the issue."

Ms. Preston's expression does not change. "And you expect us to accept that this marriage is genuine?"

I meet her gaze without blinking. "Yes."

She lets that sit while glancing down at paperwork, adjusting the glasses on her nose. "You terminated Ms. Taylor's employment last week."

I don't flinch. "A staffing decision. Since revised."

"Revised because she became your fiancee?" another board member asks.

"Revised because her continued employment created a conflict of interest," I say.

It's not the whole truth. But it's also not a lie.

Christian steps in, voice calm. "The trust requires a marriage by the deadline. It does not prohibit a relationship from developing within a professional environment, provided the conflict is addressed."

Ms. Preston looks at him, then back at me.

"And Ms. Taylor is suitable?"

My fingers twitch once, involuntarily, against my thighs under the table.

"She is intelligent, steady, adaptable, and more than capable of meeting expectations."

I hear Christian shift beside me. The particular shift that means I've said something factually accurate and emotionally bankrupt.

"And they fell in love while they worked closely together," Christian adds, in the warm tone I apparently don't own.

Right. The emotion bit I forgot. I realize now that I just made it sound like I was giving her a job reference.

"Right. It wasn't my intention to fall for someone in the office. But it happened."

Ms. Preston watches me too closely. The kind of watching that tells me she's not fooled and she knows it and I know she knows it, and we're all going to sit here and pretend otherwise because the trust doesn't require her to believe me. It requires her to follow the rules.

Finally, she nods once.

"The board will permit this engagement to proceed."

Permit.

Like they're granting me a parking permit. Like I've just been approved for a zoning variance.

"However," she continues, "if at any point we determine this marriage is being executed solely to satisfy the trust, the consequences will extend to every Kauffman heir."