Chapter 7

When we arrived at Cascadia, both teams were already waiting outside. Julian came around the car and put a hand on my waist. I instinctively moved away.

"Thank you, Mr. Mercer."

Everyone around us fell silent for a moment.

I quickly added, "My shoes slipped. He was just helping to steady me."

The meeting lasted two hours. The proposal I'd led repositioned a legacy data services company as a cloud security platform for small and mid-sized businesses. NorthStar's directors approved it. Afterward, the compliance director pulled me into her office.

"Someone reported that you have a personal relationship with Mr. Mercer. NorthStar is a potential investor. Any marriage, shared assets, or serious romantic relationship must be disclosed."

For the first time, our marriage was out in the open. Not because Julian had introduced me as his wife or because we were celebrating an anniversary, but because I had to declare it on a conflict-of-interest form. I signed my name.

Spouse: Julian Mercer, Founder and CEO of NorthStar Systems.

The compliance director looked up at me in shock. "How long have you two been married?"

"Three years."

"You may have to withdraw from the project."

Outside her office, Julian noticed the form in my hand. "I'll take care of it."

"Don't."

"NorthStar can assign a different project manager."

"That'll only make it look like I got this far because you're my husband."

"That's not how it is."

"No, it's not. But your presence has put me under suspicion again, and it has already cost me the project."

That afternoon, the official email arrived. To avoid any potential conflict of interest, I was removed from the project I'd spent four months leading.