The Marriage Clause

Chapter 14

Adrian’s POV:

Richard Matthews strode into the grand boardroom of Aurora Life Sciences with the insufferable, arrogant air of a conqueror coming to claim his prize.

Flanked by Catherine, who looked practically suffocated by her own diamond necklaces, and Olivia, who wore a smug smirk that made my knuckles ache, Richard pulled out the leather armchair at the head of the conference table. The board members sat in tense, expectant silence as the hands on the wall clock clicked past ten o'clock.

"Well, Vivian," Richard declared, placing his hands flat on the polished mahogany. "Your mother's deadline has expired. You stand before this board without a husband, which means executive authority of Aurora Life Sciences legally reverts to me. Clear your desk by noon."

Vivian didn't even blink. Sitting near the center of the table in her sharp crimson suit, she looked like a queen watching a jester perform a tragic comedy.

Beside her, Mr. Henderson, her long-time family attorney, calmly unbuttoned his suit jacket, reached into his leather briefcase, and pulled out an embossed document. He slid it across the glass table directly into Richard’s line of sight.

"I suggest you read the public registry filing before making any further speeches, Richard," Henderson said, his voice dripping with smooth legal malice.

Richard frowned, snatching up the paper. As his eyes scanned the official stamp, the date of registration, and the bold black lettering at the top, the color drained from his face so fast it was almost terrifying.

"A marriage certificate?" Catherine gasped, leaning over his shoulder. Her eyes widened in sheer horror. "This is a fake! This has to be a fraud!"

"It is entirely legitimate, Mrs. Matthews," Henderson replied coldly. "Duly executed, notarized, and registered at the London Courthouse. Vivian fulfilled every single requirement of Victoria Matthews' clause."

"You got married without any of us knowing?" Richard roared, his face flushing a dangerous shade of purple as he slammed his fist onto the table. "And who the f**k is Adrian Rossi?!"

"That would be me."

I stepped forward from where I had been standing near the wall, moving with steady, deliberate purpose until I placed myself directly between a seething Richard and an unyielding Vivian. I stood tall, adjusting the cuffs of my suit jacket, locking my eyes onto the man who had tormented my wife her entire life.

Richard stared at me, his eyes squinting as if trying to place a face he had only seen in the background, carrying folders. "Who are you? Rossi... I have never heard that name before."

"I am Vivian's executive assistant," I said, my tone smooth, calm, and utterly devoid of fear. "And no, my family isn't influential—if that's what you mean to ask."

Richard turned on his daughter with pure, unrestrained venom. "You got yourself a f*****g nobody?!"

Catherine stepped up beside him, her sharp face twisted in disdain as she sneered down her nose at Vivian. "I didn't know you would stoop so low to get hold of the company. Stop whoring yourself like this—"

A blinding wave of pure fury surged through my veins. Every protective instinct I possessed roared to life. I took a step toward her, my jaw clenching so hard my teeth ground together.

"f*****g mind your tongue," I hissed, my voice dropping into a low, lethal register that made Catherine visibly flinch back a step.

Before I could take another step, I felt the soft, cool touch of Vivian’s hand rest against my forearm. Her gentle grip held me grounded, soothing the roaring fire in my chest.

She stood up slowly, smoothing the front of her red jacket, looking at Catherine with a dark, lethal smirk that could cut glass. "If there is a w***e in this room, Catherine, we all know who that is."

I felt a sudden surge of fierce pride swell in my chest. That’s my girl.

She was completely unbreakable. She refused to let them see a single scratch on her armor, no matter how dirty they played.

Henderson cleared his throat, breaking the heavy, suffocating silence. "Richard, the clause strictly stated that Vivian had to find herself a husband before her twenty-eighth birthday and be married for a year. And she has already married. There was no mention of who he should be, nor was there any requirement that he belong to a wealthy or influential family. As of ten o'clock this morning, Vivian retains one hundred percent of her mother's controlling shares. You have no legal standing here."

Richard stood frozen, his chest heaving, his fists shaking violently against his sides. The reality was crashing down on him with brutal clarity: the company was no longer his to claim. He had played every card in his deck, and he had lost to his own daughter.

Without uttering another single word, Richard turned sharply on his heel and stormed out of the boardroom, the heavy double doors slamming shut behind him. Catherine and Olivia hurried after him like defeated scavengers, their heels clicking furiously against the marble corridor.

A collective, shuddering sigh of relief rippled through the room. The remaining board members began gathering their papers, whispering and murmuring among themselves as they excused themselves one by one. Among them was Grace, who smiled at me with a parting nod, which I reciprocated before she left the room.

The news was going to spread through the entire building within the hour.

My friends down in executive administration had already noticed the simple silver band on my left ring finger over the past few days. They had bombarded me with quiet questions, seeing the solid evidence that I had suddenly gotten married. Not that I had ever wanted to hide it—if anything, every cell in my body wanted to scream from the rooftops that Vivian Matthews was my wife. But out of respect for her corporate privacy, I had simply told Ethan, Noah, and Ryan that they would find out soon enough, and they had respected my silence. Amelia had looked visibly upset and distant for the first couple of days after noticing the ring, but she had eventually returned to her usual bubbly self.

Henderson packed his briefcase, gave us a brief, victorious nod, and quietly slipped out, locking the heavy oak doors behind him.

Finally, we were completely alone.

"Hey..." I stepped closer to Vivian, wrapping my arms gently around her waist and pulling her flush against my chest. "Are you okay?"

"Of course," she whispered, her voice carrying a rare, soft breathlessness as she let her forehead rest lightly against my chest. "I haven't felt this good in months."

"Hmm..."

I leaned down and placed a soft, lingering kiss on the top of her head, breathing in the delicate scent of jasmine and vanilla lingering in her hair. I felt her entire body stiffen slightly at the unexpected affection, but to my overwhelming relief, she didn't pull away. She stayed right there in my arms, resting against me as the heavy weight of a year-long war finally lifted from her shoulders.

***

That afternoon at lunch, the floodgates broke.

The moment I sat down in the private staff dining lounge, Ethan, Noah, Ryan, and Amelia practically pounced on my table, their eyes wide with absolute shock and wild curiosity.

"Dude! Are you serious?!" Ethan shrieked, leaning over the table. "You married Ms. Matthews?!"

"How did you even pull that off?!" Noah demanded, shaking his head in disbelief. "When did you guys even fall in love?"

"Did you knock her up?" Ryan blurted out, earning a sharp kick under the table from Amelia. "What?! It's a valid question! Why else would the most terrifying CEO in London marry her assistant in a secret courtroom ceremony?!"

I couldn't help but laugh, leaning back in my chair and raising my hands in defense. "It just happened, guys. We were always together at work, and before we realized it, we fell in love and decided to marry."

It was the easiest, most convenient lie I could give the corporate world.

"God, I never knew," Amelia declared, crossing her arms and letting out a dramatic sigh. "Now I totally understand why she glared at me every time she saw us talking near your desk! She was actually jealous of me!"

I suppressed a smirk, shaking my head internally. Was Vivian really jealous? Nah, I told myself, though the image of her commanding me into her office to ask if Amelia was my girlfriend brought a quiet satisfaction to my heart.

By six o'clock, I was thoroughly exhausted from dodging a hundred different variations of the same questions. I couldn't wait to leave the building, shed my corporate skin, and go home to my wife.

****

"How was your day?" Vivian asked softly.

We were sitting on the sofa, watching football at our house, the soft, ambient light of the city glowing through the massive glass windows behind her. She had traded her structured red suit for a soft, oversized cashmere sweater, her dark hair tumbling loosely over her shoulders.

"Monumental," I chuckled, taking a sip of wine. "You know, some of my friends actually think I knocked you up, and that's why we had a shotgun courthouse wedding."

Vivian threw her head back and let out a genuine, uninhibited laugh that echoed beautifully off the high ceilings. "Oh my god, that is completely ridiculous!"

I froze, my glass hovering halfway to my lips, completely captivated by the sight of her.

She looked so breathtakingly carefree, her dark eyes sparkling with genuine joy, her cheeks flushed with the soft warmth of the wine. The sight pulled at my soul like a powerful magnetic force, dissolving every shred of professional restraint I had spent months building.

Before my brain could logically process what I was doing, I leaned in and cupped her face in my hands.

Vivian let out a sharp, breathless gasp as I tilted her head up, but before she could speak, I pressed my lips firmly against hers.

The initial shock froze her for a split second, but as I deepened the pressure, coaxing her lips open with a soft groan, she completely surrendered. She let out a quiet sigh against my mouth, her arms flying up to tangle her fingers desperately into the hair at the nape of my neck, kissing me back with a fierce, burning passion that matched her unyielding spirit.

The restraint snapped inside me like a dry twig.

I pulled her out of the sofa and up against my body, my hands sliding under her cashmere sweater to trace the smooth, warm skin of her waist. Vivian pulled me closer, her nails digging into the shoulders of my shirt, tugging at the fabric as if she couldn't get close enough.

My mouth slid hungrily down from her lips, tracing the line of her sharp jaw, trailing hot, feverish kisses over the delicate column of her neck. A small, trembling moan escaped her throat, sending a shockwave of pure electricity straight to my gut.

"Adrian..." she breathed, her hands frantically unbuttoning the front of my shirt, pushing the fabric off my shoulders until it fell to the hardwood floor.

I didn't give her time to think, time to build her walls back up, or time to regret the heat consuming us both.

In one swift, fluid motion, I scooped her up into my arms. Vivian wrapped her legs instinctively around my waist, her arms locking around my neck as she captured my lips again, kissing me with a raw, desperate hunger that shattered every doubt I had ever held.

I carried her out of the dining room, down the quiet, dimly lit corridor, and straight into her bedroom. I nudged the double doors open with my shoulder, never breaking the deep, intoxicating rhythm of our kiss, pouring every buried truth, every unspoken promise, and every drop of love I had for her into the darkness of the room.