Chapter 23
Adrian proposed after four years.
Not at a gala.
Not at Miriam’s apartment.
Not near the fountain.
He asked in Alessia’s kitchen.
That annoyed her.
“You could have made an effort.”
Adrian stared.
“I am holding a ring.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I considered a restaurant.”
“Too public.”
“A hotel.”
“Too Carbone.”
“Your mother’s apartment.”
“She would charge admission.”
“So kitchen.”
Alessia looked at the ring.
Then at him.
She did not answer.
Adrian waited.
That mattered more than the ring.
Finally Alessia said:
“I need a prenup.”
Adrian blinked.
“That wasn’t yes.”
“It wasn’t no.”
“Very romantic.”
She ignored him.
“Separate businesses.”
“Yes.”
“No automatic Carbone position.”
“I don’t want one.”
“No access to foundation systems.”
“Obviously.”
“No financial authority over family trusts.”
“Yes.”
“No assumption marriage makes you part of operational decisions.”
Adrian lowered the ring.
“Are you negotiating with me or Garrett?”
The question hurt.
Alessia became quiet.
Adrian immediately regretted the wording.
“I’m sorry.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“It’s fair.”
He sat across from her.
Alessia looked at the table.
“I don’t know what rules are protection and what rules are fear.”
“Then we figure that out.”
“You make it sound easy.”
“I absolutely did not say easy.”
Naomi handled Alessia’s side.
Adrian hired separate counsel.
The first draft protected property.
The second became more complicated.
Adrian added his own provisions.
No Carbone security monitoring his private communications without an articulable safety reason.
No family executive assuming Adrian could speak for Alessia.
No use of his companies as preferred Carbone vendors without competitive review.
No expectation that marriage required him to sell or merge his businesses.
Alessia read the list.
“You have trust issues.”
“Yes.”
“That feels unfair.”
“I learned from an expert.”
She almost laughed.
The prenup took three months.
Not because either person planned divorce.
Because both wanted marriage to contain fewer assumptions than the first one had.
On the day they signed, Miriam brought cake.
Naomi looked at her.
“This is not a wedding.”
“I know.”
“Then why cake?”
“Contracts are exhausting.”
Fair.
That evening Adrian placed the ring on the kitchen table again.
“No speech this time.”
“Good.”
“Alessia Carbone.”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to marry me?”
She looked at him.
Fear remained.
That surprised her less now.
She had spent years waiting for trust to mean fear disappeared.
It never did.
Trust meant fear was no longer the only person making decisions.
“Yes.”
Adrian exhaled.
“That sounded painful.”
“It was.”
He laughed.
So did she.
Then he placed the ring on her finger.
Alessia looked at it.
Different ring.
Different man.
Still only metal.
May you like
It would mean what their choices made it mean.
Nothing more.
