Married to Lies

Prologue

Quentin

Three months ago

“The doctors gave me a year to live,” Simon said as he sat at the head of the conference room table.

His words echoed through my mind but didn’t process. As the company’s biggest investor, he typically began meetings with a list of current challenges MyHome was facing.

For a personalized home finding app, those challenges usually looked like user experience challenges, tech changes, or new competitors in the marketplace. But judging by my co-founders’ reactions to Simon’s news, I’d heard him correctly.

Our biggest investor, the person with the most voting shares in the company, just told us he had a year to live.

Jude, our chief executive officer, said, “That’s a bad joke, even for you.” Simon was infamous for his bad puns, back when he was a college professor.

But the old man didn’t bat an eye. “I’m not joking.”

Aaric, our chief operating officer, leaned forward, blond hair falling from his bun. “Surely it’s not over yet, Simon. We can afford the best medicine there is.” His light Norwegian accent was full of gentle compassion for our mentor.

I nodded in agreement. There had to be a solution here—one they weren’t finding because everyone always did more talking than acting. It was human nature.

Simon stiffly shook his head. “Congestive heart failure can’t be reversed.

I’ve been dealing with it for years, but my doctors tell me we’re in the final stage.

” He cleared his throat and looked down at the table for a moment before adding, “I wouldn’t trouble you with it, but it is important to future operations here. ”

My lips parted. He was dying and only cared to let us know because it affected MyHome operations? Simon was a smart man—how could he not know his death would matter to us on a personal level too?

Before I even had a chance to process that mess of emotions, Simon plowed ahead, saying, “When I pass, my will assigns my shares to Aleyna, Damien, and Jasper. Ten percent of the company to each of them.”

The entire room went cold, like my four co-founders and I were equally chilled by the news. Even Cruz, our chief marketing officer who was constantly making a joke, had a furrow deep in his brows.

Bryce, the person who created the initial software and our chief technical officer, was turning a light shade of green.

And Aaric, the bleeding heart of the group? He was somewhere between tears and shock, his light blue eyes rimmed with red.

Jude on the other hand? He looked pissed. “Over my dead body,” he gritted out, breaking through the silence with all the finesse of a sledgehammer.

Couldn’t say I blamed him. Simon’s children would do as much damage to the business as if we put actual toddlers in charge.

His eldest daughter was some B-list reality star who made headlines for her erratic behavior.

The middle child did well as an actor...

when he wasn’t caught up with drugs and alcohol that landed him in rehab constantly.

And his youngest? I repressed a shudder.

He creeped me the fuck out with that cult business.

He got thousands of people to follow him by worshiping the sun.

But they were his kids, and you loved your kids no matter how messed up they were. At least, that’s what it looked like to me as a non-parent. Kids always seemed to cloud peoples’ judgement, no matter how old said children were.

Simon gave Jude a warning look, but it was all sadness with no actual bite. “I don’t want MyHome going to my kids any more than you all do.”

All around me, I saw my co-founders relaxing. Aaric even let out a relieved breath of air. I knew better. “There’s a ‘but’ coming. What is it?” I asked.

Simon flattened his already thin lips. “Learning that your time is coming to an end puts things into perspective. My biggest regret in life is not guiding my children as I should have. But I still have a chance to help you all live the best lives you can.”

Bryce seemed to eat that up. He’d always been closer to Simon than the rest of us. “What do you want us to learn?” he asked. “I’m sure we’d all be happy to. Not just because of the business, but because we respect you so much. Right, guys?”

I nodded, along with the others. But yeah, taking care of the business was my top priority, just like it always was as CFO.

Simon seemed genuinely grateful. “Thanks for that, Bryce.”

Bryce nodded in return.

With a quiet grunt, Simon pressed up from the table.

He paced in front of the blank whiteboard at the front of the room like he was explaining a new concept to the class.

“I will sell my shares to you prior to my passing as long as you follow these conditions. They’re each backed by peer-reviewed research to make for a good life. "

I rolled my lips together to hold back my response. Peer-reviewed literature was as good as gospel. Here the man was dying and still he quoted research at us.

But those thoughts cleared from my mind as Simon uncapped a dry erase marker and started writing. This was a negotiation, and he was making his list of demands. Time to get to business.

1. Work with a personal trainer and nutritionist.

Aaric always wore his emotions on his sleeve. He looked visibly relieved as he said, “That’s a good one. Bryce is the only one who doesn’t have a trainer.”

Bryce indignantly replied, “Because I grew up working on a farm and my older brother was a professional athlete. I know how to stay fit.”

Simon ignored them both, writing out his next point.

2. Take quarterly leadership retreats. 3+ Days

“Quarterly?” Cruz muttered. “I’ll be home less than I already am.”

The marker made soft pounding sounds as Simon continued writing. His body hid the words though, so we all had to wait until he finished.

Jude whispered something to Bryce I couldn’t hear, but it made him smirk.

I knew better than to get my hopes up before I heard it all. Simon was smart, yes, but there was a reason his children were the way they were.

3. Take two weeks of vacation a year.

Jude frowned deeply. “Two weeks? That’s not practical.”

It wasn’t if you refused to acknowledge the importance of rest, I thought, but I kept it to myself.

All of these seemed fair. I was about to agree to his conditions, but Simon kept writing.

4. You must get married within the year and sign a prenuptial agreement guaranteeing your wife 50% of your shares upon divorce.

We tried to get out of it. Begged, cajoled, bargained until we were each breathless and frustrated.

Nothing would shift Simon’s stance. And when Simon’s children somehow found out about the deal a short while later, they were like bloodhounds chasing a scent.

They wanted those shares, a guaranteed revenue stream, regardless of the fact that they’d surely run it into the ground.

That’s why, two months after this meeting, Bryce married Jada in a small country wedding.

That’s why Simon had been poisoned at their wedding.

And that’s why I had to promise someone forever in time to save the company.