The final integration review meeting had been pushed back to the seventh month of Abby's pregnancy. It was a formal dinner with the entire Sterling Holdings board, meant to showcase Abby's predictive QA system and confirm her promotion to Chief Strategy Officer.
Abby knew this meeting was the final professional hurdle before her maternity leave. She was seven months pregnant, and the high-collared, structured dress she wore could only do so much to conceal her size. There was no hiding it now; only strategic distraction.
The dinner was held in the same intimidating private dining room where Liam had first interrogated her budget proposal. Abby was nervous, not about the data, which was flawless, but about the reaction to her physical state.
She gave her presentation with surgical precision, detailing how her system had preempted a major bond failure. The board was impressed. The vote on her promotion was a formality.
Then, Board Director Harrison, an elderly, traditional man, cleared his throat.
"Ms. Brooks, we are all impressed with your work. However, the timing is… inconvenient. You are clearly well into your pregnancy. We assumed your maternity leave would be immediate. Frankly, an executive in your condition doesn't inspire confidence in long-term commitment."
The air went cold. Abby felt a surge of professional fury. She opened her mouth to defend herself, ready to lay out her detailed maternity coverage plan.
But Liam Sterling beat her to it. He rose slowly from his seat at the head of the table, his presence filling the room with silent, dangerous authority.
"I believe you misunderstand the situation, Harrison," Liam stated, his voice low and utterly devoid of inflection, which only made it more terrifying.
He walked around the table, stopping directly behind Abby's chair. He placed both hands on her shoulders, just as he had in her apartment, but this time, the gesture was a public, possessive announcement.
"Ms. Brooks is not leaving on maternity leave. She is taking a temporary, strategic sabbatical. Her promotion to Chief Strategy Officer is confirmed, effective immediately. And the long-term commitment you questioned is resolved now."
He lowered his head and spoke clearly, for the benefit of the entire table. "Abby Brooks is carrying my child. She is not just a valued executive of Sterling Holdings; she is the future of this company, and she will soon be my wife."
Abby gasped, her entire body rigid with shock. He hadn't asked her. He hadn't proposed in private. He had announced their engagement to the board as a strategic move to silence a professional challenge. It was the most Liam Sterling proposal imaginable.
He leaned down and whispered into her ear, his lips brushing her skin, sending shivers down her spine. "Don't argue with me. Smile, Abby. We need to win this war."
Abby took a deep breath, forcing her professional mask back into place. She knew this was a high-stakes, ruthless play, but looking around the table at the stunned faces of the board members, she saw the immediate victory. Harrison was silenced, his challenge annihilated by the truth of their relationship.
She turned her head slightly, meeting Liam's gaze with a fierce, challenging look of her own. You will propose later, Sterling. Correctly.
"Liam is correct," she said, her voice steady and confident. "My personal life is now entirely aligned with the company's future. I look forward to working with you all after my brief sabbatical."
The war was over. The lie was dead. And the terrifying, exhilarating reality of being Liam Sterling's fiancée and the mother of his child was finally public.