Updated Mar 22, 2026 • ~4 min read
Chapter 20: Industry Scandal
MAREN
The engagement announcement goes viral.
Not in a good way.
“Marketing Rivals Get Engaged Amid Corporate Scandal”
“Baby Bump and Business: Ross-King Agency’s Controversial Launch”
“Family Feud Turns Love Story—Or Corporate Takeover?”
We’re trending.
Twitter. LinkedIn. Industry blogs.
Everyone has an opinion.
Some supportive:
*”This is actually beautiful. Ending a forty-year feud with love.”*
Others vicious:
*”Corporate sabotage disguised as romance. Pathetic.”*
And then there’s the conspiracy theories:
*”Jasper King obviously seduced Maren Ross to steal clients.”*
*”Maren Ross trapped Jasper with a baby to destroy King Industries.”*
None of it’s true.
But that doesn’t stop people from believing it.
***
Industry journalist Margot Palmer calls.
Requests interview.
“I want to tell your side of the story.”
“We’re not interested.”
“People are making assumptions. Let me help you control the narrative.”
I talk to Jasper.
“Should we?”
“I don’t know. Could help. Could make it worse.”
“We can’t just hide. Eventually we need to address this.”
He’s quiet.
Thinking.
“Okay. Let’s do it. But together. And we control the questions.”
***
The interview happens at our apartment.
Margot is professional. Prepared.
“Thank you for agreeing to this. I know it’s difficult.”
“We want people to understand. This isn’t a scandal. It’s a love story.”
She asks about Miami.
The pregnancy.
The decision to start Ross-King Agency.
We answer honestly.
“We didn’t plan to fall in love. But we did. And when we found out about the baby, we had a choice: hide or own it. We chose to own it.”
“What about your families? Conrad Ross and the King Industries board have been very vocal about their disapproval.”
Jasper takes my hand.
“Our families are trapped in a forty-year-old grudge. We’re choosing to move forward. Build something new. For our daughter. For the future.”
Margot scribbles notes.
“Speaking of your daughter—any names picked out?”
We haven’t announced the gender publicly.
But why hide it?
“We’re having a girl,” I say. “And we’re still deciding on names. But we want something that represents hope. New beginnings.”
“Beautiful. Last question: What would you say to people who think this is corporate sabotage?”
I lean forward.
“I’d say look at our work. Ross-King Agency is thriving because we’re good at what we do. Not because of our relationship. We’re building something better than competition. We’re building collaboration.”
The article publishes three days later.
“From Enemies to Lovers: The Real Story Behind Ross-King Agency”
Balanced. Fair. Honest.
And the response shifts.
More support.
More clients reaching out.
More people seeing us as the future, not the scandal.
***
JASPER
We’re in the home stretch.
Twenty-eight weeks pregnant.
Third trimester.
Maren is exhausted.
Swollen. Uncomfortable.
But also radiant.
I’m obsessed with her.
Can’t stop touching her bump.
Talking to our daughter.
Planning the nursery.
“We need to decide on a name,” she says one night.
“I know. I’ve been thinking.”
“And?”
I pull out a list.
“I looked up names that mean ‘new beginning’ or ‘peace.’ What about: Aurora? Dawn? Serena?”
She considers.
“I like Aurora. But it feels… expected.”
“What about Hope?”
“Too on the nose.”
“Harmony?”
“Maybe.”
We keep brainstorming.
“What about… Isla?”
She stops.
“Isla?”
“Yeah. It means island. Something separate from everything else. Her own place. Not Ross. Not King. Just… ours.”
Maren’s eyes shine.
“Isla Ross-King.”
Perfect.
“That’s her name. Isla.”
Our daughter has a name.
***
Ross-King Agency lands a huge client.
Thompson Industries.
$10 million contract.
Our biggest win yet.
And they specifically said:
“We’re choosing you BECAUSE you’re Ross and King together. That’s the innovation we need.”
The feud that tore our families apart?
Is now our biggest selling point.
Ironic.
Beautiful.
Perfect.
We celebrate that night.
Sparkling cider for Maren.
Whiskey for me.
“We did it,” she says.
“We did.”
“Think our families are watching?”
“Probably. And probably furious.”
She laughs.
“Good. Let them be furious. We’re happy. Successful. Building a family.”
I pull her close.
Careful of the bump.
“I love you, Maren Ross.”
“I love you, Jasper King.”
“Soon to be Maren Ross-King.”
“Or Maren King?”
“Or I could be Jasper Ross?”
We both laugh.
“We’ll figure it out.”
Yeah.
We will.
Together.
END OF CHAPTER 20 – END OF ACT TWO
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