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“I—”
There’s a knock on the door. Scarlett turns away from the books and walks right over to it like she’s expecting someone. “Morning, Jeremy.”
“Morning, Scarlett.” Jeremy Brennan walks into the office, and Scarlett closes the door behind him. “Hi, Oliver.”
I nod at Jeremy. “What is going on, Scarlett?”
“You need a lawyer.” She points at Jeremy. “Lawyer.”
“Kensington Consolidatedlawyer. No offense to Jeremy, but this has nothing to do with the company.”
“He’s the only attorney we should trust to keep this quiet.”
“There’s something called attorney-client privilege, Scarlett.”
She shakes her head. “All it would take is a legal secretary whispering to a friend about a new client, and every journalist in this city will be combing through the Nevada marriage certificates, Oliver.”
Another knock on the door. This time Asher enters, holding two cups of coffee. “Morning, gang.” He hands one cup to Scarlett. “Boss.”
Jeremy laughs as I sink down into my desk chair.
“Scarlett didn’t mention you guys would be here, or I would have grabbed you all coffee,” Asher says.
“Scarlett didn’t mentionanyof you would be here. I came in early to work on the Cushings report.”
Asher takes a seat on the couch and spreads an arm across the back of the cushions. “Have to say, I didn’t see you telling Scarlett about this.”
“Anyone feel like cluing me in on whatthisis?” Jeremy asks.
Scarlett sips her coffee. “Oliver’s a newlywed. He married a woman in Vegas last weekend. No prenup.”
Something about the matter-of-fact way she summarizes the situation makes it sound way worse. I adjusted to the state of things in my head, I guess. Spoken out loud sounds dire.
Asher’s expression doesn’t change since it’s not news to him. But a flash of shock crosses Jeremy’s face before he shuts it down and glances at me. “You’re wanting to end the marriage, I presume?”
I nod. “Yes.”
“And she feels the same way?”
“SheisHannah Garner,” Asher tells Jeremy, emphasizing the name in a way that makes it obvious it should mean something to him.
Crew and Jeremy are good friends, so I probably shouldn’t be surprised. But I am. I had no idea who she was, and that emphasizes how wide the chasm between me and my brother is.
It’s also strange to realize everyone in this room has met Hannah. Since I returned from Vegas, it’s felt like the short amount of time I spent with her was a mirage, almost. Being here, in my familiar office, discussing her, a wife I barely know, is an unexpected collision of worlds.
“I don’t need to ask if she’s aware of your net worth, then,” Jeremy states.
Asher snorts. I start to question why Scarlett invited him.
“How long will a divorce take?” I ask Jeremy.
“I can’t give you an exact answer. Aside from one seminar when I was a 2L and studying for the bar, I don’t know much about family law. But marriage is a legal commitment, not just a romantic notion. Until a judge signs the divorce decree, you’re married in the eyes of the law. And every state is different. Some have separation waiting periods. Ideally, the petition will be for a no-fault divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. Once it’s filed, your spouse is served with the papers. She’ll have a set amount of time to respond. If she raises no objections, there’s just the divorce settlement. Ideally, you’d present one to the court to sign off on.”
“Is there a way to keep it quiet? Out of the press?”
To my relief, Jeremy nods. “If the divorce is uncontested and you settle without going to trial, no one besides you, Hannah, and any attorneys involved will have any details. If you can’t agree on the terms of the divorce, it will go to trial. Family court trials are public, so court reporters are allowed in the proceedings. That could get very messy, very fast. You can also add a confidentiality clause, which would bar Hannah from discussing the divorce with anyone—even family. If she violated it, she would owe you punitive damages. In this circumstance, she could make millions off talking, so we could set that number high as a deterrent.”
I nod. “What about an annulment? That means the marriage never happened, right?”
