Tristan was used to power and control. With everything that was going on though. He was feeling increasingly powerless and out of control.
A situation that he had sought to remedy through his current meeting with Ariel. A meeting which was not going at all how he had thought it would. Truthfully when Tristan had asked Lucy to buy a fitting evening gown for Ariel and have it sent to her. He had not thought it would have that much of an impact on him.
He had simply done it because he had wanted her to fit in at the dining establishment that they would be going to.
Never in a million years could he have predicted how stunning she would look. Even that word did not seem to be enough to describe just how exquisite Ariel looked at that very moment. When he had sent over the shoes and the dress, he had made the mistake of not also including jewellery in the order. But now he was realizing that he had saved himself by not doing that.
If she'd worn jewelry, he would have lost the ability to speak.
As things stood, she did not need a single piece of jewelry on her. Her hair was flowing down her shoulder in soft waves. Her makeup so subtle, that at first he had thought she was not wearing any.
She should not have made Tristan's mouth go dry every time he tried to look directly at her. But that was exactly what was happening. What was this? Tristan was used to the attentions of some of the most beautiful women in the world. Ladies usually decked from head to toe in gold, platinum, sapphire, diamonds... anything and everything. But before him sat a woman in just a dark blue dress, no earrings, and as far as he could tell, very light makeup, and she was gorgeous.
He could barely concentrate, but he had to remind himself that they were there for a reason, not just to enjoy a meal. It was why he had gone out of his way to pick her up from her apartment building, instead of sending a driver as he normally would have with other dates.
This was not just a date, this was a planning session. Something that they should have done long ago. But he had been allowing the both of them time to let their new reality sink in. Now they could not afford to waste any more time. And so, sitting in the private room he had requested. Tristan stared over at Ariel. Her focus was on her newly arrived meal. And she was slowly chewing on everything. Clearly trying to figure out the ingredients. Tristan would have loved to just let her continue.
It was pretty clear that she was enjoying herself, but they were there for business. Picking up his cutlery, he began what would no doubt be a very difficult conversation the more they carried on. "Have you told anyone about our engagement?" He asked, slowly cutting into his medium rare steak. Swallowing her bite of food, Ariel grabbed a napkin and lightly dabbed at the corners of her mouth before addressing him.
"I told my brother, currently he is the only person I am close enough to, whom I felt needed to know," Tristan nodded at that. Then he took a bite of his steak, letting the spices and juices dance over his tongue before he continued the conversation. "And what of the exact terms of us getting married? Have you discussed with them the reason why you are doing it?" With an audible sigh, Ariel twirled the fork in her hand a few times before she looked up to address him.
"Not that part, I could not bring myself to say those words to him. He just knows that we are engaged and that is that," Her voice was shaky, but her admission helped Tristan a great deal. He had been worried about that. But by not sharing the exact reasons of them coming together with her brother. She had saved him a lot of sleepless nights worrying over whether or not people she told would say anything to anyone.
"Good. Keep it that way. The only people who are to know about the exact circumstances of us getting married are you and I," Ariel nodded. Then she looked him straight in the eyes. "One more thing. Are we going to discuss the pre-nup now? I am willing to sign it whenever you are ready," That took Tristan by surprise. He had not expected her to mention a pre-nup at all. In his experience, people who could get away without signing it. Especially if they were marrying somebody who was better off than them, tended to stay silent. Hoping that the whole thing would be forgotten. But in her case, Ariel had been the one to bring it up when Tristan had not been saying anything.
Odd. Very odd. "There is no need for us to talk about a pre-nup. We will not be needing one," Ariel took a startled breath, her fork clattering against the edge of her porcelain plate. In her other hand, her grip on her knife had turned her knuckles bone white. "I do not know what you think of me, but I must insist on that pre-nup. I know that between the two of us. You need it more than I do. So please, just have the papers drawn up and I will sign them," Putting his cutlery down, Tristan stared at her for a long while. He had no idea if she was being sincere, or if she was a really good liar. As far as he was concerned, she was the first person in history to ever demand a pre-nup in a situation where she could have benefited greatly.
It was confusing, throwing him off once again. Which was it? If she really were so bad at handling money. She should have been salivating at the thought of a marriage without a pre-nup, but she was actively pushing for it. Shaking his head, Tristan gave her a look. "There will be no prenup between you and I, Ariel Jones, because this marriage is permanent. No divorce, no annulment," She took a startled breath. Fire sparking and then dimming behind her green eyes. Then she nodded at him.
"Of course," She said, sounding stunned. Again, she was not reacting at all how he expected somebody who had been told they would be marrying into money and luxury normally would have. "Is this all that you have come to talk to me about?" Ariel asked, and Tristan found himself raising a brow. "Yes. Is there anything more you wish to add?" Normally Tristan would not have asked but it seemed like she had something at the tip of her tongue, and he wanted to know what it was.