Check & Mate

A fake engagement is her last move to keep the doors open.

Nia Bennett runs Queen's Court Youth Chess in Atlanta, and one missed payment can cost her the space—and the kids who rely on it. Malcolm Grant is a lawyer with a name donors love to whisper about, but he knows the rules of their world. Their contract engagement gets her into Buckhead rooms and puts him back in the light…until an ethics probe freezes the money and turns their "perfect couple" into a convenient target. Now every invitation comes with strings, and every smile asks for surrender.

Tell the truth on record, or let them own the story—choose now