The first board meeting after the story breaks is tense.
I sit at the head of the conference table in the Chen Creative Initiative offices, Sarah on my right, Maya on my left. Eight board members stare at me with varying degrees of concern and curiosity.
"Let's address the situation," I begin. "You've all seen the news. Yes, Marcus Valerio and I discovered we share a biological connection we were previously unaware of. Yes, we're still together. I'm happy to discuss any concerns this raises for the foundation."
Board member Patricia Harrison—sixty-something, old money, deeply concerned about optics—speaks first.
"This puts the foundation at risk. The publicity is intense. We could lose donors, credibility, everything we've built."
"We've had some donor changes, yes. But our numbers ar
