Chapter 69
Asher’s POY
Stacy had an apologetic look on her face as I walked up to her that morning. “Stacy?”
“Good morning, Mr. Sterling,” she responded in a small voice and lowered her pare.
I got clover. “What is it?” I asked, my eyes searching her face for answers.
*I’m sony. I told him to wait for you, but he just barged into the office. He
I didn’t wait to hear the rest of the sentence. My face was set in a deep frown as I burst into my office. There was only one person throw her into a panic like this, I saw him sitting in my chair like he owned the place. What an annoying start to my day!
ho would do that and
“You know, have a small chat.
“Asher,” he drawled, his voice laced with mock cheer as he twirled the chair around. “Thought I’d drop by,” he shrugged. “Yo with my little brother. To my disappointment, you weren’t in.”
I was
was still standing in the doorway, unmoving, my arms folded across my chest. “You’re in my seat,
Marcus
His lips slowly curled into a smirk. “I’ve grown quite used to sitting at the head of the table. Nothing else will do.” He chuckled.” tend to forget that place isn’t mine, you know!”
I walked into the room with my hands in my pockets and a smug expression on my face.
“Maybe it’s high time I make a lot of permanent changes around here so you don’t make the mistake again,” Ispat out the words through gritted teeth. wasn’t going to back down.
If I knew my brother, I knew he was hoping that I would. He was hoping that I’d brush off his “Willy excuse” for sitting in my chair and continue this conversation, but that wasn’t an option for me. I glanced around.
“It could be a small change, like the decor in my office, or the whole office.” I shrugged. “Maybe changing the name of the company trailed of was reeling in pleasure on the inside when I saw the look on his face
“I don’t think that would be necessary
y“He rose to his feet..
I smiled triumphantly as I walked up to my seat. “You never know, Marcus. Sometimes all a company needs is change.”
He didn’t say a word to that. He took his seat, crossed his legs, and then his eyes lit up excitedly. “Your secretary…he gestured at the door.” couldn’t help but notice how she is. Are you involved with her too?” He was beaming.
“No, I’m not, Marcus,” I answered in a flat tone.” get enough sex as it is from my wife.” As the words left my mouth, images of hy and I played out in my memory y I was struggling to stifle my smile, and Marcus was staring right at me, I didn’t flinch. I gave him the stare–down he so badly wanted.
His curious eyes searched mine, but he looked away. kind of relationship.”
“It’s quite hard to believe. The last time I saw the two of you together, it didn’t look like you had that
I shrugged. “Things change, people fall in love.” Love? Could it be? Was that the reason hy was stuck in my head every hour of the day? Had I fallen head over heels for that woman? it was the only good reafon. I mean, who wouldn’t? Even my brother was seething from where he sat across from me.
He cleared his throat and sat upright. “Enough about lvy and your sex life. Let’s talk business.”
I grinned widely. “Of course.” My marriage was seemingly thriving, and he couldn’t mock me for it, so he gr about Ivy
red with the topic. Now it was enough
“What do you want to talk about, Marcus?” (turned on my laptop and began to type aggressively. It was a subtle hint I was hoping my obnoxious brother would take, and hopefully, he would leave me alone. I grabbed a report Stacy had left on my tablet earlier and peered at it.
Chapter 69
“Busy, are wel
I kept my eyes on the report, my tone flat. “Always.” Of course, he took the hint. Now, if only he would let me be
He chuckled, the sound more biting than amused. ” bet. So, tell me, how’s our little vineyard faring under your capabla kandor
Tlooked up, meeting his smug gaze. I was probably asking for too much when I thought my brother would leave me alone. No, he wouldn’t he didn’t come all the way here to make small talk,
This was his way of putting me on edge. Sterling Winery was mine, but he was constantly around to leave me worried. His Italian–tailored sult was immaculate, not a crease in sight, and his the screamed confidence, or arrogance, a perfect mixture of both
“It’s stable,” I said simply, pushing the report aside.
“Stable,” Marcus repeated, leaning against the edge of my desk. He crossed his arms, his grin widening. “That’s reassuring But come on, Asher, Stable’s a low bar, don’t you think? There’s got to be more. Father and I are concerned. Sterling deserves better.”
Of course, I knew this was all him: He had a habit of throwing our father into the equation to make me feel horrible. But I didn’t react, didn’t rise to the bait. “The numbers are improving. It’s a process.”
“A process,” he mocked, shaking his head. “You always were patient to a fault. But tell me, do you think Dad would call this progress? Or would he call it mediocrity?”
The jab landed, but I refused to let it show. “What do you want, Marcus?”
“What do I want?” he repeated, feigning innocence. “I want to know if I need to step in. You know, lend a hand. God knows this place can’t afford another mistake. Everyone has their eyes on it. They’re waiting to see how it goes this time around.”
Iclenched my jaw, fingers tightening around the edge of the desk. His words were calculated, deliberate. He wasn’t here to help. He was here to push, to prod, to see if I’d break
“I have it handled,” I said in a measured tone of voice, devoid of emotion
He tilted his head, studying me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. “Sure you do.”
For a moment, the room was silent. Then he straightened, brushing nonexistent lint from his sleeve. “Well, keep at it, little brother. I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Eventually.”
He turned on his heel, striding toward the door with that infuriating confidence. As he reached for the handle, he glanced back. “Oh, and Asher, don’t forget. The Sterling name isn’t just yours to Lamish.”
The door clicked shut behind him, leaving the room colder than it had been. I exhaled slowly, my gaze falling back to the report. The numbers stared back at me.
Maybe I needed to change my office, or move the whole company to another country, perhaps?
E
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Chapter 70
Chapter 70
