Billionaire's Bounty Cost Of Love And Revenge novel Chapter 10

Thated this part of the job the never–ending meetings, the long, boring conversations, having to sit still around the Conference table and pretend to pay rapt attention to whatever my brother was saying. I had to, however. It was part of my jobs One of the reasons I envied Marcus was that he seemed to fit right into this place. The perfect son, the perfect CEO.

“From the analysis, Sterling Industries is set to experience a 13% increase in profit next month…”

I drowned out his ear–scratching voice, but I couldn’t deny that everyone else seemed to like it. My father sat at the head of the table, his face stoic. His silver hair was styled to perfection, not a single strand out of place. His intense eyes were fixated on the projector screen, and all the shareholders and foreign investors were focused on whatever Marcus was saying.

He was good at it, that was the truth I had always known. Being the second child was a lot harder when the first was so perfect. It was as if there wasn’t any need for me. Marcus finished college with flying colors, and since he took over running the company, it had thrived. He was the perfect son, never in the media eye for the wrong reasons. The nearest thing to a scandal he had to endure was his divorce, which my parents completely absolved him of any blame.

“Mr. Ving. Lassure you, investing in Sterling Industries is a safe risk,” Marcus flashed his perfect smile. “The company is set to do new things. After all, expansion is our watchword…”

At first, I had admired him, looked up to him, and wanted to be like him. It was the only way I could get my father to give me one of his famous small smiles and a nod of approval. I had only gotten it a few times–times I could count on one hand. My brother, on the other hand, got it every other day. When it hit me that there was nothing I could do to match up to Marcus, my admiration turned to jealousy and then resentment. Marcus didn’t make it easy at all. He was every bit the annoying older brother.

Now, as I stared at him from where I was sitting, I didn’t know what I felt for him anymore. I drummed my fingers against the table, my mind wandering to other things–my wife, Ivy Whitfield. The image of her in my head made me smile. When I looked up, I saw my father staring at me. I frowned and glanced around; everyone was on their feet, shaking hands. I stood up immediately and shook a few hands myself.

Marcus was the perfect gentleman, leading them all out.

“How did you find the meeting, Asher?” my father asked as soon as we were alone.

I froze for a moment. It was unlike him to ask me such a question. “It was a wonderful meeting. I think the investors were thoroughly impressed.”

“Not you, though,” he replied.

I refrained from rolling my eyes. Of course, he had something to say. “I did…” I was saying until Marcus returned, and my father’s attention was derailed.

“I think it’s only a matter of time until they make their decision,” Marcus began.

“I say, in a couple of weeks,” my father responded.

“That’s too delayed,” Marcus replied. “I want their answer in a couple of days. I need the company’s fortune to shift in the stock market by then.”

“So, what are you going to do?” my father asked.

Marcus only had to think about it for a moment. “Mr. Ying has a private casino in the city. I’ll stop by and fine–tune the particulars of the proposition. A little friendly chatter on his turf. It’s bound to make him more receptive.”

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Chapter 10

I watched quietly as my father gave him the nod of approval, his lips slightly upturned. It didn’t look like a smile at first glance, but we all knew this was the best you could get from Mr. Sterling. It was barely noon, and my brother had already received the look of approval twice. Meanwhile, I narrowly escaped getting the look of disappointment. I was playing a losing game.

They were leaving the conference room together, and I was completely forgotten in the background when I blurted out, “I got married.”

They didn’t hear me the first time. My father was paying rapt attention to Marcus’s foolproof plan on how he was going to sway Mr. Ying–a plan he had only conceived minutes ago. How was he so perfect?

I cleared my throat dramatically and yelled louder this time, “I got married!”

That caught their attention. They stopped in their tracks and turned to look at me. My father had a blank expression on his face. Marcus looked amused. He took a few steps toward me. “You never know when to make your silly jokes, do you?” he demanded.

I looked up at him. “This is not a joke, Marcus. I got married.”

“When?”

“Saturday, last weekend,” I answered.

“Where?” Marcus pressed.

“At a small beach house in Skyview. We had an officiating minister.”

Marcus shook his head and chuckled. “I don’t believe you.”

I scoffed. “And why would I lie about being married?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, for attention! That’s something you would do!”

It stung, but only a little. I was getting better at ignoring my brother’s sharp taunts. “I’m not here to prove anything to you. I’m not in a courtroom. I was doing my part to inform my family. That’s all it was, simple” I turned around, walked back to the conference room, and sat down.

“Attention seeker,” Marcus muttered under his breath and walked back to my father.

“Who did you marry?”

I looked up to see it was my father who had asked. Marcus looked at me expectantly.

“Ivy. Ivy Whitfield,” I answered.

“The model? Bullshit! She wouldn’t touch you with an eleven–foot pole,” Marcus replied sharply.

I grinned. “Well, sorry to disappoint you, brother. We did a lot of touching.”

“An arranged marriage?” my father asked.

I shrugged. “Something like that…” I gauged his reaction. He didn’t look upset or disbelieving. He almost looked impressed. My heart was beating loudly in my chest. “You’ve always said how much you want me to be responsible and that getting married was the first step to achieving that…”

Marcus cussed aloud. “Bullshit!”

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