Billionaire's Bounty Cost Of Love And Revenge novel Chapter 153

Chapter 153

Chapter 153

Janine’s POV

C

I ran my fingers over the fabric of my blazer, adjusting the sleeves as I stood at the edge of the vineyard. The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and fresh leaves. It should have been comforting. This was Marcus’s place, the heart of everything he had built. But instead of feeling connected to him, I felt like an outsider trespassing on something sacred.

I took a slow breath and stepped forward, my heels sinking slightly into the soil. I had walked these rows a hundred times before, but never like this. Never as the person responsible for keeping it all together. Marcus had made it look easy, but now that it was my turn, I felt like I was holding something too fragile, something that could shatter in my hands if I wasn’t careful.

As I made my way deeper into the vineyard, I spotted a few of the workers tending to the vines. They moved with practiced ease, their hands working through the leaves, trimming, inspecting, ensuring everything was as it should be. They had been Marcus’s people, his extended family in a way. And now, they were looking at me.

Some offered nods of acknowledgment, others gave hesitant smiles. It wasn’t unkindness, just uncertainty. They didn’t know me the way they knew

Marcus.

And I didn’t know them.

I stopped near a group of them, clearing my throat. “Good morning.”

A man in his fifties, with tanned skin and deep lines around his eyes, straightened up. “Morning, Miss Sterling.” His voice held respect, but also caution.

“It’s just Janine,” I said, though it felt strange correcting him.

The others exchanged glances before a woman with short–cropped hair wiped her hands on her work pants and stepped closer. “We were wondering when you’d come by,” she said. “It’s good to see you out here.”

I hesitated. “I should have come sooner.”

The man nodded. “We understand. You had a lot to deal with.”

More than I could even put into words.

I glanced at the vines they had been tending. “How are things?”

He sighed, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “It’s been steady, but there’s a lot that needs doing. We’re coming up on a critical time for the grapes, and with everything that’s happened…” He trailed off, not needing to finish the sentence.

With Marcus gone.

“I want to help,” I said quickly, needing them to believe it. “I don’t want to be just some name on paper. I want to understand what’s happening here, what you need.”

The woman gave me a long look. “Then walk with us.”

I nodded, falling into step beside them as they moved down the row.

“We’ve been lucky this season,” she said, running a hand over the vines. “The weather’s been cooperative, no major issues with pests. But we’ve been short on hands since… since everything happened.”

I swallowed. “You mean since Marcus died.”

She gave a small nod. “People talk, Janine. They wonder what’s going to happen now. If things are going to change, if this place is still stable.

I hated that word. Stable. It made it sound like we were on the edge of falling apart.

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13:42 Sat, 12 Jul

Chapter 153

“I don’t want things to change,” I admitted. “Not in a way that would hurt the vineyard. I want to honor what Marcus built.?

The man, his name was Miguel, I finally remembered, gave me a thoughtful look. “Then you need to do more than just say it.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

Miguel stopped walking, resting a hand on one of the vines. “Marcus didn’t just run this place, He was in it, every day. He knew the land, the workers, the process. He wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.” He looked at me, his expression careful. “If you really want to honor him, you need to do the same.

His words stung, not because they were cruel, but because they were true.

“I don’t know if I can do what he did,” I admitted, my voice quieter than before.

Miguel exchanged a look with the woman, then turned back to me. “You don’t have to be Marcus. But you do have to be here.”

I exhaled slowly, letting my fingers brush against the nearest vine.

“Show us,” the woman said, her voice gentler now. “Show us you’re serious about this.”

I nodded, my mind already turning. I would show them. I had to.

For them.

For Marcus.

For myself.

Asher’s POV

I sat in Marcus’s chair, staring at the polished wood of his desk, my fingers gripping the armrests as if letting go would send me spiraling. The room smelled like him, leather, faint traces of his cologne, and the sharp scent of paper. Everything was just as I left it. It was the second time, but I still felt the pressure, from the neatly stacked files on the corner of the desk to the watch he had never picked up again.

This wasn’t the first time I had been here. The first time, I had fooled myself into thinking it was temporary, that I was just holding things together until he came back. But he wasn’t coming back.

I was here for real this time.

I swallowed hard, my throat tight, and glanced at the framed photo on the desk. Marcus and I, standing side by side at some event I barely remembered. He had his hand on my shoulder, his smile effortless. I looked stiff, like I didn’t belong.

Nothing had changed.

The door creaked open, and I forced myself to sit up as Evelyn stepped in. Her heels clicked against the hardwood floor, but her movements were softer than usual, careful.

“Mr. Sterling,” she said, then hesitated. “Asher.”

I gave a half–hearted nod. “You can still call me Asher”

She managed a small smile. “Old habits.”

Evelyn had been with Marcus for years, long enough that she knew how he liked his schedule arranged, what kind of coffee he drank, how he handled business. She was efficient, professional, and right now, I could tell she was trying to make this easier for me.

She set a folder on the desk. “I sorted through the urgent matters for today. Nothing too overwhelming, just approvals and a few meetings.

I stared at the folder like it might burn me.

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13:42 Sat, 12 Jul

Chapter 153

“Asher,” she said gently, “I know this is a lot.”

1 exhaled through my nose. “That obvious?”

Her lips pressed together. “You don’t have to be Marcus.”

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