Billionaire's Bounty Cost Of Love And Revenge novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Asher’s POV

Dinner with my father was exactly what I expected: bland, formal, and devoid of anything remotely personal. We sat across from each other in the dim, overly polished dining room, the kind of place where the weight of expectation hung heavier than the chandelier overhead. Save for the tip of the head and a murmured response when we got here, we had not said a word to each other.

with my father, I had learned to reduce the weight of my expectation since I was a little boy. My father was never one to show emotions, and no matter how I tried all these years, I could never get him to act like he cared.

Once I received the message from him asking me to dinner, I knew it was for serious business. Unlike my mother, who made the effort to dine casually with us even though it was forced, my father never did. I arrived earlier than usual, and to my utter disappointment, he was already seated, waiting for me. Whether he was annoyed or not, his expression didn’t show it. When the waiter arrived, we both whispered our orders

“Marcus told me about your meeting, my father broke the silence as soon as

on as the waiter left.

I looked up at him to gauge his expression, but as usual, he wore a blank look on his face. He had couched the words to look like it was a statement, but i knew better than that. There was an underlying question there. If I knew my brother, I know he had painted the most horrible image of that day to my father, anything to discredit me. “Yes…” I trailed off, “It went fairly well…“I added.

He murmured his response.

Of course, he didn’t agree. Marcus had made sure to paint the image of absolute chaos to my father already. Whatever I would say would mean nothing! decided to steer off the conversation. “You know, we are having an opening gala of some sort, for Sterling winery. Just a formal celebration.“I added when I saw the frown on his face. “The team advised it would be good PR for the company. I swallowed. “If you like, I’d send you an invitation.”

He simply nodded.

Whether that was an approval for the party or an approval for me to sand the invite, I didn’t know. However, I made a mental note to send it to him if he showed up, fine. If he didn’t, it was fine too. One of the things I had to learn as I grew older was to stop pandering to my father, I had learned my place carly. I was second to my brother, and whatever I did would always pale in comparison to Marcus’s endeavors.

The waiter arrived with our food and thankfully put an end to the awkward silence between us.

He asked me a few work–related questions.

I nodded, answered, told him what he wanted to hear, and tried not to yawn between bites. It was a cycle of polite acknowledgment and the occasional forced smile. I’d done this countless times, and it never changed,

Every interaction felt like a business transaction, a negotiation over which son was good enough to take the reins and bring him the success he’d built his life around. had already lost that contest a long time ago. Sometimes I wondered if he ever thought of 1 and Marcus as anything more than that–a potential heir to his empire.

thought I saw a smile play out on his lips. With my father, it was always the slight upturn of his lips, barely noticeable. “You’ve finally gotten what you wanted. A slice of the Sterling legacy to finally call your own. You proved you were ready to go the extra mile when you took up a wife. responsibility and maturity, all of which are good qualities in a man.”

I looked at him, and before I could talk myself out of it, I spoke, “You know I didn’t get married just so I could get a slice of the Sterling legacy I used his

exact words

He looked up, surprised, as if I’d somehow gone off–script. “What are you saying, Asher?”

I took a breath” asked for the company because of hy

There it was. Simple, exposed, the truth sitting bare between us. I watched his face for a reaction, any indication that he understood what I meant, but he just blinked, processing the words.

“Ivy?” His tone was carefully controlled, but I could hear the faintest edge of curiosity, maybe even judgment

1/2

Chapter 36

I pressed on. “She matters to me, Dad. She matters enough that I want to give her something stable, something powerful, somethi trailed off. My words dawned on me. I had never admitted it out loud to anyone, not to her, not even to myself. I wanted to be better for But it was never enough, was it? I thought to myself.

He didn’t respond at first; he just stared at me, his face unreadable. This was the most I’d ever given him, the most personal confession I’d ever through. And the silence stretched between us like a wound neither of us could reach.

Finally, he nodded, but it was a cold, practical sort of nod. The kind that meant he understood without actually understanding

“So, Ivy was… a catalyst,” he uttered in disbelief, “Your reason to take up responsibility?”

I didn’t respond. I just stared at him. I had always known it, but now that I stared into those eyes, I know I would give my last breath to Sterling Wary. had to make it something I was proud of, for myself. i stared into those disappointed eyes, and something my father was proud of I gripped my cutlery hard. I had fallen back into that trap, the trap of trying to please my father.

We fell back into the same routine, the same safe topics, as though none of it had even been said. And somehow, I wasn’t even surprised.

AD