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But my eyes drift down and I slide a hand over my stomach. Not quite alone anymore. Tears flood my eyes and I blink them down my cheeks, sinking down into the pillows. I rub my hand over my abdomen in slow circles, letting tears soak into my pillows.
Not alone anymore. I have a child. I have the one thing I never thought would be possible and no matter what Asher does, or says, or lies about, I’ll never forget he gave me a gift. I won’t resent my child even if I…even if I hate Asher.
This baby is mine. My lifeline. My miracle.
24
Asher
I howl in the lobby of my father’s office—an office that will never, ever be mine. My letter of resignation is still clutched between white knuckles. I stare at the phone in one hand, letter in the other, and feel the weight of all my mistakes drag me down.
I’m drowning. I’m drowning in my own cowardice, my own lies, in Penelope’s righteous anger.
She should be mad. Everything she said was true—all of it except the fact that what I feel for her isn’t real. My love for Penelope is the only real thing I have to cling to.
“Asher?” My father stands in his doorway, Nico between us approaching with hesitant steps.
I stare at the two of them, shaking my head. “I’m going to talk to Donovan.”
“What’s the point?” My father shrugs. “He leaked it early, but it’s basically just announcing his defeat. The articles weren’t negative about the acquisition. Stakeholders will see it as a good thing.”
“It’s not about stakeholders,” I spit. “It’s about the fact that this is an attack.”
“On what?”
“On me.”
My father frowns, but I stalk into the elevator and mash the button to close the doors. Nico’s face appears in the shrinking opening, but he makes no move to stop the doors and enter the elevator. Maybe he knows, with all his ambition, he’s better off staying by my father’s side. He sees the shift inside me.
I slip my phone into my pocket and swear when I see the crumpled letter of resignation still in my hand. I should have given it to my father before getting in the elevator, but I can’t go back. I need to move forward, to the one person who will take the focus of my pain off Penelope’s cold, emotionless voice: Reginald Donovan.
That sniveling, red-faced asshole who took it upon himself to do this.
A strange sort of calm settles over me as I make my way to the Donovan Enterprises building. Sounds are muffled, and I barely hear anything that’s spoken to me. I walk straight through the lobby, vaguely aware of the protests of the receptionist. Who cares? She can’t stop me. No one can stop me.
I resist the urge to kick down Reggie’s door, choosing instead to use my hands. I don’t need a dramatic entrance to make him understand how badly I want to throttle him.
Reginald Donovan sits behind his desk with a feline smile on his face. He looks me up and down, taking in my wild eyes, disheveled hair, white knuckles, and lets a slow chuckle slip through his lips. “Asher Gerhard,” he croons. “The prodigal son.”
“You leaked the news of the merger.”
“I thought you’d be happy.” His eyebrow arches, and I bristle. “Or was your contact in Nord not expecting it?”
“I knew it,” I say, shaking my head. “I knew you leaked the news just to get to me.”
“As soon as you took that trip to the Summer Palace with the Queen, it all made sense. All made perfect sense.” He scoffs, leaning back in his chair. Fat fingers interlace over his generous stomach, and once again I note the sheer determination of his shirt’s buttons to do their job.
“You don’t know anything.”
“I know you whored yourself out to the Queen, of all people, just to get under my skin. Trust you to pull something like that off, Gerhard.”
“It had nothing to do with you.”
“No? And your father handing his company to you meant nothing either?”
“I don’t give a shit about my father’s company.”
“Could have fooled me.” A snort escapes him. “You’ve been hounding me for months. Attacking my company at every turn and whispering in shareholders’ ears. You made this bed, Asher, and now you need to lie in it. Who knows? Maybe the Queen will join you after all. Tell me, is her pussy so sweet you’d throw away your whole future for it?”
