Asher's POV

I didn’t believe in coincidences.

Never did as a matter of fact.

Because in my world, they didn’t exist — only the game of power and control, either mine or someone else’s.

But standing there under the warm glow of my father’s extravagant terrace lights, champagne glass halfway to my lips, watching Julian’s face drain of all color as my father…no, our father, introduced her as his daughter….I realized this game was far beyond my control.

No, this was a mess.

A pure, unplanned, insane, beautiful mess.

Her wide eyes locked with mine, confusion and betrayal swirling like a storm behind them.

And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t have the right words. I could still hear my father’s voice booming somewhere in the background, talking about Regina, about a “proper wedding”. It was all noise and words all over the place— meaningless and annoying— because my mind had been too busy replaying the nurse’s words from the hospital earlier that day.

She's pregnant.

With my child.

And now what… she was my sister?

I felt my chest tighten, not with guilt — guilt was a burden for men who weren't trained to kill such weakness years ago — but with something deeper.

The kind of tightening that made your lungs crave oxygen badly, the kind that made me realize something.

That I wasn't letting her go.

Sibling or not.

My fingers curled around the stem of my glass, my knuckles whitening as I kept my expression carefully neutral. I couldn’t let anyone in this room know what was running through my head. Not the investors waiting for me to turn around and make myself approachable for a conversation. Not the socialites who are looking for a hot gist.

Definitely not my father.

And especially not Regina.

Regina stood a few feet away, her hand delicately resting on the edge of a silver platter as she talked with one of the governors. Her champagne-colored gown shimmered under the lighting, every detail perfectly arranged to create a beautiful illusion of us— because that’s what Regina was: a perfect arrangement.

Five years ago, our marriage had been nothing but a business deal built from vows neither of us wanted to play a role in. Her father had wanted a solid alliance; mine had wanted a fast-track transaction for a multi-billion-dollar expansion. I agreed without hesitation, because of course, it was nothing but beneficial to me. Marriage had never been sacred to me — it was just another form of contract.

But Julian…

I didn't look at her like she was some kind of contract.

I’d been drawn to her from the moment she crashed into my life, stubborn and proud even when she was barely standing. And now, every instinct I’d ever trusted was telling me to keep her close — that if I let her walk out of my life, I’d regret it for the rest of my bachelor's life.

It didn’t matter that she was my father’s daughter.

It didn’t matter that she was carrying my child.

The facts didn’t change the way my pulse spiked whenever she was near… or the fact that the thought of her leaving had me ready to burn the whole Blackwood estate down.

But there was something else tugging at the back of my mind. Something I hadn’t let myself think about for years.

Twelve years ago.

I clenched my jaw and forced my gaze away from Julian. She didn’t remember — or at least, she didn’t show signs of remembering. That year had been… complicated. She’d been too young, and I’d been too reckless.

My father’s empire had been crumbling from the inside, and I’d been dragged into situations that required me to make choices no seventeen-year-old should have to make. Choices that had led me to her, then ripped us apart before I’d even figured out what I really ever wanted.

And now here she was, back in my life, carrying my child, looking at me like I’d just betrayed her twice in one evening.

But maybe I have. I wasn't the one to lie.

My father was still talking, clearly enjoying the stunned silence of the crowd after his little announcement. “I mean, who would have guessed my daughter would finally make it back! I didn't think Asher made up his mind too,” he said with a hearty laugh, as if this was the part where the applause was supposed to roll in.

But, no one clapped. They just… whispered like they were missing out an important detail to all of these happenings.

Typical paparazzis.

Julian shifted her weight, looking ready to make a run for it any moment from now. If I didn't make the move, she would.

I took a step forward, but my father’s hand landed on my shoulder.

“Stay,” he murmured under his breath, his smile still locked on the guests. “We have appearances to keep, son.”

Appearances.

Right. Like I haven't been keeping up appearances my whole life.

And yet, right now, the only appearance I cared about was the look on Julian’s face — that mix of hurt and anger and something else I couldn’t quite wrap my head around.

When the speeches ended and the guests moved back into their conversations, I caught her by the elbow before she could disappear into the crowd. Her head snapped toward me, her eyes flashing with that same defiance she'd shown me earlier today.

“Let go,” she said, her voice low but sharp enough to make my heart break.

“Not here,” I replied, my tone just as low as hers. “We need to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she hissed, trying to pull free. “You knew, didn’t you? You knew I was—”

“I didn’t,” I interrupted, tightening my grip just enough to keep her from walking away. “I swear, Julian, I had no idea.”

She froze, her lips parting slightly as if she wanted to argue but couldn’t find the right words to use.

“Whatever this is,” I continued, “it changes nothing for me.”

Her eyes widened, a flicker of disbelief crossing her features. “Nothing? I’m your—”

“I know what you are,” I said, my voice firm but amused. “And I know what you’re carrying.” My gaze dropped to her stomach for just a second before meeting her eyes again. “You think a last name is going to make me forget all of these? Think again.”

She stared at me like I’d lost my mind — and maybe I had. But the truth was simple: I didn’t care about rules or bloodlines. I’d lived too long in a world where people pretended to care about those things, only to break them when it matched their desires.

I wasn’t letting her go.

Not now or ever.

The problem was, I still had one massive obstacle in my way: Regina.

And if I knew Regina like I thought I did, she wasn’t going to let go of me without ruining my reputation.