Filed to story: The Alpha and His Nanny Luna (Tiffany & Asher) Book PDF Free
“That’s the truth,” Ethan replied. “You got a good dose of that last night. I’m sorry about that, by the way. I should’ve warned you that my relationship with my brother is… strained, to say the least.”
I was silent for a moment as I looked out the window at the city passing by around us.
“Do you mind if I ask why you don’t get along?” I asked finally.
Ethan shrugged. “I’m his half brother. I think he sees me as this great big symbol of a wrench being thrown into a so-called ‘perfect’ family dynamic, when really, it’s not like the Sterling family has ever been even close to perfect to begin with. But, I think that the way I came into his life destroyed his hopes that his family might actually be okay.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t really wanna get too into it,” Ethan replied as he drove around a corner. “I’ll just say that… I came after Verona and Michael were married and had Asher. And you already know that Verona is not my biological mother.”
“Oh,” I said, looking down at my lap. “I see.”
There was another long silence as I processed what Ethan said, finally understanding why Asher felt so bitter about him, before I spoke again.
“It’s not your fault, you know,” I said.
Ethan smiled. “It’s neither my fault nor Asher’s fault,” he said. “One day, I think he’ll see that. I’m willing to wait.”
Ethan’s response made me smile. He seemed gentle and sweet, not at all like the way that Asher painted him to be. Maybe I could help Asher see that, but at the same time, I supposed that it was better if I stayed out of it for the sake of my job.
Just then, my phone rang: it was the driver who was supposed to take Ella and I home. He informed me that he got stuck in traffic and would be late. I cursed under my breath as I hung up the phone.
“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked.
“The driver got stuck in traffic,” I replied. “Asher’s probably going to make it my fault if Ella gets home late.”
“I’ll drive you,” Ethan replied, holding his hand up as I tried to resist. “Don’t say anything. I’m driving you home.”
When we arrived back at the penthouse, I helped Ella get out before stooping down to look at Ethan through the window.
“Thank you for the ride,” I said. “I’ll see you around sometime.”
“Actually, we will see each other again soon,” Ethan replied, leaning to meet my gaze through the car window. “My exhibition is in a few days.”
“Oh, right,” I replied with a grin, remembering now that Ethan had invited me to his art exhibit the first time we met. “I’ll be there.”
As I stood and turned back toward the penthouse, however, I saw that Asher was standing in the doorway… And he looked furious.
Tiffany
Ethan dropped Ella and I off at the penthouse. As I stood on the sidewalk, I had just promised Ethan that I would go to his art exhibit… But now, as I looked over my shoulder to see Asher standing in the doorway, I wished that I hadn’t.
Asher stormed toward us and took Ella by the hand, shooting me an angry look before stooping down to glare at Ethan through the car window.
“How many times do I have to tell you to stop coming to my home?” Asher growled. Before Ethan could respond, Asher turned on his heel and stormed inside with Ella jogging behind him to keep up on her tiny legs.
“Asher, what’s the matter?” I called, running after him. “The usual driver got stuck in traffic. You can’t seriously be that angry–“
The elevator doors open. Asher stepped in with Ella, and I followed. I could feel him avoiding my gaze as he pushed the button that would take us back up to the penthouse.
“What were you doing with him to begin with?” Asher snarled, quietly so as not to frighten Ella.
“I saw him at the orphanage. He volunteers there sometimes.”
“So you intentionally lied to me in order to go see him?”
I took a step back, shaking my head. “No. It was just a coincidence.”
All of a sudden, just as Asher was opening his mouth to say something else, Ella chimed in. “Please don’t be mad, daddy,” she pleaded, tugging on Asher’s pant leg. He took a deep breath, shutting his eyes for a moment, before stooping down and scooping her up into his arms. As he did, I could see the tension in his shoulders start to slip away.
“It’s alright, Princess,” he said, although there was still a hint of icy sharpness in his voice and in his gaze as his eyes flickered up to me.
The elevator doors slid open again into the penthouse with a ding. I lingered for a few moments, my heart pulsating as I watched
Asher carry Ella into the living room. He set her down and whispered something to her, to which she nodded and walked off to her room, before he turned back to face me.
“My office. Now.”
Reluctantly, I followed Asher to his office. I could feel the prying eyes of the maids and Selina on my back as I walked behind him, but I tried my best to ignore them. Once the door was shut behind us, I watched as Asher stormed over to the window; his shoulders were tense once more as he glared out at the view of the city below.
“All I ask is for you to listen to me,” Asher said, his voice low and controlled. “I’ve done everything I can to make you comfortable in this place. I even allowed you to attend a personal family gathering, and for some reason, you latch onto Ethan like your life depends on it.”
“You’re overthinking things,” I replied. I took a few steps toward Asher, but stopped in the middle of the room as he turned around to face me with fury in his eyes. “I never intended on seeing Ethan today. It really was a coincidence; you can ask Sophia, the director there, if you really don’t believe me. I spent an hour with the children today before Ethan ever showed up.”
Asher scoffed. “You claim that seeing him today was only a coincidence, but then you pull up to my home with him in the driver’s seat. Why couldn’t you have just waited for the driver to come to you?”
“Because I was afraid that you would lose trust in me again if I showed up late with Ella after what happened last time,” I replied.
“And what sort of trust do you think you would gain by going directly against my wishes and spending private time with Ethan?”
