A Woman Worth Billions Dated the Wrong Brother novel Chapter 55

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Gala

That same night, grandfather stayed with the children.

Jason and I had a different battlefield to attend.

A gala.

My company was still new to the market.

Even with media exposure, I could not afford to appear arrogant or inaccessible to established corporations.

Reputation, especially in this city, was currency.

And when Pamela informed me we had been formally invited to the city’s Public Image Restoration Fundraiser-

I couldn’t refuse.

The irony wasn’t lost on me.

The last event of this scale I attended…

I was on Oscar’s arm.

Smiling. Decorative. Silent.

His fiancée.

Tonight-

I represented my own company.

And I would walk in as a CEO.

Side by side with my husband.

We dressed at the hotel.

The penthouse suite overlooked the skyline, lights glittering like ambition itself.

Our clothes had already been prepared.

Jason’s tuxedo – tailored charcoal with subtle satin lapels. Clean. Controlled. Powerful.

My gown hung near the window.

Navy green. 5

Structured. Elegant. Unapologetically commanding.

The corset bodice sculpted my waist, the silk catching light with every movement. The skirt fell in liquid lines to the floor, with a slit high enough to whisper confidence without screaming for attention.

I stepped out of the dressing room.

Jason was adjusting his cufflinks.

He looked up.

And stopped.

Completely.

His fingers fruze mid-motion.

For a moment, he didn’t say anything.

His gaze moved slowly – From my shoulders… To my waist… To the curve of my hips….

And back to my eyes.

“Jason?” I asked lightly.

He exhaled.

“That dress,” he said quietly, “is dangerous.”

I arched a brow.

“To who?”

His eyes darkened.

“Anyone who underestimates you.”

I walked toward him slowly, heels whispering against marble. 1

“You’re staring,” I noted.

“I’m appreciating,” he corrected.

The air between us shifted.

It wasn’t contractual. It wasn’t strategic. 1

It was awareness.

Raw and unspoken.

He stepped closer, adjusting a strand of hair that had fallen against my shoulder.

“Last time you attended something like this…” he began.

“I wasn’t in control,” I finished.

His jaw tightened slightly.

“You were displayed.”

Yes.

I remembered standing beside Oscar while he discussed deals over my shoulder.

Remembered the subtle glances from women measuring me. Men dismissing me.

I had been an accessory.

Tonight-

I was leverage.

Jason offered his arm.

“Ready, Mrs. Asher?”

The title no longer felt heavy.

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“Yes,” I replied softly.

We entered the ballroom together.

Cameras flashed immediately.

The murmur started like a ripple.

“She’s here.” “With Jason.” “They look-”

Different.

We did look different.

Not scandal. Not damage control.

Power.

I could feel the shift.

The way conversations paused.

The way eyes recalculated.

Jason didn’t walk ahead of me.

He didn’t guide me like a possession.

He matched my pace exactly.

Side by side.

Board members approached.

Established CEOS.

Old money families.

Polite smiles. Careful curiosity.

“Mrs. Asher, congratulations on your recent acquisition.”

“Thank you.”

“We heard about the transportation merger.”

“Yes,” Jason answered smoothly, “we’re investing together.”

Not funding.

Investing.

I caught Clara’s wording echoing in his voice.

Subtle.

Intentional.

Effective.

Whispers spread faster than champagne.

“Together?” “So Sol Management is backing her?” “No- they’re partnering.”

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Exactly.

Across the room, I noticed familiar faces from years ago.

The same people who once ignored me.

Tonight, they approached first.

And then-

I saw him.

Oscar.

Standing near the balcony, out on bail, waiting for his trial.

Watching.

His gaze swept over my gown.

Then to Jason’s hand resting lightly at the small of my back.

Possessive. 1

Protective.

Equal.

Oscar’s expression tightened.

He remembered the last time we stood in a ballroom together.

He had been the center.

I had been the addition.

Now-

He was observing.

And I was being approached.

Jason leaned slightly closer to my ear.

“He’s staring.”

“I know.”

“Does it bother you?”

I considered the question.

“No.”