‘Are you sure you want to stay on at the company?’ he asked Leo.
He’d been astounded that Leo had stepped in to take over as CEO after their father’s death. When he considered that Hugh had refused to acknowledge Leo even after the DNA test had proven his paternity, the fact Leo had wanted to turn around the sliding fortunes of the company was impressive. Ash wouldn’t have been bothered to see the business fail. But the business supported so many other people...there was the rub. Leo had an intense sense of responsibility and honour that Ash respected. Though the fact that Leo had defiantly taken the Castle name while Hugh was alive enough to be apoplectic about it still made Ash smile.
Now Leo nodded. ‘I’m enjoying the challenge.’
Leo generally looked so serious; Ash wondered if he ever really enjoyed anything.
‘You have my full support, you know that, right?’ Ash grimaced. ‘If you ever need me to do something.’
‘I know.’ Leo sipped his coffee. Drinking strong coffee was a habit they shared. ‘You’re busy with your own empire though.’
‘That hasn’t stopped you managing two.’
Leo shot him some serious side-eye. ‘But I don’t have a social life or any other...distractions.’
Ash smiled and shook his head. Leo was a workaholic machine with no balance at all.
‘They’re not distractions.’ Ash tried to assume a semblance of his usual attitude. ‘They’re like mini-breaks. For medicinal purposes. All work and no play...’
But Ash didn’t believe his own words. He didn’t feel like having a social life ever again. Apparently he’d been cured of the penchant for frivolous one-night bursts of fun.
A frown furrowed Leo’s brow as he contemplated the depths of his coffee. ‘Actually...’ Leo suddenly glanced at Ash. ‘There’s a charity event at Kingston Towers tonight. Half of Sydney society is going to be there.’
‘Your ideal market,’ Ash noted.
‘But not my ideal night.’ Leo took a mouthful of coffee before releasing a sharp breath. ‘You don’t want to show up and help take the heat off me?’
Ash mirrored his half-brother and sipped the scalding black coffee to avoid speaking immediately. It was the first time Leo had asked him for anything, and it would be the first time in years that Ash showed up at a Castle Holdings event. It would be—in society and business pages—a notable occurrence.
His first impulse was to decline. Not because it was his father’s company—he saw it as Leo’s now. But because he’d felt a physical rejection inside at the thought of socialising. But he should accept. Maybe if he returned to his usual lifestyle, he’d feel better sooner. Maybe he’d made a mistake this week by staying isolated in his penthouse and at work. Maybe he needed to get back on the party horse...
That tearing ache in his chest widened. He finally recognised it as emptiness. And he knew speaking sassy nothings with a series of society babes on the never-ending party circuit wasn’t going to fill the void. But there was another reason, a far more important reason, to say yes.
He’d lived most of his life without knowledge of either of his half-siblings. Now he knew about them and, while Grace preferred not to engage, Leo was here. Maybe the two of them could make something more from the little they had between them? Ash could show up for Leo.
‘Sure,’ he said firmly. ‘What time should I arrive?’
Ash had regrets the moment he walked into the gorgeously decorated ballroom. The usual were present—the old money, the newly famous, the current influencers, the prettiest, the most ‘interesting’... Phones and cameras were everywhere—capturing the stunning set-up, glamorous make-up, fantastic food. Ash wasn’t hungry for any of it. But he could fake it with the best of them.
He had, he realised, been faking it for a long time now. Finally he realised everything he’d pushed so deep down for so long had floated back to the surface. And he had to face it. More than anything, he had to face what Merle had said to him. What she’d opened up in him. What she’d made him feel.
A sense of urgency swept over him.
He needed to go. He needed to—
Be there for Leo.
He slammed on his own brakes. He could build at least one better relationship in his life, couldn’t he?
He chatted to a few people before deciding he needed a glass of water to clear his head. On his way to the bar he passed by a redhead. He glanced again because there was something familiar in her slightly oddly angled stance. That was when he recognised her. She looked vastly different to the awkward girl who’d come to school all those years ago. With her black skirt and silk shirt and her hair tied back from her face, now she looked capable and confident.
‘Rose? What are you doing here?’ he asked before thinking better of it.
But she didn’t flinch or look embarrassed as he’d have expected from her. Rather her eyes widened and she actually smiled. ‘Ash Castle!’ she exclaimed. ‘It’s been ages.’
‘Yeah.’ He felt a little winded at her easy friendliness. Of all the people to bump into—why here and now after all this time? What was she doing here? ‘I’m sorry about what happened back at school,’ he suddenly blurted because it was right at the front of his mind. He instantly regretted it. What an idiot to bring that up in public.
Rose frowned in confusion, then he saw the penny drop. To his astonishment she actually giggled. ‘Oh, you mean that.’ She laughed again but then sobered and suddenly looked apologetic. ‘You poor thing, that must’ve been hell for you. Your mother was so unwell and none of us knew how bad it was.’
Um. Was she feeling sympathy for him?
‘Yeah, but I acted...’ He didn’t
