In the Shadow of Marcus

Asher’s POV

I hated this part of the job—the never-ending meetings, the long, boring conversations, having to sit still around the conference table and pretend to pay rapt attention to whatever my brother was saying. I had to, however. It was part of my job. One of the reasons I envied Marcus was that he seemed to fit right into this place. The perfect son, the perfect CEO.

“From the analysis, Sterling Industries is set to experience a 15% increase in profit next month…”

I drowned out his ear-scratching voice, but I couldn’t deny that everyone else seemed to like it. My father sat at the head of the table, his face stoic. His silver hair was styled to perfection, not a single strand out of place. His intense eyes were fixated on the projector screen, and all the shareholders and foreign investors were focused on whatever Marcus was saying.

He was good at it; that was the truth I had always known. Being the second child was a lot harder when the first was so perfect. It was as if there