Ch27 - A doting dad

“JESUS CHRIST—idiots. Surrounded by fucking idiots!” Marcus slammed a hand on his desk, still seething.

He refused to believe that Julian—of all people—had suddenly turned into some faithful, reformed man. The guy had spent more than a decade playing around, and now he was supposed to have found moral clarity just because he got married? Please.

Marcus didn’t care about the marriage itself. What he cared about was stopping Julian from hitting the one-year mark—because that would trigger the family trust clause, and Julian would get his share of the company stock.

That was what Marcus couldn’t stomach.

I was the one who put in the work, who lived and breathed this company. And yet, it was Julian who’d get rewarded? It was bullshit.

As Marcus sat fuming, his secretary knocked. “Sir, Miss Allison Winthrop is here. She says she needs to speak with you.”

Allison? That made him pause. They hadn’t seen each other in a month—not since that dinner at his place that ended with a massive fight. Both too proud to apologize, both waiting for the other to cave. And now she’d shown up first? That was new.

“Fine,” he said, smoothing his tie and forcing the anger down. “Send her in.”

Moments later, Allison appeared in the doorway, perfectly polished as always, dressed in a Chanel suit with a tiny fascinator perched on her head.

Marcus eyed the hat. “What, heading to the races after this?”

“It’s called fashion, Marcus. You wouldn’t understand,” she shot back, rolling her eyes before gliding into the room and sitting down with deliberate grace.

He tilted his head, studying her. “Alright, what’s the angle? You’re acting weirdly polite today.”

They’d known each other too long for him not to notice. Usually, Allison came in like a storm—sharp, confident, never this… restrained.

He also remembered that her parents had recently hinted about wanting to cancel the engagement—but that talk had mysteriously gone quiet. As far as he knew, the wedding was still on track, set for two months from now. Soon enough, they’d be legally bound.

She coughed lightly behind her hand, her expression suddenly serious. “There’s something important I have to tell you.”

“Then just spit it out,” Marcus said, spinning a pen between his fingers, impatient.

But she didn’t speak. The silence dragged.

He looked up, brow arching. “You rush in here that early. just to stare at me? What’s with all the drama—you’re not usually this hesitant.”

Allison’s posture stiffened. Her usual air of superiority was still there, but her eyes flickered uncertainly. She lifted her chin, took a breath, and dropped the bomb.

“I’M PREGNANT.”

The pen slipped from his fingers and hit the desk with a clack.

For a full second, Marcus just stared at her, completely blank. Then the words hit him, detonating in his brain. His breath caught, and suddenly the room felt lighter, sharper—alive. He shot to his feet, gripping the edge of the desk. “YOU’re serious?”

His mind raced. Every thought he’d had about the trust, the shares, the damned unfairness—all of it vanished under the surge of exhilaration. If this was true, if she was really pregnant… that five percent was practically his.

But it wasn’t even about the percentage anymore—it was more what it meant.

Before he even realized it, he was moving—coming around the desk, kneeling in front of her like a man in awe.

Allison blinked, startled by how suddenly he’d gone soft.

He knelt there, his eyes fixed on her still-flat stomach, reverent in a way she’d never seen before.

“Last time you said there wasn’t… so how—?” His voice trembled just slightly, his usual composure gone.

Allison hesitated, lowering her gaze. “Last time was… a false alarm.”

Her voice was calm, the flicker of something in her eyes. Not joy. Not pride. Something more like… unease.

Marcus took a slow breath, eyes still fixed on Allison’s flat stomach. For a moment, his hand twitched—like he wanted to touch, then thought better of it and pulled back. The tenderness in the air made Allison tense; she didn’t know what to do with this version of him.

He finally looked up, voice soft but full of hope. “Do you know yet if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“It’s still too early. The doctor said we’ll need another two weeks for the blood test.”

“That’s fine,” he murmured, almost to himself. “Doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl. As long as you and the baby are healthy, that’s all that counts.”

If those words had come from anyone else, Allison might’ve been touched. Coming from Marcus, they only made her feel a strange mix of unease and irony.

He reached across and wrapped her hand gently in his. “About last time…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have treated you that way. Whatever happens, we’ll talk things through, yeah?”

Allison inhaled, then gave a small nod. His sudden warmth threw her off balance.

They’d known each other forever. Both had grown up knowing they’d eventually be matched—it wasn’t love, it was logistics.

In their world, marriages weren’t about romance. They were transactions—carefully negotiated alliances between powerful families. Feelings were optional; compatibility on paper was everything.

She didn’t hate Marcus, but their relationship was practical, not passionate. If her job in life was to marry for the family’s benefit, then it didn’t matter much who the groom was. Marcus just happened to be the most strategically valuable option.

He was the top contender to inherit Ashford Group, the pharmaceutical empire that dominated the industry. Tying herself to him meant the Winthrops would gain a direct line into one of the biggest supply chains in global biotech.

As an only child, Allison had always known she’d have to bear that responsibility. Her parents adored her, but the family’s interests always came first.

After her last fight with Marcus, her mother had called Mrs. Ashford within the hour, sternly hinting at a “possible withdrawal of the engagement.”

Allison knew better. That call wasn’t about breaking it off; it was leverage. And when her mother hung up, she’d delivered the same lecture as always—If Marcus comes to make peace, you let him. This marriage isn’t optional.

In other words: swallow your pride. The alliance between the Winthrops and the Ashfords was too big to jeopardize over a fight.

But Allison wasn’t her mother. She had her own ambitions. She planned to use this marriage to cement her influence within her own family business—to prove that a woman could stand her ground in a boardroom full of men.

And unlike her mother, she had no intention of being a decorative wife with no say in her own life.

She also wasn’t naive. She knew Marcus’s sudden devotion had less to do with love and everything to do with power. He’d suggested her to “getting pregnant” asap, desperate for the trust fund shares it would unlock.

Marcus’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Hey. What’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine.” Allison slipped her hand free. “I just came to tell you. That’s all. I’ll head out now.”

She reached for her purse and started to rise.

“Wait. I’ll drive you home.” Marcus moved to stop her.

“I have a driver,” she said curtly.

“At least let me walk you down. The office is crowded—you could bump into someone.”

Allison swatted him lightly on the arm with her bag. “God, listen to yourself. You sound possessed.”

He froze, half-smiling. “Still mad at me? What do I have to do to make it up to you?”

She’d never seen him like this—soft-spoken, almost pleading. All it took was the mention of a baby, and Marcus Ashford, the famously ruthless heir, had turned into a would-be doting dad.

Allison ignored him, turning on her heel. He immediately followed. “Careful—slow down,” he fussed as they reached the elevator.

When she finally slid into her car and buckled her seatbelt, he only relaxed once the door shut behind her.

Then he was already pulling out his phone, voice clipped and brisk. 

“Get me an interior designer,  someone good,  to start planning a nursery.. Hire a personal nutritionist, one who specializes in prenatal care. And I want two or three house staff lined up with childcare experience. Everything has to be top-tier—and keep all of this confidential for now.”