You’re like myLittlesister
1352 Words
Asher blinked, recovering his composure.
“Theresa...” he began, taking a step back. “Never do that again. You’re like my little sister.”
“It’s Tessa,” she snapped, regretting her harsh tone. “Please don’t call me Theresa. Look, it was a mistake. A silly, impulsive mistake.” She cringed at what she had just done. “I’m sorry. Just forget it ever happened.”
Asher stared at her with an inscrutable expression. “If you say so.”
An uncomfortable silence stretched between them. After what felt like an eternity, Asher spoke again. “It’s been a long day. I think I’ll head home to crash.” He flashed a tired smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, kid. We all do dumb things sometimes.”
Kid. That stung because he was only seven years older! Tessa could only nod mutely, her throat feeling tight.
Asher patted her shoulder in a brotherly gesture that made her skin crawl before heading for the door.
“Goodnight,” she called after him, hating how small her voice sounded. He waved without turning around as he stepped out.
As soon as the door closed behind him, she let out a groan of frustration and kicked the trash can hard across the kitchen. It went flying and hit the cabinet with a loud clang.
Why did she have to kiss Asher? Of all people!
Maybe with enough distracting chores and Netflix episodes, the renewed pain in her chest would fade. It had to, right?
*****
Asher woke up to an incessant buzzing the next morning that seemed to penetrate his very skull. Groaning, he fumbled blindly for his phone on the bedside table.
Squinting at the bright screen, he saw over a dozen missed calls and more text messages waiting.
“What the hell?” He muttered, instantly awake but wondering what on earth was going on.
A video call request came through his tablet, and when he saw it was his mother video calling, he immediately felt a pit in his stomach.
Swiping to accept the call, his parents greeted him, staring sternly through the screen.
“Mom, Dad, what’s wrong? Did the world end overnight?” He joked weakly, though their grave expressions told him this was no time for humor.
“This isn’t a joke, Asher,” his father said firmly. “You’re trending in the news again.”
Asher sank back against the pillows. “When don’t I make the news for good or bad? What did I do this time?”
His mother pressed her lips into a thin line. “There are videos circulating online. Videos of you intimately involved with some unknown woman.”
Asher blinked, furrowing his brows. “Intimately? Like making out, or...?”
“Much more than that, Asher.” His father’s disapproving scowl deepened the lines on his face. “You’re trending number one worldwide for a s*x tape leak.”
Asher’s blood ran cold. This had to be some kind of sick joke. “Whoa, whoa, back up. You’re saying I have a s*x tape?”
Before his parents could respond, another call beeped into his phone from his publicist, Riley. Asher muted his call with his parents and accepted Riley’s.
“Riley, please tell me my folks are overreacting. Tell me there’s no way in hell I’ve got a real s*x tape out there.”
Riley’s sigh came through loud and clear. “I’m afraid it’s even worse than they said. Whoever leaked this knew what they were doing; the video quality is clearly Hollywood blockbuster. And it shows a lot more than just sex.” Her voice dropped lower, sounding apologetic. “Asher, it looks like you’re snorting coke off this woman’s bare ass.”
“Riley, I swear on my life, I have never done coke or had s*x on camera! Who is this woman? Where the f**k did the footage even come from?”
“No one knows who she is yet. The video has clearly been edited; there are no identifying features. But it’s gone totally viral, picked up by every major outlet. Your name and face are plastered everywhere.”
Riley sighed again. “I’m doing damage control, but this isn’t something we can spin or deny our way out of. We have to get to the bottom of where this came from and prove it’s fake.”
“The f**k? That’s way over the line. You know what? Do what you can and keep in touch.”
“Asher? Son, are you still there?” His father’s concerned voice broke through his thoughts as he unmuted the call.
Asher ran both hands roughly through his hair, struggling to process this insanity. As he lowered them, a Twitter notification caught his eye—his name was trending.
Sure enough, “Asher Cross” topped the list, accompanying a barrage of headlines: “Is Asher Cross’s career over?
‘Hollywood Heartthrob’s cocaine-fueled s*x scandal!’, “WATCH: Asher Cross caught on camera with mystery woman!” Clicking the video link, he froze in horror.
He watched, nauseated, as fake him snorted lines off the woman’s ass; her face blurred. Except for that writing tattoo on her waist...
“NORA?!” he screamed aloud without meaning to. His parents stared in startled confusion on the phone.
“Son, what on earth?” his father began.
“It was that b***h, Nora!” Asher yelled, his frustration exploding. “We hooked up a while ago and had a fight. She must’ve secretly filmed this with some other dude!”
“Look!” his father exhaled. “That doesn’t even matter. We were going to talk about your frivolous relationships with these different ladies before now. And we have already decided that you settle down with one woman or risk losing your inheritance.”
“What? Do you realize what you’re saying?!” Asher angrily asked.
His father’s eyes hardened. “We mean every word, son. This nonsense has gone on long enough.”
His mother nodded. “It’s time to grow up. Settle down and clear your name, or say goodbye to your inheritance. It will go to your cousin instead.”
Hand the family business over to that weasel, his cousin, Nathan? Over his dead body. He had worked years and years for all he had acquired. He opened his mouth to protest, but his father cut him off.
“Make this right and find a wife, or the board will vote to remove you as heir by month’s end,” he said coldly before ending the call.
Asher stared at the phone in shock. An ultimatum was the last thing he expected in this already stressful situation.
Before he could even process what to do about the scandal or his parents’ demands, Asher was dialing the only person he felt he could trust right now—Tessa’s older brother Daniel. Although they had grown slightly apart in recent years due to distance and work, they were still best buddies.
The call connected after only two rings, and Asher explained the whole situation.
Daniel sighed. “Your parents may have a point about marrying to save your image.You have to find a wife ASAP. Got any idea who you could marry just for show?”
“Are you f*****g kidding me? Of course not!”
“Then you gotta start auditioning or something. While your PR team tries to prove the video is fake, you gotta make the public believe you have a serious love interest.”
Asher gave a frustrated sigh, dragging a hand over his face.
“I think I’m losing my damn mind already.”
“Don’t yet. Remember, whoever you’re choosing has to be someone unknown to the public eye, someone you’ve never been seen with before.”
Asher racked his brain as he paced by his window. At that moment, he caught sight of Tessa in her own window, and a crazy idea formed in his mind.
Wait, could Tessa be the answer to his problems?
- Writer
