A R C H E R P O V
We stood back to watch Sasha with her brother, and I've never encountered the softer side of her before.
The way she cares about her brother, and shows him love. It's truly a shame there's such an age gap between them. Pleased that Aston is only two years older than me, and we have our odd disagreements, but we never fall out.
Her dad offered us a drink, so we're polite, but I couldn't understand why he told her he didn't have room for her. He seems a nice guy, but her stepmother is a little strange.
Aston noticed she liked everything to be perfect. Like she had to prove she was better than everyone.
It caused me to think when the stepmother said she'd read about the lavish parties my parents throw, and what Sasha said is making sense.
Just watching all these people, they all appear like stiff upper-class rejects, apart from her father, who seems down to earth. "Sasha, could I have a word, please?" Her father says when stepping closer to us.
She stands to glance at him.
He peers at us and pulls Sasha a few steps away from us. We could still hear him. "Mya wants you to leave before the cake comes out." "Dad, I told Carter I would stay. He asked."
I tilt my body to glance at Aston as he shakes his head. "Sweetheart, it's nice you showed up, but she's afraid you'll say or do something in front of her friends to show her up." I couldn't believe what he's asking Sasha, his own daughter.
Sasha glances over at us, shakes her head. "Not you too. I expect this from Ruth, but not you. What the hell did I do for you to hate me so much? It was you who walked out on my birthday." She wipes her eyes.
Her father steps back, shaking his head. "There's no reasoning with you when you're in a rage. You need to leave, and I'll phone you." Pass my glass to Aston, about to step over to Sasha, but her mouth just had to open, spilling out all that rage.
She gazes right at her father with the whites of her eyes. "I'll leave and don't ever contact me again. It's all your fault I'm like this. You're the one who left me with her. I was sitting at the table staring at my cake, waiting for you to come home. It was my tenth birthday, and Ruth laughed. She picked up the cake, threw it in the bin, and glanced back at me, telling me you had left me. Then she told me it was my fault you left and how I ruined her life. Every fucking day she would tell me I was a waste. That's when I snapped and left the house for a month. She never searched for me or wondered where I was nor did you." Everyone is staring over at us, and her father bowed his head in shame.
It's no wonder Sasha is full of rage with what she's gone through. "Sasha, I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't know you left your mother, and she wouldn't let me near you. Your mother had no right to tell you it was your fault. It was mine I had an affair and fell in love all over again with Mya. I never wanted to hurt you. When you came to me to sign the pro contract for junior boxing. I wanted you to follow your dream. I attended every boxing match and could recognised the rage but also the passion for it. Then your mother turned ballistic, and the judge said your mother had full custody. I tried my hardest to get it overruled but it didn't matter how much money I threw at my lawyers to get me what I wanted your mother won." Sasha steps away from him.
She glances at us and moves away, then halts in her stride, and twists when she gets to the door. "Dad, you can continue playing happy families. But don't you ever contact me again. You're dead to me." Rubbed my face, I couldn't believe she said that.
Placed the glass on the table and followed her to the limo. Aston isn't far behind after her stepmother wanted to talk to him.
***
We're in the limo heading back to the penthouse. "We should invite a few friends over tonight," I say to Aston. "Just what we need." He says.
Sasha is staring out the window, not even listening to us. She didn't have a good upbringing at all. Just can't understand how her father lives like he does, but never provided for his daughter.
Glanced at Aston, he nods at me. "Sasha, your father's got a nice house." She faces me. "It was his parent's house which was left to him. My father's got money and Mya was his secretary. He didn't tell you that, did he?" Stared back at Aston, who glanced around me to peep at her.
"That's how our parents met." He tells her. "I know, but they don't act fake. Mya was a nobody when I first met her. When she married my father, she began to spend his money like water. My father got angry with her and almost lost everything because of her." Shake my head.
She tilts her body to stare at me. "My father told her to stop spending, or the money would be gone. She didn't listen and dad lost it all. Grandad flew into a rage calling her a gold-digger. He helped my father out and he got back on his feet, but he gives her an allowance each week. Plus, my granddad had her sign a prenup. He was a guy I admired. Then he died on my birthday and a year later my nanna died on my birthday. So, my birthdays aren't for celebrating. And every year something happens that I have no control over. This year I found my boyfriend in bed with a girl. Last birthday I was working with you all night doing the reports and the year before was the year my flat got raided by mistake." We gaze at her with our mouths agape.
***
Guided Sasha to a room, and she's been there ever since. Aston and I are in the kitchen talking. "I'm her boss. It feels wrong having her stay here. She needs her own place." I regret even asking Sasha to stay, knowing how it can complicate the situation between us.
"Archer, you do cause me to chuckle at times." "What did her step mum want?" He picks up his cup and takes a seat. "Sasha's right there are fake people out there. She wanted phone numbers for the caters our parents use. Reckon, she's attempting to outdo her neighbours." I laughed.
It got me thinking. "You just gave me an excellent idea. I need to speak to mum and get her to invite them to one of her lavish parties. Sasha will be there, and they'll notice that she's no different with our parents." I smiled with the thought of putting her stepmother in her place.
"You could be playing with fire. But our mother is always the party animal, and she likes to have fun. Guess it's time they understand how billionaires have a party." Aston says, and high five.
We haven't done that in a while, not since we were at Uni, and he was in his last year. We saunter to our rooms to prepare for the party we're having. I'm in the shower when Aston steps into the bathroom. "Do I ever get any time alone from you?" He smirks at me.
"We have guests." Shoot him an expression. "It's too early for guests." Wipe the soap from my eyes and rinse myself to step out.
Grab a towel to wrap around my waist, and stepped into the bedroom to have mum and dad standing there gazing at me. "This is unexpected." I say, and glance over at Aston, who makes the shape eyes at me.
Instructing me to shut up. "We need a family meeting. Get dressed, we'll wait in the lounge." They leave. "What the fuck." I glance over at Aston. "I'm in the dark, just like you." Sighed loudly and got dressed.
***
Stepped into the lounge. "What the hell were you thinking, sending Sarge to Africa?" My father shouts, and I halt in my stride at his raged tone.
Sasha steps out from the hallway. "You need to sit too. You're part of this family, and it's you that got us in this mess." My mother smirks.
"Tyler." My mother utters, and he paces the lounge. "Tyler." She yells at him; he shoots her an eye. "You need to apologise to Sasha; you don't speak to her that way." My mother scolds him.
He bows his head. "Sasha, I'm sorry. Violet is right. She's always fucking right." My mother grins.
Our father stops and stares at us. "Please tell me what the fuck happened?" My father asks again.
Sasha took her mobile out and passed it to my mother, who burst out laughing. "Oh, my. The poor guy. Sasha, I feel sorry for you. You must've felt sorry for him." They burst out laughing. "My god, I've eaten a sausage bigger than that." My mother adds, still laughing.
My father shoots her a glance.
Glanced at my brother, not sure if I should say something. "Right Tyler, sit and I will tell you." "Vi, come on. They need to learn." "They're adults, and you're treating them like children." He gives my mother his puppy eyes. "That'll not work. Tyler, they took care of business, and that's all that matters." Our father pulls our mother onto his lap.
"I hate it when you're always right. You are very fucking sexy. Cockteaser." I coughed and they stared at us.
They stand, my father lifts my mother, and she wraps her legs around him. "We should leave and let you get ready for your party." My father says and they leave.
Glanced at Aston, he smiles. Watched Sasha amble back to her room. "Why don't you speak to her?" Aston asks me. "I don't know what it is, but she's driving me crazy. The more I know about her, the more. I don't know. She knows everything about me. The wine I drink, the food I like. Collects my dry cleaning, gets my breakfast in the mornings. She knows more about me, and I'm only just getting to know her after three years of working for me." He laughs at me while advancing to the other spare room.
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