Page 110 of Twisted Truth

“I know, sweetie. It’s clear from the photos that you two are quite connected, but I worry about you.”

“Your face is even splashed across the media over here in the UK,” Maya chimes in. We’re on our weekend family catch up call. “And that’s saying something. The UK has a general disdain for most things associated with America, so if they’re printing about you, you’ve officially made it on a global scale.”

“Don’t forget about Catherine,” I say. “She still technically carries a noble status from over there.”

“But she defected to America, so feelings about her are mixed.”

“Yes, but the UK still pays quite close attention to her and her sons.”

“And that attention is a bit worrying,” my mother says.

I sigh. “There’s nothing I can do about it. Dating Asher puts me in the spotlight.”

My mother’s brows pinch. “I hate to ask it, but someone has to . . . is he worth it, Ella? Is your loss of privacy, the risk to your safety, and your lack of anonymity worth it? I can’t imagine dealing with all of this for someone who wasn’t incredibly special. Because, sweetie, I don’t think it’s worth it unless he’s the one.”

I open and close my mouth. I still can’t tell my mother and Maya the truth. Not because I don’t trust them, but because I’m paranoid and worry what could happen if I was hacked. If someone in the world got hold of a video of me telling my mother that dating Asher was a publicity stunt, I don’t know how either Asher or I could come back from that. I have to approach all of my conversations with them as if this is all real—which makes it messy. And I hate it, not just because I’m lying to the people I love most in the world, but because I need those people to talk through this with. This is all so complicated, and I’m like an island, wading through this on my own. And now I have no idea what to do about Asher’s proposal, and the two people I trust the most in the world are two people I can’t talk to because I can’t see them in person.

“I know he has a lot of money,” my mother continues, “and don’t think I’m not flabbergasted by the massive deposit you made to my banking account, but money isn’t everything. Money doesn’t buy peace or happiness. And he has a reputation, not just with the ladies, but for being a difficult person.”

“I hope you’ve learned by the headlines about me, that a reputation painted by the media is often far from the truth.”

“I know that, sweetie. But there are plenty of incriminating photos to go with the stories.”

“Innocent pictures can be twisted to look incriminating. I’m not saying Asher doesn’t have a past, and that some of his reputation isn’t deserved, but he’s certainly not the person the media makes him out to be.”

“But is he worth it?”

I bite my lip. If thiswasreal, if Asher and I were in love, would he be worth it? It takes me no time to think about it.

“Yes. He’s worth it.” He may be flawed. He can be rude, possessive, domineering. But beneath all of that, when Asher is stripped down to just him—he’s an amazing person. “He can be difficult, yes. But not in the way people think. He’s stubborn and a control freak, but it comes from a good place. I’m not with him because of the money, I’m with him because of who he is.”

My stomach flip-flops, and my words smack me in the face because I know they’re both true and false. Iamwith him because of the arrangement, and that arrangement includes money. So technically I’m with him for the money. But if thiswasn’tan arrangement, my other words would hold all of my truth—and I would be with him despite the money. I would be with him because I see him for who he is, and I like what I see.

“He’s more than worth it,” I say, and my voice cracks with emotion.

“Okay,” my mother says, and she lets out a small sigh. “And if this goes on long term, if heisthe one, and you marry and live a life together, are you prepared for what that entails? Are you prepared to have your life, your children’s lives, played out in the media? Are you prepared to have every step you take scrutinized for the rest of your life? Because it will be. For goodand for bad, if you stay with Asher, you will never know true privacy again. That is what you’re signing up for.”

I take a breath.

I close my eyes.

I don’t know how to answer her. Because it’s not real. Because this is an arrangement.

Asher has no intention of signing up for marriage and children. This isn’t a life together. But if it was . . . is this what I’d willingly sign up for?

Is he worth it?

Yes.

I want to curse myself for how easy it is to answer that question, especially for how little time I’ve known Asher. But I can’t deny that there is a real part of me wishing and dreaming that this was real. I want to give in to his proposition, and I want to push for more, because that part of me wants him for myself for real. And that makes me a very, very stupid woman.

“I’ll cross that bridge if it comes to it,” I say, both to myself and to my mother. “Asher and I are very new. There’s no point in worrying over a future when we’re just getting to know one another.”

“Maybe in a normal relationship, but this situation is anything but normal. You must keep these things in mind. The farther you fall, the harder all of this will be. And you can’t go into it blind. You must be aware that if things progress, it will affect you forever. I just want you to understand that.”

“I understand.”

“And you’re sure?” Maya asks.