Page 5 of Twisted Truth

“The board has called an emergency meeting. We’re due in there in five minutes.”

I massage my temples. “Has Henry seen the article?”

“Of course he’s seen it. All of the board members have seen it. And I can tell you now, they are tired of your playboy ways, Asher.”

My father’s words don’t just extend to the board. They’re just as true for him and my mother. They’ve made no secret of their disappointment with my lifestyle. My father wants me to follow in his footsteps, and professionally, I am. If anything, I’m even more successful than he is, and I plan to not only continue the legacy of the Langford family, but to take it to even greater heights. But that’s not what he’s worried about. He wants me to follow in his footsteps, relationship wise as well. And that’s where we differ. I don’t know what he did to deserve my mother, but he was beyond blessed to find someone like her. Their story is like a real-life fairytale, and what I can’t get him to understand is that he is an anomaly. Fairytales like his and my mother’s are rare, and they don’t come along to just anyone. I’ve tried to tell him a relationship like that is just not in the cards for me. He refuses to listen.

Growing up as a Langford, everyone has always known who I am and what family I belong to. We’re one of the “old” families of New York. Our fortune was built over two centuries ago, and we were one of the lucky ones to continue to flourish through all the changes of the modern world. Now we own one of the largest companies on the planet, Langford Holdings, and our empire is known and revered globally.

But there’s a downside to that. Our family is often referred to as American royalty, and that is only heightened by the factthat my mother actually hails from aristocracy on her father’s side. She is from England, and is closely related to the British monarchy, so between my father’s family legacy, and my mother’s aristocratic title, our family is about as famous as you can get. There’s very little privacy and very few opportunities to interact with people who don’t already know who I am and who don’t already have motives and money signs flashing in their eyes the minute they meet me.

A decade ago, after a string of girlfriends that would literally try to do anything to become a “Mrs. Langford,” I gave up on finding love. Fun and casual is all I have offered women since. And now that I’ve spent ten years tasting the variety of beautiful women this world has to offer without the burden of worrying about relationships, I can’t imagine anything else. Why settle down when I can have almost any woman I want whenever I want? Marriage is an outdated institution, and I don’t need it. No matter what my father thinks.

Sighing, I follow my father into the boardroom. The tension in the air is thick with anger and disappointment as I take my seat at the head of the table, with my father to my right and brother Declan to my left. My brother Sterling heads up our London office, so his face appears on a screen at the back of the room. My family’s presence brings me a little solace. At least I have them to back me. They may be pissed at me, but they would never betray me. We are Langford’s above all else, and family and legacy is our unspoken motto.

Down the table from me, Henry’s expression could melt iron. He’s glaring at me with every ounce of hate he has in him, and I can’t exactly blame him. I feel awful. I never would have slept with Charlotte if I’d known she was married, and I especially wouldn’t have slept with the wife of one of our board members. But I’d had no idea. Henry is in his early sixties, and Charlotte is in her early thirties, so it never even occurred to me that she could be his wife. Not that it’s any excuse. As my fathersaid, I’ve not been in the best habit of looking into the women I sleep with before I sleep with them. That habit has bitten me in the ass more than once.

But never as bad as this.

“I presume you’ve seen the article,” Janet, one of the oldest members of the board, says.

“I have. And while I will make no excuses for my behavior, I do want it on the record that I had no idea Charlotte was Henry’s wife.” I look at Henry. Shames settles low in my gut, and I don’t really know what the hell to do to make this better, but I have to try something. “I would like to formally apologize to you, Henry. You have my deepest regrets. I am truly sorry that this happened. I will do what I must to make whatever amends I can.”

“How kind of you,” Janet says, her words dripping with sarcasm. “But I’m afraid, we as the board, have come to a crossroads. Your behavior is often splashed across the media, and in the past, we’ve chosen to look the other way because some of that attention can bring in revenue and free marketing. But of late, that attention is causing as much damage as it does revenue.

“The news outlets are having a field day as we speak. Your name, Henry’s and Charlotte’s names, and Langford Holdings’ reputation are now splashed across all types of media. Our reputation is being questioned and dissected by our competitors, and even by our own subsidiaries. My office has received call after call this morning from our companies demanding answers. Not only does the article have proof of your affair with Charlotte, but it heavily implies that you pressured her into the affair. That type of predatory behavior is no longer glossed over. The public is practically calling for your head.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“That part is completely untrue,” I say with as much dignityas I can muster. “Charlotte propositioned me, not the other way around.”

Henry’s eyes look like they might bulge from his head.

“Be that as it may,” Janet says, “this is not a simple PR problem. This is not going to just blow over. We are going to have to address this directly.”

“Whatever we need to do, you will have my full cooperation.”

“This is not going to be a simple one-off apology. That’s not enough anymore. You will completely fix your reputation,” Janet says. “Your days as a playboy are done. The public needs to see you settled down. No more lavish parties, no more flings, no more irresponsible sexual exploits.”

“Okay, I’ll tone it down. I’ll be more discreet.”

“Oh, no. We’re done with your idea of discretion. We’ve fired your PR team since they obviously aren’t up to the task of handling you, and we’ve compiled a new one for you.”

I raise my brows. The board has never been this aggressive. I own a good chunk of the company, so there isn’t much they can really do to me. Their votes combined still account for less ownership than my portion alone. But I don’t want to throw that around with them all seeing red.

“The head of your new PR team has suggested an idea that we have all agreed upon. It’s brilliant, and we feel it’s the only answer to clean up this mess.”

“And what is that?”

“Something the public will salivate over. Asher Langford, New York’s most eligible bachelor, settled down and in love. The media frenzy of you in love and in a serious relationship is the only thing that will bury this story.”

“In love? With whom?”

Janet sets a piece of paper down on the table and slides it toward me. “Here is a list of high society heiresses for you to consider. Any of them would be appropriate. The PR team hasdevised a timeline for you to follow. You will pick one of these women,one,” she stresses, holding up a finger. “And you will go on your first date within the week. Over the coming weeks and months, you will be photographed at various public events that have been added to your calendar. You are to look in love and besotted with whoever it is you choose. And by the end of this year, we would like a proposal. We won’t force that step, but it would be beneficial for you and the company if you were to do so.”

I blink, and awhooshingsound thrums through my ears. I come back to myself. “You expect me to just pick a woman off a list, date her, and propose to her within the year?”

“That’s exactly what we expect.”