Virgin Dot Com Novel

[Jasmine's POV] Liam's villa looked exactly the same. Clean lines, floor-to-ceiling windows, city lights spreading out like they were mocking me. But walking through that door felt like crossing into enemy territory where the enemy was my own fucking choices. Every step forward was another step away from Leo, and the guilt was a living thing in my chest, clawing and biting and reminding me that good sisters don't do this. Good sisters don't choose three men over their baby brother. Liam grabbed my bag while Finn appeared at my elbow with that grin. "Come on. Your room's waiting.

Let's get you settled." I followed him upstairs. Second floor, third door on the left. The room that used to be temporary and now felt permanent in a way that made my stomach twist. Because permanent meant I'd really done it. Really chosen them. Finn set my bag down and immediately started unpacking like it was a performance. Holding up my sweatpants like they were designer gowns. "The sacred loungewear. The holy-wait, is this lace?" He held up my bra, eyebrows raised. "Jasmine, I had no idea you-" "Finn." Gray voice. His smile died.

The mask slipped, and underneath was something that looked too much like what I was feeling. He set the bra down like it was fragile, turned to face me fully. "I get it," he said, quiet and serious in a way that Finn never was. "What it's like when a family splits apart." The words punched through my defenses. I stared at him. "What do you mean?" His jaw went tight. Something flickered in his eyes. Old damage. The kind that never stops hurting. "I'll tell you about it sometime. When you're ready." The air felt heavy.

Two broken people standing in a room full of unpacked bags and choices we couldn't take back. Then he shook his head, and the grin was back. Forced. "But right now, the boys are downstairs trying to feed you. Liam's probably burning shit and Asher's being a pretentious dick about it." My throat went tight. "Thanks, Finn." "Anytime, gorgeous." The wink didn't reach his eyes. "Come on. Before you disappear on us." Downstairs smelled like garlic and carbon. Liam stood at the stove looking annoyed while Asher leaned against the counter with wine, enjoying the show.

"It's not burned, it's caramelized," Liam was saying. "It's fucking charcoal," Asher replied, smooth and amused. I sat at the island. They served me pasta that was decent despite the burnt edges. For maybe two minutes, it felt almost normal. Like I was just having dinner instead of sitting in the ruins of everything I'd destroyed. Then Asher set down his fork. Business mode activated. "We need to talk about tomorrow." My stomach dropped. "You need to come back to work," Liam said, gentle but firm. "Hiding makes it worse." "We need to resolve this fast," Asher added.

"Force everyone to admit they set us up. Control the narrative." "Otherwise?" Because there was definitely an otherwise. Liam's jaw tightened. He looked at Asher. The silent communication that meant bad news. "Otherwise the elder Blackwood gets involved," Asher said. "And we'll have problems." "The elder Blackwood?" "Our father," Liam said. "Finn's uncle." "He bankrolled Cadence Records from the ground up," Finn added, all humor gone. "And he's a fucking shark. The kind that destroys everything in his path." Great.

So if we didn't fix this, daddy dearest would show up and make everything worse. Perfect. "I'll handle the lawyers," Finn said. "Make sure they do their job in the best possible way." "We need to bring in a PR team," Asher added, already three steps ahead. "Twist this whole situation in our favor." "For hype?" Finn asked, that calculating look appearing. "That's a good idea," Liam said. They kept talking. Strategy. Timelines. Damage control. And all I could think about was walking back into Cadence Records tomorrow. Facing everyone who'd seen those photos.

Everyone who knew I'd fucked my way into this situation. "What am I supposed to do?" Came out smaller than I wanted. Three sets of eyes on me. The weight of their attention. "I can't just walk back in there like nothing happened." Panic rising, clawing up my throat. "How am I supposed to look at people? How am I supposed to face Nora?" Nora... Jesus. She'd been calling and texting for days. Worried. Concerned. Trying to help. And I'd ignored every single message because I didn't know how to explain that I was exactly the girl everyone thought I was.

The one who slept with her bosses and destroyed her relationship with her brother for three men who made her feel wanted. "Everyone knows," I said, fracturing. "They're going to look at me and see-" "They're going to see someone who did nothing wrong," Liam interrupted, firm and protective. "You don't have to worry about anything. You earned your position through your work. Your incredible strategy. Remember when you fucked up and then turned it in our favor? We're going to do the same thing now." "Mm-hmm, I remember," Asher said, something like admiration in his voice.

"Yeah, that was some next-level damage control," Finn added with a grin. "You basically turned a disaster into a promotional opportunity. Very hot, by the way." Despite everything, I felt a flicker of something. Not hope. Maybe just the memory of being competent. Of being more than just the girl who raised her brother and fucked her bosses. But then reality crashed back. Everyone would whisper. Nothing they said could change that. "Tell me," Liam said, voice softer now. "What do you need right now to feel better?" I looked at them.

At Liam's green eyes promising protection he couldn't guarantee. At Asher's intensity barely containing whatever he was feeling. At Finn's seriousness that said he understood breaking. "You," I whispered. Confession and condemnation. "I need all of you." They moved. Chairs scraping. Bodies converging. Liam reached me first, hand cupping my face, and when he kissed me it was slow and claiming. Anchoring me when everything else was chaos. I kissed him back desperately. Violently. Trying to consume the feeling of being chosen.

Trying to drown the voice screaming that I was selfish and terrible and exactly the sister Leo had feared I'd become. I let him-because being taken apart felt better than holding myself together. Finn's fingers in my hair, voice dropping. "We've got you. We're not going anywhere." The promise highlighted everything Leo had said. That I was choosing them. Trading him for this. They guided me upstairs, and I followed because I didn't know how to do anything else. Virgin Dot Com