The Love Of Money - S01 E189

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The Love Of Money - S01 E189

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 189

Emily enveloped me in a hug, pressing her warm body into mine as she held me close and whispered, "Thank you, Marcus." I could feel her warm tears slide between our cheeks and enjoyed the feeling of being close to her without having to endure any significant pain. "Thank you."

"Of course," I whispered back. "Anything she needs anything at all.

We held each other for a long moment, and when we finally pulled back, I reached up, cupped a cheek, and slid my thumb across it, removing a fresh tear. "What about you? The both of you, I mean?"

"We're just friends right now," Emily said. "There's been a little kissing, but I'm just her friend for now. That's what she needs."

"Good," I said, watching her closely. Despite all the heavy shit we'd just shared with each other, I could tell something was still weighing her down. "Is everything else okay?"

Emily's sweet smile faded into a look of utter despair. Her lower lip trembled. "They recast my part."

"What? Why?"

"Because I missed the first day of rehearsals," she said, trying not to sound too sad, but the look of devastation on her face was unmistakable. "The casting was close, and when I didn't show up on Monday, they brought in the other girl. She did a good enough job, so they're sticking with her."

My sister's career another casualty that was my direct responsibility.

I felt my spine stiffen. "No way! It's not fair"

She shrugged and tried to smile. "That's showbiz. On top of that, my rent is coming due, and one of my roommates moved out, so I'll have to ask Charlotte for a little extra time to make rent."

"Em, let me-"

"No, Marcus," Emily said, her voice firm. "You've done enough for me. I'm not about to let you pay my rent too."

"That wasn't what I was going to say," I protested. "Why don't you move in here?"

Emily shook her head and opened her mouth to say something, but it was my turn to cut her off. "No, listen. I have more rooms than I could ever use. Take one of them. It costs me nothing. You can come and go as you please and use whatever you want. This place is massive, so you'll have your privacy."

"I don't-"

"I've been thinking about this for a while. I know Mom and Dad won't take anything, but I'm going to pay off their mortgage at the very least and insist on giving them a trip wherever they want. Richie's insanely intelligent and is going to get a full scholarship, I know, but I'm setting him up with a safety cushion just in case, and I'm going to create a bank account under Haley's name and make sure she has funds that Jacob can't access. don't know what that'll do to my relationship with him, but that's a future problem. If I'm taking care of the rest of my family, why not you? Especially when you're the favorite anyway."

Emily simply stared back at me, her lips pursed as she contemplated my words while looking at me with those big, bright eyes.

"Let me do this at least... And let me talk to the theater. You lost the role because of me. Let me fix it."

Once again, she looked at me like was the second coming of Christ.

"If you weren't my brother, I would kiss you on the mouth," she breathed.

I didn't know what to say in response to that. Part of me wanted to slap her on the shoulder and tease her for saying something so obviously gross, but in response to her words, just so happened to look down at the generous amount of cleavage her tank top was showing off. I remembered seeing her naked, on her knees, and straddling Natashya. I recalled seeing her heavy breasts pulled high against her chest as she held her hair back.

"I take it that's a yes?" I said, stomping out the images forming in my head.

Emily stared at me for a long moment, looking like she might start crying again. Then she finally said, "You're a good man, Marcus." She blinked and looked away, and at that moment, she seemed like the vulnerable, tender little girl I had grown up with. That strange tension I felt between us was gone instantly, all I wanted

to do was hold my sister, so I did.