Hot Mess!

The knock came sharply against the door.

Once.

Then again.

The sound dragged Tasha from her sleep. She inhaled deeply beneath her white duvet before slowly releasing the breath, her brows pulling together in irritation.

Who the hell was knocking this early?

She was sprawled across her enormous bed, completely comfortable, her legs resting on a pile of pillows while her head occupied the spot where her feet should have been. A red sleep mask covered her eyes. Lazily, she raised one hand, her red-polished nails catching the morning light as she pulled the mask away.

Her dark-brown eyes fluttered open.

Sunlight poured aggressively through the floor-to-ceiling windows, flooding her luxurious bedroom with a golden glow that was far too cheerful for her liking.

Tasha swallowed and touched her forehead. She yawned. Then stretched her legs. The next thing she knew, she fell backward onto the bed.

Another knock sounded. “Tasha?”

She froze. She knew that voice. Her father. Her eyes widened.

Oh, hell.

Her father was here.

The same man she had promised to pick up from the airport yesterday morning. Tasha’s stomach tightened.

Her father was a business mogul who had spent the past six months travelling from country to country, closing international deals worth billions, sometimes even trillions of dollars. His flight was supposed to arrive at one in the afternoon.

One. Not morning. So why the hell was he standing outside her bedroom? When had he returned? And, more importantly, how long had she been asleep?

Tasha’s heart began pounding. She remembered the excitement in her father’s voice when they had spoken on the phone. He had sounded genuinely happy when she told him she would personally pick him up from the airport.

I can’t wait to see you, sweetheart.

Those had been his exact words. And now he was standing outside her door while she looked like she had been dragged out of a twelve-hour coma.

“Oh, God.”

She scrambled out of bed, desperately praying that the person outside only sounded like her father. She wanted to believe that. Because, for once, Tasha had actually wanted to prove she could be a good daughter.

But apparently, the universe had other plans. In her desperate attempt to get up quickly, her feet tangled in the duvet. She fell straight onto the floor.

“Damn it!”

The duvet came down with her.

“Perfect,” she muttered sarcastically. “Absolutely perfect.”

She pushed herself up, brushing her burgundy hair away from her face with her fingers. The expensive hair oil she had applied the previous evening still left a faint sheen between them.

She glanced around her bedroom. Designer bags were everywhere. On the floor. Across the bed. Near the dressing table.

Some were still sitting inside their shopping bags because she had been far too tired to put them away in her walk-in closet after returning home the previous night.

She had spent the entire day shopping with the girls, come home exhausted, and collapsed onto her bed without even eating a proper meal. Priorities. Tasha carefully stepped around the bags.

Her red silk pajamas hugged her dark skin as she hurried toward the door. She quickly wiped the corner of her mouth, just in case she had drooled in her sleep.

If that was her father standing outside, she absolutely did not want him knowing she had slept through his arrival. It was better for him to think she had been productive. Busy. Doing something important. Anything was better than admitting she had slept until the middle of the afternoon.

She finally reached the door and unlocked it. The moment she pulled it open, her heart sank. It was him.

Her father stood before her, light-skinned and dressed casually in a white T-shirt and grey trousers. His expression was filled with concern.

“Daddy.” Tasha immediately forced a smile. “I didn’t know your flight would come so early. You know I was getting ready, and then something came up with the girls, and I swear I was going to be quick, but you know how things are. When you want to do something quickly, somehow everything starts taking longer.”

She laughed nervously. “How are you doing, Dad?”

Before he could answer, she stepped forward and hugged him.

The man smiled faintly. “I’m fine. Everything is good. At least the company is still living up to its reputation for being fast and productive.”

Tasha smiled. “That’s great to hear.” Her fingers instinctively intertwined. “Honestly, Daddy, I’m sorry I didn’t pick you up from the airport. Please understand.” Her expression became more serious.

Her father studied her for a moment before gently placing a hand against her cheek. “Shhh. I didn’t come here to scold you. I only came to check if you were okay. It’s almost three, and you still haven’t left your room. I almost thought you weren’t home until the staff told me you hadn’t gone out.”

Tasha’s eyes widened. “Three?” She blinked. “Almost three?” She swallowed. “Uh…” Her mind raced. She usually woke up around noon. One o’clock at the latest. But three? She couldn’t believe she had slept that long.

“I mean… I didn’t realize time had gone by so quickly.”

Her father chuckled.

“Your brother picked me up from the airport.”

Tasha’s smile disappeared.

Her brother? Of course. He had beaten her to it.

“And his girlfriend came along,” her father continued. “Honestly, I couldn’t be happier.”

Tasha frowned. His girlfriend. That girl.

The same girl who, in Tasha’s opinion, acted slow.

She looked at her father. “What do you mean, Daddy? When you say you couldn’t be happier?” Her tone carried obvious disapproval.

Her father laughed. “I mean I love their relationship. It reminds me of the relationship I shared with your mother.”

He paused, lowering his voice slightly as though he were sharing a secret. “Do you know they’re planning on getting married soon?”

Tasha’s expression barely changed. She didn’t care. Well, perhaps she cared a little. Mostly because her brother was actually considering marrying that girl.

“Well, he’s about to bring a child into the Damian family,” she said casually. “I just pray the child doesn’t take after the mother.”

Her father frowned.

Tasha took another breath. “Because if that child is as slow as she is, we’re going to need a lot of patience in this family.”

“Tasha.” Her father’s voice carried warning. “At least she isn’t trying to be like anyone.”

Tasha rolled her eyes. “I stated a fact, Dad.” She shrugged. “She comes off as… well, you know.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Anyway, good luck to Nick. I hope he has a happy married life.”

Her father sighed. He already knew his daughter would never get along with Vivian.

Sometimes, he wondered if Tasha’s hatred for the girl had less to do with Vivian herself and more to do with the fact that she and Nicholas simply did not get along.

“It’s lunchtime,” he said. “Be downstairs soon. Let’s have lunch together as one big family.”

Tasha immediately nodded. “Sure, Daddy.” She smiled brightly. “Oh, I missed you so much. I’ll be down in a jiffy.”

Her father smiled and turned away. He had barely taken two steps when Tasha suddenly called after him.

“Dad?”

He stopped.

Tasha hesitated. “Richard… did he come with you?”

Her father’s eyebrow lifted. “Richard?”

“Yeah. I mean, he’s your best friend, and he hasn’t been around the house lately. I just meant…” She stopped herself.

What exactly was she saying? Of course Richard hadn’t been around. Her father had been out of the country for months.

She cleared her throat. “I mean, how’s Richard?”

Her father looked at her for a moment before answering. “Richard is fine. As a matter of fact, he’s downstairs. He arrived not too long ago. We’re having lunch together.”

Tasha stiffened. “He’s downstairs?”

Her father’s smile widened. “Yes.”

Tasha swallowed. Richard was downstairs. The man she had missed more than she was willing to admit.Tall. Dark-skinned. Clean-shaven. Well-built. Older. Always dressed impeccably. And always wearing that intoxicating cologne she could recognize from across a room.

Richard was downstairs. Having lunch with them. Tasha felt warmth spread through her stomach. She definitely wasn’t missing this. Not for anything in the world.

“Okay… Daddy.” She tried to sound casual. “I’ll be down.”

Her father nodded before walking away.

The moment he disappeared down the hallway, Tasha closed the door. She turned around slowly. Her heart was beating faster than it should. She walked back to her bed and sat down, her hands resting at her sides as she inhaled deeply.

Richard.

Her thoughts wandered somewhere they absolutely had no business going. She quickly shook them away. No. She needed to get ready. She had to look perfect.

Hours later, Tasha finally descended the grand staircase. She had transformed.

Jewelry glittered around her neck and wrists. Her red glittering heels clicked against the polished marble floor with every step.

She wore a stunning red gown that hugged her curves and exposed her thighs, with a daring neckline that revealed just enough cleavage to make the dress impossible to ignore.

Her makeup was flawless. Her lips shimmer beneath a glossy red lip color. Her burgundy hair had been styled into soft waves that cascaded over her bare shoulders.

She looked as though she had stepped directly out of a fashion show. Her dark skin glowed below the chandeliers. And judging from the way everyone turned to look at her, she knew exactly what she was doing.

Tasha smiled. Then her eyes met Richard’s. He stood beside her father in a navy suit. For a brief moment, she forgot what she was supposed to say. He looked even better than she remembered.

Well. This lunch had suddenly become worth waking up for. She walked toward them with confidence.

“I hope I’m not late for lunch?” Her voice was sweet. She went straight to Richard. “Richard.”

She leaned forward and kissed both his cheeks. She had intentionally worn one of the most seductive perfumes from the world’s leading luxury fragrance house.

Richard smiled. “You look gorgeous. Just like your mother.”

His eyes briefly shifted toward his friend, Tasha’s father, who had never stopped talking about the woman he had loved.

Tasha shrugged. “Well, my mum is dead, so…”

The smile on Richard’s face faded slightly. Before anyone could respond, another voice cut through the room.

“Can we just eat now?”

Tasha turned.

It was Nick.

Of course.

Nick was sitting on the flamboyant couch, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “After waiting for hours for her to get dressed like she’s attending a major party?”

Tasha’s eyes narrowed. Oh. So he had chosen violence. Fine.

Vivian leaned toward him and whispered something in his ear before standing.

She wore a simple white dress that fell just below her knees. Her brown hair was clipped away from her face, and she wore little to no makeup.

Tasha’s eyes traveled over her. Then she smiled. “Oh.”

She looked at Nick.

“Too bad you can’t even advise your girlfriend to dress properly.”

Vivian’s face fell.

Tasha continued sweetly. “Don’t you buy her luxury clothes so she can actually dress impressively?”

Her eyes moved over Vivian again. “She always looks like you’re her boss.”

Nick’s brows lowered.

Tasha smiled innocently. “mean, it’s not difficult for an heir to an advanced technology company to brush up his girlfriend’s wardrobe, right?”

Her voice remained sweet, but the annoyance underneath it was unmistakable. How dare Nick embarrass her in front of Richard? She wanted to grab his chin and smack him across the face.

Nick’s expression hardened. Their father immediately stepped between the growing tension.

“Enough. We should have lunch.” The command ended the argument before it could become worse.

Tasha straightened her expression. She walked toward the dining room and pulled out a chair, deliberately choosing the seat opposite Richard.

If Nick wanted to ruin her mood, he had another thing coming.

Moments later, the food was served. Tasha glanced toward Vivian, who was helping the kitchen staff.

“Pour the wine for me.”

Vivian looked at her. Then nodded. “Sure.”

She picked up the bottle and carefully filled Tasha’s glass. Tasha watched her with a small smirk. She lifted the glass to her lips and took a slow sip.

Then she turned toward Nick. “Not sorry, but Nick…”

Everyone at the table looked up.

Tasha smiled. “Was she your employee before you decided to date her and make her your wife?”

The room went silent. Nick’s face immediately hardened. His eyes moved toward their father.

Their father was the only person who knew Nick was planning to propose to Vivian. The man’s expression fell. He closed his eyes briefly. Tasha noticed.

Her smile widened. “Oh…”

She raised one hand. “Now I’m sorry.” Her tone made it painfully obvious that she wasn’t.

“I was just curious.”

She lifted the glass to her lips again. The rich red wine touched her tongue. Tasha smiled.

“Perfect.”

She leaned back comfortably in her chair.

“Perfect red wine.”

Then she looked directly at Vivian.

“Unlike some people’s choice of outfit.”