Chase closed on the new house. He seemed excited. I felt…like I was going to cry.
The landline rang while Chase was in the shower. I would've never thought of answering it, but I was standing right there and checked the Caller ID in case it was Eric. It wasn't—but it was a number I immediately recognized. My heart stopped.
"Lila?" I answered the phone. "How did you get this number?"
"I have my ways," she said. "Besides, you told me never to use your cell phone again."
I took a deep breath, willing myself to calm down and simultaneously preparing for the worst. "What's up?"
"You haven't been in touch," she said, her tone wheedling. "I feel like you're cutting me out. You finally
got a piece of something nice, and now you don't want anything to do with me."
Actress, my head warned, but I still felt my heart wrench. "I'm sorry. I haven't done anything to try to hurt you on purpose. If it seems like I'm distancing myself, I'm only doing it to protect this job."
"You don't have to lie to me, you know. I think you care a lot about Chase. Admit it."
I would admit nothing of the kind to my sister. "I'm just trying to help him by making this look real. And to make enough money that I never have to hook again."
"When're you coming home?" she asked.
"I don't know." I didn't want to think about it.
"Well, I need more money between now and whenever that is."
"How much more?"
"Two million." Lila sounded casually defiant.
"Two million dollars?" She was insane. "You're kidding, right?"
"I am not kidding. Tell your pretend boyfriend I want two million dollars, or I'm going public with your story."
"Lila…you can't do this to me," I said, my voice strangled.
"I'm doing it for us," she said. "To protect our future."
I was shaking. My sister. My greedy fucking sister. "You can't go public and you know it. I told you I signed a confidentiality agreement. If we breach that, we won't get anything. I won't ever even get paid. And they'll come after us. Who wins then?"
"I want you to consider what I'm telling you. Because I'm not kidding," Lila said, her voice even. "Chase Layne has plenty of money. He doesn't need it. From what I've read, he gives to charities left and right. Let him give some of that money to us. And don't worry about your confidentiality agreement—this is blackmail. It isn't covered in some contract clause."
I felt like the floor was going to drop out from beneath me.
"I am not going to ask him for that amount of money. Over my dead body." My voice was shaking.
"You should think about what I'm saying," Lila said, her voice soothing. "It makes sense. We need to think about ourselves. An opportunity like this isn't ever going to knock again."
"You are not a charity case. It's time you grew up and stopped taking advantage of other people. Otherwise, you'll be a dirty old grifter before you know it. Just like mom." I struggled to catch my breath.
"Shut your mouth," she hissed, all pretense of soothing gone. "You do not dare talk to me like that."
"I'm probably long past due talking to you like this."
"It figures you'd bring up mom. You never had any sympathy for her. She was a junkie. She was sick. And you walked around like you were ashamed of her. You never loved her like I did."
"Shut up," I said, but deep in my heart, I worried that what she'd said was true. My mother had humiliated me. I thought of her addiction as a weakness, a fault.
But that guilt was my cross to bear. I couldn't let me sister use it against me right now.