25 | Just You and Me

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Why did people love making assumptions and judgments before they even knew the entire story?

"And onto our next topic— Alana Sommers."

"She sure is the talk of the town today, well, the entire world. Earlier today, news broke out about the world-famous singer's past— including some horrific details about her years growing up before she became the Alana Sommers we know and love today."

"That's right, Melissa— rather horrific indeed. Sources, which we will keep anonymous due to confidentiality and privacy purposes, say that she's been battling anxiety and depression for years, which is the complete opposite to what we see."

Privacy her ass. Where was this concern about privacy when it came to her?

"Even yesterday, she was spotted on a date with rumored boyfriend, Asher Pierce, co-CEO of Limitless Talent alongside his brother, Adrian Pierce, both big names in the industry."

"It makes us wonder what else she is hiding. Now, let's see what Twitter has to say."

"From what we see, Alana has been trending on Twitter at number 1 for the past couple of hours since The Daily Celebrity released that article. She certainly is getting a bunch of support from fans, the general public, and even a ton of support from fellow actors and artists in the entertainment industry, which certainly isn't a surprise because who doesn't love Alana?"

"Surprisingly, we are also seeing some backlash on The Daily Celebrity, saying that this was an invasion of privacy— a petition was even started to take down the celebrity news site. We also see some people on Twitter saying how the news conveniently came out right as her concert was announced, making them wonder if the news about her past was potentially leaked by herself or an insider to boost ticket sales— perhaps to garner sympathy."

Do these people not do their fucking research? First of all, that's fucking bullshit. Second, tickets were already sold out within seconds we put them up on the site. She wanted to chuck the remote at the TV.

"These are just some theories circulating Twitter right now, including ones about her tattoos, specifically that one on her wrist, but overall, we definitely do see a lot more support from the public. And from what we've gathered, Alana Sommers seems like a very private person— I personally don't think she would do that just for a few ticket sales."

"Me neither— I really think that this information was meant to be kept private and that someone somehow leaked it, perhaps to make a couple of bucks."

You think?

"Either way, we've seen from the past that Alana certainly is dealing with some sort of anxiety or trauma, especially when it comes to being seen on camera."

"Yeah, I completely agree with you, Melissa. I remember seeing her in distress and having panic attacks at the beginning of her career when she would get swarmed by the paparazzi. And based on what we learned, I can definitely understand why she reacted the way she had."

"Now, we've reached out to Limitless Talent, as well as Alana, herself, but so far we've received no comment. Her circle of friends has also remained radio silent. What do you guys think about this whole situation? Tweet us to let us know."

"When we come back from the commercial break, we will be discussing Alana's tattoos, specifically the rose on her wrist. Stay tuned for more!"

Gentle hands pried the remote control out of her tight hold, turning off the flat screen television as she continued to glare daggers at the now black screen.

"Don't listen to any of that, babe," Marianne said softly, placing the remote onto the table. Alana closed her eyes, sinking down onto the plush couch in Adrian's office, feeling utterly exhausted mentally.

She was taken back to a few months ago, where they had gotten a tip from an insider that an article was going to be released about her past. Only this time, there was no tip, no warning.

Adrian was on the phone barking orders while listening to Leanne's legal advice. Asher was leaning on his brother's desk, in deep discussion with Xavier, who was already here for a meeting when the news broke, and occasionally she could feel her concerned boyfriend's eyes on her wanting to check up on her. Her publicist, Candace, was in the corner, doing some damage control online to the best of her ability.

The girls stayed by her side, offering their undying support, refusing to leave her alone. Even Ayla was here, laying comfortably on her dad's shoulder with a pacifier in her mouth as he rubbed her back, coaxing her to sleep.

And knowing the people she cared about the most were by her side made the situation a bit better.

To some extent at least.

But deep down there was this restless feeling like she couldn't do anything as her entire past, history, and trauma was being put on blast for the world to see. And she knew these people had absolutely no regard for her mental health, just using her as a means to make some money.

"Un-fucking-believable," scoffed Elle, crossing her arms in front of her. "These people had the audacity to leak private information and talk about keeping their privacy? What a bunch of bullshit."

"Bastards," muttered Asher, glaring daggers at the wall.

"What should we do?" Asked Aurora, not even scolding Elle or Asher for their choice of colorful language in front of her daughter. Her question had all eyes in the room turn to look at Alana as she contemplated her options.

"Well, what can I do at this point?" Alana wondered dejectedly, playing with the string from her distressed shorts. She could feel her head begin to throb as the stress continued to pile on, feeling completely defeated. "The information is already out there and people are already making judgments, assumptions, and theories— and I know they won't stop until they literally make my life a living hell."

Adrian's office became silent as Alana spoke— her stress and fears could be felt throughout the room.

"Why don't you take a little break from everything?" Suggested Marianne, taking Alana's hand in hers. "Go on a little vacation and clear your mind. I'm sure we can handle everything on our end."

"We'll find the person who leaked the information and sue the fuck out of them," Adrian agreed, standing up from his seat. "I'm pretty sure we'll also be able to take some legal action against The Daily Celebrity, right Leanne?"

Leanne nodded. "I'll look into it. With our resources, we'll be able to track down the source and figure out how they even got the information in the first place. You just rest your pretty little head and not worry about a thing."

"I'll make sure all articles get taken down," Xavier nodded with Ayla now dosing off in his large arms. "Permanently."

And she had no doubt that Xavier would be able to succeed. Xavier Knight had quite the influence not just in his line of business, but in the entire city— even the entire world. What Xavier says goes— no one was willing to deny this man or cross his path.

And with Adrian beside him, with who Xavier had close ties with and had a big influence over the entire entertainment industry, she was sure these two would have it down under control within the hour. And once you throw in Asher, the overprotective boyfriend, who hated seeing his girlfriend upset, whoever on the receiving end of these phone calls would surely wish they never picked up the phone.

Alana sighed, nodding as Aurora walked up to her. "We should be getting the boys from my parents' house and putting the little one to sleep, but you're going to be just fine. You have so many people who've got your back— I have no doubt that they're going to get it all under control."

"Thank you, Rory— You have no idea how much I really appreciate you being here," Alana hugged Aurora, before giving Xavier a side one, careful not to disturb Ayla. "And thank you, Xavier."

"We'll get everything handled, Alana," promised Xavier. The couple bid their goodbyes before he swiftly wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, leading them out of Adrian's office.

One by one, she was engulfed in hugs and supportive words from her friends, feeling grateful to have them by her side.

"I— I should've followed more closely when TMZ first reached out about releasing that article," murmured Adrian, bringing her in for a bear hug as soon as Candace left the office with words of promise that she wouldn't have to worry about the media at all as Alana took some time off.

"It's not your fault, Adrian."

"I promise you I'm going to find out who leaked the information and deal with it accordingly," His voice coming out strong and determined.

"And I'm going to help him," Leanne promised. "You know I can't stand working with him—"

"Hey," protested Adrian, sending a glare in her direction.

Leanne rolled her eyes, ignoring his protests. "But I'm willing to work with him to figure out how to get this to all go away. I'll call my contacts and see if we can sue or anything legal-wise. But I know you have a lot on your plate— the court date is coming up next month. So, I need you to go take that well-deserved vacation and forget about everything that's going on with the media and news. We've got this handled, Lani, so don't you worry your pretty little head."

"Thank you, guys— seriously."

Alana pulled both Leanne and Adrian in for another hug, making sure they knew how thankful she was for them to be on her side.

Next, came Elle and Marianne, who wrapped her in for a group hug as they murmured words of support and love. These girls were her best friends and she knew they had her back. Like she had mentioned before, she wouldn't be here without them and she would forever be grateful to the girls, and to everyone who has been there for her.

She could feel the sudden emotional drop in her system, feeling the exhaustion come crashing down on her. It seemed liked Asher could tell— he always seemed to read her well. Quietly, Asher guided them out of Adrian's office and into his very own large office next door.

It was silent— nothing was uttered between them until he opened his arms, beckoning her to him.

"Come here, baby."

With the exhaustion weighing heavily on her shoulders, she stumbled into her boyfriend's arms, his warmth immediately engulfing her. This was where she belonged— in his warm embrace. She breathed in his familiar scent, one that she had gotten quite acquainted with, as they spent most of their time together outside of work, glued to the hip.

"You smell good," she muttered, the first thing she's said to him the past hour. She could feel the rumble in his chest as he chuckled.

Peering up at him, she gave him a small tired smile as he brought his hand up to cup her cheek. He could see the clear exhaustion and stress in her eyes and if he could, he would take it all away.

"Can we go home and cuddle?"

★ ★ ★

Alana closed her eyes, feeling completely content as Asher's hand continued to rub circles on her back.

"How are you feeling now, princess?" Asher asked as he held her closer to him, causing her to peer up at him. She was laying on his chest, her head right above his heart where she could hear the soft rhythmic thumping.

"Better," she hummed, leaning up further to place a small kiss on his jaw. "Thank you for making dinner."

After they had gotten back to his place, where Alana seemed to have made herself at home the past couple of weeks with her things scattered throughout the penthouse, he had drawn her a warm bath with her favorite bath bombs. She swore she had almost fallen asleep when he washed her hair. The feeling of his fingers in her hair was one of the most relaxing feelings in the world.

It wasn't until almost an hour later when she climbed out of the tub, and finally got dressed in one of Asher's sweatshirts, where she found a steaming hot meal waiting for her in the kitchen. And no, she wasn't talking about the shirtless Asher walking around with his sweatpants hanging low on his hips.

"You only like me because I feed you," he teased, hands straying lower, toying with the band of her pajama shorts until she slapped his hand away.

She gave him a teasing glare. "You're not wrong— I'm only with you for your superb cooking skills."

This time it was him who sent her a glare in her direction. Squinting his eyes, he gave her ass a playful slap, causing her to squeal with surprise.

"I was thinking," he began, causing her to look at him curiously. "Why don't we go on a little vacation— somewhere nice and warm to get your mind off of things?"

His suggestion had her peering up at him again with a small tilt in her head. He couldn't help but lean in to capture her rose-colored lips in a sweet kiss— one of many that was shared between the two tonight. He could taste the peach-flavored chapstick on her lips, causing him to pepper continuous kisses on her lips as she giggled.

"But what about your work?" She asked cheeks flushed from his assault on her lips. The smile on her face despite the down feeling she had been feeling all day was enough to satisfy Asher for now.

Her giggles were sweet to his ears, and seeing her eyes form little half-moons as she tilted her head back in laughter was everything to him. Her smiles were contagious as he felt himself smiling like a fool whenever she was around.

Asher wanted nothing but to be in this moment forever, but he knew there was just too much going on in her life right now where she couldn't afford to be so carefree.

He vowed to continue to be the one to bring laughter to her life, to be the one who would be there for her whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on, and to be the one that could take her mind off of whatever was stressing her out.

"Work can wait," he smiled sweetly at her, cupping her face as his thumb skimmed her soft rosy cheek. "You're way more important to me than a few calls and board meetings. I'll always put you first, princess, and right now, you deserve a break from the world."

Alana's eyes lit up at his sweet words. Asher Pierce never once failed to make her feel better, and even when the world seemed so against her at the moment, she knew with him by her side, she would be able to take on anything.

"Just you and me?"

"Just you and me, baby."

And that's what they did the next couple of days.

Take a break from the world.

★ ★ ★

I didn't want to leave you guys completely hanging from last week, so happy update day! So many of you guys were spot on with what happened! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and yea, more to come soon! <3

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