Page 185 of Sexting My Best Friend's Brothers
She stands up to grab another slice, but her phone buzzes on the counter. Then mine buzzes. Then Ethan’s.
It’s a cascade of notifications, a digital ripple effect.
Ping. Ping. Ping.
“Who’s blowing us up at nine at night?” Owen asks, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
My screen lights up. It’s a priority alert from our PR monitoring software.
Keyword Alert: Mosaic, Scandal, Branson.
My stomach drops.
“Oh no,” Owen whispers. He looks physically sick.
“What?” Ethan asks, standing up.
“Harper,” Owen says, his voice urgent. “Don’t look at your phone.”
But it’s too late. Harper is already staring at her screen. Her jaw drops. Her gaze snaps from the phone to us, then back to the screen.
“What. The. Hell,” Harper whispers.
“What is it?” Tessa asks, trying to stand up, but I put a hand on her shoulder to keep her seated.
“Asher, report,” Ethan barks.
I open the link. It’s a gossip site. The Austin Insider. Not a major news outlet, but viral enough to do damage.
STARTUP SECRETS: MOSAIC FOUNDERS ACCUSED OF COERCING SUBORDINATE IN "BILLION-DOLLAR HAREM"
Billion-dollar. Not cash. Valuation. A headline designed to make people click.
And below the headline is the photo.
Though grainy and taken from a distance with a telephoto lens, the image is undeniable. It’s us outside the clinic. Ethan has his hand on the small of Tessa’s back, Owen is leaning in to kiss her temple, and I’m holding her hand. It isn’t a professional photo. It’s intimate. It’s incriminating.
And the location tag on the article reads “Spotted outside The Fertility Clinic of Austin.”
“You’re pregnant?” Harper screams, dropping her phone. It clatters onto the marble floor.
Ethan closes his eyes, pained resignation crossing his face.
I focus on the data. Views: 150,000 and climbing. Shares: 2,000. Top Comment: Three bosses and one employee? That isn’t a romance, that’s a lawsuit waiting to happen. #MosaicMess
“Harper,” Tessa whispers, reaching out.
“Don’t,” Harper says, stepping back. She looks at her best friend, then at her three brothers. She looks betrayed and entirely horrified. “You… all of you? At a fertility clinic?”
“It’s not what it looks like,” Owen tries, but it’s a weak lie.
“It looks like my brothers are running a harem with my best friend!” Harper shouts. “And you’re pregnant? Who is the father?”
“We don’t know,” Tessa admits, her voice breaking.
Harper makes a sound like she’s choking. “You… oh my god. This is insane. Is this why you ghosted me? They’re your bosses!”
“The internet knows,” I state calmly, holding up my phone. “It’s trending.”
