My Movie Star Brother Sacrificed Me to Protect His Secret Wife Chapter 1

The photo that broke the internet wasn't of Leo in a steamy movie scene or accepting an award. It was of him, my impossibly cool, notoriously stoic movie star brother, clutching a six-pack of Yoo-hoo like it was a national treasure.

The internet, predictably, lost its mind.

#LeoLovesYoohoo

#ToughGuySoftDrink

#HollywoodsChocolateMilkSecret

I was scrolling through the trending topics, absolutely howling with laughter as we sat in the back of his black Escalade. We were on our way to pick up my sister-in-law for a family dinner, and this was just too perfect. "Leo, you look ridiculous. A tough guy with a carton of Yoo-hoo? This is gold."

Leo Ford, a man who could freeze a camera with a single glare, was currently looking like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He shot a fist out, stopping an inch from my face. "You want a matching bruise, Tessa?"

I leaned into it, grinning. "Go ahead. I'll tell Iris."

His fist retracted instantly. "Is that all you ever do? Tattle?"

"Pretty much," I said, sticking my tongue out. It was true. I was Iris's most loyal soldier, and I never let him forget that he owed their entire relationship to me.

It all started when Leo’s film needed a last-minute replacement for a cameo role—a concert pianist. The actress they'd booked got sick, and the director was panicking. They needed someone who could actually play, someone who looked the part, and they needed them that afternoon. Leo, out of sheer desperation, called me.

He was shooting on a different location, so when I arrived at the sprawling studio lot, I didn't even see him. The part was small, just a few scenes, and I was wrapped in under two hours. I thought that was the end of it, until the assistant director cornered me on my way out. He started talking about "expanding my role," and how we should "discuss the details" back in his hotel room.

* * *

When I refused, he grabbed my arm. His grip was surprisingly strong.

For the first time that day, I felt a spike of fear. I’d come to my brother’s set, so I hadn’t brought my usual security. My phone was in a locker with my street clothes. I was alone.

And then, like a scene out of one of Leo’s action movies, a woman appeared out of nowhere. She peeled the director's fingers off my arm with brutal efficiency and, in a fluid motion I still can't quite comprehend, had him on the ground, groaning.

I just stood there, clapping like an idiot.

The assistant director, his face purple with rage, screamed at us to get off his set. As we were walking out, a pyrotechnics test went off on the adjacent lot. The explosion was deafening. Without a second thought, the woman beside me threw herself over me, shielding my body with her own.

The next thing I knew, I was waking up in my own bed. My first thought was of her. Was she okay? My mom was there, stroking my hair. She told me to rest, that Leo had already gone to the hospital to thank her personally, gifts in hand.

And somehow… during that hospital visit, a spark ignited. By the time I had fully recovered two weeks later, my perpetually single, workaholic brother and my anonymous hero were already giving each other looks. The kind of looks that could melt steel.

A soft voice pulled me from the memory. The car door opened. "Fighting again?"

Iris’s melodic voice filled the car. I immediately put on my best wounded expression.

"Babe," Leo started.

"Iris," I whined.

We spoke at the same time. Iris slid in, wrapping an arm around me and fixing Leo with a playful glare. "Were you bullying my Tessa again?"

She’d just come from a grueling day of stunt work and clearly hadn’t seen the news. I pulled up the picture on my phone.

Her expression shifted from concern to pure delight. She zoomed in on the photo, saved it, and then burst out laughing. "Who took this? It's adorable!"

"Great. You're ganging up on me," Leo grumbled, snatching his phone and tapping furiously. A moment later, my own phone buzzed with a notification.