Harem Online: My Party Is Full of Beautiful Celebrities

Chapter 163: An Older Sister

Before long, the sisters were holding a rather rushed meeting at Alexandra’s house.

The house suited Alexandra far too well. It was spacious, elegant, expensive, and arranged in a way that made it feel less like a home and more like a stage designed for her to appear on whenever she wished. Everything was tasteful. Everything was beautiful. Everything had been chosen with intention.

Katherine sat in one of the expensive chairs in the living room, her legs crossed as if comfort were her birthright. One hand propped up her cheek while the other lazily twirled a spoon through coffee lightened with cream.

She was alone, though her phone rested on the small table beside her, already filled with missed calls and delayed obligations. Alexandra had not exaggerated when she said it was urgent. Katherine had canceled several meetings on short notice to come here, which was something she would only do for her little sister.

Even so, she had no intention of looking too concerned. Concern spoiled people.

A moment later, the door opened.

Alexandra walked in wearing nothing but a white towel wrapped around her body. It sat dangerously low over her chest, and droplets of water still fell from her wet hair, trailing along her shoulders and collarbones as if she had left the shower without bothering to dry herself properly.

Katherine gave her a sidelong glance. "You call this an urgent meeting?"

Alexandra smiled as if nothing was wrong. "You called off all of today’s meetings anyway."

"Whose fault is that?"

"Yours, for being such a devoted elder sister."

Katherine’s spoon stopped for one second before she resumed stirring her coffee.

"Do not try to be cute when I have rescheduled half my day for you. It irritates me."

"You came anyway."

"Of course I came. You sounded serious." Katherine leaned back slightly and studied her sister’s face. "And you would not waste my time for no reason. What’s happening?"

Alexandra’s smile faded.

"My career is at risk."

Katherine’s expression changed at once, though not dramatically. She did not do dramatic unless she wanted to. Her eyes merely sharpened, and the relaxed air around her quietly disappeared.

"Cut to the chase."

Alexandra walked farther into the room and sat across from her, crossing one leg over the other while making no effort to fix the towel. For a moment, she looked like the same Alexandra the public knew, beautiful, untouchable, and so confident that even silence seemed to serve her.

Then her shoulders lowered just enough for Katherine to notice.

"I can’t perform my current role," Alexandra said. "To be precise, I can’t perform the scenes with the main actor."

Katherine waited.

"It’s not because he has a thing for me," Alexandra continued. "This isn’t the first time I’ve dealt with that. Men develop crushes on set all the time. Sometimes women do, too. It happens. Usually, I know how to deal with it."

"Usually," Katherine repeated.

Alexandra clicked her tongue softly.

"But he suddenly became an eyesore. His face, his voice, the way he looks at me, the way he agrees with everything I say, the way he keeps smiling like a trained dog waiting for a treat. All of it annoys me."

Her fingers tightened around the towel at her thigh.

"I really want to tell him to fuck off."

Katherine stared at her.

"That’s all?"

Alexandra’s brows twitched.

"That is not all. I told you my career is at risk."

"You want to tell a man to fuck off and call that a career crisis?" Katherine asked. "Please. That is Tuesday."

Alexandra glared at her.

Katherine held the glare for one second before she burst out laughing.

"Haha!"

Alexandra’s hands clenched.

Katherine noticed the second warning sign on the spot and quickly lowered her voice, though amusement still clung to her lips.

"Ah, my little sister. Forgive me. I’m not laughing because it’s meaningless. I’m laughing because you called me here like the world was ending, and the problem is that you finally met a man whose presence makes all the other men look worse."

Alexandra’s glare deepened.

Katherine took a calm sip of coffee.

"There it is," she said.

"What?"

"That face."

"What face?"

"The face of a woman who already knows the answer but hates that someone else can say it first."

Alexandra leaned back.

"I came here for advice, not mockery."

"You came here for both. You know me."

"That is unfortunately true."

Katherine set her cup down.

"Fine. Let us be serious." Her voice softened, though it did not lose its firmness. "You need to get your head straight and separate work from real life. Once you understand why he bothers you this much, you will have an easier time controlling it."

Alexandra looked away.

"You’re not some amateur who freezes because a handsome actor smiles at her," Katherine continued. "You know how sets work. You know how people behave around beautiful actresses. You know how desire can sneak into a performance and make everything messy, especially when the other person starts believing the mood between the cameras is real."

Alexandra said nothing.

"For intimate scenes, ask for a double or push for smarter camera angles. Adrian should know those techniques well. If he is as competent as you claim, he will understand the practical side of it. Keep that actor at arm’s length, swallow your feelings when the camera rolls, and leave anything unnecessary to doubles. Work on yourself until you can look at him and see a scene partner again, rather than an insect crawling across your floor."

Alexandra stared at her.

"You make it sound so easy."

"It isn’t easy," Katherine said. "It’s just the work."

"That is one of those annoying lines people say when they want to sound wise."

"Yes, and I said it beautifully."

Alexandra rolled her eyes.

For a moment, Katherine smiled. Then the smile faded.

"I went through it, you know?"

Alexandra’s expression shifted.

Katherine looked down at her coffee, watching the pale swirl near the surface.

"That’s what this job does to people. We perform, pretend, borrow emotions, twist them around, and make them pretty enough for strangers to care. If you are not careful, the act starts feeling too close to the truth."

Her voice remained composed, but Alexandra heard something underneath it, something that sounded like a memory rather than a lesson.

"Some people are completely clueless," Katherine said. "They do not know where the role ends and where they begin. Some are lonely. Some are desperate to be loved. Some believe every tender line spoken to them under stage lights is real."

She paused.