Four Brothers and a Bride-Chapter 117

ASHTON

I shove Ashley into his room and slam the door behind us.

"What exactly is your plan here, huh? On the one hand, you were trying to convince your wife to forgive your mistake and accept you still. On the other hand, you stood there like a statue and watched her being dragged away, screaming and crying, to be locked up in her room until she accepts your inhuman decision that only worsens her plight in all this? Are you nuts or something?"

"What would you have me do, Ashton?"

"STAND UP FOR HER! Jesus, Ashley, it’s not rocket science that Demi wants you to stand up for her! She literally mentioned the other day that she refrained from telling you about your baby because you stood still and watched father humiliate her. Your silence cost you the joy of learning you’re going to be a father because she misconstrued it like any woman in her shoes would and now, you also stood mute while father humiliated her again today. You didn’t stand up for your own wife even once. How in the world is she supposed to trust you with her heart or her life when you’re just a puppet of father’s?"

"I AM NOT...."

"DAMN RIGHT YOU ARE!" I leer at him, my chest heaving with breath. It fucking hurt to watch Demi being hauled away, to see the fear and helplessness in her eyes that had briefly wheeled towards my direction. I hate to have my hands tied given my past affiliations with her and my fiancée’s presence in the house right now. So, I am going to prod my stupid brother till he mans up and saves his wife from that distressful situation.

"You’re a spineless punk, Ashley and you have no clue how to get into a woman’s good graces without going through the hole between her legs." Ashley starts to fume now.

"Back off, Ashton. You don’t want to go there." I don’t budge when he tries to shove past me and leave the room. Instead, I yank him back and toss him roughly on his couch.

"Stay out of this Ashton!"

"Too late. I watched that disaster unfold outside. You went against Asher’s plan. You were supposed to coax Nicci to give the baby up for adoption. You went behind our backs and proposed a distasteful idea to her without batting an eyelid. You knew Demi wouldn’t like the idea so my guess is you did this for mother and she’s in on it too." His steamy gaze wavers at my theory.

"You are a selfish bastard, Ashley and now you’ve also confirmed you’re mother’s puppet too. Tell me, when was the last time you made a decision for yourself that wasn’t the product of outside influences? When, Ashley, did you do something that was all you and not someone else’s voice in your head?"

His eyes darken as he stares up at me. "Probably when I intentionally threw away a condom and inserted myself raw into Demi because she was drunk and horny for you!"

My fingers curl into a tight ball. He’s baiting me. I can’t let him distract me from the issue at hand.

"Oh, I heard about that. Your ego must have taken a big hit. Is that why you’re punishing her now by sucking it up to our parents?" I throw my head back and laugh. "If you consider locking her up a solution, then be prepared to lose all the women you’re romantically involved with in your life. You want to know how I guarantee my initials are carved in the hearts of every woman I give the time of day? For starters, you don’t force them to stay with you or like you. That’s pathetic."

Ashley leaps to his feet. "I don’t want any advice from you."

"No. You NEED it." His hesitation tells me he’s itching to learn something even though his demeanor masks his interest so well. "Start by listening to women for a change and by women, I mean those you want to win their hearts, not your mother! Demi is in despair over what has happened so far in her life. Forcing her to raise your ex’s child is not an act of love. She’ll hate you for it. And Nicola? Ripping her child out of her arms to give it to your unwilling wife will also make her hate you too. I’m just spelling out the future consequence of your decision. That child won’t be raised with love because Demi will remain bitter towards you and everything that reminds her of you. You’ll have a vengeful biological mother on your ass for the rest of your days."

I let that steam in his head for a bit.

"You should have stuck with Asher’s plan."

"I can’t have my child being raised by strangers somewhere in the world. You know how strong our genes are. I bet anyone who sees that child when he’s grown will be able to make the connection that he is fathered by one of us. Do you think Nicci or anyone who discovers the truth wouldn’t use that child as a weapon against this family? Giving the child away would have only delayed the inevitable, not solve the problem. Besides, there’s no guarantee that Demi will be willing to try to have another child with me so why should I throw mine away?"

"Then you should have said something to us and we would have come up with a better plan. You messed up big time and now our parents are taking the reins. You see what happens when father takes the reins? You look stupid because he doesn’t factor in your wishes. He’ll do whatever he wants to Demi and Nicola. Don’t forget what he already did to your unborn child. Can you really trust him to do right by you this time?"

Ashley runs a hand over his face. "I don’t want Demi locked up but how can I keep her from leaving this house and running her mouth? You know how damaging this news will be for me and our family if it leaks."

I grab his shoulder. "She came straight home after Nicola confronted her. If she had said something to anyone, we would have been on the news by now, don’t you think? You have to learn to start trusting her, another way to earn her love. Let her give you reasons to withdraw theses privileges first before you do. Don’t assume."

"What do I do about father? He won’t let her out even if I ask."

"He will, with the right motivation." I lean close till my breath can fan his ear. "Tell him that you want her out and if he refuses, let him know that you know the role he played in Demi’s attack and miscarriage. Trust me, he’ll cave once he realizes you are not the fool he thought you were."

"What will happen to Asher if father..."

"Asher can take care of himself. Worry about your marriage for now. Once Demi is out of there, try to talk to her. See if the two of you can come up with a better solution as a couple. You have to always remember to make decisions with her, especially those that will affect her and your marriage."

"I understand." A ghost of a smile breaks out on his face. "Thank you, Ashton. I’ll go see to it."

With a light pat on his shoulder, I steer him towards the door and we both exit the room. I watch him stride purposefully towards the stairs and descend it to see father in his study. Mother and my other brothers must all be cooped up in there as well, trying to rub their minds together on how best to resolve the issue with Nicola’s pregnancy.

Before thinking of joining them, I cast a sidelong glance at Demi’s door. I want to sneak in a few words of encouragement, to let her know that she’ll be fine. I can imagine her lying in a fetal position on the floor, sobbing softly.

I wonder what she must think of my family right now, of Ashley, of me! I hadn’t exactly stopped the men hauling her away. Does she understand the difficult position I am in which caused me to be more passive? I hope she does. I can’t stand her hatred.

The clack of stilettos pulls my eyes away from the door and towards the elevators. Mila is standing there with an uncertain look in her eyes. Though her face is hardly mired in a frown, I can tell she isn’t too happy. She found me staring at Demi’s bedroom door. I don’t know how long she’s been standing there, watching me watch the door while I contemplated knocking.

"Something wrong?"

"No, I-uh, came to get my brother."

"Ashley. I saw him heading to your father’s study." She says, remaining still. She doesn’t appear to be leaving anytime soon so I shelve my plan to speak to Demi and walk towards my fiancée. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

"I’m sorry you had to witness all that." Gently, I stroke her cheek. She leans on my palm, rubbing her face against it with a purr. It ends with a kiss on said palm.

"That was nothing unusual. My father would have done worse if a family member wasn’t cooperating. You seem to forget I am also an heir of a conglomerate. I know all about this life and the tough decisions that have to be made behind closed doors to preserve the family’s reputation." She closes her hands over mine before staring at Demi’s door.

"Do you think your father’s decision is unfair towards her?"

Another baiting question.

I draw in a sharp breath. "I don’t think it’s alright to manhandle women for a reason as unjustifiable as a difference of opinion. I believe there are better ways to handle the problem at hand without treating people like scum."

"She’s not being treated like scum. It’s just a necessary measure to acquaint her with the unsavory truth of being a member of a family such as ours. Tell me, have your father never treated your or your brothers in a fashion that you deemed distasteful? Did you ever stop to question your paternity because of it? No right? Unless Demi doesn’t consider herself a full member of the Rollins family, she should be able to understand that this is nothing but tough love."

I ease back to look at her. "You don’t have to sugarcoat the truth to win brownie points with my family."

"What? That’s not what I am doing."

"That’s exactly what you are doing and I find it unpleasant." I turn to stab a finger in the direction of Demi’s room. "Put yourself in her shoes. Imagine you learnt I was having a baby with a side chick right after losing your own unborn child and I expect you to play the role of a mother and raise my baby whether you like it or not. Would you still feel the same way if I had you locked up in a room until you agreed to go with my decision? Would you be happy if everyone in my family didn’t see anything wrong with the way you were forcefully hauled away and locked up?"

"There would be no need for me to be locked up because I would understand the sacrifice I have to make to preserve my family’s reputation. I might still be mad at you within the four walls of this mansion but to the world, I’d be the perfect wife and mother to that child."

She disgusts me at this point. The last thing I want is a puppet wife.

"You’ve changed."

"No, you’ve changed, Ashton. I don’t understand why you’re making this such a big deal. Don’t stand here and act like your family hasn’t gotten their hands dirty before. You can’t be that naïve. This is the sad truth. Uncomfortable decisions, sacrifices, choices are the foundation of massive wealth such as the one our families boast of today. You can’t be a saint and come into such wealth. Don’t play holier than thou just because it pertains to Demi."

"I was wondering when you were going to throw that in." She grips my wrist when I try to walk away.

"I am trying here, Ashton. Despite everything I see, I keep turning a blind eye."

"Well, that’s the difference between us, Mila. I am not wired like that. I don’t turn a blind eye to shit. I call it as I see it. If I think it’s wrong, I’ll say it without fear. I am not afraid to lose everything, Mila, everything! I stand by my guns no matter what. You know my truth. A part of me will always love that woman behind that door. I won’t deny it and though I will not cross my boundaries, I won’t turn a blind eye to any injustice being meted out to her. It’s not because it’s her in particular; I’ll do the same if it was some other person in her shoes. That’s just how I am. Remember, that’s the kind of man you’re marrying. He’s nobody’s puppet and he isn’t afraid to stick to his beliefs. What you do after relearning this truth about me depends on you."

I leave her to her thoughts and sprint down the stairs. When I turn to father’s study, he is walking out with Ashley and Asher in tow. I am told Ashal stepped out and mother has returned to her room. The iciness I expect between Ashley and father is severely lacking. Even his bromance with Asher makes my stomach drop.

"What did I miss?"

"Not much." Father replies instantly before Ashley can moisten his lips. "Though I am not pleased with the way things have panned out, I am glad my son has gotten a second chance to be a father. This calls for a celebration."

"Definitely." Asher concurs.

My eyes track to Ashley and by the look on his face, I can tell he didn’t even bring up Demi.

"And Demi?" I ask, abruptly cutting off their reverie. "How long do you plan on locking her up?"

"It’s all up to her, really. If she comes to her senses and agrees with our plan, she’ll be freed this very minute."

A nasty smirk spreads across father’s face. Ashley finally faces me with a bland look. I have no idea what transpired inside the study but it surely has him wrapped around our old man’s fingers.

Asher drapes an arm around my shoulder and herds me away.

"Easy tiger." He coos when I shove his hand away outside the house.

"What the hell was that? Don’t tell me you’re suddenly cool with Ashley going against your original plan."

"Why wouldn’t I be? His idea is much better I am actually jealous that I didn’t think about it first. He killed two birds with one stone; the family has a baby to replace the one we lost and Nicola doesn’t taint our image."

"What?"

"What I am not cool about is your singular focus on all things Demi even to the point of convincing Ashley to call father out on his deceit earlier than planned. Do you not realize that I am doing this for you? If father isn’t preoccupied with hiding the evil he wrought on his own grandchild, he would have his sights on you and what you’ve been up to lately. Trust me, he’s been asking."

I let him steer me towards the pool. With the subtlest of hints, he dismisses the pool cleaners and lounges on one of the pool chairs.

"What’s the update on you know who."

"What?"

"Get your head straight, Ash. Demi isn’t in any danger. She’s just locked in her room where meals and other refreshments are sent up every three hours. I’m sure she won’t die from restricted movement and phone access. Now, what’s the update on project pink?"

"Yet to receive details of the meet up. That should come by the weekend."

"Good. Now, be sure to be your regular self in spite of everything that’s going on. If you keep calm when father expects you to kick against something, he’ll sic one of his men on you like the last time. I’m trying to occupy myself with deescalating the situation, fixing Ashley’s mess and loathing the Randalls because that’s what he’ll expect from me. Ashal’s got personal problems of his own to figure out so I’ll let him off the hook this time."

"Right. His pregnant wife." I concur. Something else flits in Asher’s eyes, piquing my curiosity. "Is there more?"

"There’s something going on between him and Madeline but I haven’t put my finger on it yet."

"Liv’s sister?"

"Yup."

I don’t like the sound of that. Asher goes on to tell me how he helped Ashal rescue Madeline. I can’t digest how much of Ashal’s life that I didn’t know about. Frankly, I am a bit hurt that he’s been keeping things from me. I thought he and I were closer than this. Why would he confide in Asher but not me? It makes zero sense.

"I need to clear my head. I can’t be around this house and all the sick things happening inside it for another second."

I trudge to my car, slide in but just before I pull away, Mila steps out. We lock eyes briefly as she takes in the defiance in mine. I swing my car towards the huge gate and drive out while Mila continues to watch me.

For the next three hours I sit in my car, parked off the road, watching the orphanage where my little sister grew up in. It’s shut down now but it grates on my nerves that I can’t go in to enquire about her or find someone who can help me imagine tidbits of her life as a child.

I don’t know what it’s like to grow up dirt poor. I want to be prepared to converse with her and to understand her. I can’t afford to trivialize her pain or demonstrate my biased view of the world from gold-framed glasses just like when Keith called me out on throwing my money on his parents.

Maybe I’ll listen more and talk less. I’ve got one shot to show Adriana that letting her brothers be a part of her life won’t hurt. If I mess it up, we lose her forever.

I dig my phone out of my pocket when it beeps as notifications stream in. Holy crap.

Billion-Err just announced Nicola’s pregnancy for Ashley and the media is eating it up! Fuck!