Four Brothers and a Bride-Chapter 118

ASHTON

"Do we know who leaked it?" I ask, storming into the mansion. Ashley is hunched over the antique bar with a forlorn look on his face. Mother has her head in her hands. Father’s jaw is clenched almost as tightly as his shut eyes. Asher is on his iPad, scrolling with a hot glare. Mila is rubbing mother’s back in small circles and whispering soft assurances.

"Who else could it be?" Asher snarls, throwing Ashley a steaming look. "I thought you had it handled. I thought you had her handled. How the fuck did she muster the courage to go against us like this?"

"Nicci doesn’t have it in her to go against me!" Ashley snaps. A bead of sweat lines his forehead as he straightens his spine. "This has to be her father’s doing. He’s been suspicious of her condition lately. Maybe he somehow figured she’s pregnant and is trying to manipulate her as usual."

"There you go defending her again." I snap at him.

I just don’t get how easily he trusts the same woman who fooled and tormented him for months as Shay but finds it difficult to extend the same courtesy to his own brother and his wife. Why is it hard for him to trust Demi and I the way he trusts Nicci blindly.

"Enough with the bickering." Mother intervenes. "None of that will help us deal with the matter at hand, don’t you get it? The longer we wait, the harder it will be for people to believe whatever contrary statement or response we put out. The truth is that Nicci is indeed carrying your child, Ashley. If her father has gotten involved, I think it will be harder to cover this up as we intended. Still, we have to try. I don’t want to lose my grandchild and I also don’t want our reputation to be dragged in the mud." She cranes her neck towards father. "Say something."

Father exhales. "Ashley, what do you have in mind, son?"

His sudden spark of interest in Ashley’s suggestion takes my brothers and I aback with shock. What is father playing at? Does he really care what we think or is this all an act to salvage the opinion we have of him?

Ashley moistens his lips and trades brief glances with us. "Uh, I was thinking of paying Nicci a visit. I want to confirm how the news got leaked. I’m certain her father might have played a role and if indeed he did, then I fear what plans he must have for his daughter. I want to make sure she and the baby are fine before we move forward with any other plan."

"Don’t you think being spotted going into Nicci’s apartment will further strengthen the rumors?" Asher asks, concerned.

"I’m not stupid. Of course I’ll be in a disguise." Asher ignores the blunt remark and fastens his eyes back on father.

I dig my fingers into my palm. Ashley isn’t the least bit concerned about Demi who is still locked in her room. If he clearly loves Nicci, why won’t he just divorce Demi and set that woman free? Why string her along while obsessing over his first love?

"Something on your mind, Ashton?"

I blink at father as he turns the spotlight on me. Asher’s words come floating back. I can’t give father any reason to suspect my mind is occupied by other things.

"I’ll like to go with Ashley. If Mr. Grey is involved, he’ll need support."

"That sounds about right." Father lurches to his feet. "Now listen, worry more about handling the girl. If her father throws threats, tell him we will speak man to man. I’ll handle him myself. I made him what he used to be. I can easily tear down whatever he has left. He shouldn’t trifle with me. Tell him I said so."

Ashley nods.

"Where’s Ashal?"

"On his way. He had a little emergency." I lock eyes with father so he gets my drift.

Mila keeps her eyes down. She realizes there are definitely some family secrets that she isn’t welcomed to know yet and like a puppet, she feigns indifference. I don’t really know where Ashal is but I instantly had to cover for him so father doesn’t get too keen on poking around Ashal’s personal business. I sincerely hope that my brother isn’t straying like Asher worries.

Ashley heads for his room after texting Nicci. I follow closely behind him, overhearing Asher running a few ideas by our father as to the official response to be made regarding the rumor.

"She’s not answering her phone or texting me back. Her father must have her phone or something."

"You’re certain he’s behind this?"

"Yes, very. Nicci has told me all about his manipulation and abuse. He doesn’t care about her. He’s only interested in how her successes, failures and even mistakes can benefit him. If he knows she’s taken in for me, he will definitely be trying to milk our family or use her pregnancy as a springboard to cement his place in the echelons of power."

He gets to his room and rushes for the knob.

"I’ll get changed. You should too. We can’t be recognized as Asher stated."

"Ash." I catch his wrist before he can go in. "Demi is still locked up. We know she didn’t leak the news because we’ve got her phone. Do you really mean to leave her like that till you get everything sorted with Nicci? That could take hours."

His eyes track to her door. "I can’t think about anything or anyone else right now, Ashton. She’s fine. I’m sure she won’t suffer any harm till we return. Meeting with Nicci is more urgent. Besides, we can’t be too sure how Demi will react once I let her out. What if she insists on returning to Anna’s. Do I have her shoved back into her room and locked again?"

"Why didn’t you speak to father like we discussed earlier?"

Ashley sighs. "Because Asher is right. This is hardly the time to be at loggerheads with father. I NEED HIM. I need to have my life sorted out and I can’t think of a quicker or more effective way to get it done without father. There will be plenty of opportunities to use that trump card but not right now. Is that all? Can we get changed now?"

"Yes, you can." Mila returns. We turn to stare at her ghostly presence at the top of the stairs. It’s annoying how she’s been creeping up on me lately.

"I’ll look after Demi. You two go do what you have to do."

Wordlessly, Ashley slinks into his room while I head for mine. Mila falls into step with me after a small trot.

"Aren’t you leaving?"

"My dad understands I’m needed here."

"Does he?" I grab a leather jacket from my closet and throw on a black face cap.

"Why? You don’t want me here? Am I cramping up your style or getting in the way of your profuse love for your sister-in-law?"

Her eyes flash fiercely at me. If I wasn’t already too pissed with the way my day is going, I’d probably have been fazed by the fire in her eyes. I slip on dark shades and jerk back when she tries to touch me. "What now? You don’t want my touch?"

"I have more important things to sort out." She seethes angrily as I walk away.

Nicola’s father welcomes us into her apartment. It’s just as Ashley had suspected. Mr. Grey had been expecting us so that can only mean he knows something about the latest headline on the news. Nicci strolls out, a nervous look on her face when she sees us.

"Come in, gentlemen. This meeting is long overdue. Ashley, which one is Ashley?" His eyes dart from one brother to the next. Ashley is dressed in plain clothes and I, like myself. I know Nicci will have a hard time figuring who is who.

When neither of us dignifies him with a reply, he clicks his fingers, beckoning on Nicci to step forward. Slowly, she lumbers to the center of the room. "Darling, which of them knocked you up? You should be able to tell by now. It will be shameful if you can’t."

Nicci’s eyes drop to the floor.

"Why the sunglasses in here? Please, kindly take them off. The disguises aren’t necessarily or helpful right now." His left hand latches onto Nicola’s elbow. She shrieks in pain when he digs his fingernails into her skin. "SPEAK UP, SLUT! WHICH OF THEM IS THE MAN YOU’VE BEEN WHORING FOR?"

"Get your hands off her!" Ashley barks, pulling Nicola away from him and shoving the elderly man on the couch. He laughs boisterously and strokes his beard.

"So, you’re Ashley, the father of her child." He remarks.

"Are you okay?" Ashley proceeds to ask Nicci to which she bobs her head and links her hands behind his back, sobbing into his chest. "Don’t cry. He won’t hurt you. I’m here now." She dabs the tears rolling down her face and gets behind him while I range myself between them and Mr. Grey.

"I get why you couldn’t keep your seat in politics, Mr. Grey. You’re a pathetic, sore loser. Is this all you care about? You’re weaponizing your daughter’s pregnancy for what? What benefit could you possibly want out of humiliating her like this?"

"She carved that path for herself when she chose to abandon her career and pride herself as your brother’s side piece." He replies in defense. "I always warned her not to let him into her bed especially given their history and the wedding band on his finger but a slut will always be a slut. Since she has disgraced me anyway, I have to find a way to make lemonade out of the lemons my worthless daughter has given me."

"What lemonade?" I ask. Something devious glints in his eyes. At his signal, we are surrounded by people emerging from their hiding places behind the thick walls. They are all holding up cameras and flashing them in our faces as they take pictures of us.

"Behold, Ashley Rollins, the father of my daughter’s unborn child!" He locks eyes with Ashley whom Nicci continues to cling onto. The cameras turn to focus on them now. "Let’s see how you deny that!" Mr. Grey hums with glee.

***

"Mr. Ashley Rollins, do you admit that you fathered Nicola Grey’s child?"

"What does this mean for your marriage to Danvarr’s sweetheart, Demi Rollins?"

"Will you be divorcing your wife, Mr. Rollins?"

"How does your wife feel about you fathering a child with your ex-girlfriend? Is there trouble in paradise?"

The questions continue to fly, getting more ridiculous by the second. Nicci mumbles what I can only imagine to be apologies to Ashley as he shields her from the small pool of journalists. I turn to her father who is still on the couch, enjoying every bit of his twenty seconds of fame.

I grab his collar. "You underestimate the power and influence we have. Let me reeducate you." My hand falls from his shirt. I grab one of the cameras and smash it on the floor, causing a startled uproar from all six journalists. A sudden hush falls over the room.

"How much did he pay you to ambush us like this? What fame were you promised? I can tell you’re all starving journalists and that’s why you fell for this bait. Here’s what’s going to happen." I move from one to the other. "You are not going to leave this room with your cameras. You won’t say a peep about what transpired here to anyone outside these four walls."

"Hey, you can’t... "

"SIT DOWN!" I growl when Nicci’s father tries to protest. Meekly, he sinks back in his chair with a frown. I return my gaze to the journalists.

"If you think the top earning journalists who are invited to cover all the best news about the crème de la crème of this country got there by stabbing the wealthy in the back, then you’re woefully wrong. Leave your gear and never promote any ill news regarding my family and I can assure you an invite to cover our celebrations. If you play your cards right, I can even slip your names into the payroll of journalists that work for my family, journalists like Julia Plec."

"Julia Plec?" They murmur excitedly, dropping their cameras to the floor. Julia is one of the top three journalists in Danvarr and has her own penthouse and a fleet of cars. She’s an icon in her industry.

One of the journalists even stomps his boot hard on his camera. Mr. Grey watches the scene unfold with a horrified stare.

"Mr. Rollins, we’ll do whatever you ask. We are deeply sorry for trying to perpetrate lies. Let us know what you’ll like us to write on our blogs and it will be done. We will even send ahead a draft to be edited by your media team before we post if that’s okay."

A small smile tugs at my lips. "That will be great. Drop your cards before leaving. My secretary will be in touch to replace your cameras with the latest models of your choice."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Rollins. Apologies again." They chant repeatedly while dropping their business cards on the small table. After they all file out of the living room, Ashley and I turn to Mr. Grey.

"Cat got your tongue?" I ask him. "I bet you miss that kind of power and influence. Isn’t that what you truly want? That’s why you went through all this trouble to humiliate your daughter. You were hoping you would get our attention and strike a bargain, right?"

Ashley bolts forward and punches the elderly man in the face to which Nicci screams in fear. "You’re such an asshole. The deal is off. I’ll make sure you’re made an example of. You can kiss whatever reputation you think you have goodbye. I don’t want to see you anywhere near Nicci..."

"Ashley!"

"No!" He cuts Nicci’s protest. "He is not your father. He’s your abuser and the source of your constant pain. I won’t let him come anywhere near you or the baby." He leans close to Mr. Grey. "Don’t be a wuss and pick a fight with pups. Why don’t you pick on someone your own size, age-wise. My father will be in touch." Mr. Grey’s eyes widen with fear at the mention of father. I bet he’s scared now that his stupid plan fell through.

Ashley gives Nicci a kiss on her forehead. "The deal still stands. Make sure there are no other incidents like this or I’ll be forced to reconsider. Remember, there are a plethora of ways to deal with this but I chose to give you a happy ending as the top model you’ve always wanted to be. Don’t disappoint me again."

He ignores the tears blurring her eyes and the silent protest on her quivering lips before heading for the door.

"Take care of yourself." I mutter to Nicola. "Call if you need anything." With one last glare at her father who cowers in fright on the couch, I follow my brother.

***

"We conveyed your message. It’s handled." Ashley says at the dinner table later.

Demi is finally out of her room. I have no idea what anyone must have said to her or how much she knows about everything that has transpired in the last couple of hours since she was locked up. I just know she isn’t pleased to be seated with the rest of the family. I bet she wants to puke at the sight of us. Mother probably forced her to join the family for a meal.

Demi hasn’t smiled once. She has been poking her food too. Ashley hasn’t bothered to say a word to her either. They’ve just been sitting next to each other like robots. When Mila closes a hand over mine, I instantly regret that she hasn’t left. My phone beeps.

"The journalists have sent in samples of their blogposts. They’re all denying the pregnancy claim." I silently marvel at how creative they are in debunking the news. I bet a lot of people will fall for it.

"Good. Nice move there, Ashton. You saved our asses from having further complications." Father compliments me. Mother nods affirmatively. Asher passes his iPad to father.

"Mr. Grey has agreed to give a statement along with his daughter denying the pregnancy."

"More good news."

"Does that mean the plan has changed?"

Everyone whips their head at Demi’s question. She drops her cutlery with a clatter. "Do I still have to fake a pregnancy and play pretend mom for Ashley and Nicola’s child?"

The specificity of the child’s parents makes father work the tension in his jaw.

"Nothing has changed. You still get to experience motherhood, Demi. You should be grateful your husband isn’t having Nicci replace you."

Mother grunts at father’s cold remark. Ashley continues to chew his food quietly. What the hell is his problem? Why isn’t he saying anything?

"Demi dear, I know all of this is hard on you but trust me, once you open your heart, you’re going to love that child like you birthed him/her."

"How are you so certain? Have you ever had to raise another woman’s child as your own?" Demi asks defiantly. Mother’s eyes quirk up in shock. We all have the same reaction but Demi doesn’t back down. She retains the rage in her eyes. I shift uncomfortably. Where did that come from? What’s that deep look in her eyes?

"You better watch your mouth, Demi Branson!" Father chides her.

Mother hides the tremor in her hands by tucking them under the table. I haven’t allowed myself to think of what it would be like to confront her about our biological parents. Her reaction to Demi’s question however gives me a glimpse of the shock she’ll suffer that day when the cat is out of the bag. My brothers must all be thinking the same thing as me given how they’re all engrossed in mother’s demeanor. Even Ashal, who finally rejoined us, looks slightly heartbroken as the bitter truth eats at him.

Demi ignores father’s warning and throws Ashley a disgusted look. "Ashley Rollins, Nicci is more than welcome to take my place in your life. I’m done with this charade." She turns to our parents and clasps her hands together. "Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Rollins, for the opportunity to play your pretend daughter-in-law but I refuse to fake anything else in this sham of a marriage. I’m ready to sign the fucking divorce papers! ASHLEY AND I ARE DONE!"