Four Brothers and a Bride-Chapter 137

ASHTON

The shock splattered all over her face matches the reaction I expected from her as someone affiliated with Billion-Err. However, it fades almost instantly to anger as she glares at me.

"Why the hell would you think I am connected to that blog? Why would I be worried that father intends to unmask the one behind it, Ashton? I can’t believe you right now." Throwing her hands in the air, she sidesteps me to go sit on the bed. "Have you forgotten so soon that I have been the victim of Billion-Err’s damaging posts several times? Did you forget how I was forced to lock myself in my room, bawl my eyes out and shut everyone out because I was hurting from their posts about me? If I controlled Billion-Err, why would I be dumb enough to target myself so harshly?"

Her eyes flare up as she rises. "I’d admit that somewhere deep down inside me, I still blame your family for the untimely passing of my parents. I detest the lack of morals in the Rollins family. I am appalled by how much your familial bonds blind you all from seeing the devastating consequences of your decisions and actions, especially as it affects other who you consider beneath you." She grabs the lapels of my shirt and tugs me down. "I hate that not one of the quads is man enough to stand up to your father’s inhumanity to prove, if for nothing else, that some good runs in the Rollins’ veins. I hate that and more, Ashton but that doesn’t mean I want to drive a knife down your throats while you are all asleep. I am just a lady who’s been hurt and betrayed all her life by family and strangers alike. That doesn’t mean I am the devil."

She shoves me away and dabs a stray tear that runs down her cheek.

"But I understand that your family always needs a culprit to hang the blame on. They never truly accepted me anyway so this doesn’t come as a shock truly." Her eyes find mine again. "The only shocking thing about it this time is that you are the one hanging the noose around my neck. You’re the last person I thought would doubt me."

"Demi..."

"I get it, Ashton. I understand it clearly. Sure, I will be your culprit. I am behind Billion-Err. I leaked the photos of father and Mrs. Randall. I did everything. So, are you going to drag me out by my hair, throw hand-cuffs on me or what?"

I hate the game she’s playing. I might not have direct evidence linking her to Billion-Err but I am not stupid. It’s clear as day that she’s connected to it somehow. She’s got the motive too. Of course, the surest way to deflect suspicion of being responsible for a blog like Billion-Err is to make yourself a target too. I am not stupid.

I wish she could trust me to understand her grievance instead of playing the pity card. I hate that she’s looking at me the same way she would look at Asher. She considers me no different from the rest of my family and I can’t fault her for that. I have been compromising a lot lately I actually don’t know the difference between father and I anymore.

"Demi, I didn’t confront you because I wanted to capture you. I am deeply hurt that you think seeing you being punished over your past would make me happy. That’s not why I am here."

"Then why are you here, Ashton?"

Her eyes widen like saucers when I take her hands. "I knew your mother. She was the sweetest and most patient woman I ever met. Despite my unruly behavior, Camille remained kind to me and it had nothing to do with the fact that I was her boss’ son. Her death broke me in more ways than one, Demi. You might find that hard to believe but it’s the truth. I feel personally responsible in a way. I feel like I could have prevented that night from happening."

She sniffles. "Keep going."

"Because I knew a bit about your mom, I know for a fact that you used to be like her. I know that you are still like her. You’ve just let your anger towards my family make you do things you aren’t proud of. I don’t care what they are. I will never blame you for it. I just want you to let me help you, Demi. Maybe asking you to trust me seems like a lot right now but if you can’t bring yourself to do it, I can’t protect you. Please, give me a chance to atone for my mistake."

"Why? Why do you feel personally responsible for my mother’s death at the mall? Were you there? Did you see it happen? Tell me everything, Ashton. Truthfully tell me everything that happened that night. That’s the only way I can bring myself to trust you."

"I will. I promise but not right now."

She yanks her hands free. "Why not? I have been lugging the pain of not knowing the details of their death for six years now. Why can’t you tell me now?"

"BECAUSE YOU’LL HATE ME!" I bark, shuddering with emotion. "Because you will definitely hate me Demi and if you hate me right now, you won’t accept my help. Please, I promise to tell you everything in due time but right now, your protection is more important."

She silently watches me.

"This is the part where you make the decision to trust me blindly or not, Demi. Please."

"Leave my room, Ashton. Leave now or I’ll scream." I take one look at her eyes and I know the battle is already lost. She has clearly deduced that there’s more to her parents’ death than I am letting on. My shoulders sag in defeat as I unlock her door to leave.

"Trust is earned, Ashton Rollins, not demanded." She adds. "You want me to trust you, SHOW ME THAT I CAN. PROVE IT."

"I will." I hum to her before leaving her room.

The next day, Ashley appears with Nicci who’s got a fresh glow on her face as she struggles not to cling to him.

"What do you mean you’re staying back? Do you plan to live here with her until she gives birth?" I snarl at him.

"I asked him to stay for a few days." Demi interrupts my staring contest with my brother.

"What? Last night you turned a blind eye to him spending the night with her and now? What exactly is going on here?"

"His leg isn’t fully healed yet and if he returns like this, mother’s blood pressure will hit the roof. I suggested he waited it out here before returning. As for Nicci, can we all quit acting like mine and Ashley’s marriage is something sacred? I am sick of that pretense. She’s having his baby! What difference does it make if they spend more time together? I really don’t care."

We watch her wheel her suitcase to the door where one of the guards retrieves it to load into the SUV waiting to take us to our jet. I turn to Ashley with a bewildered expression.

"That’s it? You two are done?"

Ashley continues to stare at the car where Demi is already seated and waiting.

"She’s clearly done with me. I’ve seen it in her eyes for weeks now. The hate was better but now, she feels absolutely nothing for me. Maybe she never did. I guess the fact that nothing happened between Nicci and I last night wouldn’t make any difference to her." He exhales. "I’m tired, man. I have been tugging at her heart for so long but it never yielded. I’m ready to move on."

My eyes stray to Nicci. So, that’s why she’s brimming with happiness. Ashley has resolved to settle for the woman who loves him rather than the wife who doesn’t give a flying fig about where he sticks it in. I can’t say I’m happy or relieved for either of them but I can understand that everyone has the right to do what they feel is best for them.

I give him a side hug. "Take care of yourself and be home in three days max."

"I will."

"No hard feelings Nicci. Have a healthy and safe pregnancy."

"Thanks, Ashton. I understand."

The flight back is a long and quiet one. Demi plugs in headphones to shut me out. She is so pissed about last night that she even refused food or water on the flight. Whenever I try to get her attention, she stops me by flashing her five fingers in my direction.

I honestly don’t understand how things got so bad in the space of a few hours. I thought we could reach some form of understanding before touching down in Danvarr, before being surrounded by family and having no space for sensitive conversations between us without triggering suspicions.

Demi chooses to figure out her own ride home after we land and I get mad.

"What’s going through your head, Demi? Why are you so mad at me? Come on, say something." I don’t budge from the aisle as she tries to shove me away. "You’re going to have to use your words. You had four hours to stew. Now, I need to hear it. Take a swing at me. Scream at the top of your lungs. Cuss me out. DO SOMETHING. LET IT ALL OUT BUT DON’T KEEP MUTE, GODDAMIT."

"Get out of my way!"

"There. You’re off to a great start. Come on, keep going. You hate me. Get it off your chest. What’s eating you up?"

I wasn’t prepared for the waterworks but it started and disarmed me.

"Hey, hey, I’m sorry. Please, I don’t mean to be..."

"An asshole? You’re a big asshole. I should never have called you to the villa. I was better off not knowing about you and my mom or the fact that there’s more to that awful night than I know. I HATE YOU FOR REOPENING MY OLD WOUNDS, ASHTON. I HATE THAT YOU’VE BROUGHT BACK FEELINGS THAT TOOK ME YEARS TO SUPPRESS. I HATE YOU FOR MAKING ME FEEL SO WEAK." She shoves at me and I let her pass.

Fuck. I didn’t mean to. I want to run after her but I guess that will only infuriate her further so I decide to give her some space.

***

"What do you mean she’s gone?"

Asher is back to his old self, draped in a clean-cut Armani suit and oozing so much aura as he glowers at Ashal. Sadly, Ashal is also back to his old, brooding self. I tap gently on the door to the game room before letting myself in.

"Great. You’re here. Come listen to this, Ashton."

"Who’s gone?" I ask them.

"Take a wild guess." Asher answers. One look at Ashal and my heart plummets to my stomach.

"Olivia is missing?"

"Yep, right after this Loverboy willingly signed divorce papers and blindly trusted her with them. The ink on the damn thing hadn’t even dried up when the new Ms. took to her heels, leaving no trace." Asher turns to Ashal who’s cradling his head in his hands. "That’s not all. Olivia’s sister and his latest love interest seems to be MIA as well."

I drop on the closest couch and lean back. Why now? Why does everything have to come crashing down now?

"I meant what I said, Ashal. I’m taking your advice. I’m done cleaning up everyone’s messes. Fuck the quad rules. Do your shit and handle the consequences." Asher says in anger.

I surge to my feet and block his path to the door. Is he trying to leave right now? That’s so unlike Asher.

"Woah, woah, where are you going? Are you being serious? What advice did you take from him?"

"Why don’t you ask him?"

"Well, I don’t care what you guys agreed on. We can choose a different time to explore all that ’every man for himself bullshit’ but right now, he clearly needs your help or he wouldn’t have opened up to you, don’t you think?" Asher throws Ashal a sidelong glance before I continue. "Come on, Asher. You’re our big brother. If you stop fixing our screw-ups and rubbing it in our faces as father’s perfect son, you won’t really be the Asher everyone loves."

Thankfully, it strokes his ego. Hesitantly, he sinks into a chair and crosses his legs.

"Nice suit by the way." I add.

"Thanks. I was wondering when you were going to bring it up." He turns to Ashal. "I can find her but you lot are not going to like my methods, as usual."

"Then think of another method, Asher." I tell him. "We aren’t only capable of thinking linearly. Think outside the box. There must be more humane ways to solve our problems."

Demi’s words echo in my head as I finish, the one about no quad being able to stand up to our family’s inhumanity to prove that some good runs in our veins. To be fair, my brothers and I don’t actually have Rollins’ blood. I believe we are the way we are because father shaped us like that from childhood. Maybe our biological parents were good humans. Maybe there’s some residual goodness inherited from our biological parents which we haven’t explored as brothers.

Asher stares at Ashal and I with arched eyebrows. "Did I miss something? Did you two go on a sabbatical I wasn’t aware of? What’s with the ’holier than thou’, ’we can do better’ talk I’ve been getting from you two? It can’t be a coincidence, can it?"

I edge close to Ashal and console him.

"Everything will be fine. We’ll find her, and Maddi."

He rears his head up and gives me the most heartbreaking yet hopeful stare.

"Thank you."

Asher throws his hands up and jumps to his feet. "Fine, I won’t kidnap their parents to force the girls out of hiding. I’ll send a masseuse to their home to give them a couple massage and throw in an all-expense paid vacation for good measure. How’s that for thinking outside the box, huh?" When we don’t smile over his sarcasm, he rolls his eyes and jabs his index finger at us. "Don’t blame me if my ’new’ method takes longer to nip this in the bud. It was your suggestion."

"Thanks. Appreciate it."

"Where’s Ashley? Didn’t he come back with you?"

"He’ll be back in three days. He wanted to stay back and catch a break. Can’t blame him."

"And the wife?" Asher asks, referring to Demi.

"She branched off to see Anna, I think." Before Asher can process my fast replies, I throw him a question. "Has father made any progress with uncovering Billion-Err? Duncan told me they were close."

Frankly, I’m worried that father didn’t really share this with us. Duncan accidentally mentioned it to me thinking father must have told his sons. Just as I thought, this doesn’t appear to be news to the favorite son, Asher as he shrugs his shoulders and looks away.

"Are you seriously holding back on us?" I ask him. Ashal stares at him also.

"I’ve seen how well you guys handle yourselves. If we need your help with Billion-Err, father and I will let you know. For now, all I can say is that there will indeed be a big reveal soon. That bastard hiding behind the blog will be uncovered soon."

Demi, I think in my head. Hard as she tried to convince me otherwise, I can tell she is indeed affiliated with the blog. I don’t know what the true connection is but I have a gut feeling that if Billion-Err is unmasked, Demi will be in trouble too.

"But we don’t have that type of technology..."

"That’s where your alliance comes in. Father just wrapped up a meeting with the Spellman group’s tech team today. You know they’re the best software company. Their tech academy produces the most formidable hackers every year. One of their guys already confirmed that the person behind Billion-Err is using Spellman’s tech to hide his IP address which is why no one has been able to decrypt the complicated code so far. I’ll take it further and say that this masked guy graduated from their academy too. Good thing Spellman will help us crack the code now." With a small shrug, he walks out.

He’s not wrong. If there is one company that could unmask Billion-Err, my money will be on Spellman Technologies. I don’t know how long this deal has been going on but I have to act fast before Demi’s truth is revealed. I have to stop this deal with Spellman.

I turn to Ashal. If father gets wind of his divorce from Olivia and her running away, he wouldn’t spare my brother. He would lock him up in a facility somewhere to punish him. Father can’t find out yet. I have to make such a drastic decision that will keep everyone’s attention on me for a while and distract father from Ashal’s predicament.

Right now, I can only think of one move that will be akin to killing two birds with one stone. It’ll cause an uproar and everyone will probably hate me afterwards but I have no other choice.