Four Brothers and a Bride-Chapter 76

DEMI

"Are you still mad at me, Demi? I have realized that you’ve been a little withdrawn ever since I made my birthday wish publicly."

Mother runs a hand over a black Hermes bag in admiration. I stand behind her, tagging along and mostly disinterested in shopping, even at Ashley’s luxurious mall.

My life has been crazy ever since she dropped that huge bomb on me. I can barely go out without a horde of cameras on my tail. There are tons of articles being popped out about my speculative pregnancy. Some bloggers have even been bold enough to photoshop a baby bump on me. At this point, I can’t even pretend not to be mad at mother. She did this to me.

"Demi? Are you listening?"

I retreat to a couch and plunk down on it. She comes shuffling after me. "Are you punishing me for my mistake with Ashton? Is this your idea of trying to get Ashley and I to consummate our marriage?"

"You consider having a baby with Ashley punishment?"

"I consider being forced to have a baby without any consideration of my feelings on the matter a punishment. Why mother? Why did you put that idea in Ashley’s head? We are barely friends as it is and you know how I got into his life in the first place. Why wouldn’t you allow Ashley and I to reach that decision ourselves?"

"The real question is if you see yourself having a life with Ashley, Demi. I know I brought you into my household to straighten my sons from their irresponsible ways. A baby was never part of the agreement unless mutually consented to by both parties. I have no right to make decisions for you and I wasn’t trying to, honestly."

She sighs and places a hand on my thigh. "I have been seeing you and Ashley much closer ever since he forgave you for your involvement with his brother. Ashley has never been happier. Watching both of you effortlessly act like a real couple has brought tears to my eyes and I might have assumed you guys are trying to make this a real marriage. I just thought that a baby would draw you guys much closer and strengthen your bond."

She takes my hands in hers now. "What I did at my party was merely a suggestion, not a demand. It’s up to you guys at the end of the day. Don’t listen to what the media is saying. They’ll soon find some other piping hot gossip to fixate on and let you two be."

Her eyes dip to the floor. "I am worried about my boys. They still haven’t made up. Asher and Ashal are also being affected by this rift between Ashely and Ashton. The quads have had fights in the past but it has never carried on for this long."

She’s right. Asher has been giving me hell ever since the incident. If I thought he was cold towards me earlier, he’s worse now. He makes me work till my feet hurt.

"I understand why Ashley still can’t forgive his brother despite how much he misses Ashton. It’s an ego thing. Ashley is convinced that you will only ever love Ashton. He sees his brother as a threat to his chances with you. If he believed that you were willing to commit to your marriage and bond with him as a couple, he might be able to forgive Ashton and both men will stop hurting."

My hands tremble in my lap. "What are you saying, mother?"

"Demi, we can’t ignore the fact that all of this started with you. It’s only natural that it will end with you too. I’m begging you to show Ashley more love. Give him a chance the same way you opened your heart to Ashton. I see the way he looks at you. The last time he looked at a woman like that was when he fell in love for the first time. His heart got broken and he gave up on love and embraced the lifestyle he is notoriously known for. Today, because of you, I can see slivers of change in my Ashley. He’s opening up his heart again and all I am asking is that you consider giving him a chance. I’m not asking you to sleep with him or do anything you aren’t ready for. Spending quality time with him, not being scared of visiting his room and even holding hands for a start can mean a lot to him."

"What about me and what I truly want?" I ask as my eyes brim with tears.

"You’re currently married to one of my sons and Ashton has a girlfriend. Both sons are good men but you can’t have them both. You would be starting a war in my household. I know you feel like you can’t fall in love with anyone else but trust me, that isn’t true. If you allow yourself to be loved by Ashley, I’m certain in time you’ll grow fond of him too. Just give him a chance for the rest of the time you two have together and see for yourself."

Her offer is very similar to the one Ashley made to me. Did he put his mother up to this? I wouldn’t be surprised. The two of them have been quite close lately.

Mother dabs my tears with her handkerchief. "Don’t be sad, my dear. I am grateful for your affection for my Ashton but I can’t encourage it while you’re wedded to Ashley. If you two insist, both brothers will be estranged forever. The rest of the family will be torn apart. Mila will also be hurt. Can you live with that? However, if you give your husband a fighting chance, all will be well. Ashton will get over you with Mila’s presence. Trust me dear, this is for the best. You will get the love you deserve not one where you have to hide behind closed doors to show affection for the man you love."

I blush red as I recall kissing Ashton in his room. I understand what mother is saying but I don’t want to succumb to any kind of pressure right now. I know Ashley is a great guy and I don’t completely feel nothing for him. I don’t admit it but my jealousy spikes whenever I see Nicola and there’s only one reason for it.

However, I don’t want to be forced to start an intimate relationship with Ashley. That should be our mutual decision. Till then, I’d much rather stick to our bare contract and move on with my life like nothing happened.

When I explain this to mother, she isn’t pleased but she feigns a smile.

"I respect your decision. Do well to communicate this to Ashley as kindly as you can so he doesn’t hurt too much."

I feel like the bad guy now. Despite all the coaxing, I literally turned mother down for the first time. I hope I am not digging a grave for myself. What if mother asks Ashley to divorce me? What if Ashley comes to that conclusion for himself if he can’t have me?

These thoughts haunt me at work. I keep trying and failing to concentrate and Asher continues to make my life more miserable than it already is.

"How can you be this dense?" he shrills, tossing the document I just prepared for him in the air. The papers shower down all around us. "You’re really asking for a negative report from me, aren’t you? If there was a position lower than a damn intern, you’d be demoted already."

"Asher..."

"You will address me appropriately at work or you’ll feel my wrath."

He continues to blow hot over the smallest things throughout the day so I avoid him as much as I can. Surprisingly, Josh comforts me when our paths cross at the cafeteria. The rumor of Asher’s temper reached his ears, he tells me.

"You know you can always switch and come be my intern."

I laugh softly. "Thank you for your concern but I’ll manage. Mr. Asher isn’t always like this unless I am being terribly slow at my job. I’ve been out of it lately, hence his reaction." Josh gives me a double take.

"Is it really true? Are you pregnant? Wow. Congrats." He starts clapping but I jam his hands together before he can draw too much attention to us.

"No, I am not pregnant. The rumors are false." I mutter under my breath. "I’ve just been having a rough week, that’s all."

He nods sagely. "Offer still stands though, if you ever change your mind. I could talk to the chairman on your behalf if you’re worried about Asher refusing to let you go."

My mind reels back to his conversation with Asher where he referred to the Chairman repeatedly as dad and Asher failed to counter him. It explains a lot now; the lunch breaks they share together, the chairman’s fondness for an employee over his own son and Josh’s arrogance around the office. Does mother know? I doubt she does. She wouldn’t stand for this public display of infidelity.

"I’ll let you know." I tell him. He nods before leaving.

I turn down Ashley’s offer to have a lunch date. Though he’s been extra sweet and kind to me lately, I sometimes feel suffocated with all the attention and love I am getting knowing how much Ashton is suffering conversely for something I initiated.

While I am being doted on and encouraged to tread a new path with Ashley as the subject of my love interest, what is Ashton being coaxed to do to earn forgiveness? What kind of pressure is he under right now from his family, especially from Ashley?

Guilt curls like a tight fist in my belly now. Is Mom right? Will all be forgiven if I accept Ashley’s love? Will the brothers be reunited if I sacrifice my happiness?

Leaning by the expresso machine, I let out a frustrated breath and weigh my options. I can’t leave the mansion at any cost until my revenge dish is properly served. Till then, I owe it to myself to do whatever it takes to get to that point.

Falling in love was never the plan. It’s a distraction I have to nip in the bud. However, if I accept Ashley’s love, I might be coaxed to have a child with him which is something I can’t do. I can’t have a baby for the same family that’s complicit in the murder of my family. No!

My phone rings.

"Aunt?"

"What is this about you and Ashley having a baby? Are you pregnant? I thought your contract was for a year with no sex implied? Where did this baby talk come from? I hope you’re not seriously considering it. What if they cast you away with a baby in hand? What will you do then? You better not fall for their lies." She goes on ranting.

A small smile tugs my lips as I listen to my aunt being a hypocrite. She doesn’t give two fucks about me. She just doesn’t want me to have a baby for the Rollins family before Kira does. I am certain they were embarrassed to not have received an invitation to mother’s birthday party. That was entirely my doing.

"Demi? Are you there? Are you listening?"

I hang up and sip my coffee. When my phone rings again, I cuss under my breath and yell at aunt.

"I am not interested in your half-baked motherly advice so just..."

"Are you really having a baby for that family?" The icy edge of Liam’s voice is a low warning. I double check the number before replying.

"No, I am not. Disregard what the media is saying." I hate how weak and pathetic I sound right now.

"How am I supposed to do that when my informant gives me less information than the media does? Have you been holding back on me, Demi? Are you growing cold feet?"

"Liam, don’t start with this."

"What happened between you and Ashton?"

"What?"

"Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me. I’ve got eyes and ears in that mansion, Demi, since you’re obviously losing your way. I warned you about catching feelings for those brothers but you pretended to be superwoman and impervious to their charms. Now, you’re jeopardizing a six years long revenge plan for a stupid kiss and a potential fuck? Are you really that daft?"

"Don’t talk to me like that."

"I will talk to you exactly like that so you open your fucking eyes to the reality. You think you’re special? You think these people love you? News flash, they don’t! You’re not indispensable, Demi. You think these brothers are fighting for you? Ha! They’re fighting for who gets to bed you first. You’re just a fresh pussy to them, nothing more. How could you forget what Olivia is going through because of that family? How could you forget about Tobias and how the details of his death were carefully hidden away? Those people are pure evil. They’ll stick a knife in your throat and dump your body without anyone knowing if they find out who you really are."

I tighten my fist around my mug and steady my breath as one of my colleagues comes in to grab a candy bar for an energy boost.

"Those people are using you, Demi. Do you think your mother-in-law’s birthday wish was her wish? Let me shock you. ASHLEY TOLD HER TO SAY THOSE EXACT WORDS!"

"What?"

"My spy in his office overheard him thanking his mother for doing as he asked. You can’t trust those people. They’re fucking liars and only look out for themselves. You’re just a pawn in their game. For all we know, this ongoing beef between the brothers could be staged to pressure you into doing something you don’t want to do, to box you into a corner."

I think about mother now, and how she made an offer that was very similar to the same thing Ashley had said to me; to give Ashley a chance for the next six months. Could it all be a lie?

"They’re using you so USE THEM, Demi. Turn the tables on them. I can’t achieve my goal without you. I need you to be YOU, Demi."

The phone gets ripped out of my hand. When I turn around, Asher is standing there, staring at the caller who is named Charlie.

"Asher!" I yell loudly as he places the phone on his ear. I hope I was loud enough for Liam to hear and disconnect the call. Asher pulls the phone away from his ear and stares at me. Thankfully, the call was disconnected in time. I wipe the small tears in my eyes.

"Can I have my phone back, sir?"

"You’re taking personal calls during working hours? Do you think your father owns this place?"

At the mention of my dad, hell freezes over in my head. I glare up at him with murderous intents. Asher remains unfazed by the look in my eyes.

"If I see you on one of these calls again, I’m smashing your cheap phone to the ground. I dare you to test me." He chucks my phone on the kitchen table and walks away.

I want to kill him so badly. I wish someone would. He is such a jerk.

During my lunch break, I take a drive to clear my head. Everything Liam had revealed to me continue to play in a loop. Ashley asked his mother to make such a demand of me in public?

I recall with contempt how he took me back to my room and tried to comfort me, how he sent Anna over and even tended to us all night. Why would he do something like that? Is he so certain that I wouldn’t give him a chance unless he gets up to dirty tricks like this?

And mother? Why would she encourage him? She brought me here to straighten her sons but she’s the one encouraging their wicked acts?

An idea occurs to me. I call Ashton’s personal assistant and alter my voice to inquire about a car purchase. When Gris confirms that Ashton is not available to finalize the paperwork at the moment, I take it to mean Ashton is not in the office.

With that, I make my way to the race track. I know I am taking a huge risk. I already turned Ashley down for lunch. I can’t get caught around Ashton or it would look bad.

I park a few yards away before going in. From the tenth row on the bleachers where I slide in, I scan the sparse cars on the racetracks. It’s difficult to tell where Ashton is; if he is racing or merely watching.

I watch the progression of the race for a while, craning my neck and squinting my eyes to try and make out the face of every driver that steps out or into a car. After thirty minutes of trying and failing to find him, I am done.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. I ignore Ashley’s call and give Ashton another five minutes of my time. Where the hell is he? Disappointed, I make my way out of there. A loud screeching sound draws my attention to the racetrack where a red Ferrari has just collided with a metal post. Smoke rises to the air from the bumper. A few people rush over and help the driver out. He doesn’t appear badly injured as he refuses first aid.

It’s the way he wrenches the helmet off his head to ruffle his hair with his hands. The sunray glints on his mane, illuminating the gold tresses. I stand frozen as he strides purposefully away from the tracks and towards the bleachers.

A woman, Mila, pulls him into her arms and holds him there a while before passing him a bottle of water. She is dressed like him, in the same muted shades of grey and black. When did they start coordinating outfits?

She whispers something in his ear and he nods. Then she whirls to point at something. Unfortunately, it’s in my direction. Immediately, I turn my back to them. I had thought I was far enough but apparently, I measured wrong. If I can recognize them from where I am standing on the tenth row, then surely they can recognize me too from the first row, even if theirs is two columns to my right.

I am also just realizing that a pink jumpsuit and heels is not the right thing to wear to a racetrack, especially if you’re hoping to keep a low profile and not get spotted by familiar faces. With my back to them, I hastily head for the exit. I am only a few meters away from the parking lot when I see Ashal and Ashley locking their cars and heading in my direction. Quick as a whiplash, I duck behind a jeep with my heart pounding in my chest. What the fuck?

"Are you okay?" I hear one of them shout in a loud voice. I dare to raise my head to peep from behind the jeep. It appears to be Ashal skipping towards Ashton and Mila who must be on their way back to work. Ashton has a band aid on his forehead.

"He’s fine. Minor scratch." Mila clarifies.

Ashley reaches them and watches while Ashal inspects the cut.

"I’m fine." Ashton repeats, moving his head away from Ashal’s concerned hands.

"You better be." Ashley adds patting his brother’s shoulder. Ashton pulls him in for a hug. Mila and Ashal trade smiles. All I can think about is Liam’s words. Are they just making up or has it all been a lie to my face?

Later that night, I keep tossing and turning on my bed, unable to catch some sleep. My mind is in a great turmoil. I have been such a fool. I should have listened to Liam the whole time. These brothers have been lying to my face. They’ve been using me.

I wipe a few tears from my eyes as I leap off the bed and put on my right robe. I have to ask Ashley to his face about the birthday wish thing. I want to see him lie through his teeth.

Liam’s information is usually watertight. If he said it, then it can only be true. However, I am willing to give Ashley the benefit of the doubt and one last chance to redeem himself because of the tough decision I am about to make.

When I reach his room, I don’t bother knocking. I find in writhing in bed, his face coated in sweat despite the chill weather. His window is ajar and the night air is making the curtains flutter. free𝑤ebnovel.com

Ashley is muttering something incoherent in his sleep as he twitches his bedsheet, tossing and turning. I turn on his bedside lamp and true enough, it’s just as I suspected. He is in the throes of a nightmare.

"Ashley, wake up!" I nudge him. When my hands make contact with his neck, his temperature is through the roof. I dash into his bathroom and return with some water to splash him awake.

"Wake up, Ashley!" he jerks awake, panting heavily and crying like a child. When his eyes find mine, he embraces me tightly.

"I d-didn’t k-kill h-him. I d-didn’t kill h-him. He’s a-after me." He chants like a mantra. I take his face in my hands and realize he isn’t fully awake.

"Who? Who didn’t you kill?"

"T-To-bias. I d-didn’t k-kill T-Tobias."

"Who killed him, Ashley?" He casts his eyes down but I grab his face roughly and make him look up at me. "Who killed Tobias?"

Tears stream down his face as he moans in terror. "Ashton. A-Ashton killed T-Tobias."