Four Brothers and a Bride-Chapter 81

DEMI

I know it’s risky to be seen with him but I just couldn’t handle talking with him over the phone about everything that’s been going on with me. I am also glad Anna offered to let us use her place while she’s at work.

Liam accepts the drink I offer him but sets it aside with a grim expression on his face. I bring my glass to my lips and take a bracing sip of the alcohol.

"You still have to return to work. Should you really be drinking?"

I ignore him to take another sip. My life has been crazy lately and overwhelming. Sated, I set the glass down and look at him. "Everything is going wrong. I am overwhelmed. There’s just too much to deal with lately."

My head aches just thinking about Ashley’s proposal, mother’s betrayal and her lies about not knowing how to differentiate her boys, Maddie and Eliana’s incessant calls, Ashton’s weirdness around me and my confusion about how to deal with everyone’s expectations.

"You didn’t go into this expecting it to be easy. No matter how wild things get, you only have to ask yourself one question before making a decision; what will be the best course of action to advance my revenge plot? That should light your path to victory. Nothing else matters."

He’s right. I sit upright.

"Let’s take it one at a time." Liam begins. "Mrs. Rollins. What are you going to do about her? Remember, no sentiments!"

I nod sagely.

"I think she’s got a few secrets of her own. She blatantly lied to me about not being able to differentiate her sons when I first met her. It took me a few weeks to a month in the mansion to realize she had lied. When they’re all clothed alike or pretending to be another brother, the quads can be a pain to distinguish. However, having gotten to know them up close, I can easily guess which brother is capable of doing one thing or the other. Now imagine a mother who’s been with her sons all their lives and knows some of their innermost secrets. How can she really not know what they’re individually and collectively capable of?"

I shake my head, more out of disappointment at how gullible I turned out to be. "What I don’t understand is why she welcomed me into her home to straighten her boys when she’s been the one encouraging their wrong ways behind the scene? Why exactly did she rope me in?"

"I also felt Mrs. Rollins wasn’t the goody-two shoes she always portrayed herself to be. There’s something sketchy about her too. She likes to make people feel like she’s clueless about what’s going on around her so they can keep their guards down whenever they’re around her. For instance, she might know all about Josh Randall and his mother but keep a smiling face around her family."

"Yeah. I’ve thought about that too." Mother also knows about Olivia’s situation and yet, she allows the injustice to continue out of blind love for her son. No, she’s definitely not so nice. "I think I am also going to use her game against her. I’ll keep acting clueless about her schemes till I find out what she’s really up to. Hopefully, she doesn’t catch on to me as fast as Asher did."

Liam inhales. "And Ashton?"

I hate how unnerving his name makes me feel. I reach for my drink and swish the liquor in the glass. "It was a mistake to get attached. I am gradually detangling myself from him." I sip my drink and look away to signify an end to that uncomfortable topic. Thankfully, Liam gets my drift.

"I’ll call Eliana and Maddie later. I don’t expect them to understand that I have my own shit to deal with while they expect me to drop everything and rescue Olivia. I want to deal with Ashley’s crisis first."

"Ashley." Liam reiterates. "He has been a bit of a shocker lately. I could never have guessed he had it in him but there’s very little a man wouldn’t do for the love of a woman. It always comes down to the love of a woman."

"He doesn’t love me." I counter him.

"Maybe not but he clearly likes the idea of it. What are you going to do about him?"

"Things will only get difficult if I reject him. Good thing he doesn’t know that I am afraid of being divorced by him. Given how desperate he is to win me over, he would have threatened me with that."

The thought of him scheming with his mother to force me to get intimate with him and the recent stunt he pulled at the award show still pisses me off. Though I find his actions distasteful, I have no choice but to give him a shot. I have to stay by his side to achieve my goals, even if the idea doesn’t cause an excited thrill to run down my spine.

"I already agreed to accept his proposal on the condition that he reveals to me the name of the brother I married first." I preempt the question in Liam’s eyes as he watches me. "I know how to confirm it. I already ruled Asher and Ashley out of the equation. Given how much time I have spent around them, I have come to the conclusion that neither of them fit the bill. It’s between Ashton and Ashal. I’m certain of it."

"And what do you plan on doing if Ashley truly unveils your mystery man?"

My breath hitches. At first, I was certain that the man from that night would know more about what happened to my parents because of his whiskey addiction. My mom had made some entries in her journal about her boss’ son who thoroughly enjoyed whiskey. Sadly, it turns out that all the brothers love whiskey. That will lead nowhere.

Now, I want to know him just to satiate my curiosity. I don’t know what I would do after that.

"What would you do when you unveil him, Demi?"

Liam’s voice echoes in my head as I advance towards Ashton with teary eyes. Why did it have to be him and not Ashal? My heart clenches with pain. I always knew it could be him so why does it still hurt this badly?

His heavy eyes stay with me as I reach him. The words get lost in my throat.

"I’m sorry." He mutters with red eyes. "You deserve better." He glances at his brother behind me. "So much better."

"What was the color of the pants I wore at the club that night?"

"Demi..."

"Answer me." I croak out with quivering lips.

He pauses to stare into my teary eyes. "You didn’t wear pants. You wore a purple, sleeveless dress that skimmed your knees." He runs his hands through his hair and exhales. "You reeked of alcohol but your breath was clean. You had your hair in a ponytail until I tugged off the hair band because I thought you’d look less miserable with your hair down. You tasted of candy and breath mints and after our first kiss, I sipped whiskey and made sure you tasted it on my tongue the second time we made out."

Tears track down my face with every minute detail he recaps. I back away when he tries to blot off the tears and ignore the quick tug of sadness over the remorse in his eyes.

"Demi please, I am so sorry."

I wipe my tears and turn to Ashley who stands with a placid look on his face. The first hint of disappointment at my calm reaction spears across his face. He was probably expecting me to hurl abuses and bawl my eyes out.

"Thank you, Ashley, for being truthful. Please, could you ask him to leave us?" Instantly, I feel Ashton’s hand on my shoulder. They feel like ice glaciers, making me flinch at his touch. His eyes look hurt and broken over my reaction.

"Don’t. touch. me!" I growl angrily at him, partly to give Ashley the satisfaction he desires. The latter steps between us and gently steers his brother away while I watch them with blurry eyes. When Ashley returns, his face is mired with sadness. He grabs my shoulders and pulls me into his chest as I sob.

"I knew this was going to be hard and that’s why I stalled. I’m so sorry, Demi. Don’t be hard on yourself. I’m sure my brother regrets his behavior. We all do. Things were different back then and we thought it was for the best to keep our brother’s secret. I am sorry we hurt you." He pulls me back to stare into my eyes. "I am really sorry."

At this point, I don’t know if he is being sincere or just enjoying the show. I ease away from his grasp and dry my eyes, suddenly irritated by him.

In one breath, he throws his brother under the bus to achieve him aim and in another, he pretends to be sympathetic towards me, about a messy situation he was privy to. I have no idea what version of Ashley this is but it’s certainly not the jovial one I went on a date with before Shay invaded our lives.

"You held up to your end of the bargain. I guess we can officially kickstart the next six months of our lives as a couple, properly so called." I utter dryly, earning a small frown from Ashley. When I try to leave, he holds my wrist.

"Are you mad at me? You were the one who set such a condition, Demi. I only did what you demanded of me to pave the way for our future together. Why are you mad at me?"

"Look Ashley, I am a little out of it right now, okay? Did you expect to come out of that little episode unscathed? Ashton wasn’t the only one who lied to me this whole time. You also kept me in the dark for months. Am I supposed to throw myself into your arms and forget that bit just because you threw your brother under the bus to please me?"

"Woah, hold up a second. I didn’t throw my brother under the bus to please you, Demi. Let’s get that straight. It was about time Ashton came clean about the little incident at the club anyway. I only urged him to admit it himself because you placed such a steep condition for us." He chuckles and shakes his head, spritzing little droplets of water. "Maybe I did hurt my brother to give you what you asked for. That’s how much I want you in my life. Ashton gets that but apparently, you don’t."

"You know what?" He adds when I cross my hand over my chest. "It’s very rich of you to be so distrustful of me." He steps up to me. "I haven’t given you any reason to doubt my intentions but you’re so rigid about your feelings for my brother that you’ll readily pin blames on me just to get out of upholding your own end of the deal."

My eyes narrow in anger. "I can think of a few reasons why I am skeptical about giving you a chance. Why don’t we start with why how you forgot to wear your wedding ring at the award ceremony." His eyes boggle with surprise. "I’ve lived with you for four months and there was never a day you forgot to slip on that ring, even without anyone reminding you. I can’t wrap my head around how that particular day just happened to be an accident."

"You think I did that on purpose? What could I possibly gain from doing that?"

"We did go on countless dates while being hounded by reporters taking photographs of us and interrogating us. Ashley, I smelled a rat. I don’t want to believe that you staged all that but a lot of it just doesn’t make sense to me. You can’t be that desperate to get into my pants."

"Wow. Demi, wow." With a pained look, he brushes past me towards his walk-in closet. His fingers stay poised by the doorknob when he turns to me. This time, his anger is evident.

"I’ve also had instances when a lot of things stirred some doubts in my head too, Demi. A recent example is the story about a second note being found in the gift box."

My eyes dilate in shock as I wasn’t expecting him to say that. Quickly, I compose myself.

"I’ve tried to run it in my mind but it still makes no sense. The moment you found the box, you brought it out to me and showed me the note inside. I am certain I didn’t see a second note in the box and I only felt flustered after reading the first note. You panicked after you saw my reaction to the first note. According to what you told Ashton, you destroyed the second note only after you saw my reaction to the first. So, I don’t understand where a second note came from and when you had the time to return to the bathroom to dispose it before we left the restaurant together."

Dang it. How long has he been pondering on this?

"Yet, I didn’t nitpick or hassle you for the fine details. That’s because I trust you, Demi. I choose to trust you even when a lot of things aren’t clear. That’s how relationships survive. I guess ours have never and will never mean more to you. I will never mean more to you that the guy trying to get into your pants because apparently, I have a hard time getting women to sleep with me, right?"

He shoves the closet open and slams the door behind him so hard the sound startles me. I sink down on his bed and cradle my head in my hands. I messed that up. I have to make it up to him. I have to clear his doubts so he doesn’t cast me aside.

Ashley looks surprised to find me waiting for him. He’s all changed into a snazzy outfit. The sight of him makes my heart skip a bit. Slowly, I surge to my feet with a somber look on my face.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take my anger out on you. I’m just very mad at Ashton and you remind me of him and I just..." With a deep sigh, I frisk my hair with my hands. "You didn’t deserve that. Can we have a do-over?"

"What exactly do you want from me, Demi? What would it take? You clearly don’t mean to give me a chance and I don’t want it if you’re only doing it out of pity or compulsion. If it doesn’t come from here," he says, jabbing a finger at my chest, "then Ashton can have you. I’m good."

That last part stings more than I care to admit. Something about Ashley’s derision makes me feel some type of way. I grab his finger, guide it to my face.

"I liked the Ashley I went on a date with before the gift box happened. I truly enjoyed our time together, getting to know you and vice versa. Promise me you’ll keep that energy up. Nothing felt forced when I was with that guy, not my smile or the urge to kiss him." Ashley’s face remains rigid. "You’re very lovable, Ashley. You just have to be your cool self and I am sure we’ll do great together."

I pull his head down and kiss him like my life depends on it, because it actually does.

***

When I check my phone and fail to find any message from Ashton or Will, I ignore the twinge of sadness that fills my chest. It’s probably for the best that we both move on in our lives. I am still mad at him but my anger seems to waver whenever I see him.

The truth is that I am not as shocked as I claim to be. I have always nursed the idea that my mystery man could be Ashton since Asher came into my room pretending to be him. Every shock and pain at the cold reality has been expended that day.

What I am feeling right now are residual feelings of disappointment at his rejection, especially when I remember how he dissed me that day and watched me getting kicked out of the mansion.

I have decided to keep my distance from him for real this time. I need to keep my head on straight and stop getting sidetracked by feelings that won’t amount to anything in the end.

It’s a public holiday today. Ashley and I have plans to go bowling later but before that, I already agreed to see Eliana and Maddie. They’ve been leaving me lots of texts and in Maddie’s case, angry voice notes. Ashton steps out of the elevator just as I am approaching it. Wordlessly, I turn around and head for the stairs.

"Demi! Demi!!"

I ignore him as I descend the steps. I can’t deal with him right now. I drive over to Eliana’s home and find Maddie scowling as usual the second I walk through the door.

Eliana welcomes me with a soft smile and ushers me to a seat. Her boyfriend, Taylor is out with friends. Her dog Cash is having his lunch by a corner of the kitchen. Maddie says nothing to me but her eyes which her trained on me speak volumes.

"Do we have a problem?" I ask her bluntly.

"She’s a little upset, that’s all. Olivia called her two days ago, weeping."

"Weeping?" I repeat, turning to Eliana. "Why? Was she hurt?"

"What do you care?" Maddie finally snaps. "After making tall claims about being willing to help my sister and setting out a condition which I fulfilled, you went MIA. Now, I am hearing that you’re trying to start a family with those bastards you call in-laws."

"Watch it, Maddie."

"Why should I?" She yells at me, throwing away the small pillow nestled on the couch. Her eyes are sizzling with anger. "I trusted you. You said if I dropped a name, you’d help Olivia. After talking big, I trusted you and told you exactly who is hurting my sister but you just ignored it."

I glare at her. "You honestly expected me to take your word for it?"

"I expected you to fact check my claim. I expected you to test Ashal. You didn’t go through with either, did you?" She scoffs at me. "I am not surprised really. You were too busy partying and trying to get your husband to impregnate you so your mother-in-law will be pleased, right?"

"Maddie, calm down." Eliana chides her but she pays her no heed.

"I have my own life too, remember?" I match the fire in Maddie’s eyes as I recall my new arrangement with Ashley and Ashton falling out of my good graces. "Though I am still interested in helping her, my world sadly doesn’t revolve around your sister. I told you I’d test Ashal but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. I need a few more days. Once I do and your story checks out, we’ll discuss next steps."

"Bullshit. You want proof? I’ll give you one right now." She slides her phone out of the back pocket of her pants and dials a number. After the fourth ring, someone picks up the call which Maddie has already put on loudspeaker.

"Maddie, what do you want?" I hear Ashal ask her curtly.

"Mr. Ashal Rollins, I miss Olivia a lot. Could you possibly arrange a dinner date for my sister and I? I promise I’ll be good." Maddie doesn’t break eye contact with me for the duration of the call.

"I’ve told you not to call me, Madeline. Don’t call me again, ever." He hangs up on her.

Maddie and Eliana stare at me.

"There. You’ve got your proof that your family knows about my sister and your brother-in-law has her trapped in a forced relationship and in his house. Now, are you going to help my sister or not?" A small chuckle escapes her lips. "Oh, and before you think of going back on your promise, I have every intention of paying your in-laws a visit and telling them everything what we’ve been up to. I have photos of us together, screenshots of our texts and recordings of all our calls and conversations till date. There might not be anything incriminating in them but if you know your in-laws as well as I do, they only need to see us together to peg you a traitor. You might even have it worse than Olivia."

I trade an anxious glance with Eliana. "Did you know about this?" Eli shakes her head apologetically.

"Don’t look at her. I also have evidence incriminating her too." Maddie reclines on the sofa with a devilish smile on her face. "So, Demi Rollins, you’re going to do as I say from now on or you can consider your days numbered in the Rollins mansion!"

"Bitch." I mutter under my breath while leaving Eliana’s place. Maddie is such a pain the ass. She never trusted me from the onset and she probably never will until Olivia is out of Ashal’s clutches. Why did I underestimate her? I knew she was the type to try to implicate me so why didn’t I prepare for this?

A pair of male shoes lumbers into my path while I am walking towards my car with my head down. When I look up with a petulant air at the mannerless stranger, I gasp quietly.

"Ashton." I mumble breathlessly. Did he stalk me? Does he know I came to visit Eliana and Maddie?

"We need to talk." He says, his tone clipped and cold.