Four Brothers and a Bride-Chapter 89

ASHTON

The last two weeks have been very hectic for me. At home while Mila was still a guest in the mansion, she had been very clingy and in constant demand of entertainment. I barely saw much of my own brothers because she was always pulling me away to check out a new club, attend a concert or a friend’s party etc.

There was always something to do and somewhere to get to. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was very uncomfortable being at home with me with Ashely’s room (where Demi had to sleep in most nights for the duration of Mila’s stay) being close to mine.

She wouldn’t admit it but I sensed that Mila was still very wary of and insecure around Demi. I noticed how she switched up on her fashion style from the comfortable and chic to trendy and sexy. Everyday, she looked so good she turned heads wherever we went.

I indulged her because I needed to distract myself from feeling bad about losing a woman that was never mine to begin with. While I immersed myself in Mila’s world and slavishly followed her itinerary, the distance between Demi and I started to widen and I realized I could go a day without thinking about her.

At work, Asher and I finally finalized the acquisition of a car dealership. I didn’t think the deal was going to span weeks to conclude but I am grateful it was successful. I have never been prouder of Asher. He handled the process with admirable finesse.

I understand why father keeps him close. Asher is a ruthless negotiator and businessman. I just like cars, man. The business side of it all sucks to be honest. Thankfully, I have astute people just like Asher on my team who help me keep the automobile company running smoothly.

Mila is finally back to sleeping in her own bed now. I am grateful to have my room to myself but there are still traces of her everywhere, especially in my bathroom. Her scent still lingers on my pillows and bedsheets. Her lingerie and some of her clothes are still in my closet. I sometimes imagine her fingerprint on the steamy glass in the shower from when we got kinky in the bathroom. There’s also her toothbrush, hairbrush, makeup kit etc. all over the bathroom sink. I tried to ignore the clutter for a few days but finally gave up and called the maids.

"Thank you, Halle." My room is squeaky clean after Halle and her team finish with it in under an hour. The bathroom is spotless, like it is used to being.

"You’re welcome, sir. Let us know if you need any more assistance."

I shut my door after they leave and sigh deeply. It feels great when I fall asleep later. The next morning after a good night rest, I wake up refreshed and ready to restart the daily grind. Gris is pleased when I make my way into the office bright and early. According to him, I am in time to meet my guest.

"A guest in my office? It’s not even eight in the morning yet." I mutter irritably. When he tells me who the guest is, my frown only deepens.

"Good morning, Mr. Spellman." I greet Mila’s father. The elderly man is comfortably seated on my sofa with a steaming mug of coffee in his hand. He sets his coffee down as I join him on the sofa. I have a slight idea what he is here to talk about.

"You’re late, again" He utters dryly with a look of pure dissatisfaction etched on his face.

"It’s two minutes past seven am and you didn’t inform me you were coming."

"It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I was here before you, the boss of this establishment."

I shrug my shoulders, lean back on my seat and cross my legs. "Fine. Two points for punctuality goes to you. So, are you going to tell me why you are here? I know it has nothing to do with the services we offer here."

Mr. Hugh regards me with disdain through his piercing eyes. I don’t care what he thinks of me. I won’t cozy up to him just because I am with his daughter. I don’t even do so with my own father. He has to accept me just as I am.

"What exactly are your plans for my daughter? She spent weeks at your mansion. At this point, I am afraid it’s a little more than a fling."

I want to believe that neither Mila nor father is behind Mr. Hugh’s visit today. Just the thought of it pisses me off.

"Mila and I just started dating officially, Mr. Hugh. I am in no hurry whatsoever. Did Mila say something to you?"

"She has no idea I am here right now. I am only asking as a concerned father. I do not want rumors to spread or her reputation nearly tarnished if you mean to use and dump her. She won’t be like that model your married brother uses."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Don’t get defensive, Ashton. We both know the truth. Anyway, back to my question. You didn’t answer me."

I rise to my feet. "I did, clearly might I add. I am still getting to know your daughter. We are in a good place right now and I’d appreciate it if our parents cut us some slack and stop meddling with our private matters. When we are ready to take our relationship to the next level, we will do well to inform you guys but not before."

"If you don’t plan on having a future with my daughter, do well to let her down easily and quickly. I won’t let you strain her along and choose someone else over her after breaking her heart." His voice has a fine threat in it.

"Thank you for stopping by, Mr. Spellman."

He stands up as well, our eyes level. "Here’s a thought. You can back away and let your brother, Asher, date my Mila. At least with him, I will worry less about him being erratic and impulsive. With him, I can be certain that he will fulfil his responsibility towards her irrespective of how he feels."

I smirk at him. "I’ll be sure to pass along your wishes to Asher."

Mr. Hugh clenches his fist before storming out of my office. Gris rushes to me.

"Sir, you shouldn’t have spoken to him like that. You know who he is. You should have been more respectful to him."

"He shouldn’t have spoken to me so condescendingly knowing who I am either! Trust me Gris, I handled that as best as I could. If I didn’t check my temper, he would have left here with a broken nose."

I give it thirty minutes tops before father’s call comes blaring on my phone. Two hours go by and I am surprised at Hugh’s restraint in conveying his displeasure to my father. Even Mila doesn’t call or text me. It’s strange. When I finish up with my last meeting before lunch break, I settle back in my office and put a call through to Cyril.

"How is she?"

"She still hasn’t said anything new. She maintains that we have the wrong person." I sigh deeply. "We can torture her..."

"No, I mean not yet. I’ll be stopping by later today. If she still refuses to open up to me, I’ll leave her to your methods of persuasion."

"Alright sir."

My brows knit in a frown when an unexpected guest causes an uproar in the building. The hurried shuffling of footsteps, the ass slicking and babbling of praises have only ever been spurred by one man.

Gris holds the door open with a low bow as father walks into my office. With a raised hand, he stops Duncan and three other security personnel from joining him inside my office.

"I’ll talk to you later, Cyril." I hang up the call and stand to my feet while father’s eyes take in my space.

"You should have called me to the HQ. Why did you take the trouble to come all the way?"

From the look on his face, I can tell he isn’t impressed by my minimalistic design. His office and Asher’s are a statement of opulence. Though Ashley’s and Ashal’s offices are tastefully furnished and bigger in space, they have a stroke of personality about them. My office is almost a blur if you squint your eyes given my belief that less is more.

"Why are you still occupying this small space? Is there a problem with the bigger office reserved for the CEO?"

"I like this view better." Father is not convinced but moves on. "What brings you here? This is such a surprise." He slants a cold glare my way.

"Don’t act like you weren’t expecting my call at least. You know exactly why I’ve come." ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

"Hugh."

"Yes, Hugh called." I join him on the sofa and subdue a grunt of annoyance when he turns down the drink Gris rushes in to offer him with a dismissive wave. He exhales. "What exactly are you playing at here, Ashton? I came all this way to ask you what game you’re trying to play with the Spellmans."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Mila. She isn’t like the nobodies your brothers are used to going for. She is Hugh Spellman’s daughter! I needed to look you in the eye when I reminded you what a deadly game you’re playing by ruffling her father’s feathers with your arrogance. Mila is a beautiful and successful woman whom you’ve been flaunting for the world for the last couple of weeks. Is it so unbelievable that her father would want to know what your intentions for his daughter are?"

"No, it’s not. I told him exactly how I feel."

"And how do you feel?"

"Like it’s too early to put pressure on my relationship with Mila just to please our parents! We just started dating officially. Give us a break."

Father bites down on his lower lips. "I need you to promise me you won’t screw this up because of whatever negligible feelings you might nurse for any other woman. YOU CAN’T FUCK THIS UP, ASHTON."

I fully understand his silent message. "I was wondering when you were going to bring that up."

"I wanted to give you the benefit of doubt. I am impressed that you are moving on from that disgraceful act with Demi and choosing a future with Mila but that doesn’t mean that I am over your betrayal towards Ashley. I thought you were better than that."

I scoff at his judgement. "I am a Rollins son. If memory serves me correctly, the men in our family are not better than betraying their loved ones."

Father matches the heat in my eyes at my snide reply. That one must have hit a nerve or two. How dare he talk to me about betrayal when he has been the one championing it in the family.

"Demi is to blame for all of this. She seduced you."

"Don’t start this again."

"She’s playing my sons like a fiddle."

"You’re so predictable." I hiss.

"Good. Then you know how badly I am prepared to screw up her entire life if you don’t prove to me that you’re over whatever you thought you felt for her. She is married to your brother, Ash. YOUR BROTHER! You should never have fallen into that slut’s trap."

"I didn’t fall into anyone’s trap. I felt something for her but I’m over it now. Can we all just move on instead of branding me with that one mistake?"

"If you truly had moved on, you wouldn’t be playing games with Mila Spellman." I watch father lean forward with cold fury in his eyes. "You’ve known Mila for a sufficient period of time. Her feelings for you are not in doubt. Her family is a well known and respectable one. If you’re not still sulking over your brother’s wife, you would get engaged to Mila."

"What’s your hurry?"

"You’re clearly never going to win her father over with your stubbornness so before Mila’s doubts as to your loyalty and affection matches her father’s apathy towards you, we need to lock this union in with a promise of marriage."

I surge to my feet, brimming with anger. "You came here to remind me that I am just another pawn in your game. Ha. Just my luck."

"I came here to help you secure your future before you ruin it over faux feelings of affection for a woman you can never have, Ashton." Father says, rising as well. "Look at Ashal. He had the opportunity to wed Stacy Baker and botched it. Today, he is stuck with a woman in a loveless, secret marriage. Is that what you want? Do you want to lose Mila and your family’s trust over your lust for your brother’s wife?"

"Watch it."

"Then prove me wrong. Agree to get engaged to Mila. Her father won’t make a fuss once I talk to him. We also have Mila’s obsession with you in our favor. No one says you have to get married now. Couples get engaged and get married much later nowadays. You could wed her in a year or two if you wish. If you do this, you won’t only be insuring your relationship with Mila but Ashley’s with Demi. She needs to realize you’re off the market so she can focus on her marriage with your brother."

Oh, so Ashley had father do his dirty work. "Ashley set you up to this?"

"I had a worse plan in mind for Demi that you would have really hated if Ashley hadn’t talked me out of it. That’s how livid I was after learning of his wife’s feelings for you and her shameless acts around you. It’s just shocking to realize all she has done after insisting on inserting a no sex clause in her contract with Ashley. Talk about double standards." He shakes his head. "Do as I say and I won’t punish her brutally for her role in all of this."

I clench my fists by my side, mad that Demi is still a weakness of mine.

"Fine. I’ll do it."

***

"This is no prison, at least not what most people conceptualize as a prison." Cree says stuffing a slice of pizza in her mouth. "Is there a particular reason why I am being held in this beautiful house instead of a cell?" She wipes her lips with a napkin and slurps her orange juice.

I jam my hands in my pocket as I approach her. She’s a cheeky one. "Are you in a hurry to be behind bars? Don’t worry, you’ll still end up in prison. I just need you to answer my questions first. This is the last time I’ll ask them. Once I step through that door to leave, you’ll be on your way to a correctional facility. Mark my words."

She sighs and dumps her pizza. "I already told you, I’m not Shay. Why isn’t anyone listening to me? How can you honestly accuse me of being someone simply because we call our men similar nicknames? I could have called you Mi amor, pooh bear, Tiger or whatever else I wanted. Would you also round up every other woman in the world who uses similar nicknames? Whoever this Shay is, she’s still out there and you’re punishing the wrong woman." She bites her food again. "This aspect of my punishment is delicious by the way." She adds, pointing to the pizza.

My mood isn’t the best right now given father’s visit and his demand. With a feral cry, I flip over the table, throwing the juice and pizza box on the ground. Cree is already on her feet, eyes wide with shock.

"You’re not Ashal, are you?"

"Let’s try that again, princess. Why were you tormenting my brother? You had better not try to lie to me or you will be wheeled into a hospital with broken bones."

Fear finally glistens in her eyes. My brothers and I have been lenient for days and she has been abusing the privilege by stalling. I am at my wits end. I don’t care what I do now. I’ll make her talk one way or another.

"You won’t hit a woman." Her voice is shaky. Good.

"No, but Cyril can. He’s paid ridiculously high to inflict pain on others till they beg for a quick death. He won’t stop until he gets the truth. Would you like Cyril to take over here or are you ready to start talking?"

Cree trembles as Cyril steps up next to me, his eyes bereft of emotions.

"We might not have enough evidence to lock you away for a really long time but that’s no problem at all. Incriminating evidence can easily be planted. If you continue to piss me off, you could go in with higher charges. Don’t force me to make that decision, Cree. Tell me what you know!"

"I already did!" She cries with misty eyes.

"It can’t be a coincidence that you match the description we have of Shay. Everywhere I look regarding the case of blackmail, you feature prominently. You showed up as Ashal’s blind date and brandished a gun while uttering the name, Tobias. You were there outside the cinema when Ashley was questioned about Tobias. Your whereabout isn’t accounted for on the day a courier deposited a flower bouquet to Ashley’s office and on the day his wife was left a gift box in a public bathroom. These cannot be coincidences. Start talking Cree!"

Something flits across her eyes. I wasn’t sure before but right now, I feel less bad for the way I am trying to sift out information from her.

"I don’t have all day, Cree Baxter. We still need to cover your text messages to me regarding my other parents. Yes, I know you know something about that too." She doesn’t deny it and my resolve is further strengthened. "CYRIL, MAKE HER TALK."

Cyril brings out a small metallic box from a backpack that contains varying sizes of sharp objects, including syringes. He begins to strap on latex gloves.

"Ok. Ok. I’ll tell you what I know but please, ask them all to leave, especially the crazy one." She screams, staring fearfully at Cyril. I have the room cleared.

"You have five minutes before I lose my patience."

Cree slides listlessly to the ground. "You’re not going to believe me anyway but this right here is the truth." She burrows her hands between her thighs and avoids my eyes. "I am behind the text messages regarding your biological parents. I chanced on some information about your adoption. I was strapped for cash so I thought I’d find a way to extort you. It was stupid of me. I am sorry. I thought you’d pay heavily to learn the truth if you didn’t already know. If you did, I planned to threaten you with exposing it to the world."

"Why me? Why did you only contact me?"

"Yours was the only phone number Shay agreed to give me for my own ends."

"Where’d you get the information about my adoption from?"

"I’m sorry but I can’t implicate anyone else. Whatever you want to know, you can ask me. I know far more than you can imagine." She gets on her knees. "Please, don’t hurt me. I’ll cooperate and help you find the answers you seek. You won’t even have to pay me. I have earned more than I hoped for from the job Ashal helped me secure."

"You know the names of my biological parents?"

She nods grimly. I inhale and struggle not to digress. I did promise my brothers I was going to stay off this hunt but it’s so tempting right now. Curiosity battles with pride and pride wins.

"Shay. Tell me about Shay."

"I am not Shay. I just...I owe her a debt and helping her with blackmailing your brother was the only way she wanted the debt paid."

Keep going."

"She just tells me when and where to appear and what to do. I don’t ask questions. I don’t know anything about Tobias or why she believes using his name will torment your brother, Ashley. She told me to deliver the flowers to his office and to show up at the blind date with Ashal, as well as other sightings too, like the cinema. She tells me what to write in the notes I leave. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to go so far."

"Who is Shay?"

Cree breathes heavily and hesitates slightly. "I told you I didn’t want to implicate anyone else. I can only tell you that she knows a great deal about this Tobias incident."

"I NEED HER NAME, CREE OR CYRIL TAKES OVER!"

"Nicola! Shay is Nicola Grey!"