Four Brothers and a Bride-Chapter 61

ASHAL

"Please, you can’t say no. I know you said it’s a play pen for you and your brothers but can you make an exception this one time? I’ve already been there once before so what damage can one more visit do? Please Ashal." Demi pleads with me, her teary eyes are piercing and poking holes in my soul.

"I...I’ll have to ask the boys."

"They won’t allow it and you know that. I am asking you because it’s your house and you can override their decision. Please, do this for me. I don’t want anything else for my birthday gift."

I feel cornered. Why didn’t I see this coming? There’s no way I can take her over there for the whole day without risking her seeing Olivia? I don’t have enough time to move Olivia to a different place or hide all traces of her. The weekend starts in two days for goodness’ sake!

Demi is still waiting for my response with sad eyes. How am I supposed to turn her down in her state? What could possibly be a good excuse right now? If I keep denying her, she’ll only grow more suspicious of me.

"Can I at least think about it?"

"Never mind." She says, getting on her feet and wiping her eyes. "I didn’t think it was going to be such a big deal to visit your play pen and play games with you. If you have to sleep on it, you can just forget I asked." I tighten my eyes and grit my teeth as she trundles towards the door. Shit! Shit!! Shit!!

"Fine!" I echo with clenched teeth. Demi halts by the door and turns to shoot me a weak smile.

"Really? You mean that?"

"Yes. I’ll need some time to tidy the place though."

"No problem. Thank you so much Ashal."

"Another thing, the guys are all going to come along."

She pauses a bit. "Ok. That’s fine too. I just need a change of scenery. Can I bring a friend? Anna was planning on visiting me over the weekend. I promise she’s fun. You’ve met her." There goes those puppy dog eyes again.

I agree because I wouldn’t want her by herself with all four of us. The games will get tiring and she’ll require a break for some girl talk or whatever. Plus, Anna might keep her distracted around the house.

Demi thanks me once more and returns to her room. I cradle my head in my hands and try to analyze the potential damage I could be causing myself. I hang back a while longer to think of a viable plan to get through this unscathed.

Naturally, my brothers are not pleased when I break it to them.

"You said what? How could you agree to take her to the penthouse?"

"I didn’t have much of a choice, okay?" I reply Ashton. "I found her crying in the drawing room. She was very sad about how her birthday and how nothing went her way. Ashley, she was mostly heartbroken about you hooking up with Nicci at the party. The only thing that she could think of to distract herself from it all is hanging out and playing games with me at the penthouse for a change of scenery."

"With you?" Ashley asks with a weird look in his eyes.

"She’s pissed at you so don’t blame me if she wants to avoid you at all cost. She wanted it to be just us but I insisted that we all go or nothing. You are welcome by the way." I lock eyes specifically with Ashley.

"Gee, thanks bro, that makes me feel chipper." I ignore Ashley’s sarcasm and face my other brothers.

Ashton rubs his hand behind his neck. "Ashal, this isn’t a good idea."

"You’re damn right it isn’t." Finally, Asher jumps into the conversation. I know he has a lot to say. "I can’t believe you, Ashal. A woman sheds a few crocodile tears in front of you and you’ll readily give her your organs. How could you have fallen for that? You know the penthouse is off limits for a reason. Were you so worried about hurting her feelings and feeling like a jerk that you were prepared to risk the biggest secrets of your life getting out? How can you trust that woman?"

"I don’t trust her but I can’t keep turning her down. She’ll be here for another six months, Asher. It’s a fucking long time to have her nurse suspicions as to the real reason why I won’t let her see the house I visit almost every day. Again, we already took her there, remember? If the house is so sacred, she shouldn’t have been taken there. That’s Demi’s reasoning and why she suspects there’s more to the story than our lame excuse of it being our playpen." I hiss out a breath.

"Look, I am not thrilled about this idea, okay? I just want you all to understand that I am only trying to put her suspicions to rest. I did say I am taking her to my penthouse. I didn’t say which one." They all look at me.

"I’m not taking her to the house where Olivia stays. I am taking her to my penthouse downtown, the one up the hills that I rarely visit? That’s also my penthouse and Demi can play games all day if she likes. I haven’t told her that I am adjusting the plan but I doubt she will protest seeing that the second house is even more luxurious and larger. I doubt she’ll insist on being taken specifically to the other smaller house. What reason could she possibly give as to why it has to be that house and not the one I plan to take her if all she wants is a change of scenery?" My brothers seem to get my point. "Once she’s sated, I will be justified in turning down any future requests. I just need your help to make the arrangements."

"Don’t you think she’s going to keep wondering about the other house though? She’s been there like you said and her suspicions lie there. If you take her somewhere else, she might try to find the other house herself or to gain access to it to satisfy her curiosity one day."

"Who cares if Demi suspects that something is going on at the other house?" Asher replies Ashley. "She has no way of proving anything. She can’t even access the house even if she manages to locate it. No one is going to believe anything bad goes on in there simply because it is heavily guarded by security. All our properties in this country are."

"Besides," He continues, "...have you all stopped to think why she is obsessed with and strangely comfortable visiting the same house we dragged her to and threatened her? Doesn’t that seem strange to all of you?" Asher looks around at the rest of us. "She can play games here at the mansion. There are enough rooms here to lock herself in if she really doesn’t wish to run into anyone. What sort of silly excuse is a change in scenery if we are all going to be there anyway?"

"We already established that she might harbor suspicions about what goes on in Ashal’s house. The house is her primary concern." Ashton answers.

"Exactly. This only means she knows more about Olivia than she let on. Demi’s fishing for evidence. Look Ashal, what you’ve got sounds like a good plan but do we really have to cater to Demi’s wishes right now? We have more important things at stake here. We have neither found the person who left that comment on Billion-Err nor the woman who left Ashley that note. That’s what we should be focusing on right now. The last thing we should bother ourselves with is walking right into a deceitful woman’s plot disguised as her birthday wish, a woman who is a culpable suspect in the aforementioned mysteries."

"Asher’s right." I whip my head to face Ashton. "Look, I know you believe we can pull this off and we definitely can. However, that doesn’t mean we should. We’ve got too much on our plate already. We have to deal with one crisis at a time."

He comes over to place a hand on my shoulder. "Demi’s suspicions are just that...suspicions. They’ll go nowhere if we don’t indulge her. Taking her to a different penthouse might only end up fueling her suspicions of the other house. We can’t encourage that. It’s a hard pass."

"Am I supposed to retract the promise I already made to her?"

"Precisely." Ashton’s expression is bland as he answers. There’s something off about his indifference today. "I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to make it up to her later." He glances back and our other brothers nod in alignment with his decision. I am outnumbered.

"Fine. I’ll be the asshole and break my word." I recline on the sofa and rub my eyes angrily thinking how this could have gone differently if my superb idea had come from Asher or Ashton. The duo pat my shoulder before leaving. Ashley remains seated with a faraway look in his eyes.

"I can go with you to see Dr. Welsh, you know? I can sit in during the session if you want me there."

"Thanks." He says with a wry smile. "I’ll let you know if I need emotional support." I watch him leave. Something is clearly weighing on his mind but I respect his decision not to share. He’ll open up when he’s ready.

The next day, I skip breakfast and leave for work earlier than everyone else. I want to get some work done before I head over to my check on Olivia at midday. I hop on a few zoom calls with some of our foreign clients to share with them the progress we’re making with their campaigns.

Then, I immerse myself into other physical meetings in the conference room with newer clients that require our branding services for their pet projects.

Listening to them drone on about their vision for selling tech gadgets, apps and even headphones is painful, but I prefer it to availing my memory to all the problems I am not ready to face.

Elyon appears on the other side of the glass wall and signals to me that I have guests waiting in my office. I give my apologies and excuse myself from the meeting half hoping that Elyon only lied to bail me out of that never-ending meeting.

However, it turns out that I have three guests seated and waiting in my office indeed. I adjust my neck tie as I walk in, a small apology for the delay leaving my lips. When I proceed to say more, the words get stuck in my throat as I glance at their faces. I don’t remember the last time I saw them. I hurry to shut my door, a frown creasing my forehead.

"What are you doing here? You know better than to come see me here."

Olivia’s father nods sagely. "We understand." He glances briefly at his wife and younger daughter to his right. "We couldn’t reach you on phone because Olivia wasn’t sure she was allowed to give us your phone number. On behalf of my family, I’d like to apologize once more for the comment on the blog. Please, I assure you none of us had anything to do with it. I implore you to try to convince your father of this truth. I want you to assure him that our agreement still stands and I will never do anything to disrupt that."

Olivia’s mom stands behind her husband, nodding to every word that falls from his lips. She’s very subservient and timid. In contrast, her second daughter and Olivia’s kid sister, Maddie, stands with her head held up high. She hates me and makes a bold show of it. Maddie meets my eyes and holds my gaze stubbornly. Her parents notice the two of us in a staring contest and Mr. Christian Dunn coughs and stares daggers at his daughter who reluctantly peels her eyes off me to set them on her feet.

"Please, tell us how we can make this better? Your father seemed very upset the last time."

"That’s because he is." I go to sit behind my desk.

"We’re deeply sorry for all the troubles Olivia has caused. She’s still a child and doesn’t realize the good fortune she has been blessed with through her alliance with your family. I’ll talk some sense into her." Behind him, I notice Maddie scoff and shake her head in disgust. She can be very blunt and damn all consequences whenever she has something to say.

Her father nudges his wife. The fearful woman bobs her head and whispers a small apology. After he gives Maddie a scorching look, she also follows her mother’s example.

"I’ll see what I can do." I tell them, rising. "Please, don’t ever come to my workplace like this again. I’ll inform Olivia to pass my number along. Henceforth, you can’t meet me or my family members in person. Is that clear?"

"Yes. Thank you for your time." The sturdy man begins to herd his family out of my office.

"Mr. Dunn, if you don’t mind, I’d like a word with Maddie. Could you give us a few minutes?" Uncertainty washes over the father’s face. By his side, his wife tenses up, her grip tightening on Maddie’s wrist. Maddie’s eyes are like flaming torches when she sets them on my face. The fire in her eyes remind me of Olivia when we were first forced to be together.

Mr. Dunn nods and pulls his wife away. Alone, Maddie squares her shoulders and stares at me like she wants to run me through repeatedly with a blunt dagger.

"Sit, Maddie."

"It’s Madeline to you, and no, I don’t want to sit. What is this about?" Argh, she hates me more every time we meet.

"How are your studies going?"

"It’s definitely hellish but pales in comparison to my sister’s life with you." Her eyes darken as she holds my gaze. I let that one slide. "If you have something to say Mr. Rollins, come out with it and stop wasting everyone’s time."

I lean forward on my desk and steeple my fingers. With a grim look on my face, I moisten my lips before speaking.

"I don’t know what games you’re playing but I’d advise you to stop, for your sister’s sake. I know you made that comment on Billion-Err or at least you know who did. You shouldn’t play with fire like that. You’ll end up hurting your family, especially your sister. Liv and I are working through our marriage. We’re at a better place than we started. I don’t appreciate you creating chaos in our lives."

Maddie scoffs. "Dang it. Now, I really wish I had made that comment. I’d kiss whomever had the balls to write that just for giving me the satisfaction of seeing this look on your face and watching your family squirm." She approaches my desk with a deep frown. "You can’t hide my sister forever, Ashal Rollins. I won’t have to lift a finger before all your family’s dirty secrets come to the surface. I only pray that I live long enough to see you guys crash and burn. Karma is at your doorstep. Mark my words."

She turns on her heels and storms out. I merely shake my head and strap down on the annoyance simmering in my gut.

Maddie is a thorn in my flesh. I let her excesses slide because her feelings of anger and hatred towards me are justified. Plus, her sister has already suffered enough under my care but I can’t guarantee that I won’t take my anger out on Maddie if she makes the mistake of targeting my family to cause our ruin.

I agree that my family isn’t perfect and we have done some ugly things to protect one another, but then what family is perfect? What family won’t do the same for the ones they love?

After finishing up my meetings for the morning, I head over to see Olivia.

"How did it go with Dr. Welsh?" I ask Ashley over the phone on my way. He indulges in a long sigh.

"It went well. I am not irredeemable." We both laugh. "Hey, did you tell Demi yet? How did she take it?"

"Nah, not yet. I’ve just had quite a bit on my mind and I didn’t want to do it over the phone. I’ll tell her when I get home tonight. Will you be there? I was hoping for your presence to diffuse the tension."

Ashely sighs. "Before her party, my presence might have made a difference but right now, it’ll only make it worse. I fucked up at Demi’s birthday party. I can’t apologize enough for the disrespect. She’s still hurting and hardly wants to be around me."

"I understand."

"I don’t get it though."

"What do you mean?"

"I don’t know, man. I know. I just...it just feels weird that despite the fact that our marriage is merely contractual, she still gives off mixed signals to me. I know she says she feels nothing for me but it beats me that she still feels hurt by what happened between Nicci and I days ago. Maybe I’m just overthinking it though." I imagine him running his hand through his hair.

"Yeah, maybe. I don’t think it’s just that one thing. I think she’s overwhelmed by a lot of things that happened at the party. She mentioned that nobody listened to her. She didn’t have a say in anything like the guest list for instance. She had no idea who and who were turning up and was mostly surrounded by strangers...including people that had no business being at her party if you get my drift."

"I didn’t invite Nicci. I can’t stress that enough." He sighs tiredly. "And William whom I did invite because he was new in town and wanted to catch up? How was I supposed to know that he and Demi dated in High school?"

"What? No way! For real??"

"I can’t understand why she didn’t tell me, especially after I introduced them." He expels a long breath. "Nicci told me she saw them conversing in hushed tones at the party, in a secluded area. Will even attempted to grab Demi’s hand. I know Nicci obviously isn’t a fan of Demi’s but this isn’t the first time she’s told me something about Demi that turned out to be true. Her hunch that something might still be brewing between them could be right."

"They’re exes. I am sure it’s nothing more than the awkwardness of seeing each other after so many years."

"I hope you’re right. I don’t know how I would feel if my best friend and my wife are still...I don’t want to sound jealous but I won’t like it."

"They’re not. Don’t torture yourself till you have proof." I cut the call and pull into the penthouse. Olivia meets me at the door with a somber expression.

"I’ve been trying to reach you." She says meekly. When she tries to take my hand, I move it out of the way and start heading upstairs. She trails behind me. "I called Eliana. I wanted to confirm if she had posted the comment on Billion-Err." Her eyes light up as I pause atop the stairs and turn to listen to her. "She didn’t. She doesn’t even keep up with Billion-Err. She’s not a fan."

"Ok? Is that it?"

"No. There’s more. While we were talking, she told me she met up with Demi Rollins. In fact, she was actually seated in Demi’s car while she was taking my call. She even put me on speakerphone so Demi could talk to me."

"What?"

Olivia grabs my hand and shakes her head. "It’s okay. I cut the call immediately before Demi could say a word to me."

I can’t believe this. What exactly is Demi up to?

"Baby, just before you arrived," Liv continues with a hand on my cheek. "I used Lily’s phone to call Demi and warn her not to play Sherlock Holmes by interfering with my life. I debunked everything Eliana must have told her. I told her that I am enjoying my relationship and that we only had a few lovers’ spats. I told her that I will report her to her family if she ever tries to bother me again."

"You did that?" My eyes stray to Lily’s and she nods to confirm Olivia’s words. "What did she say to you then?"

"I didn’t let her get a word in. After snarling at her, I cut the call and blocked her." Tears shimmer in Olivia’s eyes as she gazes adoringly at me. She’s desperate to get in my good books again. I want to savor her honesty and support but every time I try, I recall the incident at the door and how quickly she had betrayed me. This isn’t love in her eyes; it is desperation spurred by the need to save her hide.

"I’m sorry, Ashal." She begins, as though she had read my thoughts. "I’m sorry. Please, believe me. I wasn’t trying to escape." I cover her fingers on my cheeks with mine and gently pull her hand away.

"Thank you for talking to Demi." I leave her there and head for my room.

***

Alone, I start pacing angrily. This is crazy. It’s one thing to suspect that Demi has ulterior motives. It’s hits completely different when you have concrete reasons to believe so.

Demi met up with Olivia’s friend yesterday? She even heard Olivia on the phone and tried to talk to her? I can’t believe it. Everything is starting to come full circle; the sudden mention of Olivia on Billion-Err, Demi hiding the fact that she almost spoke to Olivia yesterday, Demi’s sudden birthday wish to see my penthouse last night. She obviously has full-fledged suspicions and just needs hard proof that I am hiding a woman in my house.

Anger prickles over the shock as I run everything back and forth in my mind. I think of calling my brothers to tell them everything when a thought crosses my mind. They already shut down my idea. I don’t want them robbing me of a chance to get back at Demi for her deceitfulness. Changing, my mind, I call Ashley instead. He is just as shocked as I am to hear everything.

"It can’t be a coincidence. She’s up to something." I tell him.

"You have to retract the promise you made to her. It’s clearly a trap."

"I know but I still plan on keeping my word to her."

"What? Ashal, that’s crazy. Taking her to a different penthouse won’t change anything."

"Hear me out. Ashton was wrong. Demi’s suspicions won’t remain that way for long. She’s actively trying to get to the bottom of it behind our backs. She’ll only grow more suspicious if her sweet brother-in-law keeps denying her a visit to his play pen and we have no idea how far she’ll go to uncover my secret. If Olivia hadn’t called Eliana, we wouldn’t even know how close Demi is to figuring out the truth."

"What do you plan to do?"

"I am sticking to the original plan but there’s a new twist. I plan to make her visit so eventful she’ll probably never want to visit any of my properties again." I sink into a couch in my room and cross one foot over the other. "She thinks she’s coming to play games but what she doesn’t realize is that she’ll be walking into a trap."

"You can’t underestimate her."

"I won’t. I fully expect her to go snooping around for clues but that is going to be a big mistake on her part. I’ll need you to invite William over tomorrow. He’s going to be the distraction Demi won’t expect. Aren’t you curious to know what’s really going on between those two? Well, tomorrow is going to be a movie."

"Damn, Ash."

"This way, we’ll kill two birds with one stone. Trust me, after tomorrow, Demi’s suspicions about me and Olivia will not only disappear but she’ll have bigger problems to worry about."

After the call ends, I look up to find Lily hovering by my door. A small smile forms on my lips.

"Just who I wanted to see." At the gesture of my hand, she enters my room and comes to stand in front of me. "You said you were prepared to do anything I wanted, right?" Lily nods. "Very well. I have a very important task for you tomorrow. Come here." When she leans close, I whisper it into her left ear. By the time she eases back to stare at me, a sly smile seeps into her face.

"I won’t fail you, sir. It’s a promise."

I smile satisfactorily. Tomorrow’s going to be fun.