Four Brothers and a Bride-Chapter 71

DEMI

"Thank you for coming." Aunt says with a ghost of a smile. I am not ready to be around my aunt and cousin yet. My body language screams this fact. However, we might as well get it over with.

Kira sits across the center table in the small living room. Like mine, her legs are crossed and her back straight. She is looking at me but not contemptibly as usual. There’s a churning mix of shame and envy swimming in her eyes. Her mother nudges her to stop to staring fixedly at me.

"Demi, we apologize for our poor behavior at your in-law’s place. We agree that sometimes, we can come off as unloving and distant..."

"Distant? I think the word you’re looking for is hateful." Aunt gulps at my raw correction. Kira’s eyes dips to her hands where she is quietly pressing her artificial nails into her palms. She’s not happy to be in this position but it appears her hands are tied and she has to kiss my ass or they can forget about currying favors with my in-laws forever. That’s really their motivation for this fake apology meeting.

"Hateful." Aunt accepts my word choice. She wrings her hands with a bowed head. "I want you to understand that I don’t hate you. I don’t wish you harm. You are my sister’s child after all. I could never wish for your death."

"But you can wish for my downfall, my divorce, my disgrace?"

"Demi..."

"I’m not quite finished, aunt Elizabeth!" I fire at her.

Kira’s downcast eyes flutter towards me. There’s ticking bomb behind them. I am waiting for her to break character and say one wrong thing to me so my exit from their house will be justified. However, aunt reaches for her daughter’s hand and squeezes it to remind her to stay calm.

"I have endured so much under your roof and I was fine with it. You and my mom weren’t very close. You never sent me any cards for my birthday, no gifts or even calls. I know mother did those things for Kira here even though you never properly acknowledged them. From a young age, I suspected my only aunt might not be a very friendly person but my mom defended you and constantly tried to change my mind about you. She was wrong about you and I was right." I shake my head at her.

"The first time I stepped foot in your house was after my parents died and even then, you weren’t thrilled to be saddled with the responsibility of taking care of me. The fact that my mom’s death settlement and savings were paid to you didn’t soften your heart. You splurged everything on your daughter while I lived like a pauper. You put me to work and made me earn my keep. THAT was a hateful thing to do to your own niece."

"I understand why you would see it that way...."

"That’s the only way to see it, aunt. There’s no other interpretation."

"But she paid you back everything she owed." Kira interjects, ignoring the flash of warning in her mother’s eyes. "She got you married into the richest family in Danvarr. The life you’re enjoying right now is all thanks to my mom. If she hated you so much, she would have dragged me there in your place, right? She would have lied that I was the person one of their sons was married to."

I lean forward and pin her with a piercing gaze. "Your mom didn’t do shit for me, Kira Collin. If I hadn’t got drunk and gone to the Blue Cove, it wouldn’t matter what story Billion-Err could come up with it. I had a marriage certificate to prove my claim. You and your mother never gave two cents about me and whether or not I wanted to go through with the marriage. You only thought of yourselves and how you could exploit the Rollins family at my expense. What you didn’t count on, aunt, was Mrs. Rollins taking a liking to me and Billion-Err fighting for my right. Those two things AND my certificate are responsible for the wedding band on my finger, not you!"

I lean back and stare at them. "I bet you wish Kira was in my place."

"I wish you two would get along. I don’t want your stories to be a repeat of that of your mother and I. I’m ready to end the cycle, Demi but I can’t do it alone. You and Kira have to make peace so we can be one happy family."

I gasp at how relentless she’s being. She turns to her daughter whose eyes are still fired up at me.

"Kira, Demi is your cousin. You are related by blood. Whatever unhealthy rivalry you two have going on, you have to ditch it and make up with her."

Kira’s eyes soften as she lays it on her mother. "I’m not the proud one, mom. As soon as Demi learns to swallow her pride and come down her high horse, then we can talk like cousins. I am not going to let her treat us like doormats until then."

"I scoff at that. "Doormats? Asking for the apology I deserve is equivalent to treating you as doormats? Wow. You’ll never learn." I get on my feet and aunt’s eyes widen with worry.

"You can’t leave yet. You two have to sort this out."

"Let her go, mom. We’ll survive. And Demi, don’t forget your contract expires in six months." Her eyes twinkle as she stares at me. "You’re not going to be Mrs. Ashley Rollins forever. I might not have the luxurious life you’re enjoying but at least I have a real mom and a family that doesn’t come with an expiration date."

I’ll admit that one lances at my heart. Nevertheless, I never went into this to bag the Rollins last name for a lifetime. I just want to avenge my parents. I don’t think any other regrets after my divorce will trump my failure to do right by my murdered parents.

"I’ll take that temporal family any day over a lifetime with the likes of you." While aunt continues to call for me, I wrench open the door and slam it shut behind me. Then I heave a deep breath. Families are so exhausting.

"Why did you have to antagonize her? You promised you would keep your mouth shut and follow my lead." I hear aunt scolding Kira in a hushed tone.

"There was no way I was going to watch her disparage us like that. To hell with her and the Rollins! They’re not the only wealthy family in this country."

"But they’re the wealthiest with three unmarried sons! How are you supposed to fall pregnant for any of the other three brothers if we no longer get invites to their mansion and events? Use your head, Kira. Demi was our foot in the door. I don’t care what you have to do. Grovel at her feet if you must but you have to get us back in her good graces. Think of the opportunities we would get if you’re the first one to have their grandchild. They’ll throw a big wedding for you and adorn you with diamonds. You’ll have servants at your beck and call. While Demi gets divorced in six months, the entire Rollins Empire will revolve around the latest, pregnant daughter-in-law."

What in the Cinderella and her evil stepmother twisted remake is this? I plaster my ears to the door to eavesdrop further.

"I understand mom, I’m not stupid. Even if she continues to give us a cold shoulder, Asher won’t abandon us. He still needs our help to get rid of her. I’ll continue to work my magic on him and make him mine while he still requires our help."

"We can’t be of much help to him if he realizes that Demi no longer listens to us. He’ll ditch us and find other ways to get rid of her. And frankly, I don’t think you’re experienced enough to seduce a man like Asher."

"I have a couple of alternate ideas for helping him with his goal mom, even if Demi no longer listens to us. Plus, I don’t need vast experience with Asher. I just need him to spend one night me. I’m sure he wouldn’t turn down a night of fun with me. I’ll be prepared and make sure he fathers my child."

Oh heavens, I think, rushing to my car. Mother and daughter are mad. They’re both very mad, I keep thinking as I trot to my car parked a few paces ahead. I can’t believe I wasted my lunch break for that rubbish.

I head straight for Ashley’s to have lunch with him. He has been slightly clingy ever since his return from Brellis. I am not put off by it. I don’t mind being around him, especially since he stopped being awkward about the fact that I like Ashton a little more.

Our last date before his travel still crops up in my mind. It was so much fun getting to know his unhinged side and speaking freely about ourselves. Ashley felt more like a cool guy friend rather than a grumpy husband. I don’t mind being around this new version of him. Besides the truth of Tobias’ murder, I am curious to know how this version of Ashley can help propel my plans.

After we have lunch, I linger a bit to kill time. His office reminds me of the last time I was in here with Ashton. A twinge of sadness curls up my stomach when my eyes fall on the couch Ashton and I had almost kissed in. We hadn’t even gotten around to going on a proper date while he was still playing Ashley.

"Something wrong?" Ashley calls to me from the mannequin he’s bedazzling.

"No." I edge closer to admire him doing what he knows best. "Anything on Shay Woodley yet?"

"Duncan discovered that Cree wasn’t lying. Her story checked out. My blackmailer is still on the loose but I am not going to halt my life while waiting for her next move. I have the support of my family. That’s all I need to get through this ordeal."

"I’m glad you feel that way."

"Hang on. Almost done here. I just need a minute...done." He gets up from his squatting position so fast I barely have time to shift back. Our foreheads narrowly miss colliding with each other.

Unfortunately, I lose my balance in my bid to avoid bumping heads with him and start falling on my back when his deft hands catch me. Breathing heavily, I stare up at his bluish eyes as he stares down into my brown ones.

"Are you okay?"

I often forget how daunting being this close to one of the quads can get. Ashley could easily be Ashton in my eyes right now, especially since I already have a clear picture of Ashton in Ashley’s clothes from the latest switcheroo they executed. My throat dries up as I struggle to find the words to respond so I just nod.

"Mmhmm."

He breaks into a captivating smile. Absentmindedly, my eyes dip to his pink lips and linger long enough for Ashley to misconstrue the look and lean down to kiss me. The shock of his warm kiss causes me to topple us down to the floor.

"Oh my god. I’m so sorry."

Ashley lays on his back and cackles.

"Are you hurt?"

"I’m fine. You’re so funny." He stands and offers a hand to pull me up. When I take it, he pulls me close to him till our stomachs are meshed together. My eyes go wide with shock. I thought he wasn’t going to make things weird.

"Wanna model for me?" I follow his gaze to the dress he just finished on the mannequin.

"Isn’t that Nicci’s job?"

"It’s her job to wear my designs on a runway. I can pick whomever I want to be the first one to try it. So?"

"Ash, I have to get back to work."

"I’ll buy you sometime. Asher won’t refuse me. Is that a yes?" His eyes are hopeful and pleading. I shrug my shoulders since I have no legitimate excuse to make.

"Great." He eases onto one of the couches and crosses his legs like the boss he is. "Now, strip." His voice is clipped and cold.

My eyes slash towards him. He doesn’t flinch at the shock in them.

"What?"

"Take your clothes off. You have to try it on butt naked so I know it sits right. Go on, strip." Again, his facial muscles are firm.

I wait for him to tell me he is pulling my legs but there is a cold air around him that makes me feel like it’s Asher on the couch. Just as my heart plummets to my stomach, the long-awaited laughter echoes.

"That was not funny. I hate you!" I grab my bag and keys while he rushes to the door to block me. "Get out of my way. I hate it when you do that." It’s a new habit of his since he returned, switching between personalities like a psychopath. novelbuddy.cσ๓

"I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Your face...it’s just too priceless to watch. You went pale." He laughs a bit more. "I swear, no more of that shit. Please forgive me. I thought you’d be used to it by now but you fall for it every time so it’s hard to resist pranking you." I let him pull me back towards the couch.

"I’m sorry about that, and for the kiss. I didn’t mean to make things awkward."

"Thank you." My mood is ruined for the modeling. "I need to get back to the office."

"Let me drop you off." He offers with a sweet smile.

When I get back to work, Nessa is not by her desk. I head to my office and set aside the treats I got her before focusing on work.

A few minutes go by and I get curious. She wouldn’t leave her desk unmanned for this long with Asher around. Speaking of Asher, I find it weird that he hasn’t called for her like he does every five minutes. I rise from my desk, grab a few papers and head for his office. I knock twice and push the door open. My eyes boggle in surprise to find Nessa inside the office with Asher.

He appears to be taking some medication with her assistance.

"GET OUT!" He hollers at me. Nessa rushes to the door and with a strange look in her eyes, nudges me to stay out. She slams the door shut in my face. I stand outside, perplexed. What was that? Why were they being weird? My mind reels back to the pills I had once seen Asher taking and him giving me a similar reaction. Could there be more to it?

***

"There’s definitely more to those pills." I tell Anna as I lay on her bed after work. "Who freaks out like that because someone saw them taking regular pills? Even Nessa acted strange like she knows something I don’t. I tried to siphon the details from her afterward but her mouth was a steel trap. I wonder what the truth could be." I crane my neck when Anna remains unusually silent.

"Anna? Earth to Anna." I pipe, clicking my thumb and index fingers in front of her eyes. She blinks at me with a small smile. "Where’s your head at? Have you been listening to me all this time?"

"I heard you. Asher was taking some medication in his office today and yelled at you when you came in suddenly."

"I knocked twice like I always do. There was nothing sudden about it."

"You said his secretary was with him?" Her eyes curiously fixate on mine. "She was helping him?"

"Yeah. She helps him with everything. If anyone knows what he is taking and why, Nessa does." I run circles in my mind. "Is he sick? Well, he works hard enough for ten people so that wouldn’t come as a surprise. Still, why would he freak out like that because he doesn’t want others knowing he is breaking down?"

Anna grabs the remote and cranks up the volume of the movie on her television till it drowns out my voice and messes with my thought process.

"Why do you care so much about his health? He is a billionaire’s son. He can take care of himself. You should focus on your personal goal."

I prop myself up on the bed and watch her pretending to be invested in the boring movie while she chucks flavored popcorn from the bowl cradled between her thighs. When I continue to watch her, she reduces the volume and turns to me.

"What?"

"You’re right. I really don’t care about his health. If he breaks down and gets hospitalized, I’ll be able to search his office or something, maybe even his room. It’s the only room of the quads that I haven’t been to." Anna’s face is hard to read as she shoves more popcorn into her mouth.

"I know he’s not kind like Ashton but I don’t think it’s nice to wish ill health on someone. You are better than that." She echoes with a mouth full of popcorn. I roll my eyes at her and crank up the volume to drown out her misplaces sense of pity. I mean, it’s Asher, the thorn in my flesh. What the hell?

Like Liam promised, he releases the details of Tobias’ murder all over Billion-Err. His comment section immediately gets swarmed with reactionary comments.

Liam and I are trying to contact Shay Woodley. We are intrigued by her. It’s a known fact that Tobias only had one daughter named Zoe. We want to know who this other woman is and why she’s avenging Tobias’ death while claiming to his child.

Mainly, we want to work with her because she has a bone to pick with the Rollins, like we do. She lost her dad and I can relate to her pain. We want her to work closely with us to execute out revenge together.

Things have been really slow with my revenge plot because it’s mostly Liam and I figuring things out. If we happen to band with more people that have been aggrieved like us-like Olivia and Shay- we can all attain our individual goals faster with more help.

Though the priest at the church helped confirm to me that my theory about Olivia and Ashal are not without merit, I can’t do much with Olivia backing away from getting help due to fear.

While I am working with Eliana to bring her back on track, I want to see if Liam can get to Shay before the Rollins do. She has to know a whole lot more about the family and their secrets, enough to help me destroy Brett Rollins.

Shay’s purported father, Tobias, had been like a brother to Brett Rolins. They were best friends. I am certain that they shared secrets. Shay will be a great asset to our little group.

Father’s paranoia with the release of the details of Tobias’ death keeps him from coming to work for a week. The quads don’t take it well either even though they manage to keep their emotions at bay. Everywhere they go, journalists hound them and shove cameras and microphones in their faces, asking triggering questions about Tobias.

They even hound Rollins HQ to try and snag interviews with Asher and even me. The security have to forcefully chase them away. I keep refilling my coffee to get through each day.

"I’m just coming from the legal department. They’re brainstorming on the lawsuit to be filed against Billion-Err."

"What?" My coffee mug narrowly escapes falling from my hand. "Can they do that? They can’t, right? Whoever is behind Billion-Err is justified to write an article about the details of the death of man. The information is on the public record." Nessa is watching me with arched eyebrows but I fail to pick up the weirdness in her eyes. "I know the information was classified and strangely leaked but it’s all out there now. Anyone can read it up with a simple google search. Why would the legal team waste their time in scrounging for a frivolous lawsuit?"

"Whose side are you on?" Nessa asks with a slight frown.

I dab my sweaty brow. The coffee must be making me hyperactive. "Why would you even ask that? Of course I am on my family’s side. I just think with the massive social traction Billion-Err enjoys, slamming them with a frivolous and poorly thought-out law suit and losing would make us look guilty in front of the public. Have you heard the wild speculations being made against us? People are saying we know more about his death than we are letting on."

"It’s not about winning right now. Your father-in-law refuses to sit back and allow this defamation caused by Billion-Err’s murder suggestive article. It’s about fighting back. Keeping quiet and waiting for this media blizzard to blow over will also make your family look guilty so if you have to pick one, wouldn’t it be better to go down fighting?"

She leaves me to my thoughts. I empty the rest of my coffee in the sink. I can’t believe I gave her the wrong impression. What if that had been Asher or someone else? What was I thinking defending Billion-Err?

For the rest of the working hours, I refuse to move from my desk. I stay laser focused on my computer screen, transcribing documents, scheduling meetings and preparing slides for presentations that aren’t due for the next three months. After work, I linger a bit even after Nessa leaves.

Feeling pressed, I shut down my computer, grab my bag and rush to the restroom to relieve myself. Afterwards, I wash my hands in the sink and stare at my face.

"Get it together, Demi." I reiterate before splashing cold water over my face and slapping my face awake. "Get your shit together."

The office floor is completely empty when I come out. I make my way to the elevator. Just before the doors close, I realize my car keys are missing from my bag. I remember tossing them on my desk and head back to my office.

A small sound draws my attention to Asher’s office. It appears to be muffled sound of a heated argument between him and someone else, a man.

I sidle up to the door and listen close.

"You’re out of your goddamn mind if you think you can step foot in the mansion to visit anyone. If the chairman is not taking your calls, take a hint, Josh, HE DOESN’T WANT TO SEE YOU. IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE. Have you seen the news lately or you’re too busy getting your dick wet in a married woman’s pussy?"

"I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU SAY. I’M USED TO YOUR ACERBIC TONGUE, ASHER, SO GO AHEAD AND KNOCK YOURSELF OUT BUT NO ONE IS GOING TO STOP ME FROM CHECKING ON MY DAD! IF YOU DON’T WANT ME MAKING A SCENE IN FRONT OF YOUR MOTHER, YOU’D BETTER FIND A WAY TO ARRANGE A MEETING FOR ME AND DAD. I WON’T REST UNTIL I SEE HIM, GOT IT?"

What? Josh Randall is Brett Rollins’ son???

Just then, my phone starts ringing loudly. Shit!