Four Brothers and a Bride-Chapter 59

DEMI

My birthday was an epic tragedy. Prior to the D-day, I kept having nightmares about my past life with my late parents. Sometimes, the true version of events would play out. Other times, the dreams would get distorted from what actually happened and I would end up orchestrating the act that leads me to lose my parents.

Then, my birthday rolled by and nobody in the mansion bothered to listen to anything I had to say. I wasn’t allowed to not have a party which was exactly what I wanted. I didn’t even have a say in how the party foisted on me was to be organized or who got to be invited. Even my birthday dress was handpicked for me.

No offense to Ashley but I have never felt so uncomfortable in a dress not because of the stitching of the dress but because of the sex appeal it made me ooze. It felt like I was being forced to look like someone else or to be someone else. The guest list didn’t seem like a guest list because everybody seemed to have turned up, even the people that shouldn’t have.

While my husband’s ex was stripping herself bare for everyone to see and splashing in the pool at my party, the man I have a big crush on was being dry humped by his hot girlfriend.

I didn’t even get a chance to fume about anything before I was accosted by my ex-boyfriend from high school who has reasons to suspect my motives for marrying into the elite family connected to the loss of my parents.

To top it all, my best friend who promised to stay by my side and help me navigate the crazy world of the rich and powerful, disappeared on me.

I still can’t get over how fucked up that night was. The party had been organized for me but in so many ways, everyone around me attended to fulfil their selfish ends.

Like my night couldn’t get any worse, I had to wake up the next morning to realize the very same attendees whose invitations I would never have approved of, had spent the fucking night at the mansion.

It just goes to show that the Rollins don’t truly give a damn about me, my opinion and especially my feelings. If they did, they wouldn’t flaunt Nicola in my face knowing fully well that she is my husband’s ex, especially after she disrupted my party and even had sex with Ashley that very night! I grit my teeth as the nasty image flits across my mind.

"Are you okay?"

I look up from the blank screen of my laptop to see Nessa lounging by my door. I didn’t hear or see her come in. I run a hand over my eyes and try to banish the thoughts jostling for attention in my aching head.

"Yeah, just very tired." Nessa edges closer and drops a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc with a red bow on it. I am not surprised. Since my birthday party was aired on the news, I have been getting random gifts from everyone at work. Someone sent a whole hamper of fruits and beverages. I have enough food trays to keep me satisfied at lunch even without having to go to a restaurant during my lunch breaks. I haven’t even had time to tidy up the gifts in my crammed office space due to my wandering, distracted mind.

"Happy belated birthday." Nessa echoes with a sweet smile.

"Thank you, Nessa. That’s very sweet of you."

"I had no idea about your birthday party. I would have prepared something better but it’s not too late. Maybe we can go shopping sometime, you know, bond beyond the office?"

"Yeah. Definitely. I’d love that."

I am down with bonding with her. It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted to get to know her better than just Asher’s pretty secretary who seems to be into him. I wonder what she’s like when she isn’t fussing over Asher’s schedule.

My eyes absently dip to her stomach. I had seen her with a pregnancy strip coming out of Asher’s office. That was on the very same day she returned from her sick leave. Since then, I’ve seen her drinking. My guess is that she didn’t keep the baby. Did Asher make her terminate it? I wouldn’t be surprised. He’s a stonehearted human being who is obsessed with work. Aside his immediate family and the business, nothing else matters to him.

Speak of the devil, I mutter as Asher comes strolling towards his office. Nessa winks at me and begins to return to her station when Asher halts in his tracks and stares hard at his phone.

Together, Nessa and I watch with astonishment as he backtracks and rushes for the elevator. No matter how loudly she calls to him, whatever he had seen on his phone seems far more important.

"What was that?" I ask Nessa as she grabs her phone to call him. "Is everything okay?"

"He has an important meeting to chair in less than twenty minutes. The chairman will be there. I don’t know how to explain his absence." Nessa is almost biting her nails. I am not surprised she’s also tensed about father. He has that effect on people.

"Shit. I can’t reschedule the meeting. I have already been putting it off for a while and most of the heads of departments had to move things around to be at the meeting today. Mr. Asher is ignoring my calls too. He won’t like it if this meeting holds without him because Josh will likely chair it. Why wouldn’t he tell me what’s going on at the very least."

I go up to her and place a hand on her tensed shoulder to calm her down. "It’s okay."

"No, it’s not. Can you try to call him? Get him to come back or at least remind him of the meeting. Maybe he will listen to you."

I stifle a laugh at Nessa’s cluelessness. Asher only listens to the thing between his legs and father. If he does listen to other people especially around the office, I won’t even make it to the top fifty on that list, assuming he listens to up to fifty people.

"I doubt that. Keep trying. I’ll see if I can stall father. The meeting will definitely not hold if father doesn’t attend, right?"

"Right. Thank you so much, Demi. You’ll literally be saving my life and my job."

Good. I want to make it into her good books, not just as the boss’ daughter-in-law but as a trustworthy friend. If Nessa believes she owes me a debt of gratitude, it could be the start of our friendship and maybe she would eventually open up to me about lots of things.

I have no clue how to stall father as I make my way to his office with a bottle of red wine I had grabbed last minute from my gifts. I silently hope that Pippa from auditing doesn’t see me.

This will be a first for me, visiting father’s office that is. His secretary informs me that he has company. I indicate that it is urgent and pout my lips at the elderly woman who smiles and leaves a message for father. Suddenly, she informs me that I can go in.

I thank her and reach for the door knob only for the door to swing open. A flustered Josh Randall comes out of father’s office, a film of sweat on his face. We lock eyes in that awkward moment but rather than his usual smile, he totally ignores me and brushes my shoulder as he walks away.

"You’re not the only one having a bad morning, asshole." I mutter under my breath before going in. Father is perched behind his desk. His office is like twice the size of Asher’s. It is tastefully furnished and artfully decorated as a balanced blend of luxury and power.

"What is this about? I don’t have all day." He snaps at me. From his high-backed chair, he looks very intimidating. My throat dries up and I struggle to form words. "Are you here to waste my time, Demi?"

"S-Sorry father." I clear my throat. "I just...I wanted to thank you for throwing me a birthday party."

He scoffs loudly. "I didn’t throw you anything. That’s all my wife’s doing. You should be thanking her not me."

"I know. I already did but...I feel like I also owe you some appreciation for allowing it." He arches his brows and watches me. "I know this doesn’t mean much but I was hoping you would share a bit of this with me. We haven’t really tried bonding as father-in-law and daughter-in-law." I take tentative steps towards a cabinet in his office and pluck two wine glasses.

"You must be silly for expecting me to drink during working hours." The low hum of his voice is both a warning and a threat but I ignore it. I walk brisky to his desk, set the glasses and start to uncork the wine. "Are you deaf, woman?"

"It’s just a toast to us as father and daughter, a small sip will do. Mother and I have grown really close and she hopes that you and I can achieve that as well."

Throwing in mother’s name makes something warm flit in father’s eyes. If he thinks this is mother’s idea, he might go easy on me. However, the effect doesn’t last as he lurches to his feet and barks at me to leave.

That’s when I pretend to be startled by his sudden outburst and let go of the cork. The wine spears out from the bottle and splashes right in father’s face, dripping down his chest. His white suit looks like he caught three bullets in his chest. A half scream escapes my lips as the bottle slips from my hand, onto his plush carpet.

"Oh god, father, I am so sorry." I am deeply scared now with the burning look he gives me. "I...I didn’t mean to...please forgive me. I-I’ll dry clean...." He presses his intercom and calls for security. "Father please, I didn’t mean to. I am so sorry."

"GET OUT!"

With tears clouding my eyes, I slavishly bow to him, spew more profuse apologies before hustling out of there. My hands are shaking when I return to my office.

Moments later, Nessa rushes in to tell me the meeting has been postponed as father can’t make it. My heart is still racing when I beam up at her in response to her thanks. When she proceeds to ask me how I managed it, I tell her she doesn’t want to know.

I know I am in a whole lot of trouble so I grab my phone and call mother for emotional support. I play back everything that happened as me trying to have a moment with my father-in-law that turned into a huge, red mess. Mother promises to handle father.

"Thank you so much, mother. I don’t know what I would do without you."

The entire office is abuzz with gossip about what happened in father’s office because the janitors who cleaned out the place decided to run their mouth. Speculations are also made about me being the culprit.

I hear my name being whispered everywhere as I go to refill my coffee in the staff kitchen or to use one equipment or the other. Josh Randall even accosts me in my office just before lunch break to yell at me for the mess I made.

I peer up at him for the audacity. His interference is very unprofessional. He is neither my boss nor a family member so the fact that he feels he has a right to register his annoyance over an accident that happened between my father-in-law and I is just so confusing. Coupled with his rudeness towards me earlier, I am ready to throw hands. I spring to my feet and jab a finger in his face.

"I know you’re higher than me on the corporate ladder around here but Mr. Randall, you shouldn’t forget who you’re talking to. Beyond our official roles, the chairman is firstly my father-in-law and I, his daughter-in-law! What happened earlier was nothing malicious but a pure accident while I was trying to thank my father for throwing me a birthday party. I think you’re losing sight of your place here. You have no right to scold me over that. IT’S A FAMILY MATTER SO BACK OFF."

I match the fire in his eyes with a heated glare that surprises Josh. A storm brews in his eyes but rather than continuing to ingratiate himself to the chairman by stubbornly justifying his reaction, he stalks away from my office. Nessa sidles in just moments after Josh leaves to doff her hat to me.

"Oh my god, Demi, that was fun to watch. You are such a badass."

"He had it coming. Who exactly does he think he is? The boss’ son?" We laugh together. "Hey, it’s lunch time. Want to grab a bite with me? I have a restaurant in mind. You’ll enjoy their meals, trust me."

Nessa’s face crumples. "I’d have to take a raincheck. Asher isn’t back yet and I can’t leave my desk. Maybe some other time?"

"Sure." I say glumly. My mind reels back to Asher. Where could he have dashed off to?

With the atmosphere in the office ruined for me, I grab my things and head out for lunch. Few minutes later, I am parked in front of Anna’s restaurant. I watch her serving customers with a big smile on her face.

We haven’t spoken much since she ditched me at my birthday party. She has called a few times and apologized but things between aren’t quite the same. I still hold a grudge. I know she’s holding back on me and I just want her to trust me with the truth.

Sighing, I step out of my car and walk in. She seems a bit surprised to see me and heads over to my table.

"Hey."

"Hey" I reply dryly. If Nessa had agreed to have lunch with me, I wouldn’t be here so prematurely, trying to mend broken bridges.

"Um, what can I get you? The usual?"

"I think I’ll need a minute or two to make up my mind." I grab the menu and flip through with a flat look. Anna exhales deeply.

"Demi, you already know that menu like the back of your palm."

"Nope." I counter her. "I thought I knew the menu. In fact, I actually thought I could trust and count on the menu but it tends to disappoint me so, here we are."

"The menu didn’t disappoint you. There are just some dishes in there that you aren’t prepared to try even if other people definitely enjoy it."

I slam the menu shut and glare up at her. "Care to explain?"

"Explain what? I thought we were talking about the menu."

"Don’t get cheeky with me, Anna. You hurt my feelings. You promised you’d be by my side the entire night but you disappeared on me. Why won’t you just tell me where you went or...who you were with."

Anna swallows hard. "I’m sorry Demi. I know nothing will change about how your night ended because I couldn’t keep my promise but that won’t stop me from apologizing. I’m also sorry that my excuse is not good enough for you. You desperately want to hear something else from me..."

"I want to hear the truth. Just tell me..." I lower my voice as the other customer’s redirect their attention to my table. "I won’t get mad, okay? Just tell me...were you with Asher the whole night?" Anna eyes dilate in surprise. "Anna, I saw how he was looking at you. I just need to know."

"How he was looking at me?"

"You can’t trust him, okay? He might look good enough to eat but that’s it. Remember everything you went through because of him. You lost your job at Blue Cove because of him. You nearly lost your life because of him. I can’t stress this enough but if you’re nursing any kind of romantic feelings for a man like that, you’ll just be setting yourself up for a heartbreak."

Anna shakes her head. "Wow, Demi. You really think I am that dense? I am an adult, okay? I can make decisions for myself. You’re not the only one who can. I told you my night had nothing to do with Asher but you keep insisting..."

"He’s having an affair with his secretary, Anna." I whisper to her, leaning forward. "I think she just aborted his baby recently, at his behest might I add. Did you hear me? That’s who Asher is. Is that the kind of man you want to entrust your heart to?"

"You’re not even listening to me." Anna shakes her head at me again. "You know what? I’ll get someone else to serve you."

"ANNA." But she is already leaving. I bury my face in my hands and sigh tiredly. Does she really think she can hide it from me? I know what I saw. There can’t be a better explanation for why she and Asher were mostly missing at my party. Why wouldn’t she just admit it so we can move on?

I order a simple drink and call Liam. It’s gotten harder seeing him in public spaces because of the magnifying glass on my life lately. When he picks up, I clear my throat to fend off the urge to cry.

"Hey. I am at Anna’s."

"I know. Behind you. Red shirt, white face cap."

I whip my head and lock eyes with Liam. He’s here.

"What’s up with you and Anna? That looked intense."

"It’s nothing, just best friend squabbles. We’ll get over it."

"You better. She knows everything. You can’t afford to be beefing with your confidante."

I indulge in a long sigh. "So, I tried talking to Ashley about Olivia Dunn. He denied it obviously. They are still trying to discover who made the comment. Are you sure this wouldn’t come back to you?"

"It won’t. Spellman group invests heavily on acquiring the best crop of tech wizards. I went through the program. It’s going to be really difficult for them to find me as the one behind Billion-Err or the one who made the comment, unless you talk." A small silence passes between us. "Ashley’s spyware has been deleted."

"What?"

"Yes. I can’t get anymore info from him but before that happened, I overheard his calls to Ashal. I think Olivia tried to escape recently but she was later caught. I don’t know. Ashal must have taken her to some restaurant for a private dinner date and when she went to use the restroom, he panicked because she took too long. His men searched for her and eventually, she turned up. I don’t believe her excuse though. I think she actually attempted to escape and changed her mind."

I am in shock. On one hand, Ashal taking Olivia on a date seems to suggest that he might actually like her even though he hides her. On the other hand, her attempt to escape his clutches can only mean that she fears for her safety with him. Everything is just so confusing.

"Do you think they might be giving her hell over the comment you made? I overheard them talking and it seems her family was threatened right around the same period the comment was made. Brett suspects them."

"Right. Her family. They’re a weak bunch, cowering under the fear or Brett Rollins. I think they’ll be fine. Olivia too but I don’t know for how long. Ashal had manhandled her when he feared she tried to escape. I think he has anger issues. He broke a toilet sink in anger."

"Ashal? That hardly sounds like him. Asher or Ashton maybe but definitely not Ashal."

"That’s what they want you to see. The man on the phone with Ashley was breathing heavily like an animal, thrashing around and breaking things because his secret wife couldn’t be found. I wonder what he does to her behind closed doors. We need to find out soon or she might get hurt badly."

A thought occurs to me. "I think I might have an idea."

"Good." Liam says after I share it with him. "Oh, there’s one last thing. Ashal’s last call before the spyware was deleted today was to Ashton. He sounded really frightened, like one who had seen a ghost, as he called his brother to his office. Did he call or say anything to you?"

My mind replays Asher bolting out of the office. "No. He hasn’t called me all day but I did see Asher rushing off from work after getting a message on his phone. He hasn’t been back since. I don’t know if those two incidents are related."

"They have to be. It was shortly after the call that the app was deleted."

"What could have made Ashley panic like that?"

"That’s for you to find out."

Liam leaves first. I try to linger, watching Anna ignore me as she attends to other customers. Even when I call her attention, she speaks so formally with me it’s annoying.

"Can we talk?"

"I’m working."

"Not right now. Over the weekend. My place?"

"And where’s that exactly?"

"The mansion of course." Something flits across her eyes that I don’t miss. The idea doesn’t sit comfortably with her and I think I know why. I just wanted to confirm. "Is there a problem?"

"We can talk over the phone."

"No. You and I need to sit down and talk about this. I can’t handle this coldness between us."

"You don’t have to. If you simply choose to trust your friend, we wouldn’t be acting like strangers around each other. Why are you being so stubborn about this? Even if I deigned to give into Asher’s advances, is this anyway to treat me? I don’t judge you for your own choices, do I? You’re on a mission to avenge your parents. For this reason, you even married one of the sons of the family but falling in love with another?"

"I am not..."

"Don’t even try to deny it. I know you have a thing for Ashton as he does for you. I also saw how he looked at you but do you see me giving you grief about where your heart lies?" She smoothens her work clothes. "That’s not me admitting to having anything to do with Asher. I’m just saying."

"I understand. I just..."

"Does this reaction of yours have anything to do with the fact that he admitted to being the man you met at the Blue Cove that night? The man you initially married?"

My eyes slash up at Anna. I have tried not to think about that for so long. It’s nauseating to even imagine what my life would have looked like if I doggedly maintained my stance and insisted on staying married to Asher. I can’t even begin to explain how much the idea sickens me.

"Of course not."

My response is weak. Somehow, I am not convinced my reaction to the thought of her being with Asher is completely devoid of that truth. Maybe that also plays a part in me vehemently trying to keep his claws off my best friend.

In this moment, I feel rather selfish. I am married to one brother and in love with another which makes Ashley and Ashton off the menu. That leaves Asher whom I was originally entangled with. He’s basically my ex in a manner of speaking and as per girl code, Anna isn’t allowed to look at him but that’s not because I have any feelings for him. It’s just girl code but mostly, it’s me trying to protect my friend from that jerk.

That leaves Ashal. Ashal would have been a good bet for Anna but given the latest discoveries I have been making through Liam, there might be more to his story than he’s letting on. It frightens me to think just how different Ashal might be from the perception I currently have of him.

Wow, I guess I am selfish after all. All four brothers are somehow connected to me.

"Even if it does, you know I am not against you getting with him because I have any type of feelings for him. I just know he is bad for you and I don’t want to see you get hurt again." Anna says nothing to that. "See you Saturday?" Reluctantly, she nods.

"I can’t make any promises yet but if I can’t make it, I’ll let you know."

"Thank you."

My chest feels lighter. I finish my drink and get a few snacks to go. While I am easing my car out of the crammed premises, I accidentally bump into another smaller car pulling up behind me.

"Oh, shit. I am so sorry." I apologize, rushing out to check the damage. It isn’t something I can’t handle. Nevertheless, I apologize profusely to the young lady that steps out of the car. "Are you hurt? I hope you are not hurt." She shakes her head in the negative but her eyes remain trained on me.

"Demi Rollins?"

"Yeah?" I don’t get surprised at being recognized by random strangers anymore. She exhales as she steps up to me.

"I am glad we ran into each other. I’ve been meaning to reach you."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Eliana. I am a friend of Olivia Dunn."