Four Brothers and a Bride-Chapter 64

DEMI

I can’t believe what a pile of shit he is. When he leans down and tries to kiss me, my knee slices upwards, connecting with his groin. William buckles and yelps in pain. Immediately, I whip out the cutlery knife I had slipped between my hands when no one was looking and brandish it in front of him.

"You cunt!"

"Did you really think I wouldn’t expect you to try something like this, you dipshit? You are so damn lucky there are cameras in this room or I would have cut that thing off and watched you bleed out." I spit in front of him before grabbing a lamp stand as an extra layer of protection as he starts to regain his composure.

"LILY, I KNOW YOU’RE STANDING BEHIND THAT DOOR. YOU BETTER UNLOCK IT OR I SWEAR TO GOD, I WILL MAKE SURE THE WHOLE OF DANVARR KNOWS WHAT YOU JUST DID...." The door unlocks and Ashal enters. He looks confused at the scene in front of him.

"Demi, what’s going on? Are you guys okay? We’re about to start the games." I throw down my weapons and glare at him.

"What’s going on is that your evil house manager just intentionally locked William and I in this room! Did you ask her to do that?"

"What? Lily?"

"DID YOU, ASHAL?" I push back the tears shimmering in my eyes. I can’t believe he would go that far just to throw me off Olivia’s scent.

"Of course not, Demi. How could you think so little of me? And Lily didn’t lock the door, it gets jammed sometimes, especially when it is slammed shut. Look." He opens the door and slams it shut. When he tries to open it again, it wouldn’t budge. "You just have to give it a minute or two before it will pop."

He turns back to see my face flushed with embarrassment. "I heard your voice and rushed up here. Ashley already put on noise canceling headphones downstairs so he couldn’t hear the ruckus. What’s going on? Will, why are you also in here?"

"Lily sent him here. After I left to use the bathroom, she lied to Will that I wanted to speak with him and sent hm up to the same room she directed me to."

"Why would she do something like that? I’ll go ask her."

"Wait."

We all turn to face William who has a film of sweat on his forehead. "I must have misconstrued what Lily was trying to say. She didn’t exactly say you asked to see me privately, Demi. After she witnessed what happened at lunch, she politely told me that I shouldn’t bleed onto others because of the hurt I am feeling. She advised that I try to speak with you privately to gain closure rather than ruining good relationships. I thought I should get on with it and came here to talk to you since Ashley and Ashal were occupied."

"And that’s what you call talking?" I snap at him with blazing eyes. Ashal puts a hand between us and William backs away.

"I was only messing with you. C’mon, you’re too uptight."

"Ok Will, I think we should call it a day. Demi, we’re leaving."

"I’m sorry man."

Ashal holds up a hand to cut off William’s apology. "I think you should leave, Will. You’ve made it abundantly clear that you harbor ill-will against Demi and you have no respect whatsoever for my brother or his relationship with her. This way, Demi."

I follow him out and find Lily downstairs clearing the dishes. Something about her doesn’t sit right with me. Ashal tells her we are not having dessert and goes to alert Ashley of our abrupt change of plans. I walk up to Lily. Her cheery smile seems to sicken me now.

"Which way to guest bathroom downstairs?"

"Oh, they’re out of order ma’am..."

"Which way???" Reluctantly, she points me to the direction. I tell Ashal I forgot something and leave to check out the bathrooms. When I get there, I shove open each of the doors. There seems to be mild renovations going on. Some of them lack a wash hand basin. There are broken tiles on the floor and some of the toilets don’t work properly. Sighing, I shut the door and return. Something about today doesn’t feel right but I can’t place my thumb on it.

"What’s with the cell reception here? I can’t get a call through. How do you communicate with your staff here if you can’t call them?" I ask Ashal as he shrugs into his jacket. Ashley is already at the car. Outside, William appears to be tendering apologies to him but Ashley is not having it.

"Oh, it’s bad up here but it’s not always like this. We get reception sometimes. Since I frequent this place, I keep putting off the plan to get a signal booster up here. We’ve not had any serious emergencies here. However, I’ll eventually get around to executing that plan but, in the meantime, I am enjoying the mini digital detox this place gives me." I mirror the smile he gives me.

"Hey, Demi, I am deeply sorry today was another shit show. I should have known better than to expect your ex to be civil around you and your new life partner."

"It’s okay. I knew this day didn’t feel right when Anna canceled on me. We’ll just hang out at the mansion and play games. You still owe me, though." I pat his shoulder as we leave together.

***

My visit might have been a disaster and I may not have achieved my aim but at least, the awkwardness of having William around is over. With the way things went down, I doubt any of the quads will be entertaining William soon. His relationship with Ashley is as good as over from what I can tell. Phew, good riddance.

Ashley is still stewing however. When we get home, mother notices because he barely gives her a proper greeting before heading up to his room. Ashal excuses his brother’s behavior and claims we all had a rough day but he doesn’t clarify. After he leaves, mother pulls me to the sofa.

"What happened? Why is he mad?"

"He had a tiff with a friend. He’ll get over it."

"You’ll see to it that he does?"

"I’ll try my best."

The sound of a car pulling in draws our attention to the door. I instantly recognize him when he enters with the signature frown on his face; Ashton.

"Asher?"

"I think it’s Ashton." I whisper to mother. Ashton is dressed a little more formally than he is used to which gets me wondering where he has been all day. He schools his face to emit a sunny smile as he approaches us. It’s been a while since he and I talked properly.

"Hello mother." He kisses her cheek.

"Hi, son. How was your day?"

"Interesting." I dip my eyes and feign a smile. Did he spend it with Mila? I bet that’s why he bailed on us at the penthouse.

"We missed you at the penthouse today."

He quirks a brow at me, slightly confused. "What?" Mom also seems startled by my words. I glance between them, astonished by their reactions.

"You went to the penthouse?" Mother asks, surprised.

"Yeah, Ashal took me there today." I retain the smile on my face as theirs wilt and pretend to miss the look exchanged by mother and son. ’Is there a problem?"

"No dear. The boys rarely ever take a woman over there. I am just genuinely surprised and even happy that Ashal took you over there. Nothing says you’ve been fully accepted into this home like the quads sharing their haven with you. I’m glad you’ve earned it." Mom squeezes my cheek. When I look up at Ashton, his face is no longer distorted by a frown.

"I’ll just be upstairs." He says before leaving.

"Mom, I’ll just go check on Ashley." I lie before dashing for the elevator. By the time I arrive on the first floor, Ashton is a few steps ahead of me on the hallway. He slows his pace like I expect him to and waits for me to catch up. I could tell from his eyes that he had questions.

"Hey, stranger. Been a while."

"Yeah, I’m sorry. Been busy." He smiles thinly. "How was uh..."

"Game night?"

"Yeah, that."

"It was a wreck."

"Why?"

I suddenly feel embarrassed sharing the details of Ashely’s annoyance with William and the fact that William tried to get too close to me in a locked room. I moisten my lips instead and chuckle softly.

"Anna canceled on me. That’s where it started going downhill. Ashley had a fallout with his friend, William and tempers frayed. We botched the agenda for the visit and came back home two hours earlier than planned." I shrug my shoulders. "How interesting was your day?"

He shakes his head. "Nothing as shocking as yours."

"Shocking?"

"I mean, eventful. I just had drinks with a friend and talked. Nothing too serious, except the conversation was really eye opening."

I wish he would tell me if his drinking buddy was a guy or a girl. At the thought, I chastise myself for my immaturity. What right do I have to be bothered about things like that?

When I look up at him, Ashton is gauging me. With a little smile, he bids me goodnight and continues to his room.

I want to head into my room and freshen up but I feel guilty letting the night pass without talking to Ashley about William. Tonight was a lot. I know he didn’t get into it the whole ride back because of Ashal. We have to talk about it so it doesn’t keep eating at us.

"Ashley?"

He looks up from his work desk as I poke my head into his room. He’s already changed into comfy casuals with blue light blocking glasses perched on his face, as he speaks with one of his suppliers on video call.

He wraps up his conversation as I walk in and turns to me. The glasses give him a sexy nerd look with his golden mane shagged around his ears.

"What’s up?"

"I...I wanted to apologize for William’s behavior back at the penthouse. I had no idea he was going to be there until Ashal and I were almost at the house."

He takes off his glasses and drops them carefully on his desk. "You can’t blame yourself for William being a jealous ex. I just wish I didn’t hear it from him first that you two dated in the past. Why didn’t you tell me? It’s not a big deal even though Will tried to turn it into one."

"I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to see him here after many years and when I did, I just decided to bury that part of my life because it isn’t important to me anymore."

"You know you can share anything with me, right? I don’t have the prerogative to judge you. I’m not perfect myself. You don’t have to feel embarrassed about sharing your past with me." My eyes slant up as he gets up and places a warm hand on my cheek. "I’m sorry about Nicci. I have no excuse."

"It’s okay, really. It’s all in the past." His hand still lingers and my breath warms when they start trailing.

"I can’t believe I know nothing about your life before Danvarr or your parents. What have we been doing on our dates?"

"Eating expensive food and posing for the cameras? I think it’s not so bad. We don’t need to bug ourselves down with unnecessary details." I don’t like the idea of sharing personal details with him. Hence, my move to shut down the idea.

"They are not unnecessary..."

I run a hand over his hair and trap his gaze on my face with a dainty smile. "Aunt and Kira are the only family I know now. They’re my present. We might not always see eye to eye but that’s family for you. I live in the present Ashley, and right now that consists of Aunt, Kira and your family."

"Is that a No to date night?"

"I didn’t realize you were asking." I cast my eyes downward like a shy teenager.

"Well, I am. I want to get to know you a little better, Demi. We might not share a bed but we could be really good friends you know. I’ll admit it hurt my feelings when William appeared to know so much more about you than I do. I don’t even know what you like or the type of games you’re into. It’s embarrassing." His laughter is low and pleased. "Can we change that? If not your past, we can surely discuss your present. I want to know all about Demi Branson in Danvarr before and after we got married."

He eyes me. "Will you go on a date with me tomorrow night after work?"

His puppy eyes make me laugh. "It’s a Yes."

***

"Hey, Demi."

I look up from the expresso machine to find Josh Randall behind me. I don’t know why he gives me chills despite the warm smile on his face.

"Hi." Seeing him so meek and affable now, I am almost about to doubt he was the same raging bull that stormed into my office days earlier to chide me for the accident in father’s office.

"I just wanted to apologize for the last time. I overstepped my boundaries and yelled at you over a personal matter that was purely an accident. I shouldn’t have. We are all family after all. If we don’t have each other’s backs, who will?" His laughter ebbs as I fail to join him.

"Family?" I reiterate, squinting at him.

"I mean, we’re all a family here at Rollins HQ. We shouldn’t be holding grudges. I just wanted to apologize for upsetting you the last time."

"Thank you for your apology."

"I hope we can go back to being friends and possibly have lunch together soon. It could be a great way to cozy up to the chairman too."

I think one brownnoser is enough for the HQ but I don’t share this with him. Instead, I nod with a bright smile and wave him goodbye as I bring my coffee to my lips and slurp it. The expresso slides warm into my system, awakening my tired bones.

Remembering to update Liam on my visit to the penthouse, I whip out my phone to send him a quick text.

[There was nothing at the house. Let’s meet up later for details]

Nessa pokes her head in. "Asher’s calling for you. Brace up." Just as I rush after her, Liam replies me.

[Was that meant for someone else?]

My eyes bulge in shock as I stare at the message from Ashley.

[Sorry. I meant to text Anna. She’s been bugging me about game night. I was trying to lower her expectations.]

[Understood. Are we still on for tonight?}]

[Yes. 7pm sharp.]

[See you then.]

[See you.]

I gasp in relief. Hopefully he won’t think much of it or bring it up with his brothers. At Asher’s call, I scurry off to attend to him.

After work, Ashley shows up on time with a bouquet of white roses. I am glad that he saves his grand gesture for when I hop into the car next to him, rather than making a show by waiting outside the revolving doors where everyone can see. I accept the flowers and sniff them.

"They smell great. Thanks."

"Just tell me specifically what you want and I’ll get it. I don’t want to keep assuming anymore."

"Works for me."

Few minutes later, we are seated in a fancy restaurant unlike any I have been to. The ambience is calming. The décor is picturesque. The service is top notch. The food is so good I would eat the pattern off the plate if I could and didn’t care about my self-respect.

But the best part is that the customers here are all elites so nobody is freaking out over Ashley’s presence. No phones are secretly taking photos of us. It feels like I am having dinner with a regular guy.

"Ok, next question. It’s my turn." I tell him. "Who’s your least favorite brother. Don’t lie. You might love them all but you can’t like them all the time."

"Oh shit, you’re going to get me in trouble with this one." He tosses his head back and laughs. "I’m going to need alcohol for this." He downs his glass and stares at me with his deep blues eyes. "Promise you won’t misconstrue this."

"I won’t. I’ll throw this one in for free. Asher’s my least favorite. He is a mean boss and is most unfriendly to me." We both laugh.

"I could have guessed that. Ok, my least favorite has to be...Ashton. Don’t give me that look before you hear me out. I love that man to bits but sometimes, his confidence in being unapologetically himself can be intimidating. Asher and Ashal are great guys but like me, they are considerate and can bend their will if father wishes it. Ashton doesn’t care about being liked. I think that’s why he’s so cool. No one can make him do anything he doesn’t want to do. Anyone who manages to force his hand will have to threaten him with something he holds dear to make Ashton budge."

He pours himself another glass of wine. "Being around someone like that who looks exactly like you can remind you of how much cooler you can be if you wanted to, make you feel like you’re being less than and that can be annoying. That’s why he’s my least favorite."

"My favorite has to Ashal for the fact that he doesn’t intimidate me half as much as Ashton does. Asher is at the middle. I am not interested in his career goals so I don’t give a fuck how many deals he closes." He inhales sharply. "Who’s your favorite?"

"What?"

"Who’s your favorite brother? You only mentioned your least favorite."

How can he ask me that and make everything awkward?

"It’s okay. I can’t be more jealous of that guy. Just tell me what you like about him?"

This time, I drink my wine. "It’s like you said, he doesn’t care about being liked. He didn’t cozy up to me because he was expected to. He was real with me from the start so when he compliments me, I know he means every word. Same when he scolds me. He was also the first brother I could recognize from all four of you because of the aura around him. I started off thinking he was the most complicated of the four. Now, he’s the easiest to read."

Ashley smiles as I sip my wine again.

"You said you wouldn’t be jealous."

"Nope. I said I couldn’t be more jealous but now, I think I spoke too soon." Our desserts arrive.

"I need to use the restroom. Save me some cake."

"It’s a bad idea to leave me alone with a slice of yummy, red velvet cake. I could get really ravenous so you better hurry up."

I pull his hair before shambling across the room to the convenience. Inside, there’s a beautiful lady in a short black dress retouching her lipstick in front of the mirror. She has dark shades on with full head of hair. Her forehead is fully framed by dark fringes. There is a medium sized gift box next to her on the sink with a bow on it.

I quickly use the restroom. When I step out to wash my hands, she’s gone. The gift box is all that’s left. How could she have forgotten something right in front of her? I proceed to wash my hand so I can call the attention of a waiter to the forgotten property before rejoining Ashal.

While drying my hands, I notice a note stuck on the box in fine print.

[For Demi Rollins]

Intrigued and a little scared, I sample the box to ensure there’s no explosive inside. It literally feels empty when I pick it up. Gently, I open it. There’s a single note inside that baffles me.

[You married a murderer. Ask your husband about Tobias Woodley]