Four Brothers and a Bride

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

DEMI

I had expected my life to change after taking on the last name of the Rollins family but what I underestimated was how quickly that will happen.

"What? What do you mean I can't work?"

I watch my new mother-in-law sip her coffee and gingerly replace the chinaware on the tray next to her chair. "Keep it down, Demi. It's too early and you're going to give me a headache." She subtly rubs her temples with her eyes pressed shut. I breathe through my teeth to rein in the temper brewing behind my eyes.

"Mrs. Rollins please..." I implore her, grabbing a seat next to her. "I am not cut out to be a house wife. I'll go crazy. I want to work. I love working."

"You're part of the Rollins family now, Demi. Everything you do henceforth can have a ripple effect on our image and the daughter-in-law of this family taking up a job will reflect poorly on us."

I can't believe she is saying this. How did she forget to mention this part when coaxing me to wed one of her sons? This is utterly ridiculous. I didn't sign up to be a prop in the Rollins mansion. Mrs. Rollins flicks a sympathetic glance at my anxious face and the first hints of amusement creeps into hers.

She chuckles loudly. "Are you really that devastated about doing absolutely nothing and having everything you could ever need at the snap of your fingers? Demi, I have a husband and four sons who make at least twenty million dollars weekly. Even if I decide to shop every day for the next five years, I won't go broke. You don't need to make money to earn your place here. That's my point."

"I don't want to work because I want to rival anyone's earnings. I could never do that even if I tried. I just love working Mrs. Rollins, because it fulfills me. I hate being idle. I wasn't raised that way." My face crumple with desperation.

"Tell me about your parents, Demi. I never asked."

The question catches me off guard. Mrs. Rollins is sitting uprightly now and staring intently at me. "Uh...they um...they died. Few years back."

"So sorry for your loss, dear." She takes a cautious sip from her steaming mug. "How, if you don't mind me asking."

I shift restlessly in my seat. This is clearly still a sore topic for me even after five years. "Occupational hazard." I blurt out. My fingers are suddenly clammy with sweat. "I am sorry. I just don't like reliving the pain by discussing the details." I lurch to my feet, uncomfortable with the palpable silence in the living room.

"I'm sorry Demi. I didn't mean to upset you."

clench and unclench my fingers. The room feels hot

"Are you okay?"

fingertips and stare down at my

broken out

an endless vacation trip. Could you help me find a job that's befitting of my new status? Anything is fine

to expedite my plans now. That text message has left me in a constant loop of unease. Who could

inclines her head and contemplates. "You and Ashley just got married. It won't look good if you two swing back into work immediately. It's all over social media that your marriage

it means to be affluent and famous? I wonder quietly as Mrs. Rollins rants about the need to dispel the rumors of my

my new way of life? To live life according to the dictates of stock market prices and on the whims of the public opinion?" My lips curl distastefully. It's a different kind of prison, one I'll have to endure for a bigger and

"I guess It's my fate to putter around the house in my

is far from how I feel about my daily routine." Mrs. Rollins purrs. I muffle an apology. For a woman in her fifties, Mrs. Rollins looks very good for her age. Her milk white skin is shiny and spotless.

have been a madhouse" The smile on Mrs. Rollins' face deepens and her eyes light up as I continue, "How were you able to distinguish them? Did you have them wear name tags? Who was

takes her precious time overwhelmed by the sudden

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Rollins..."

wouldn't know where to start." Then she proceeds to tell me how

after her story draws to an teary end. "You've known them all their lives.

minds on his latest design sketches. When Ashton comes, he doesn't cuss around me. He is the sweetest gentleman and very kind. Ashal..." Her voice falters, then firms. "Ashal allows himself

selves. I am not just here to fulfil my

excuse to hang around them, I may fail to fulfil my promise to you, mother." I shoot her

around Ashley at any of his clothing stores while watching him work. Mother buys my puppy dog

as Mrs. Demi Ashley Rollins, mother whispers before grabbing my tensed hand and following the lead of our bulky bodyguards in well-pressed suits. The interior of the shop has a roomy, closet feel despite the rows of color-coded clothing from high-end brands. Mother weaves our way through the endless streams of passionate chatter from bright-eyed women with model-like bodies. When the conversations segued to the new wife of Ashely Rollins and phone cameras start flashing in my face, I fight back a shudder. I

are steered to the VVIP waiting room. The elegant hue of the room is blended into graceful furnishings. The walls are decked with expensive art from all over the world. Ashley, clad in a dark blazer and pants is engrossed with tapering his latest silk dress to the tiny waist of his beautiful model. Mom gestures me to a seat while we watch him work in silence like the handful of assistants flanking him. His eyes are narrow with precision as he deeply focuses on bringing

full of appraisal. Watching him, I realize fashion is more than a business for him; it's an expression of how

please?" The model obliges and spins. A small smile works its way onto Ashely's handsome face, accompanied by a

presence here other than that of his model." I zero in on his face cloaked with rapt attention on the model while he works. I never imagined Ashley 'the flirt' could look upon a woman's body like she was merely a mannequin. Today, I stand corrected. It feels

a hand over his hair and whirls around. His eyes light up at the sight of his mom. His full smile makes my heart skip