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."

I clench and unclench my fingers. The room feels hot

"Are you okay?"

gnawing at my fingertips and stare down at my

broken out in a

know it sounds ironic coming from a peasant like me but Mrs. Rollins, I am not comfortable living like my life is an endless vacation trip. Could you help me find a job that's befitting of my new status? Anything is fine as long as I have a place to go to every day and make meaningful contributions to, just like your quads." The quads. I pray she takes the bait. I want to work with one of the quads. I have to. Anyone

I might not have as much time as I thought so I have to expedite my plans now. That text message has left me in a constant loop

good if you two swing back into work immediately. It's all over social media

rumors of my acceptance and marriage being

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

with my lips. "I guess It's my fate to putter around the house in my flip flops

woman in her fifties, Mrs. Rollins looks very good for her age. Her milk white

unique story to it. What was it like having the quads and nursing four babies? Must 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?

her eyes. She takes her precious time overwhelmed

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

formality." She pats her eyes dry now with the oval-tipped nails.. "Oh, there's just so many stories to tell I wouldn't know where to start." Then she proceeds to tell me how chaotic life was when the quads were toddlers and how troublesome they grew to become as adolescents. She had made them wear name tags until one day

to an teary end. "You've known them all their lives. They might be able to fool the

we rub 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 to be vulnerable around me. He narrowly escaped being a mama's boy." She chuckles lightheartedly. "My

nothing like I have heard about the quads. Curiosity stirs in the pit of my stomach as I wonder what I could find if I manage to peel back the layers of personalities the quads have built over the years until I reach their authentic selves. I am not just here to fulfil my end of the bargain with their mother; I am here for a few other selfish reasons. I want to ensure that when my plans come to a climax, the right Rollins brother will be the one being punished for destroying my life

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

Mother buys my puppy dog look and in exactly forty-five minutes,

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

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

fashion is more than a business for him; it's an expression of how he views his own slice of the world. I can tell it makes him happy, proud and fulfilled every time he

and spins. A small smile works its way onto Ashely's handsome face, accompanied by a vigorous

with rapt attention on the model while he works. I never imagined Ashley 'the flirt'

the small crowd disperses. He streaks 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 a beat as he strides towards us, his blazer fluttering like a cape. He leans down to