Four Brothers and a Bride

Chapter 59: 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.

only one having a bad morning, asshole." I mutter under my breath before going in. Father is perched behind his desk. His

all day." He snaps at me. From his high-backed chair, he looks very intimidating. My throat dries up and I

father." I clear my throat. "I just...I wanted to thank you for

anything. That’s all my wife’s doing. You should be

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

a threat but I ignore it. I walk brisky to his desk, set the glasses

will do. Mother and I have grown really close and she hopes that you and I can achieve that as

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

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

look he gives me. "I...I didn’t mean to...please forgive me. I-I’ll dry clean...."

"GET OUT!"

to him, spew more profuse apologies before hustling out of there. My hands are shaking when I

to tell me the meeting has been postponed as father can’t make it. My heart is still racing when I beam up

call mother for emotional support. I play back everything that happened as me trying to have a moment with my

mother. I don’t know what I

entire office is abuzz with gossip about what happened in father’s office because the janitors who cleaned out the place decided to run

whispered everywhere as I go to refill my coffee in the staff kitchen or to use one equipment or the other. Josh

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

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

rather than continuing to ingratiate himself to the chairman by stubbornly

my god, Demi, that was fun to watch. You are such

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

crumples. "I’d have to take a raincheck. Asher isn’t back yet and I can’t

back to Asher.

later, I am parked in front of Anna’s restaurant.

apologized but things between aren’t quite the same. I still hold a grudge. I know she’s holding back on

car and walk in. She seems a bit surprised to

"Hey."

to have lunch with me, I wouldn’t be here so prematurely, trying to mend

can I

to make up my mind." I grab the menu

know that menu like the back of your

fact, I actually thought I could trust and count on the menu but it tends to disappoint me

you. There are just some dishes in there that you aren’t prepared to try even if other people

shut and glare up at her. "Care to

thought we

Anna. You hurt my feelings. You promised you’d be by my side the entire night but you disappeared on me. Why

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

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

was

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

"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

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

at me again. "You know what? I’ll get

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

because of the magnifying glass on my life lately. When he picks up, I clear my throat to fend off

am at

Red shirt, white

lock

and Anna? That

best friend squabbles. We’ll

better. She knows everything. You can’t afford to

Ashley about Olivia Dunn. He denied it obviously.

difficult for them to find me as the one behind Billion-Err

"What?"

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

a date seems to suggest that he might actually like her even though he hides her. On

I overheard them talking and it seems her family was threatened right around the same