Four Brothers and a Bride

Chapter 116: Chapter 116

DEMI

"She said nothing. She did nothing. She just stood there and instead of baring her teeth and clawing at me with those fangs she calls nails, she smiled warmly and hugged Ashton like she didn’t just find him in the nook of a café with the woman his heart beats for."

I detangle my hair from the bristles of the hair brush and dump the brush on the dresser. A frustrated breath leaves my lips as I stare at my disgruntled face in the mirror. Behind me, Anna stands with tensed shoulders.

"I lured her there to create a scene, Anna. She said she wanted to talk about what happened at the wedding shop and I texted her the address of the café I knew Ashton was going to come see me at. Why didn’t she lose it when she saw our hands intertwined? That was so unlike her."

"Maybe she’s trying to win Ashton’s heart by learning to trust him a lot more now. You recall how he scolded her the last time when she flipped at the sight of the both of you at the blue cove? Maybe she is learning her lesson and trying to depict a secure fiancée to win points for good behavior."

Now? Why would Mila choose to be mature, trusting and secure now that I want to use her fragile ego and hot head against her?

Ashton had looked suspicious at first when she merely hugged and kissed him. Then, his suspicious eyes had lighted to a smile. He had looked impressed with her, especially when she proceeded to greet me gaily and hug me too. I don’t know what game she is playing. Did she catch on that I had tried to set her up to explode in front of Ashton and further strain their relationship?

Well, I won’t stop. Ashton has promised he would talk to me every day so I don’t indulge in self-harm. I plan to nurture our relationship till he can no longer deny his feelings for me, not even for his brother who has clearly wronged me over and over again.

"Where are you going?" Anna quizzes.

I tie my hair in a high bun and secure it with a hair tie. "My husband’s ex wants to have a conversation with me. I’m guessing there’s been a new development. I hope she fell for my trap and went on to broadcast her pregnancy to put Ashley in a tough spot." Hair and face done, pretty much, I slip my shoes on and spritz a cologne on my body.

"Wish me luck. I’m hoping this one is not also disappointing." I peck Anna’s cheek before leaving.

I guess I find it strange that Nicola has invited me to her apartment. When she ushers me in, I take one cautious step after another, sizing up her cozy space. It’s grander than I thought. I’m guessing Ashley got this for her and not her modeling pay check. I eye her couch.

"We’ve done it on literally every furniture in this house if that’s what you are wondering." Nicola quips with hands folded across her chest. I turn to find her still standing by the door, observing me. She’s still in her nightdress and flip flops.

"I guess I’ll stand then." We lock eyes for a humming minute. "Why am I here, Nicola? I think I am up to speed on your affair with my husband. If you called me here to apologize, might as well get on with it even though it won’t change anything."

She smiles. "I have nothing to apologize for. Ashley was mine first. I didn’t force him to keep me by his side after he got married. If you’re looking for someone to blame for my pregnancy, you should start with your sex deprived husband who can’t get enough of his ex because apparently, his wife doesn’t do it for him."

I grit my teeth and strap down on the need to stream across the living area and leave an indelible mark on her cheek with a hard slap.

"I’m trying to see what he sees in you."

"Don’t be naïve. You didn’t think romping naked with him in the sheets and being his booty call was going to earn you a place at his family table, did you? That’s not how it works, Nicci, not for a powerful man like Ashley. If that were the case, then he’d marry every woman he’s had a fling with. You’re simply a pick off the litter. You’re easy, used. For the title of a wife, a man like him usually goes for more than a voluptuous body and a pretty face."

Nicci edges close to me. "At least you admit you’re not his type. Tell me, is that why you seduced him at the club that night and deceived him into marrying you? That must be it. You knew that there was no way in hell that he would even give you a second look. You don’t even qualify to have a fling with him. You’re just one of those girls in a crowded room whom Ashley never notices. He wouldn’t have married you if you didn’t craftily involve the entire country in your plan."

"You’re welcome to wrack that tiny brain of yours and torture yourself with how a nobody like me got the revered position of the daughter-in-law of the Rollins family. Better yet, you could ask Ashley. I can tell you free though that I didn’t have to open my legs once for him before we tied the knot. Ashley might be a womanizer but even he can distinguish between a valuable woman and a sex toy."

Nicci’s face contorts with anger.

"Did you call me here for this pissing contest? I have other places to be so if you’ll excuse me..." I brush past her to head for the door when she yells at me.

your baby, didn’t you?" She turns to face me at the door. Ashley told her? He had no right to use my miscarriage to placate his bitter and

must have hurt a lot." Nicci continues. "I am just wondering how a woman who has recently come to know the pain of

you talking

threatening my life and that of my father’s. I thought he loved me enough to have my back but I was

he ask

can have the baby you lost and be the perfect daughter-in-law the family wants." She marches up to me. "You are planning to steal MY baby, aren’t you? Ashley promises to get my career out of the mud and help my father be reinstalled in a fitting political seat on the condition that I secretly have my baby and hand it over to you to raise

"What?"

to be clueless." Tears glisten in her eyes. "How could you be so greedy and selfish that you want to rip my child off my arms the second it’s born to play pretend mom in front of the whole country? You already have his last name. All I want is my baby and my baby’s father present in my life. Ashley was already thinking of divorcing you so I was helping him achieve

proposition is this? Ashley hasn’t even said a word to me. Did Ashton know about this while he was comforting me at the café? What the hell

to happen. I wanted to expose Ashley and Nicci’s pregnancy so he gets a bad social rap which will eventually ricochet and affect the family business. I wanted a lot of tension on the home front, enough to distract everyone from my schemes. I never

has to be

you think that makes me feel? It’s one thing to lose a child you’ve never met. It’s a whole other ballgame to lose a child you’ve

to the floor,

revenge? This is how you plan to get back at me for everything? All I

inside my car, I take deep breaths

"Hey."

Apparently, my husband is planning on hiding her pregnancy in the most inconvenient way possible. He wants her to have the baby secretly and then hand it over to me

saddle you with the responsibility of raising the child he made with his side chick? That’s an insult on top of the injury

mentioned that the entire family is in on it. She was surprised that I appeared clueless. Liam, what am I going to do if they mean to foist that responsibility on me. I know Mrs. Rollins wants to keep her grandchild so I get why she’ll be down with this idea. Given the

Look, we have two options in front of us. We can either use billion-err to leak your miscarriage or Nicci’s

***

when I pull into the driveway of the mansion. The house seems to have grown double in size since I left or maybe staying at Anna’s humble space is messing with me. I survey the cars in the driveway. Everyone is home by my count. Good. I need everyone present for this. I glower at one of the men in suit at the

no difference to them that their daughter-in-law is absent. Mother hasn’t even called me in the last two days. My eyes alight on Mila who’s perched close to Ashton at the table. Did she already move in or is this purely a

to his feet when

marches towards me with outstretched arms and a big smile. All I think about as he closes the distance between us is Nicola weeping on the floor. How could he use two women so shamelessly and have the stomach to eat? I flash five fingers in his face and give him a searing look that makes him halt in his track. Everyone at the table seems

"Something wrong?"

out. "Has anything been right lately, Ash? With us? With

turns to me too. Ashley feigns a smile as he tries to coax me not to divulge our issues in front of Mila but I don’t care what anyone thinks

what’s the big deal if she’s apprised

"Demi!" Father growls.

totally ignore

a blind eye to the fact that Asher killed our unborn baby or the fact that you cheated on me repeatedly and now your ex is expecting your child. You, Ashley, have the guts to add insult

in shock. Ashley instantly goes pale. The flushed look on his brother’s faces hint at their shock

hell is she talking about? Nicci is pregnant with your

hand over the band of neck and exhales. He avoids everyone’s eyes but mine. When he looks at me, there’s a mixture of

survey the room. "You all kept this from

didn’t want to hassle you with another complication." Mother

me in the dark going to help? It’s Nicola Grey for goodness’

this later. Let’s try to figure out an amicable

a proposition. I’m going to fake the pregnancy I just lost for the cameras while Nicci goes on hiatus to have her baby. When it’s born, I’ll take the baby from her and present it as mine while the mother goes on living her life like nothing happened. Nicci explained everything to me while accusing me of trying to snatch her child. Can you imagine that, Ashley? This is your solution? You’re tampering with the lives of two women, two hurting mothers."