Four Brothers and a Bride

Chapter 132: Chapter 132

ASHTON

"Excuse me?" The strategy committee head asks, gaping at me as intensely as the rest of the members seated in the conference room. Father leans back with a hand under his chin and says nothing.

"I didn’t stutter, did I, Kopek? You heard me right. I need you guys to postpone the conference for at least two weeks till the storm blows over."

"But Mr. Asher, we’ve been planning this conference for months now. Invitations have been sent out. Expenses have been made. If we reschedule now, we might lose the interest and trust of potential investors." A middle-aged lady quips with eyebrows arched worriedly. The rest of the team nods in agreement with her.

She has a valid point but I can’t organize the conference in Asher’s stead with only a day’s notice. There’s a limit to what I can do while pretending to be my very competent brother. Asher is in no position to host the conference and I don’t want to be the reason it flops so I am sitting this one out and buying him time to get better.

"Losing the interest and trust of some potential investors will be inevitable at this trying time. We all need to accept that. However, it’s not smart to push through with the conference in light of the prevailing circumstances we find ourselves in. We will only be wasting money to get blasted by the media and the handful of guests that will deign to attend. The logical thing to do is to postpone the program. It will be understandable and when we do organize in two weeks’ time, it will be bigger and better."

"Asher"

I glance down at Josh and put my surging anger in check. He’s been acting smug all day.

"I agree with the points you’re making. I just don’t see why we have to reschedule the program in two weeks’ time. A few days should be fine. I vote three days." He gives me that smug grin again before turning to father. "Mr. chairman, I want to assure you that the rumors will blow over before you have your dinner tonight."

Father’s eyes light up.

"Yes, Mr. Rollins. I handled it."

"Tonight?"

Josh cuts me off with a hand, flicks on the plasma TV in the conference room and lolls back in his chair. On the screen, Kristy Randall is speaking to the media and vehemently denying the rumors.

"I am severely hurt by the rumors being pedaled against me and the respectable businessman, Mr. Brett Rollins. I have been silent, not because any of it is true, but because I am not much of a social media person and I was hoping the rumors will blow over in time and people will find another lie to fixate on but I was wrong. Hence, I am speaking out for my integrity and that of the Rollins family that have been suffering. I HAVE NO ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH MR. BRETT ROLLINS. He is a very respectable and kind entrepreneur whom I admire as a businesswoman myself. I am only a shareholder in Rollins Group and the pictures that have circulated about us don’t tell the true story. I did seek Mr. Rollins’ audience a few times to get some helpful advice on other investments I wanted to make in various companies and his advice did prove helpful. I am appalled by the media’s desperation for news that they had to make callous insinuations about us without thinking of the harm it would cause the families involved. Damage has been done to our reputations and legal action will definitely be taken against the blog which originated these lies..."

The journalists proceed to inundate her with more questions.

I turn to Josh and find him watching me keenly. The bastard. Why is he just doing this now? When my brothers and I called him up to ask his mother to denounce the rumors, he had made excuses about putting his mom in the spotlight, citing that she didn’t like media attention and whatnot. I guess it was all a lie. Mother and son just didn’t want my brothers and I to take the glory for putting out the media fire or maybe their reasons for enjoying this shit-show runs deeper than that.

From what I can observe, Kristy has absolutely no problem facing the media. I clench my fist as Josh turns off the TV. Everyone else on the table sigh in relief.

conference will hold three days from now instead of tomorrow. Our PR team will be working all night to salvage our business reputation by building from my mother’s response. Hundreds of articles will sprout between now and tomorrow bashing the blog that started all this and sympathizing with the chairman and the company as victims in all this. Then in two days, we’ll have the conference while the pity game

applause. I join them just

between her and my father the very next morning after the pictures circulated. What did you say on the phone? Your mother hates being in the spotlight? She’s not very good with handling media attention? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you two waited for the iron to

took a lot for my mother to come out of her shell to do that interview. Don’t make it sound like she didn’t also suffer humiliation in all this. Be careful with assuming my mother enjoyed any of this. What

I bark his

efforts. This is a minor setback and we will bounce

the room

Father tells

speak?" I exchange glances with both of them. "You know he clearly planned this

"Sit down, Ashton."

in his eyes as he takes me in once more. "That explains a lot. Asher would never have been so unprofessional as to let his emotions run unchecked during a meeting. He wouldn’t give me obvious death stares

daylights out of you while calling your mother

ENOUGH! PLEASE

out a hot breath and try not to think of

I ask where Asher is? He has to be sick or dead to skip work like

stern look. "None. He’s taking care of a few things for me outside Danvarr. He’ll be back in time to host the

"What? But I..."

up with. You had a chance to douse this fire earlier and you turned it down?" Father rises and leans forward on the mahogany table to glare at Josh. "You mustn’t know me well enough. I DON’T PLAY WHEN IT COMES TO MY BUSINESS. You and your mother have caused me to

"Dad, I apologize..."

him up with a hard look. He pulls his suit together before walking out. Josh’s face crumple with anxiety as he races after father. The scene

stop by the office kitchen to make myself some

says politely

Thanks" I sip my drink. "Asher never makes

mind but I always beat

believe her. Asher definitely likes his coffee handed to

interns of the year lined on the hallway. Unsurprisingly, Demi makes the cut. She clutches her gold medal

but something about it makes me uneasy. I don’t know why I feel like it looks super familiar, like I have seen it somewhere

picture but it has something to do with the intern of the year award and another staff that, come to think of it, bears a

heart sinks as

everything alright,