Four Brothers and a Bride

Chapter 146: Chapter 146

ASHTON

Fuck! Fuck!! Fuck!!! How did I forget to erase that file from Asher’s computer? How could I have been so careless?

Demi pales after I tell her about Asher’s discovery.

"W-What are you...saying? How did he...no, it’s too early. He c-can’t find out, Ashton. He’ll come after me..." I grab her cold hands and force her to look at me. She’s so terrified her body is shaking.

"It’ll be fine."

"No. He’ll tell father and..."

"HE WON’T. HE WON’T, DEMI. IF he was going to, he wouldn’t have bothered to call me or ask to see me. I still have time to convince him to keep your secret." Though she bobs her head, I don’t think she’s fully processing my words. Absentmindedly, I pull her head close and kiss the top of it. Our foreheads touch for a few seconds while her breath calms. "I promise I won’t let them hurt you. Please, trust me."

"Okay." She mutters weakly. I kiss her hair one more time before leaving.

Asher is fuming when I get home and find him in the gym fully clothed in a suit. He hasn’t even bothered to remove his shoes or his tie. He leaps up like a frog once he our eyes meet and ambles towards me.

"How long have you known?"

I ignore the rough shove at my chest and his blistering gaze.

"HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN THAT SHE’S THE DAUGHTER OF THE COUPLE YOU KILLED?"

My eyes flash at his hurtful words. This is the first time in six years that a family member is calling me a killer because of what happened that night. I get that my brother is angry but it’s very tactless and mean of him to hit below the belt just to register his anger.

I inhale deeply. "I found out after your surgery that she’s Camille Branson’s daughter."

"And you kept it a secret because of what?" Asher rages with furrowed brows. "Huh? Who exactly were you trying to protect, Ashton? You hid such a crucial information from the same family that protected you from jail and coddled your little secret while you drowned yourself in alcohol for years to forget that night. You chose Demi over us? That’s what we get?"

"Asher, you know very well that this isn’t about my feelings for her. I committed a sin against her, ruined her entire life and family..."

of water in his hand across the gym. "It was a fucking accident, right? That’s what you said and we as a family believed you. We risked everything to shield you from the consequences. How could you

hell is she? I need to have her interrogated. She must be behind most of the shit we’ve been through since she married Ashley. I need to know her accomplices and what her grand plan is. Oh fuck," He gasps, running his hands through his hair. "Father would be livid. We are yet to get over your hair

he tries to leave in a haste.

in the gym seems to dry up as Asher turns slowly to glare at me. "What was

YOU WON’T BREATHE A WORD OF THIS TO FATHER,

sick around the edges. "OR WHAT,

because I told him about Camille. If I never mentioned finding that reporter’s card on her desk and listened to her side of the story first, that

"Oh, come on, that’s..."

probably couldn’t care less about Demi." I lunge to my feet. "Yes, I am a killer but which quad can claim to not be one? Like father, we have all ended a life or more." Asher works the tension in his

hurting from the loss of her parents. Her life took a tragic turn after they passed on. So, what if she’s itching for revenge? Wouldn’t you feel the same way if the roles were reversed?" I draw closer. "I may not have been able to protect her

chests heave with breath as

know the truth?" He asks. "Does she

she does."

while she’s busy plotting your death." Asher loosens his tie and fists his fingers. "You better hope I don’t find evidence that

hands buried in his pockets. Asher grins, walks up to him and pats his

I remain intentionally mute, Asher drops the bombshell. Ashley is speechless at first. Slowly, he drops

the truth about that night?" Ashley

"Yes." I reply.

drunken wedding? Was that really accidental

clearly staged everything to wriggle her way into our family. Jeez, you guys are

front of me. "If this is true, then Demi played us all from day one. She’s been nursing a huge grudge against our family while pretending to have our best interest at heart. If this is true, she must have plans to expose and wreck us. Yet, you still

reference but he grimaces as the memory filters into his head. I turn to Asher. "Would snitching help you score brownie

THIS ABOUT

this agitation to capture an innocent woman is spurred by the zeal to please father! Demi isn’t half the menace father is and we all know that. Why does he get to dictate who lives and who dies?

and glance from one to the other. "I feel guilty enough for the pain Demi

she’s working against us?"

and jams his hands back in his pockets. "I’m keeping an eye on Demi. She may hate us and blame us for her parents’

back a retort when I give

before storming away. When Ashley turns to leave,