Four Brothers and a Bride

Chapter 16: Chapter 16

DEMI

I wait with bated breath as the line trills. Anna finally picks up.

"Demi?" Her voice is hoarse. She has definitely been crying.

"Hey." | take a deep breath to steady myself. "Erm, everything is going to be fine, okay? Asher is...."

"Where are you?" The question catchesoff guard.

"What?"

"Your in-laws put out a statement that you and Ashley are currently on your honeymoon vacation outside of

Danvarr and so he isn't the one in the video. There are pictures of you two together on a beachfront. Ashal did a

video apologizing to the public for our kiss, claiming it was poor judgment on his part. You know Danvarr loves

him as the least scandalous quad so he's been getting a lot of love. The hate comments for the Rollins family

have morphed into hearts and fire emojis. I'm the only one left to hang dry now, Demi." She chokes back some

tears. "You said this wouldn't happen, that | won't be out of a job. | need to support my family, Demi."

| can't believe how quickly the quads dispelled the rumors. My head is thrumming. "It's okay, Anna. Asher

promised to handle it. He is..."

"Asher?" Anna questions with a sudden stern voice. "Asher is going to help me? Demi, Asher was the one who

threatened Donna to fireor she'll lose her business. Donna wasn't happy to letgo but she couldn't risk

losing the Blue Cove." Anna's sobs wracked through my system, breaking my heart in splinters.

"No, that can't be right. He promised..." The moment the words leave my mouth, | realize how silly | have been.

How could | trust Asher to have compassion on Anna? He played me. They all playedto getout of the

house. Now, Anna is getting the short end of the stick.

I sense his presence the minute Ashely walks in and hang up while Anna continues to sob and blme.

"Did you know that Asher never planned to help Anna?"

Ashley huffs. "Of course, | told him not to."

1 whirl to him, shocked by his response. His eyes are narrowed to slits. In his billowing shirt and flower-patterned

shorts, he looks just as natural and smug as he does in a custom-made suit.

"Why? Why would you stop him?"

Ashley strolls past me, shoves the wide balcony doors open and leans on the rails overlooking a jewel-toned

beach. "Because we are not Jesus, Demi. We don't forgive our enemies."

"Anna is not your enemy!"

"SHE IS." He yells at me. "She is an enemy of my family! She leaked that video knowing exactly what it would do

to our family and business reputation! She's heartless" His eyes look pained and frustrated. Though he is talking

about Anna, it almost feels like he means to callout.

"She knew! Just because it didn't go the way she hoped doesn't mean she's remorseful!" He smoothed his hair as

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it flapped in the wind. "If she wanted money, she could have just asked us. She callously attempted to sully our

reputation and now she has to pay."

"Ashley, please..."

"I won't hear it." He warns with a finger in my face. I've never seen him this angry. Breath explodes out of my

lungs and shudder back in as I sink to the floor. What have | done? Why didn't | think this through? | recall my

safety net, surge to my feet and try dialing a number. This was the plan all along.

"Don't bother calling mom. She won't help you either."

My fingers tremble now. | can't believe | shot myself in the foot. How did this happen? Ashley watchesout of

the corner of his eyes. His fingers tighten around the rails as he grits his teeth. | fear to think he knows the truth.

Do they all know the truth? Is that why he's been givingthe cold shoulder ever since we got to Brellis?

He tries to walk past me.

"Ash"

Grabbing his hand, I rise from the floor with a dejected look on my face. If | believed any of the quads had a

heart, it had to be Ashley. | dry my eyes, ready to appeal to the kindness | know he already possesses. He stands

rigid with his back to me.

"Anna didn't send the video."

He doesn't turn. | flex my fingers and press my eyes shut as the tears threaten to well up again.

"| did." His rigid shoulders sag as he spins to face me. His eyes right now are not just angry but murderous. He

grabs my shoulders and shakesviolently.

"HOW COULD YOU? HOW COULD YOU BE SO INHUMANE, DEMI? WE TRUSTED YOU!" | fall with a thud as he

shoves me, grazing my elbows on the floor. "You were supposed to be good! | defended you every tmy

brothers grew suspicious. How could you?"

"ASHTON TRIED TO RAPE ME!" | scream above the pulse of his voice with my hands over my face. That pauses

his angry accusations. Ashely's eyes boggle at me. His hands go limp before they slide down my shoulder. | hug

my knees as the painful memory refreshes.

"What did you say?"

| manage to glance at him with my blurry eyes. "Ashton tried to rape me...yesterday, at home." My skin tingles

unpleasantly and | look away from his face, because the man that tried to assaultunfortunately looks just

like Ashely too. "I-l was in my r-room. | had just f-finished talking to Anna on the phone. When | turned, you were

standing there by my door. | didn't hear you cin."

I glance at his pale face as tears streams from mine. "At first, | thought it was you. | mean, no one else would

barge in like that. He was dressed exactly like you, smelled like you but his words and his eyes were different."

Bile tickles my throat as I recall the incident. | hate to do this but he needs to know that he can't always trust his

brothers. They clearly didn't tell him about their little switcheroo that almost costmy virginity. Ashley

surprisingly remains speechless as | rattle on.

"He accusedof having ulterior motives and when | wouldn't listen to his accusations, he shovedon the

bed..."

"STOP." Ashley staggers away.

"I was so scared, Ash." And | was. "I called for you, for mother..." My voice breaks as the sobs take over. | should

have told him sooner. | shouldn't have tried to fix things myself. "He threatened to ruinand silence me. He

said your family would never take my side even if | was innocent, that you wouldn't rat on him no matter what,

that the marriage contract was meaningless..."

"You can't be sure it was him." Ashley tore his moist eyes away from my face.

"But | am. That wasn't the first the's been in my room. He cin once to wakefor breakfast after the

incident with you and Nicola. He callsBranson, Ashely. That's how | knew it was him. He calledBranson

last night before leaving."

Ashely shakes his head and tries to leave but | quickly grab his arm. | need a brother on my side if | must help

Anna. | hate that | have to relive that scary incident but everything about it is true. Hence, | fend off the guilt

surging in my belly.

"| was barely recovered from that shock when | was sent the video of Anna and Asher. | was angry and confused.

At the time, | feared it was Ashton toying with my mind. | thought he meant to use Anna to blackmailto keep

quiet about the incident. | should have told you everything." | plop on the nearest couch and bury my face in my

hands while Ashely watchesin pain.

"| thought sending the video to Billion-Err would compel you all to distinguish yourselves but | meant no harm. |

just want to be able to recognize you Ashley so | can better protect myself from Ashton or any of your brothers

who impersonates you like that. Please don't hate Anna. It's all my fault. | didn't think about her when | leaked

the video. | was too preoccupied with thoughts of saving myself from Ashton's wicked schemes."

The tears flow freely from my eyes until | feel Ashely's arms around me.

"I'm sorry." He croaks. Tears shimmer in his eyes. "I'm so sorry about everything. You didn't deserve that." He

pullsinto his chest and wraps his arms around me. We hold on to each other, sniffling and hurting.

Ashely continues to apologize for the rape scare but he fails to blAshton or promise to confront him over the

issue. Blinking, I gently pull away from his embrace and stare into his misty eyes.

"Did you know?" My heart is beating rapidly now. "Did you know that that was going to happen to me, Ashely?"

His prolonged silence is all the answer | need. Gasping, | crawl away from him.

"Demi, please..."

"Stay away from me." My chest hurts with the sting of betrayal. | know | have no right to expect anything from

him but given the little | now know of his personality, it's a rude shock to realize Ashely can stomach the idea

that Ashton was going to treatthat way. Even worse was the way he pretended afterwards like he had no

idea why | was jumpy around him.

"You lot are evil."

I manage on all fours to put a good distance between us only for him to circleand stand in front ofagain.

"Demi" he says, crouching on his knees with his hands open in a gesture of truce. He looks as desperate as | just

did while begging for Anna. "It was Asher, not Ashton. Asher said he wanted to ask you squestions. He had

concrete doubts about what transpired in Blue Cove. | had no idea of the rape thing. You have to believe me. |

would never have agreed if | knew he meant to scare you like that." Crying, | fall into his arms because | need to

believe he has my back.

It's one thing to punish a person because they have done something to deserve it but to put someone through

hell without having sufficient cause is plain wickedness. Ashley holdswhile | wail. | feel a tear on my

forehead as he rocks me.

"I'm so sorry. I'll do everything | can to help Anna."

"Your family, they'll never forgive me. They won't let you help Anna."

He cups my chin and blots out my tears with his other palm. "I can't get Donna to give her a second shot but |

can take care of her money troubles while she looks for a new job. Isn't that what you hoped mom would do?" |

nod, a small smile working its way to my lips.

"Thank you, Ashley. Thank you." He holdsa little longer before releasingto make scalls. | whip out

my phone to call Anna and tell her the good news. She takes a while to accept my call and when she does, her

spirit is lifted with the news of financial aid coming her way.

"How did you manage to convince him, Demi? How did you pull it off"

I pinch the bridge of my nose, sampling the right way to answer the question. "Lots of tears." Real ones, | note

mentally. | hadn't planned it. It was too real and too painful to be rehearsed.

Ashely returns later at night and looks baffled as | throw my things from the hangers into my suitcase."

"You're back." Smiling, | drop the clothes in a heap on the bed. "How'd it go?"

"Erm, | wired smoney to her preferred account. | also spoke with a few friends about a possible job

opportunity." He scratches his head and points at the mess on the bed. "What's going on?"

"Oh, | am packing for home. The rumors have been dispelled. Whatever your brothers did worked." | shrug my

shoulders. "We don't need to hide away here. Let's leave tomorrow. I'll stay indoors with mom if it makes you all

feel better but | don't want to be away from Danvarr any longer. | want to see Anna. Aunt and Kira have been

blowing up my phone too. I'm sure you also want to be with your family as well."

"Erm, maybe we can stay for a few days? Explore the stunning blue lagoons and coconut groves. C'mon, we just

got here." Somehow, his voice lacks the thrill of excitement his suggestion is meant to convey. My phone rings

just as | am about to politely turn down his offer. | don't have the tto spend running barefoot on the powder-

soft white sand beaches or napping in hammocks.

"Hold that thought." | utter before picking my phone. It's a call from Mr. S. | flash my pearly whites at Ashely

before turning to pick the call. Mr. S goes on a rant aboutfrolicking on the beach while things are turning to

shit back home. | have no clue what he means.

"Your fucking ex-boyfriend is over here granting interviews and spitting lies about your relationship. He's raising

questions you're not ready to answer. It's almost like he has been planning this for a while or was meticulously

prepped for this."

"What?" My phone almost slips from my hands in shock. "Iman? What is he saying?"

"It's not so much what he is saying as it is the questions he's raising in people's minds with what he isn't saying.

The jerk is over here steering people to believe that you're not the angel they paint you to be and that you hold

a grudge against the family you married into. He's got the receipts to prove it, something about your magazine

collection where you defaced the pictures of the Rollins' family. It's really looking bad. You need to return asap

and clear your nbefore you're ruined."

When | turn to face Ashely, he is gone.