Four Brothers and a Bride

putfirst this one time?"

| crouch next to her. "What do you need help with?"

"Father denied my request to return to work. He won't ease up on the bodyguards aroundeither. | need to

get away for a bit. | was thinking | could pay Nicci a visit on the island."

"What?"

"Asher is scheduled to visit her soon. I could ride along, get sfresh air. Please, irrespective of the differences

between Nicci and I, | know what she must be going through. | was once pregnant and didn’t have anyone to talk

to about it. She’s all alone in a strange island with nothing but bodyguards..."

"There are chefs, butlers, housekeepers, a doctor..."

"It's not the same." She interrupts me. "She has no family there. She isn’t allowed to speak to her father. She has

no friends. Please Ashley, | need you to put your foot down and ensure that | visit Nicci. | won't be missed at

hanyway. Mine and Nicci’s lives are already intertwined forever. We have to figure out a way to get over our

differences and learn to coexist. | know she’ll open up toonce | extend a hand to call a truce. Please."

| really can’t believe Demi is this bighearted. Nicci blows up my phone regularly and | got sick of it so now |

hardly take her calls. | thought she had all she needed. I've never thought of it from this angle. Could she be

lonely? | paid heavily for the house staff to prevent that.

Rising, | flick a finger over my beard. This won't go down well with father. It will take a lot to convince him but

much less to compel him. Maybe this is the tto use my trump card to force him to give Demi a break in that

mansion.

"You'll go see Nicci."

"Really?" Demi asks, jumping to her feet.

"And you'll reswork as soon as you get back. I'll handle it. Please, trust me." Something warm flits across

her eyes. She desperately wants to believe me. | close a hand over her cheek. "I'm sorry | haven't been living up

to my responsibilities as your husband. That will change. You'll see."

"Thank you. That's all | wanted."

If things were good between us, this will be the part where we exchange a hot kiss but instead, Demi nods at me

and walks away.

The blaring of my ringtone jerksout of my entranced stare. | tear my eyes away from the door Demi left

through minutes ago and grab my phone. The caller makesfrown.

"Why won't he stop calling me?" Hissing a long breath, | answer the call. "What do you want, Mr. Grey? Can't you

give it a rest? I've warned you to stop bugging me."

"Tellwhere my daughter is and you won't hear fromagain. Please Mr. Rollins, | just need proof that my

daughter is alive and well."

"Why won't she be? You know damn well that she’s doing alright. She’s on a vacation. If she didn’t tell you

where, that’s not my problem."

"I can’t reach her on her old line. | know you have a number that can connectdirectly to her. Please, | just

need to talk to her."

His desperation makes bile tickle my throat. "Stop pretending to care about her. You physically abused her for

months. She was nothing more than a cash cow to you. What happened? Have you run out of money? Is that

why you're desperate to locate her?" Another thought crosses my head. "Or maybe you're just fishing for

information to leak to Billion-Err to aid their hunt for your daughter's whereabout. I'm sure you have something

to do with their trending post."

"No, | have assured you countless times that | know nothing about that. Please, | am just a father who is worried

about his daughter."

"Has Billion-Err reached out to you to confirm Nicci’'s whereabout? Don’t even think of lying to me."

He takes a deep breath. "Yes. Twice but | ignored it. | know better than to cross your family."

"And this call isn’t being recorded?"

"No, it's not."

"For your sake, you better not be up to anything fishy." | draw in a breath. "Ill tell Nicci you asked after her. If she

wants to talk to you, she’ll call you." | hang up and prepare to visit my father regarding Demi’s plight. He has

resumed work this week so he should be at the HQ. A surprise visit sounds like just the thing.

ork

"Ashley? This is quite the surprise." Father acknowledges, rising to greet me. All | can imagine is the big smile

disappearing from his face when I drop the bombshell but it happens sooner as | reject his outstretched arms

and remain standing by the door.

"Something wrong, son?"

| already cleared my throat on the hallway leading here so | just advance closer and spill it.

"Father, | am thankful for all your help lately. You've outdone yourself trying to keep the family’s reputation up.

However, | am uncomfortable with how you keep usurping my position by dictating on matters that involve my

marriage and my wife. You cross the line every tyou do that."

Father sinks back into his chair with a hardened look on his face. "Where is this coming from? Did that woman

reportto you or something?" He snickers. "She’s manipulative."

"Don’t. | won't hear another word of insult about her. | am the one who has failed her in this marriage. You have

no right to insult her consistently simply because she wasn’t born wealthy. She’s still human and she feels pain.

Leave her out of this."

"What exactly did she do to get you all riled up as her knight? Did she allow you to have sex with her or

something?"

| clench my fists and reach his desk. "She didn’t have to. I've got all the motivation | need. She's not my enemy

unlike the man who plotted to have my unborn child brutally snatched from this world before | could even learn

about my baby’s existence." | enjoy the shocked glaze in father’s eyes, a true expression of guilt that need no

words.

Straightening, | shrug my shoulder. "I'll be taking back the reins of my relationship. When it has to do with my

wife, | have the last say. She wants to go back to work? She will as | permit it. How many bodyguards gets to

follow her where? That's my call. She wants a break from the mansion to visit an island, | sanction it. | don’t want

you interfering in my marriage unless | ask for your help. Do we have an understanding, father?" | ask. My eyes

find his face which is hardly recovered from the shocking revelation. | bet from the sting in my eyes that they are

red by now.

"Ashley, you don’t possibly believe..."

"What | didn’t believe is that Asher could stabin the back by killing my child. It’s not unlike him but | know

how he thinks and | know he would have fessed up toa little differently than the profuse apology at the

hospital. | know my brothers very well father and it turns out that | know you too. That's how I figured out the

true mastermind behind my pain."

"Ashley, it was an...."

"Accident? That's what you're going with, Brett Rollins?" | laugh mockingly. "That's just rich. You barely make

mistakes. You're always one step ahead of your competitors and enemies. Yet, you expectto believe you

accidentally hired thugs to attack my pregnant wife all within a short tframe? I’m trying so hard not to dwell

on your betrayal right now father but if you keep this lie up, we are going to have a family meeting tonight and |

will show you just how mad | am about this."

He inhales and nods his head. "I've heard you. | won't interfere in your life unless you wantto."

| give him a burning look before swiveling towards the door.

"Ashley?"

"Don’t even think of giving Asher any grief because | figured out the truth. Try to be a good father for once and

don’t duck behind your son to dodge the blfor your own actions." | turn to look at him.

"Please Ashley, hearout."

"No. We are done talking!"

I know exactly what he was going to say. He would have said everything he did was for my good and that of our

family. | am sick of hearing that line. Why does he get to solely decide what is good for everyone?

Demi is right. | have been living under father’s thumb for far too long. It feels really good to be in charge even if |

went there acting like Ashton in my head to stir up my courage. | could get used to this version of Ashley. Not

sure if this will be enough for Demi to giveanother chance but even if it isn’t, | am glad I'll feel better about

myself moving forward.

When | walk into Asher’s office without knocking, he is chugging swater after swallowing a pill. His eyes

bulge with shock at my intrusion and with a few deft movements of his hand, the case containing his pill

disappears into his drawer.

"Ashley? This is a surprise." He comes around to hug me. "You were the last brother who bothered to put a call

across before visitinghere. Don’t tellyou've changed."

He doesn’t look well. | feel his forehead.

"Are you sick? You look sick."

"Nah, | am fine. I've just been dealing with a lot of stress."

"Is that what the drug was for? Migraine? Insomnia? What's up with you?"

Asher laughs while pullingto a seat. "What brings you by?"

Evasion. That's never a good sign.

"| cto see father. He now knows that | am aware of what he did to Demi. Don’t worry. He won't give you a

hard time. I'll make sure of it."

"Ok. Glad that’s out of the way."

"| want you to forget about visiting Nicci for now. You need a lot of rest. She's my responsibility. I'll handle the

routine checks from now on and Demi will accompany me."

"Are you sure that’s a good idea?"

"She's bored out of her mind at home. | know exactly how she feels. She needs to get out more. That's why she'll

be resuming work soon. She doesn’t have to do much work in front of others. | just want her to reconnect with

friends and colleagues."

"Ashley..."

"| already told father. I'm not letting anyone dictate how my relationship thrives. | have taken a lot from Demi. |

can’t keep making her suffer and expect her to forgive me. It’s starting to look like Ashal and Olivia's situation

and we both know how bad that ends."

"Is this about gaining her forgiveness?"

"This is abouttaking responsibility for my life, Asher. Ashal is also married but you don’t see father

interfering unnecessarily in his family. Why mine?"

"The right explanation would be that he fears Ashal."

"Exactly. Swith Ashton and you too. He knows not to cross the line with you guys but he always walks all

over me. | chere to inform him that things will be different from now on. | won't be his lackey anymore."

"Happy for you." Asher says, givinga light pat on the shoulder before he starts coughing.

"Are you okay?" | ask, jumping to my feet with worry lines etched on my face. Asher continues to dismiss it as

something trivial while retreating to his desk to sip smore water. "Asher, what's going on? You really look

pale."

"I'm fine. Sorry about that."

"You won't lie to me, will you? I'm sick of people lying to me, especially my own family. Tell| have nothing to

worry about." He holds my gaze for a few seconds and nods.

"You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Con, I'll see you out."

By evening, | return to the HQ and wait in the parking lot while most of the employees leave. Asher is one of the

last few to leave. When he comes down, he looks just as pale as he did earlier. His secretary, Nessa, helps him

with his bag as he heads to the VIP parking lot and slides into his car.

| follow behind them. Where could Nessa be going with him? When we pull into the hospital, I almost clutch my

chest. It might not be something serious, | assure myself. Maybe he wants doctor Ezra to do a quick test and

recommend effective solutions for his stress. Nessa tries to help Asher but he insists on walking by himself. He is

mostly wobbling at this point.

| rush down from my car and enter the hospital just as Asher branches off to use the men’s room first. Nessa

waits at the reception for him. Impatient, I rush to doctor Ezra’s office. If this has been going on, then surely our

family doctor must have an idea what could be wrong with my brother.

"Asher, you're here." Doctor Ezra utters, standing. "You look better than your text madebelieve. | was ready

for an emergency."

| look down at my clothes. Since the whole with Nicci and Demi, | haven't cared much about putting the

extra touch in my outfits again. | look pretty much like Asher in my designer suit. Before | can make sense of the

situation, the doctor is in front ofand pulling my eyelids back.

"I need to do an MRI. Let's hope the tumor hasn’t beccancerous. You're doing this surgery today or I'm

telling your entire family. | mean it."

My heart thuds in my chest. "Tumor?"

Doctor Ezra givesa double take. "Oh no. You're not Asher."

Just then, his door shoves open and a sweaty Asher braces a weak hand against it. "No, he’s not." His eyes roll

back before he crashes to the floor amidst Nessa’s screams.