MainNovelChapter 81: Chapter 81
DEMI
| know it’s risky to be seen with him but I just couldn’t handle talking with him over the phone about everything
that’s been going on with me. | am also glad Anna offered to let us use her place while she’s at work.
Liam accepts the drink | offer him but sets it aside with a grim expression on his face. | bring my glass to my lips
and take a bracing sip of the alcohol.
"You still have to return to work. Should you really be drinking?"
| ignore him to take another sip. My life has been crazy lately and overwhelming. Sated, | set the glass down and
look at him. "Everything is going wrong. | am overwhelmed. There's just too much to deal with lately."
My head aches just thinking about Ashley’s proposal, mother’s betrayal and her lies about not knowing how to
differentiate her boys, Maddie and Eliana’s incessant calls, Ashton’s weirdness aroundand my confusion
about how to deal with everyone's expectations.
"You didn’t go into this expecting it to be easy. No matter how wild things get, you only have to ask yourself one
question before making a decision; what will be the best course of action to advance my revenge plot? That
should light your path to victory. Nothing else matters."
He's right. | sit upright.
"Let's take it one at a time." Liam begins. "Mrs. Rollins. What are you going to do about her? Remember, no
sentiments!"
| nod sagely.
"I think she’s got a few secrets of her own. She blatantly lied toabout not being able to differentiate her sons
when | first met her. It tooka few weeks to a month in the mansion to realize she had lied. When they're all
clothed alike or pretending to be another brother, the quads can be a pain to distinguish. However, having
gotten to know them up close, | can easily guess which brother is capable of doing one thing or the other. Now
imagine a mother who's been with her sons all their lives and knows sof their innermost secrets. How can
she really not know what they're individually and collectively capable of?"
| shake my head, more out of disappointment at how gullible | turned out to be. "What | don’t understand is why
she welcomedinto her hto straighten her boys when she’s been the one encouraging their wrong ways
behind the scene? Why exactly did she ropein?"
"| also felt Mrs. Rollins wasn’t the goody-two shoes she always portrayed herself to be. There's something
sketchy about her too. She likes to make people feel like she’s clueless about what's going on around her so they
can keep their guards down whenever they're around her. For instance, she might know all about Josh Randall
and his mother but keep a smiling face around her family."
"Yeah. I've thought about that too." Mother also knows about Olivia's situation and yet, she allows the injustice
to continue out of blind love for her son. No, she’s definitely not so nice. "I think | am also going to use her game
against her. I'll keep acting clueless about her schemes till | find out what she’s really up to. Hopefully, she
doesn’t catch on toas fast as Asher did."
Liam inhales. "And Ashton?"
| hate how unnerving his nmakesfeel. | reach for my drink and swish the liquor in the glass. "It was a
mistake to get attached. | am gradually detangling myself from him." | sip my drink and look away to signify an
end to that uncomfortable topic. Thankfully, Liam gets my drift.
"I'll call Eliana and Maddie later. | don’t expect them to understand that | have my own shit to deal with while
they expectto drop everything and rescue Olivia. | want to deal with Ashley's crisis first."
"Ashley." Liam reiterates. "He has been a bit of a shocker lately. | could never have guessed he had it in him but
there’s very little a man wouldn't do for the love of a woman. It always comes down to the love of a woman."
"He doesn’t love me." | counter him.
"Maybe not but he clearly likes the idea of it. What are you going to do about him?"
"Things will only get difficult if | reject him. Good thing he doesn’t know that | am afraid of being divorced by
him. Given how desperate he is to winover, he would have threatenedwith that."
The thought of him scheming with his mother to forceto get intimate with him and the recent stunt he pulled
at the award show still pissesoff. Though I find his actions distasteful, | have no choice but to give him a
shot. | have to stay by his side to achieve my goals, even if the idea doesn’t cause an excited thrill to run down
my spine.
"| already agreed to accept his proposal on the condition that he reveals tothe nof the brother | married
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtfirst." | preempt the question in Liam's eyes as he watches me. "I know how to confirm it. | already ruled Asher
and Ashley out of the equation. Given how much t| have spent around them, | have cto the conclusion
that neither of them fit the bill. It's between Ashton and Ashal. I'm certain of it."
"And what do you plan on doing if Ashley truly unveils your mystery man?"
My breath hitches. At first, | was certain that the man from that night would know more about what happened to
my parents because of his whiskey addiction. My mom had made sentries in her journal about her boss’ son
who thoroughly enjoyed whiskey. Sadly, it turns out that all the brothers love whiskey. That will lead nowhere.
Now, | want to know him just to satiate my curiosity. | don’t know what | would do after that.
"What would you do when you unveil him, Demi?"
Liam's voice echoes in my head as | advance towards Ashton with teary eyes. Why did it have to be him and not
Ashal? My heart clenches with pain. | always knew it could be him so why does it still hurt this badly?
His heavy eyes stay withas | reach him. The words get lost in my throat.
"I'm sorry." He mutters with red eyes. "You deserve better." He glances at his brother behind me. "So much
better."
"What was the color of the pants | wore at the club that night?"
"Demi..."
"Answer me." | croak out with quivering lips.
He pauses to stare into my teary eyes. "You didn’t wear pants. You wore a purple, sleeveless dress that skimmed
your knees." He runs his hands through his hair and exhales. "You reeked of alcohol but your breath was clean.
You had your hair in a ponytail until | tugged off the hair band because | thought you'd look less miserable with
your hair down. You tasted of candy and breath mints and after our first kiss, | sipped whiskey and made sure
you tasted it on my tongue the second twe made out."
Tears track down my face with every minute detail he recaps. | back away when he tries to blot off the tears and
ignore the quick tug of sadness over the remorse in his eyes.
"Demi please, | am so sorry."
| wipe my tears and turn to Ashley who stands with a placid look on his face. The first hint of disappointment at
my calm reaction spears across his face. He was probably expectingto hurl abuses and bawl my eyes out.
"Thank you, Ashley, for being truthful. Please, could you ask him to leave us?" Instantly, | feel Ashton’s hand on
my shoulder. They feel like ice glaciers, makingflinch at his touch. His eyes look hurt and broken over my
reaction.
"Don’t. touch. me!" | growl angrily at him, partly to give Ashley the satisfaction he desires. The latter steps
between us and gently steers his brother away while | watch them with blurry eyes. When Ashley returns, his
face is mired with sadness. He grabs my shoulders and pullsinto his chest as | sob.
"I knew this was going to be hard and that’s why I stalled. I'm so sorry, Demi. Don’t be hard on yourself. I'm sure
my brother regrets his behavior. We all do. Things were different back then and we thought it was for the best to
keep our brother's secret. | am sorry we hurt you." He pullsback to stare into my eyes. "I am really sorry."
At this point, | don’t know if he is being sincere or just enjoying the show. | ease away from his grasp and dry my
eyes, suddenly irritated by him.
In one breath, he throws his brother under the bus to achieve him aim and in another, he pretends to be
sympathetic towards me, about a messy situation he was privy to. | have no idea what version of Ashley this is
but it’s certainly not the jovial one | went on a date with before Shay invaded our lives.
"You held up to your end of the bargain. | guess we can officially kickstart the next six months of our lives as a
couple, properly so called." | utter dryly, earning a small frown from Ashley. When I try to leave, he holds my
wrist.
"Are you mad at me? You were the one who set such a condition, Demi. | only did what you demanded ofto
pave the way for our future together. Why are you mad at me?"
"Look Ashley, | am a little out of it right now, okay? Did you expect to cout of that little episode unscathed?
Ashton wasn’t the only one who lied tothis whole time. You also keptin the dark for months. Am |
supposed to throw myself into your arms and forget that bit just because you threw your brother under the bus
to please me?"
"Woah, hold up a second. | didn’t throw my brother under the bus to please you, Demi. Let's get that straight. It
was about tAshton cclean about the little incident at the club anyway. | only urged him to admit it
himself because you placed such a steep condition for us." He chuckles and shakes his head, spritzing little
droplets of water. "Maybe | did hurt my brother to give you what you asked for. That's how much | want you in
my life. Ashton gets that but apparently, you don’t."
"You know what?" He adds when | cross my hand over my chest. "It’s very rich of you to be so distrustful of me."
He steps up to me. "I haven't given you any reason to doubt my intentions but you're so rigid about your feelings
for my brother that you'll readily pin blames onjust to get out of upholding your own end of the deal."
My eyes narrow in anger. "I can think of a few reasons why | am skeptical about giving you a chance. Why don’t
we start with why how you forgot to wear your wedding ring at the award ceremony." His eyes boggle with
surprise. "I've lived with you for four months and there was never a day you forgot to slip on that ring, even
without anyone reminding you. | can’t wrap my head around how that particular day just happened to be an
accident."
"You think I did that on purpose? What could | possibly gain from doing that?"
"We did go on countless dates while being hounded by reporters taking photographs of us and interrogating us.
Ashley, | smelled a rat. | don’t want to believe that you staged all that but a lot of it just doesn’t make sense to
me. You can’t be that desperate to get into my pants."
"Wow. Demi, wow." With a pained look, he brushes pasttowards his walk-in closet. His fingers stay poised by
the doorknob when he turns to me. This time, his anger is evident.
"I've also had instances when a lot of things stirred sdoubts in my head too, Demi. A recent example is the
story about a second note being found in the gift box."
My eyes dilate in shock as | wasn’t expecting him to say that. Quickly, | compose myself.
"I've tried to run it in my mind but it still makes no sense. The moment you found the box, you brought it out to
after reading the first note. You panicked after you saw my reaction to the first note. According to what you told
Ashton, you destroyed the second note only after you saw my reaction to the first. So, | don’t understand where
a second note cfrom and when you had the tto return to the bathroom to dispose it before we left the
restaurant together."
Dang it. How long has he been pondering on this?
"Yet, | didn’t nitpick or hassle you for the fine details. That's because I trust you, Demi. | choose to trust you even
when a lot of things aren't clear. That's how relationships survive. | guess ours have never and will never mean
more to you. | will never mean more to you that the guy trying to get into your pants because apparently, | have
a hard tgetting women to sleep with me, right?"
He shoves the closet open and slams the door behind him so hard the sound startles me. | sink down on his bed
and cradle my head in my hands. | messed that up. | have to make it up to him. | have to clear his doubts so he
doesn’t castaside.
Ashley looks surprised to findwaiting for him. He's all changed into a snazzy outfit. The sight of him makes
my heart skip a bit. Slowly, | surge to my feet with a somber look on my face.
"I'm sorry. | didn’t mean to take my anger out on you. I'm just very mad at Ashton and you remindof him and
I just..." With a deep sigh, | frisk my hair with my hands. "You didn’t deserve that. Can we have a do-over?"
"What exactly do you want from me, Demi? What would it take? You clearly don’t mean to givea chance and
| don’t want it if you're only doing it out of pity or compulsion. If it doesn’t cfrom here," he says, jabbing a
finger at my chest, "then Ashton can have you. I'm good."
That last part stings more than | care to admit. Something about Ashley’s derision makesfeel stype of
way. | grab his finger, guide it to my face.
"| liked the Ashley | went on a date with before the gift box happened. | truly enjoyed our ttogether, getting
to know you and vice versa. Promiseyou'll keep that energy up. Nothing felt forced when | was with that guy,
not my smile or the urge to kiss him." Ashley's face remains rigid. "You're very lovable, Ashley. You just have to
be your cool self and | am sure we'll do great together."
| pull his head down and kiss him like my life depends on it, because it actually does.
ork
When | check my phone and fail to find any message from Ashton or Will, | ignore the twinge of sadness that fills
my chest. It’s probably for the best that we both move on in our lives. | am still mad at him but my anger seems
to waver whenever | see him.
The truth is that | am not as shocked as | claim to be. | have always nursed the idea that my mystery man could
be Ashton since Asher cinto my room pretending to be him. Every shock and pain at the cold reality has
been expended that day.
What | am feeling right now are residual feelings of disappointment at his rejection, especially when | remember
how he dissedthat day and watchedgetting kicked out of the mansion.
| have decided to keep my distance from him for real this time. | need to keep my head on straight and stop
getting sidetracked by feelings that won't amount to anything in the end.
It's a public holiday today. Ashley and | have plans to go bowling later but before that, | already agreed to see
Eliana and Maddie. They've been leavinglots of texts and in Maddie's case, angry voice notes. Ashton steps
out of the elevator just as | am approaching it. Wordlessly, | turn around and head for the stairs.
"Demi! Demi!!"
| ignore him as | descend the steps. | can’t deal with him right now. | drive over to Eliana’s hand find Maddie
scowling as usual the second | walk through the door.
Eliana welcomeswith a soft smile and ushersto a seat. Her boyfriend, Taylor is out with friends. Her dog
Cash is having his lunch by a corner of the kitchen. Maddie says nothing tobut her eyes which her trained on
"Do we have a problem?" | ask her bluntly.
"She's a little upset, that’s all. Olivia called her two days ago, weeping."
"Weeping?" | repeat, turning to Eliana. "Why? Was she hurt?"
"What do you care?" Maddie finally snaps. "After making tall claims about being willing to help my sister and
setting out a condition which I fulfilled, you went MIA. Now, | am hearing that you're trying to start a family with
those bastards you call in-laws."
"Watch it, Maddie."
"Why should I?" She yells at me, throwing away the small pillow nestled on the couch. Her eyes are sizzling with
anger. "I trusted you. You said if | dropped a name, you'd help Olivia. After talking big, | trusted you and told you
exactly who is hurting my sister but you just ignored it."
| glare at her. "You honestly expectedto take your word for it?"
"| expected you to fact check my claim. | expected you to test Ashal. You didn’t go through with either, did you?"
She scoffs at me. "I am not surprised really. You were too busy partying and trying to get your husband to
impregnate you so your mother-in-law will be pleased, right?"
"Maddie, calm down." Eliana chides her but she pays her no heed.
"I have my own life too, remember?" | match the fire in Maddie's eyes as | recall my new arrangement with
Ashley and Ashton falling out of my good graces. "Though | am still interested in helping her, my world sadly
doesn’t revolve around your sister. | told you I'd test Ashal but | haven't gotten around to it yet. | need a few
more days. Once | do and your story checks out, we'll discuss next steps."
"Bullshit. You want proof? I'll give you one right now." She slides her phone out of the back pocket of her pants
and dials a number. After the fourth ring, someone picks up the call which Maddie has already put on
loudspeaker.
"Maddie, what do you want?" | hear Ashal ask her curtly.
"Mr. Ashal Rollins, | miss Olivia a lot. Could you possibly arrange a dinner date for my sister and I? | promise I'll
be good." Maddie doesn’t break eye contact withfor the duration of the call.
"I've told you not to call me, Madeline. Don’t callagain, ever." He hangs up on her.
Maddie and Eliana stare at me.
"There. You've got your proof that your family knows about my sister and your brother-in-law has her trapped in
a forced relationship and in his house. Now, are you going to help my sister or not?" A small chuckle escapes her
lips. "Oh, and before you think of going back on your promise, | have every intention of paying your in-laws a
visit and telling them everything what we’ve been up to. | have photos of us together, screenshots of our texts
and recordings of all our calls and conversations till date. There might not be anything incriminating in them but
if you know your in-laws as well as | do, they only need to see us together to peg you a traitor. You might even
have it worse than Olivia."
| trade an anxious glance with Eliana. "Did you know about this?" Eli shakes her head apologetically.
"Don’t look at her. | also have evidence incriminating her too." Maddie reclines on the sofa with a devilish smile
on her face. "So, Demi Rollins, you're going to do as | say from now on or you can consider your days numbered
in the Rollins mansion!"
"Bitch." | mutter under my breath while leaving Eliana’s place. Maddie is such a pain the ass. She never trusted
her? | knew she was the type to try to implicateso why didn’t | prepare for this?
A pair of male shoes lumbers into my path while | am walking towards my car with my head down. When | look
up with a petulant air at the mannerless stranger, | gasp quietly.
"Ashton." | mumble breathlessly. Did he stalk me? Does he know | cto visit Eliana and Maddie?
"We need to talk." He says, his tone clipped and cold.
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