Four Brothers and a Bride-Chapter 85

It felt good to be reminded of who Olivia was when we first met and all the qualities I admired about her. The blind date with Cree awoke those memories in my head. Despite how badly the day ended, I still recall fondly the earlier bits before Cree got all crazy and pulled a gun on me.

Despite the fact that she admitted to playing out a script, I like to tell myself that her laughter and smiles that day were all real. We did have a connection. I felt the sparks and if she’s being honest, she’ll admit it too.

Elyon has been trying to get me back out in the dating scene since that fiasco but I keep turning him down.

"Come on, you can’t just back out because the last date was a shit show. You have to go on several dates to find the one." Elyon pressed every day at work.

"I don’t have time for that."

"Yes, you do. This isn’t the HQ. We have time to breathe here and you are our boss. Of course, your time is more flexible to accommodate important matters. Dating is important too. Look, Blake is available to go out with you. She’s sorted herself out. Your first date, Madeline, is still a bit pissed but I am sure my sister can convince her to give you another shot but you’ll have to aim to impress this time around, especially with Madeline. Cher has added five more girls to the list that accurately fit your description. I have seen these ladies and I can tell you that the beautiful ones have indeed been born. Please say yes and I will handle the rest."

Elyon’s pressure got worse with each passing day till I finally gave in. I had a nice time with Cree before the glint of the fake gun. Maybe I can still meet someone else and strike a connection like I did with Cree.

"Okay, her name is Amber and she works in an insurance company." Elyon fills me in while I put on my neck tie. I am feeling nervous putting myself out there again.

The date is scheduled for 7pm but I am going in two hours earlier like Cree had mentioned she did to get over the jitters and scope out the venue. Though the venue is still the same hotel bar as the last time, completely rented out again, I still want to go over and be there when my date walks in.

"No, no." I cut Elyon off. I can’t speed date. Let’s leave at one girl per date."

"Fine. I’ll reschedule your date with Lorraine." He flips his phone closed and stuffs it in his pocket just as my phone starts to ring on my desk. "Ooh, Olivia’s calling. Who’s that?" He asks, passing the phone to me.

I abandon my askew neck tie and snatch the phone from his hand. "No one."

"Woah, do you mean to tell me you have other chicks? And here I am worrying about your single status when you apparently have a woman. You’ve got to fill me in later. I’ve earned the right to know about your extracurriculars with the opposite gender."

I don’t acknowledge his dry attempt at humor and decline Olivia’s call.

"Seriously?"

"There’s nothing to talk about, Elyon. Give it a rest."

"Okay, sir. It’s laid to rest. Now, are you sure you want to go sit at the bar so early? Your date is by 7pm."

"I’m sure."

"Alright then. All the best, boss. I promise this time everything will go smoothly."

When I get to the Grand Casa hotel, I head straight to the bar. A table has been tastefully decorated just for my date and I with roses and a bucket of ice cradling a bottle of white wine.

I find it impressive. Yet somehow, I keep eyeing the stools at the bar where Cree and I had sat. That would have simpler. The bar tender welcomes me and I echo his pleasantries.

I take my seat and expel a deep breath. While I wait for my date, memories of my time here with Cree keep surfacing in my memory. I struggle to keep them at bay so I would enjoy my new date with an open mind. Amber arrives later, wearing a black and red ensemble. She looks gorgeous. Her curvy body makes my heart race.

"Amber Knightly." She says, offering a hand.

"Ashal Rollins." I reply, shaking her soft hands. "You have very beautiful hands." I add, then hate myself for the awkward observation.

"Thank you." Amber sits and crosses her legs. "This is a beautiful spread." She gestures to the table.

"Yeah. I’m glad you like it."

Our entrée arrives. We get talking. She’s a smart talker with a beautiful laugh. I genuinely find a lot of her jokes funny. Amber turns out to be more than a pretty face. We have such a wonderful time going through our second and third courses. We even share our desserts like a lovestruck teenage couple.

"That was great." I tell her, helping her put on her jacket.

"I thought so too. The media doesn’t do you any justice. You’re so much fun in person."

I hide a small blush at her compliment and steer her our of the elevator which opens up to the reception hall on the ground floor.

"Can I see you again?" Amber asks with a huge smile. I look atop her head to the far end where the receptionist watches with disdain as the security escorts a lady out of the premises. I recognize the strut. Cree. She’s yelling expletives at the management as she leaves on her own steam.

"Ashal?" Amber calls me.

"Oh, um, I’ll have to check my schedule. It took a lot to move things around so I could make it to this date. You know how crazy busy my life is. I’ll let you know but thank you for a wonderful evening." I lean down to kiss her cheeks. "I’ll have someone drop you home. Accept the little token I have arranged for you."

Amber’s face falls at my indirect rejection. Wordlessly, she turns and leaves. Two minutes later, the driver I instructed to drop her off calls to tell me that Amber refused the ride in the limo and thrashed the flowers I got her. However, she grabbed the diamond necklace and earrings I got for her and hightailed out of there.

I ignore everything and make my way to the receptionist. Upon enquiry, I learn that Cree has been coming over and asking about job vacancies in the establishment since our blind date happened. After she watched someone get hired with the aid of nepotism, she caused a ruckus the last time and used profane language on everyone within earshot at the reception.

Today, she came in with dark shades, strutting like a model to hide her identity since she is banned from coming back to the hotel except as a guest. She was discovered while trying to bribe one of the guards to help her and was kicked out as I just saw.

I rush out but I can’t find her anywhere. My driver informs me that she got into a cab and left. I return to the receptionist and ask to speak with the hotel manager. She gladly puts a call through to him. Rather than talk to me over the phone, the manager chooses to make an appearance and tries to coax me into going with him to a VVIP lounge to talk.

"Thank you for the hospitable thought, Mr. Rupert but this won’t take much of your time." freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

"If you say so, sir."

"I want you to hire someone for my sake. It’s a young woman who is in need of a job as a waitress here, particularly at the bar on the fourth floor. She might not be refined enough for your taste but I am hoping you will be willing to groom and train her to fit into your esteemed establishment."

Mr. Rupert gives me a benign smile. "A recommendation from you, Mr. Rollins, is weighty around here. I’ll look into it. What’s this woman’s name?"

"Cree Baxter, I believe. Consider it a favor for me. I gave her a hard time the last time we met. I just want to help her out. My accountant will be in touch with you. I want you to top her salary with my quoted amount. The extra pay will be handled by my firm. Of course, you will be generously rewarded for your discretion, Mr. Rupert."

Now, his smile widens and a hoot of laughter ensues. "Thank you so much, Mr. Rollins. I’ll personally see to it and expedite her employment."

I pay attention and make sure Cree is contacted and hired the next day.

***

Ever since she resumed work at the bar weeks ago, I have avoided drinking there. My other dates with the women Elyon picked for me doesn’t pan out well because of my fixation with Cree. The ladies always keep complaining that I don’t allow myself to be present during the date. Elyon has been frustrated as his efforts have been going to waste.

"Is this about the woman that called you the last time?" He asks me as I prepare to go on yet another date with a stranger just to convince myself that I am trying to forget about Cree. "If you’re already in love with someone..."

"I’m not. Can we just get this over and done with?" I snap impatiently at him.

I’ve been on edge lately. Why can’t my own love story ever have a happy ending? First, I got stuck with Olivia by Asher’s doing. Despite falling for her, she never reciprocated my feelings genuinely. The second woman I think I might be crushing on is a suspect in my brother’s blackmail which makes our romance doomed before it can start.

Why can’t I be happy and in love like my brothers? Olivia is head over heels in love with Asher who also has Nessa pining for him. Ashton has Demi’s heart and Mila’s too. Ashley has Nicola and now Demi too who has been working hard to make their marriage successful. Why am I the only brother whose love story has no happy ending? Why can’t I find a woman that wants me, flaws and all?

I keep pondering these thoughts while I wait for my date who is running very late. I check my wrist watch. It’s been over an hour. Indifferent, I down the rest of my bourbon and wipe my lips. Oh well, I guess that marks the end of the dating nightmare.

"You have got to be kidding me."

I look up to find Maddie staring daggers at me. What the hell is she doing here? Oh fuck. I forgot to tell Elyon to scratch her off the list.

"Which brother do I have the displeasure of meeting right now?" Here eyes narrow at me as she tries to guess. "Well, are you going to tell me which Ash Rollins you are???" Her voice is bitter, her face pinched with rage and disgust. She hates my family so much she can’t even pretend.

I lurch to my feet and take in her mini dress. Did she really come out here to seduce her date in such a skimpy outfit? When she notices my eyes accidentally lingering on her cleavage, she snaps two fingers in my face and scoffs when I look away, embarrassed.

"I don’t expect any less from the Rollins’ quads. Your promiscuity precedes you."

Her insult hits the wrong nerve. "And you? What precedes you, Maddie? Angst? Frustration over your family’s condition?" I let my eyes rake her exposed body. "Desperation?" Her eyes dilate in shock.

"Mr. Ashal?"

It’s too late to deny it. I am the only one who calls her Maddie. My brothers always call her Madeline.

"You’re my date??? Wait, you’re on a date???" She plunks her bag on the table and crosses her arms. "How could you even think of cheating on my sister after everything you’ve done to her? You’re a heartless bastard."

"Shut up, Maddie. I wouldn’t be here if I knew you were my blind date. What the hell are you even thinking going on a blind date with strangers? Are you that desperate to throw yourself at any man that will have you? What right do you have to judge others or call them promiscuous?"

Isn’t she like twenty-one? What’s her hurry? Then I remember she’s practically Demi’s age but with a smaller statue.

"My personal life is none of your business so don’t evade the topic. How could you think of cheating on my sister? You’re the worst! If you’re tired of her, LET HER GO." Tears shimmer in her eyes as her voice wavers. "Divorce and send her back to us. My family is not the same without Liv. Please..." Her hands are clasped before me.

I ignore the tug of guilt at her words and brush past her to make my way out of the bar. Long after I am back in my car, I wait till Maddie comes out. I don’t know why I can’t let her go back home all by herself.

"Get in."

She snobs me and continues walking down the busy road while I follow her closely in my car.

"Get in, Maddie. Don’t be stubborn. You can’t walk around like that. There are bad people everywhere and with what you have on, they’ll just think you’re asking for it. GET IN."

She shudders at my tone, then begrudgingly gets into the back seat. We say nothing to each other even after I drop her off at her friend’s house.

***

"Thank you so much for getting me this job. I was really shocked to get their email." Cree says while we share her break together. I couldn’t hold back anymore. I had to see her, meet her and talk to her.

"It’s the least I could do for everything you went through the last time. I am sorry about my brothers and I. We mistook you for someone else."

It’s yet to be proven that she’s completely innocent of the accusations levied against her but I don’t care about that right now. If my brothers find out about this, I’ll justify my action as a pretense to keep an eye on her and investigate her connection to Shay, just like Ashley had proposed.

"Are you still acting?"

"Not right now. This job pays me way higher than I could have imagined. I have no need to jeopardize it by juggling an acting career that’s yet to take off." She sips her drink and slurps, just as I remember Olivia doing.

This woman is her normal self around me. She isn’t fazed by my business portfolio or bank account or even my family name. It’s refreshing to be around someone who is their real, goofy self for once. I like them with what society will call flaws because I am not perfect myself.

"I felt like you’re really passionate about acting. I have a few friends in the film industry. I could put in a good word for you if you ever want to try again."

Her head snaps up, eyes brightening with understanding. "It was you, wasn’t it? The high salary. I know this hotel is top tier but twenty grand is way too much to pay a rookie waitress with no real experience working in a place like this. You did that for me and now you want to help me with my acting career. Why?"

I stare into her beautiful eyes while resisting the urge to stroke her cheek.

"Because I can. Is that good enough?"

Cree blinks back the tears in her eyes. "Even though I am totally kissing you senseless in my head right now, I’ll just say thank you out loud to preserve my job." She had meant it on a light note but my breath catches still. Her smile wilts as she notes the look in my eyes. "Too much? Too blunt?"

"No. I am totally kissing you in my head too."

We end up kissing in my car after her shift hours later. I drop her off at her new apartment which I also got her before heading home smiling like a clown.

The next day, my brothers burst into my room first thing in the morning.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" I grumble as Ashton opens my blinds and bright light washes in. I was just enjoying another kiss with Cree in my dream. Ashley yanks my blanket off my body while Asher tosses his iPad next to me on the bed.

"READ IT." He roars. They all stand around my bed, frowning.

My heart thumps in my chest before I even pick it up. It’s never a good sign when one is asked to read a new article. What else has been written about me this time?

I let out an angry sigh as I see a bold picture of me kissing Cree outside the Grand Casa hotel after her shift. She has been tagged my mystery girlfriend and details of my influence in getting her the job and even her salary hike are all spelt out.

A couple lines of text grab my attention. Billion-Err goes on to tag it as adultery and hammers heavily about my rumored marriage to a woman named Olivia Dunn. Olivia’s picture is even splattered across the blogs. My fingers curl into fists as only one culprit comes to mind.

Maddie!

***

While I manage to convince my family of the lie about my relationship with Cree being a ploy to unmask Shay, I secretly call Cree to calm her down and ensure she gets a paid leave from work to avoid the paparazzi hounding her.

Olivia has been enraged since she heard the news.

"How could you? How could you betray me like that? You promised you would love me and give me all the happiness I want if I gave you a chance, Ashal. I’ve changed myself for you so much that I don’t even recognize me anymore and you suddenly found someone else to love? What have I done to deserve all this betrayal from your family?" She breaks down in a crying mess. I feel guilty over the pain she’s feeling now. It’s all my fault.

She’s right. How did it get to this? I made a promise to her and she has fulfilled her end of the bargain. The problem is with me. I betrayed her.

Seeing her now, I am starting to think whatever I am feeling for Cree might be fleeting because I only wanted someone to fill the void left by the loss of Olivia’ authentic self. I created this hollow shell of a woman with all my steep demands from her. How could I abandon her now? She doesn’t deserve the pain I have brought to her.

"I’m so sorry, Liv. I went down a spiral and made some mistakes. I promise you that I haven’t slept with her. I’ll end it."

She shoves my hands away. "You’re only saying that because your family wants me to make a public video denying our relationship, right? You ruined my life and trapped me in this godforsaken fortress. I have dumbed myself down for you, changed everything to suit you and this is what I get?"

She stumbles backward with a hand on her belly. "Go away. I don’t want to see you. I hate you." Her breath comes out in hitching gasps. I reach for her but she slaps my hand away again. I can tell she’s feeling dizzy.

"Liv, are you okay? OLIVIA!" I scream when she passes out cold. Lily hastens to attend to her. "What’s wrong? Why isn’t she opening her eyes?"

"She’ll be fine, sir. She’s just stressed out." Lily bites down on her lip. "Stress isn’t good for the baby."

My hands turn to ice. "Baby? Is she pregnant?"

"Yes sir. She took a test a week ago and has been trying to call you to inform you but you never answered or came by. She wanted to tell you in person. I hope she can forgive me for ruining the surprise."

Tears cloud my eyes. I should feel happy but guilt and shock overrun every other emotion flowing through me.

I spend an hour looking down at Olivia as she sleeps soundly. She’s pregnant with my child and I didn’t have to pretend to be Asher. It should be great news but with my betrayal, I fear I might have lost her again. How can we rise from this? What if she can’t forgive me?

If I had taken her call, I wouldn’t have pursued my feelings for Cree. I would have come home to talk to Olivia about how I was feeling. Maybe she would have understood and returned to her old self while we prepare to welcome our first child together. We could have been happy.

If my fling with Cree wasn’t publicized, I still would have ended it after realizing Olivia’s condition. I would have returned to fix our marriage and prepare for our child. That chance was ruined by the whistleblower; Maddie. She has ruined things for me. She shouldn’t have done this.

Boiling with rage, I head out to find Maddie.

She refuses to pick up my calls which only confirms the guilty role she played in bringing about the negative press I am getting right now. I wait for her to shuffle outside her dorm room and pull up next to her. It takes a lot to rein in my anger.

"Thanks to you, Olivia is angry at me. She’s been crying non-stop. I need you to help me calm her down."

Maddie only scowls at me. Her eyes are rife with suspicion. "Maybe you should have stayed loyal to your wife, Mr. Ashal. You can’t eat your cake and have it. Divorce my sister and you can sleep with everything in a skirt for all I care."

So, I was right. She’s behind it all. My fingers curl tightly around the steering wheel.

"Is that a No? Fine. Suit yourself." I prepare to drive off when she stops me.

"You’re really taking me to see Olivia?"

"Where else would I take you? I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t worried about her state right now. I can’t stand you because of the damage you’ve caused. I’m just here because you’re the only one that can pacify my wife."

Sighing, she gets into the passenger seat and straps on her seatbelt before I drive off.

We sit in an uncomfortable silence for the first sixty seconds. Maddie keeps stealing surreptitious glances at me. Finally, my control breaks. I shake my head and pull the car off the road, screeching to a halt.

"You really had to go and whine to Billion-Err, didn’t you?" The fire in Maddie’s eyes doesn’t flicker at the rage in mine. "I have always tried to treat you like a little sister. I warned you not to do anything regarding your sister’s situation that will put my family in jeopardy but you just couldn’t help yourself, could you?"

"Your family? So, your family is worth protecting but mine can burn in hell?" She scoffs. "I may not have the money to sweep evil deeds under the carpet but thankfully, there are honest blogs and reporters who can’t be bought. They stand for helpless people like myself and Olivia, and thrive to stomp out injustices and evils committed by morally decadent devils like you and your family."

I grit my teeth hard. "Devils? You want to watch your mouth, Maddie."

"Or what? Are you going to beat me to a pulp? You better kill me if you do because unlike my sister, I’ll expose your demons to all of Danvarr. You’re a beast, Ashal. You should be chained and locked up in a forest somewhere."

"Shut up."

"And the keys ought to be tossed into an ocean."

"Maddie..." I growl dangerously.

"No woman will ever love you. You aren’t fated to find true love. I think you know that and that is why you captured and trapped my sister in your house, begging for her love while using her as a punching bag. It’s pathetic. YOU’RE PATHETIC, ASHAL."

"SHUT UP!!!" I roar with a flying fist. The car is finally quiet again. Rain drops start falling outside. I pace my breath and when my vision clears, I turn to Maddie. My eyes boggle in shock. Her head is tossed to the side of her door with her hair strewn all over her face.

"Maddie?" I nudge her. Why wouldn’t she respond? She was just fine a moment ago. All I did was yell at the top of my lungs to shut her up. Did I hit her when I lashed out? I part her hair from her face and emit a shocked gasp at the blow to the side of her head from where blood dribbles down her face.

"MADDIE!"