Four Brothers and a Bride

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

ASHLEY

"C'mon, you know you like it."

The sturdily built Tobias feathered his big hand through my chin-length hair while | moaned in terror. The room

was dark. He always switched off my sleeping lights. Yanking my hair, he pulledout from under the bed and

slammedon the cushy mattress. When he proceeded to unbuckle his belt, | tried to crawl away even though |

knew | wouldn't make it.

"Where do you think you're going, boy? We haven't even started." The nasty edge of his voice jabbed through

my gut. He smacks my cheek hard and tears run down my face. "Off to rat on me? Nobody will believe you.

Daddy will call you weak again and beat you to a pulp. You know he already hates that you're smaller and

weaker than your brothers. Do you really want to give him and the others more reasons to detest you?"

| shuddered at the thought. Father wouldn't spare me. He'll say | was always making excuses for not being as

good as my brothers. Nobody will believe our loyal bodyguard can harm a hair on my head. So, | got on my

knees quietly and shut my eyes while Tobias had his way. When he flippedover, a shocked cry ripped

through my throat as the pain hit.

| wake up gasping for breath. A film of sweat trickles down my sides despite the chill in the room. My fingers

scrabble the sheets as | swallow the trapped screams of pain and terror. The nightmares are rare but incredibly

intense when they happen. My eyes pan the dimly lit room desperately. Even though he's long dead, | can't help

but feel his ghost might still be lurking around me.

| manage to grope to the bathroom and splash scold water on my face. My reflection in the mirror is that of

a shit-faced drunk. | take a few calming breaths.

"You're fine, Ashely. You're strong. He can't hurt you anymore. Ashton already killed him. You're safe. You're not

that wimpy, whiny eight years old kid. You're the ASHLEY ROLLINS now, a grown, strong man." | work a weak

smile into my face as | repeat the words.

Tobias had been wrong. If only | had told my brothers earlier, it would have stopped. They believed my every

word and the very next morning after | opened up to them, Tobias was found with a slit throat. If | had ever

doubted my brothers’ love, that sight smoked it all away. Father had said nothing when Ashton told him I killed

Tobias for hurtingbut he smiled atgenuinely. Ashton has always been one to give up the credit for

others.

Demi's words cflooding back to me. | stare hard at my reflection.

"I know exactly who | am. | am Ashley Rollins but most importantly, | can be whoever the fuck | want to be;

Asher, Ashton, Ashley or Ashal. | can be anything and anyone | want. | don't have to be one thing." | hate that my

voice falters at the end like a whine of sympathy. | hate the Ashely Rollins | was known to be; weak, slow,

abused. | would rather slit my wrist than stick with that guy and thankfully, my brothers caught on. For me, they

defied our parents and perfected the art of switching places. With practice, | was able to flawlessly mimic any

brother | wanted, whenever | wanted. Knowing | had the option to be anything but the weak and wimpy Ashely

felt invigorating and slowly, the zeal to take my own life ebbed.

Now, | don't feel like punching the wall when | stare at myself in the mirror. The trauma rears its head once in a

while but | am coping just fine. | may still be wary of love and long-term commitments like marriage but that is

okay with me. | love keeping sex casual with no strings attached. That way, | don't saddle one woman with my

insatiable libido. Better a serial flirt and womanizer than a vengeful rapist on the loose, heh? Thankfully, a face

like mine and wealth like my family has got attracts women of all walks of life like moth to a flame. | don't even

have to beg for their admiration. The xx chromoscan't help themselves around me...except Demi.

| linger by her door and watch her sleeping soundly in the room next to mine. | can't quite put my finger on it.

Any other woman in her place would be fawning overand actively trying to bear my child within the first nine

months together, but not Demi. Except for the brief blush at the sight of my brothers and I, this woman has

mastered the art of not-giving-a-fuck about us. She couldn't care less if we were voted the sexiest men alive

every year in Danvarr. Something bigger helps her shelve her feelings around us and | desperately want to know

what that is. Why is she so spiteful of us?

| shrug into a shirt and head for the gym on the second floor to let off ssteam. After a few sprints on the

treadmill, | take a break to catch my breath.

"Can't sleep?" Ashton asks, strolling in. He lobs a bottle of water toand sits on the floor. | guzzle the water

like a parched caveman.

"N-Nothing n-new."

His eyes deepen with concern. "You're stuttering again. That bad huh?" | duck when his hands reach for my

forehead to gauge my temperature. "The meds...are they helpful? You haven't seen your therapist in a while.

Maybe you should..."

"Ashton! I-l am f-fine, okay? | j-just had a n-nightmare. You g-guys don't have to w-worry a-about me."

"Too late bro." Ashton replies with a quirky smile as Asher and Ashal stroll into the gym. "I swear | didn't call

them. | guess it's a quad thing. We crunning when one of us is g-glitching." He pats my knee. "Take steady

breaths, okay? It's just us." Slowly, | inhale on his cue.

"Well, if it isn't the newly wed." Asher bumps my head. "Can't get it up? Oh, that's right. Mrs. Ashley Rollins isn't

interested in being touched by the sexiest man in Danvarr. It's refreshing to see you getting turned down, Ash."

"You know we have the sface, right?" | tell him. "You get girls all the tbut you're too grumpy to retain

their interest for long. So, they cto me."

Ashal squats next to me. "You look like crap. How cwe all have the sface but somehow Ashton has the

best morning face?" Ashton smirks from his spot on the floor.

"I don't need coddling guys. We all have a long day today. Work and all. Seriously, let's get back to bed."

"Not before we discuss Demi." Asher has his serious face on. "Dad is still very uncool with her in the family. |

can't get him to see the social damage denying her in the face of overwhelming evidence will cause. Now, he

has resorted to arguing nonstop with mom over the part she played in keeping Demi here. He even sleeps in his

study now. | hate to see them fight. | hate to see our family fighting each other so much so that | don't mind our

stock prices plummeting if it means we get Demi to leave. We have to cup with a viable reason that will

sway the masses in our favor."

"Mom wants her here. How do we get rid of her without hurting Mom's feelings?" Ashal asks.

"Simple. We give mom what she wants. She brought Demi here to straighten us up. If we can show mom that we

don't need a year or Demi to do that, she wouldn't be so heartbroken when Demi is made to leave. We have to

hurry though before mom bonds with her."

Asher is right.

"Ashal, you're the best at fixing our women problems with the least possible damage to the woman. Are your

wheels turning? Tell us how to fix this."

Ashal rolls his eyes at Asher and sighs. He hates this label. "Fine. Um...we start by figuring out what's important

to Demi. She obviously isn't like the other women we are used to who would be easily intimidated by a threat or

give in to a bribe. | think she holds herself to the highest standards of purity, honesty and family love. If we can

make her see that her new relationship threatens to crumble everything she holds dear, she might choose to

abandon her marriage. That way, we make it public that Demi is solely responsible for the divorce and Ashely

can play the heartbroken ex-husband." Ashal clasps his fingers. "We'll start with her avaricious aunt. See if we

can pay her to sway Demi out of this with emotional blackmail."

"Damn it, Ashal." Asher backs away. "I was thinking of using brute force but your seemingly innocent idea is

givingchills. You play dirty when you want to."

"You all bring out the worst in me, remember that." Ashal chuckles. Ashton is unusually silent.

"You're game, right Ash?" | ask him.

"Of course. Sure."

I'm glad he concurs. Everyone has to be. We have too many skeletons in our cupboards that we aren't ready for

the people of Danvarr to know about. The secrets are painful and run deep with invisible scars. The Rollins quads

aren't perfect but for the longevity of our family business and fame, we have to appear to be. That has been our

mantra since childhood. We have to strive for perfection no matter what. If we make a mistake, we have to figure

out a way to clean it swiftly without smearing our family and business reputation. Mom made a mistake bringing

a girl like Demi into the mix. Demi doesn't fit into our life.

Like Ashal, mom looks like a harmless, sweet cinnamon roll. In a flash, she can switch to a ticking bomb and

incinerate everything that has taken years to build just to sate her anger. Though we have never uttered it, my

brothers and | know that mom didn't insist on Demi staying here to straighten us up. She has never been that

bothered about our shenanigans in the past. Why now? It scaresto think she has finally learnt the truth that

Asher and | have kept from everyone else for this long and hoped no other family member has to endure...the

truth about Josh Randall.

If she has, then Demi might be a pawn in mom's long and dangerous gof revenge.