Four Brothers and a Bride-Chapter 216

Asher

I don’t believe in coincidences, not when it comes to my family.

Ever since Ashton walked through those front doors—free, without so much as a call from our lawyers or a word from the officers we have on payroll—I can’t shake the gnawing certainty twisting in my gut. That wasn’t our doing. That was someone else pulling strings we didn’t know were tangled around us. And there’s only one man I can think of who’d care enough to meddle in Rollins affairs without asking: Dean Sawyer.

The three of us know how fast our family usually moves in situations like this. Ashton should’ve been sitting in a cell until our lawyers applied pressure in the right places. Instead, he came home without a scratch, without delay, and with the look of a man who had walked out on his own terms.

Dean’s fingerprints are all over that.

And that’s what bothers me, because I don’t know what game he’s playing.

Ashley connects the dots too but casually shrugs off my concerned look, saying I’m overthinking.

"So, what if it was Dean?" He asks. "Maybe he just wanted to help. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a father helping his son, is there?"

But Ashal shares my suspicion. Like me, he’s restless, the way his mind churns when something doesn’t add up. We know the cost of having Dean tangled up in our lives. Nothing is ever for free, not in Danvarr and certainly not with men like Brett or Dean.

I share a long look with Ashal. We don’t need words; we both know something’s brewing.

"We need to hear it from Ashton," Ashal mutters.

Brimming with curiosity and endless questions, we make the decision to see Ashton in his room at the risk of his bad mood. We urgently need to press him, maybe even shake the truth out of him if we have to. Ashley tags along, but his heart isn’t in it. He doesn’t sense the imminent chaos like the rest of us. He just wants peace.

We don’t get far. As we’re making our way down the hall toward Ashton’s room, our parents cut us off like wolves waiting at the bend. Father’s posture is taut and his gaze is hard. Mother hovers at his side looking anxious.

"Going somewhere?" Father’s voice is heavy with suspicion.

Before I can answer, Ashal steps in smoothly, tugging Mother aside.

"Mom, I uh...I found Maddi." He whispers, leaning towards her. That single confession pulls her attention like a magnet, her expression flooding with maternal relief. She doesn’t even glance at the rest of us as she hooks her arm around Ashal’s and demands to know everything.

That leaves me and Ashley standing alone with father. He turns and fixes his gaze on me.

"Asher," he says with a clipped tone. "My Study. Now!"

The total disregard for Ashley is returned by my brother who casually strolls away. Leaving no room for refusal, father herds me into his study with that quiet command that makes walls close in tighter than they should.

I follow him to his study. The air inside is thick with his cologne and the sharp tang of bourbon. However, it’s the weight of expectation that hits me the hardest.

Father doesn’t offer me a seat. Instead, he pours himself a glass of bourbon, swirls the amber liquid, and looks at me the way a hawk looks at prey it hasn’t decided whether to eat or release. I stand across from his desk with my jaw drawn tight. Every muscle in my body is taut with discomfort.

"Why," he says with his voice tight with controlled fury, "was I not informed about Ashton’s arrest?"

I don’t flinch. I draw out a chair and plunk down on it while he continues watching me. Then glancing up at him, I let my voice come out steady, the way I’ve trained it to. "That’s on me. I thought it best to focus on getting Ashton out before bothering you with details. My mistake."

Suspicion lingers in his eyes. His gaze rakes over me, searching for cracks. "You’ve been... withdrawn lately, and keeping things to yourself...like that impromptu trip to Fuxton."

My teeth clench before I can stop them. Josh Randall. That bastard. Of course he’d run to Father with tales. Snitching always was his survival tactic. I lean back in the chair. If Josh thinks tattling on me will score points, he’s wrong.

And Josh? Was he glued to his desk this whole time, never straying from HQ? I retort in my head while grinding my teeth.

I match Father’s stare head-on. My silence is deliberate, meant to force him to reveal more about his conversation with that snake he calls his biological son. I’m seconds away from turning the tables, from mentioning that Josh was conveniently absent from headquarters himself when Father leans forward, his glass catching the light.

"Tell me," He says, eyes glinting with something other than anger now. "About this... investor. The one you went to Fuxton for. Josh said it was a major deal, one that could put us back on top."

The words hit me like a brick to the chest. Investor? So, that’s what Josh told him. Not that I was sneaking around or having secret meetings with suspicious people, but chasing an opportunity? That’s one heck of a lie dressed up like loyalty.

For a moment, I don’t speak. My surprise is too raw. Father mistakes it for reluctance. His anger softens into curiosity, almost hunger. "Well? How did you clinch him?"

I almost laugh. The irony would be funny if it weren’t so dangerous. Dean Sawyer’s name hovers on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow it down. I have no idea how much Father knows. Maybe he’s blind to Dean’s presence in Danvarr even though I highly doubt that, or maybe he’s playing me like he plays everyone.

Finally, I say, "That’s pointless now. The deal fell through. I wasn’t able to close."

His lips press thin. Then, to my surprise, he leans back and waves it off. "There’ll be others. What matters is that you’re still trying."

The relief doesn’t come as fast as the suspicion that thickens. Father sips his drink, then speaks with calmly.

"But you should know, Asher... money alone won’t save us, not anymore. Our fastest and most secure way back to the top where we belong...is definitely through marriage."

I stiffen up as his words sink in.

"I’m not pressuring you," he adds quickly, reading the shift in my expression. "But you’d be surprised how many business moguls I’ve dealt with in the past who mentioned, in passing, that you’d make a dream son-in-law. These are billionaires our company courted for years. Three of them still have single daughters. I only want you to consider it. A date, nothing more. If you’re not interested, that’s fine. But if one of them gets your attention... a date will be great. Imagine the headlines. Rollins Group back on the front page, side by side with another empire"

I open my mouth to protest, but he’s already sliding his phone across the desk. Images flood my screen. Heiresses, each one stunning in her own right with elegance carved from privilege and beauty framed for tabloids. Each girl stunning enough to make lesser men forget their own names.

"We only need that momentum and Rollins Group will be back at the top." he says with his voice softening. "That’s all. Nothing more."

I stare at the pictures, then back at him. "That’s the same line you fed Ashton when Mila came into the picture. Look where that got us."

His jaw twitches but I don’t back down.

"Playing games with heiresses is like playing with fire. If one of them falls for me, it won’t be simple to walk away. You know that."

He doesn’t disagree. He only nods slowly. "You’re right. They’re definitely going to fall for you, Asher, but playing with fire is a risk I’m willing to take. That’s how we grew this empire after all." His eyes harden.

I slide the phone back to him. "Well, I’m not interested in the girls or in plunging our family name through anymore mud. We’re in no position to gamble with our reputation at the moment."

Father drains his glass and shakes his head. "I’d sure hope this refusal isn’t in silly devotion to that waitress at the Honey Pot, Asher. That would be a huge disappointment coming from you."

My stomach knots but my face betrays nothing. "Loyalty might be scarce in the Rollins genes but no, that’s not the reason I’m declining. I don’t just see the point of taking that risk when there are easier, safer and more viable ways to clinch investors. I’m not in the right headspace to gamble with anyone’s feelings just to snag a contract."

Father clucks his tongue "That’s a shame. To think Josh is eager to volunteer to help the company. "

I grind my teeth. "Oh really? I’m glad you have another son that’s eager to obey you slavishly like I used to."

Father gives me a faint smile and ignores the jab. "The billionaires prefer one of the quads, not him. Ashley’s fresh off a divorce, Ashton and Ashal don’t carry your business record. They all want you, Asher. You’re the golden goose here."

His words crawl under my skin, irritating and flattering in equal measure.

He reaches forward to close a hand over mine. "Just tell your old man you’ll think about it at least. That’s all I want to hear."

With great restraint, I nod. "Fine, I’ll think about it."

It’s the closest thing to surrender he’ll ever get from me. On my way out, his voice halts me.

"One more thing. How did you get Ashton out so quickly? The new officers at that division... they’re yet under our payroll. How did you pull your brother’s release so fast?"

Every nerve in me goes taut but I somehow manage to keep my expression steady. "Let’s just say I have my methods, father. You surely don’t expect me to always run to you for help, do you?" He smirks with satisfaction and leans back in his chair, watching me. "You taught me well." I add, stroking his already bloated ego. I walk out before he can ask anything else.

***

Later, I join my brothers in the game room, our usual haunt where we lick our wounds and trade suspicions. Ashton, though not completely perked up, sits with his arms crossed and his eyes shadowed. He runs us through every detail at the station, from the cold cell to the officer’s harsh words, right up to the moment Dean appeared. None of us speak until he’s finished.

Ashley exhales first, leaning back. "So what? Dean showed up to set you free. Why does it have to be a big deal? It’s clear as day that he just wants to be part of our lives."

His naivety and blind faith in Dean grates on my nerves.

"Careful, Ash. Don’t be so eager to burn the home you’ve always known for a man you just met." I warn him.

From the corner of my eye, I notice Ashton work his jaw. Ashal sits silently with his eyes distant and stormy. Something is brewing in both their minds, something heavier than Dean.

I narrow my eyes. "What is it? What’s eating you two up besides Dean?"

Ashal is the first to crack. His voice trembles as he says, "Maddi left the mansion earlier..."

"We heard. This wouldn’t be the first time she’s disappeared on you so why was today different?" His glazed eyes find my face and I instantly wish I had gone with more compassion.

"...I found her at the hospital, staring at my baby in the NICU." His breath hitches. "She...she told me she saw..."

"Saw what?" I prompt impatiently.

"Olivia."

I gasp silently as the room freezes.

"She was dead serious that Olivia had been to the hospital to see our baby."

Ashley’s brows knit. "That’s impossible. Liv’s gone. I mean, Liv’s dead, right?"

"I know," Ashal says with a rough voice. "Her parents... they wanted to bury her quietly and because they blamed me for everything that happened, they didn’t even tell me where her gravestone is. So, what if Maddi wasn’t hallucinating? What if she really saw Liv?"

The silence is deafening. For the first time, I see my brother vulnerable in a way he rarely shows.

Ashton asks softly, "You believe they faked her death?"

Ashal runs both hands through his hair and down his face. "I don’t know what to believe. I don’t’..."

He’s not the only one. If Olivia is truly alive.... Gosh, that would be such a relief. Her death broke Ashal in a way he hasn’t been able to admit. He’s not forgiven himself. He probably never will.

"If she’s alive... "I interrupt. "How would that make you feel?"

Ashal swallows hard. His voice cracks. "Happy. Relieved. Our son would have his biological mother in his life. Liv would have a second chance at the life she always wanted, one that’s free and wild. I’d give her everything to make it real." He sighs, dragging a hand over his face again. "I pray she’s alive. I can’t even be mad at her or her parents for the lie. I just hope Maddi wasn’t hallucinating. Olivia deserves a do-over."

Ashton rubs Ashal’s shoulder reassuringly. "We’ll have someone look into it..." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"No, please don’t." In a flash, Ashal is up on his feet. "I’m done poking into that family’s affairs. If they lied to me, then they don’t want me finding out and for good reason. I don’t want to make the same, old mistake of interfering where I am not needed anymore, unless Liv wants me to. Right now, Maddi is my concern." His face goes ashen again. "She’s furious with me because she’s convinced that I brazenly lied about her sister dying. I don’t think we’re anywhere close to fixing things."

We console him in silence, each of us reaching for him in our own way.

Then my eyes turn to Ashton.

"And what’s your story? How are things with Demi?"

He shrugs, but the weight in his eyes betrays him. "She’s leaving Danvarr for a fresh start. I don’t plan on stopping her. Even if it hurts to lose her after everything we’ve been through, I just want what’s best for her."

I look at my hurting brothers who are both broken in their own way, and something inside me aches. They’ve lost pieces of themselves to love, and it makes me wonder if I can afford to open myself up like that to any woman.

I think of Anna. Sweet, stubborn Anna who has risked her life to save me more than once and even gave me compassion I didn’t deserve. She’s been on my mind longer than most women ever linger. But can I give her what she wants? A family. A love that endures the test of time?

Or am I just fooling myself?

***

Hours later, I lie awake and alone in my room, bourbon burning down my throat. My phone screen flashes up at me and the pictures of billionaire heiresses stare back. Beautiful, powerful and dangerously sexy women I couldn’t have imagined. And the worst part? I feel the old pull to explore them. The erotic excitement unfurling in my belIy makes me hate myself.

If I truly loved Anna the way I should, wouldn’t it be harder to look elsewhere? Wouldn’t I refuse to entertain the thought of having sex with these women? How the heck does this love thing work? What are the damn rules and is it even worth it?

Frustration makes me down the last of the glass before I dial Anna’s line. No answer. Normally, I’ll call twice if it’s an emergency but right now, I feel stupid doing that. Maybe it’s a good thing she didn’t pick up.

Because the silence stings, I sigh deeply and grab Dean’s letter. It’s the only thing that quiets the noise in my head. His words feel steady, grounding, like a tether to something I don’t yet understand. I read it again and again until my eyes blur and exhaustion drags me under. Somewhere between, I imagine Anna calling me back. She even came into my room and smiled down at me while I slept.

When I wake up the next morning, my head pounds terribly. Sure enough, there are a few missed calls, some from Anna. But before I can revel in it, my heart rate spikes. The bourbon bottle and glass are still on the bedside table. My phone is on my tousled sheets but the letter...there’s no letter!

Panic slices through me as I tear through the sheets, the floor, the drawer. Nothing. It’s just...gone.

Someone came into my room. I vividly remember a silhouette standing by my bed and I am now certain it couldn’t have been Anna. Someone took the letter. My heart pounds like a drumbeat in my skull. Whoever it was... they know now, about Dean being in our lives.

And that means the storm I’ve been dreading all along...is finally here.