Four Brothers and a Bride

Chapter 150: Chapter 150

DEMI

My phone has been ringing off the hook. | dry my eyes, turn it off and chuck it at the far end of the room.

Someone raps softly on my door.

"Demi? Are you up?" My uncle asks.

| dry my eyes and pull my duvet over my head.

"No."

He opens the door and lets himself in. | feel the edge of my bed dip as his weight sinks into it. When he tries to

pull the duvet off my head, | fight back to keep it on.

"You can’t hide in here forever."

"Watch me."

I'm going to rot in this room. It would be better than facing any of my ties back in Danvarr. | am mortified by how

gullible | was. | am ashamed that my quest for revenge was never mine to begin with, but a small part of a major

scheme. How did | never suspect Liam? How did he trickfor so long? I thought | was in control of the plan. |

thought | was the star player in the gonly to find out | was a pawn the whole time.

Just when | had cto my senses and wanted to call everything off, Liam and his accomplices already planned

to heap hot coals of blon me, bl| can’t defend myself from. He has recordings of all our conversation,

pictures of our meetings. He could fabricate whatever crhe wanted and pegas the culprit.

And Ashton? He would never believeor forgive me. As much as his father deserves to go down, Ashton has

shown remorse and willingness to change. | believe he deserves a second chance.

| wish | could somehow convince him that Liam setup but it’s too late now. No one will buy that line, not with

the overwhelming evidence stacked against me. Maybe | deserve to be framed as a punishment for the malice |

bore in my heart for so long. This is my karma for not listening to my uncle, Mrs. Regan and everyone else who

warnedalong my journey to let bygones be bygones.

"Can you at least eat something? You haven't had anything to eat or drink since you arrived last night."

"I'm not hungry, uncle Marcel. | just want to be left alone." Sniffling, | pull a pillow to my chest and hug it tightly.

"Demi, you can’t run away from your problems by staying cooped up in a room. You won't even tellwhat the

matter is? You showed up at my hat midnight with a teary face and cried through the night. What's really

going on? Is this about the accusations of infidelity and your impending divorce?"

"I don’t want to talk about it..."

"You have to say something tobefore my overthinking gets the better of me." He runs a hand over his face

and stares intently atfor a few seconds. "I know you're hurting but somehow, | have a hunch that the

problem runs deeper than a marital spat."

"Please uncle, just stop."

He sighs heavily before leaving me. Alone, | cry even harder. By noon, my uncle returns with my lunch in a tray,

only to find my breakfast untouched. My eyes are bloodshot now. He drops the food and attempts to apologize to

me.

"I'm sorry, Demi. I'm just so worried about you."

"I'll be fine. | just need a day or two away from Danvarr to collect my thoughts before returning. I'll sort out my

problems thereafter."

"No, I'm sorry that while you were asleep, | cin and broke into your phone. | needed to contact someone

close to you in order to know what's going on and how best to help you..."

| slowly pull myself up, eyes wide with terror. "You what? Who did you call, uncle?" My eyes track to my phone on

the side drawer. | reached for it and dive into my call logs.

"| just thought that..."

"YOU CALLED MY HUSBAND?" | almost cried in shock, seeing Ashley's natop the log. "YOU TOLD HIM WHERE

TO FIND ME?"

"No, Demi. | was only trying to find a close contact to call but once | turned your phone on, a call cthrough. |

grew conflicted about taking your call so | didn’t pick up. However, | copied out the number and called

afterwards. He's on his way to see you."

My heart is galloping in my chest. "Ashley is coming here?"

How could | have forgotten what it was like to live with relatives and how they tend to get nosy under the guise

of being worried? Aunt Elizabeth and Kira always abused my right to privacy by touching my things but | never

figured uncle Marcel would do the same.

| leap to my feet. Danvarr is about eight hours away. If Ashley is already on his way here, then | don’t have a lot

of tto take off. The call was already an hour and the half old. That's about how long it should take the quads

on their private jet to get here and | have no doubt they'd opt for quicker transportation given the fire I am

accused of lighting in their lives before absconding.

"Demi, hold on. What's the hurry? | am here. You've got nothing to be afraid of." Uncle says after he finds me

freshened up and throwing my things in a small bag.

I ignore him and continue packing. Relentlessly, he continues to assureof safety with him. He had no idea

what he was saying. While we get into a brief, heated exchange about our differing perspectives on the poor way

each of us has handled my sudden appearance in his city, his doorbell rings. My neck whips in the direction of

the living room.

Ashley is here already?

"I'll go get it. You stay here, ok? He's not taking you back hif you're not ready to go. He's just here to speak

with me."

"That's not his car." | reply, alarmed. The car parked in front of my uncle's house is very unfamiliar. "There are no

bodyguards either." Though that shouldn't surpriseas much, it still makes the hairs on my forearms tingle. |

pull away from the window, pale as a ghost.

Who the fuck was at the door?

ork

"I'll get the door."

"No!" My uncle stops me. "It's my house and you're a guest. I'll get it. Stay here." My fingers turn to ice glaciers

as | watch him leave. | almost jump out of my skin when my phone rings. | pick the phone and gasp at Ashley's

call.

"Demi?"

"Ashley?"

"Where have you been? I've been calling."

My lips curl in a sneer over his fake concern. How can he act like he’s bothered aboutwhen he turned my life

into an obstacle course by leaking mine and Liam's photos to Billion-Err? He hasn't even apologized tofor

being yet to debunk the unsavory accusations the media levied against me.

"What do you want?" | ask dryly, glancing towards the door. "Why are you here?"

"Where?"

"Here, at my..."

"DEMI?" My uncle calls loudly. "YOUR FRIEND, ANNA, IS HERE."

"Anna?" | mutter under my breath. How could Anna show up here? She doesn’t have this address.

"Demi? Is Anna with you? Where exactly are you? We really need to talk." Ashley insists before | hang up on him.

After a knock, my door swings open and uncle Marcel walks in, smiling brightly.

"Demi, your best friend is here. Ashley thought you'd feel better seeing your friend so he sent her instead."

Chills crawl up my arms when Cree Baxter walks in.

"Hi bestie." She coos before givinga hug. Then she whispers into my ear. "Play along, Demi. You wouldn't

want to upset Liam, trust me." She eases back, the fake smile tugging at her lips. | remain speechless as my

heart thuds in my chest.

"I'm mad at you, Demi. How could you just up and leave without telling your friend?"

"Uncle Marcel? Could you give us sprivacy?" | politely ask him with a feigned smile. Naive to the real

situation, he beams atbefore shutting the door behind him. Cree takes a lazy tour of my room, running her

fingers over polished surfaces with an uncertain look in her eyes.

"Nice space." She compliments.

"How did you all find me?"

"Oh jeez, Demi. It’s Liam for goodness’ sake, the tech wiz you confided in for years until yesterday. Did you think

he didn’t keep tabs on you and all your emergency contacts? Be for real."

| did tell Liam about uncle Marcel the moment my aunt called him to Danvarr. Liam must have had my uncle

monitored since then.

"You're part of them too?" | am running out of shocks at this point. Who isn’t in on Liam’s plan? Everyone around