ASHLEY
"What the hell are you saying, doctor? How did this happen?" My heart is thudding in my chest as I try to make head and tail of what Nicci’s doctor is saying to right now. Tears cloud my eyes when he explains Nicci’s sudden sickness and strange bleeding on the island. With shaky hands and a shakier voice, I ask him the hardest question.
"And my baby?"
"I’m sorry, Mr. Ashley. It was miscarried."
My vision blurs for a long minute and every other sound drawls to silence around . I neither hear my phone clatter to the floor or my brothers rushing forward to check on . After a few violent shakes, I snap out of it.
"Ashley, what’s wrong, man? You’re tearing up." Ashal pulls into a hug while Ashton grabs my phone and redials the doctor’s line. He listens quietly to him with a somber expression on his face. Asher descends from the stairs and joins us.
"What’s going on?"
"Nicci lost the baby." Ashton reveals to everyone. A fresh stab of pain lances through my heart. I never thought I was already attached to my unborn baby, never thought its death would hit this hard unlike my experience with Demi’s. I guess the promise of a new life and new status as a father has been the one good thing about my fucked existence lately.
"Calm down, Ash." Asher pats my shoulders. "Get a grip on yourself."
"GET THE FUCK OFF !" I snap at him. Suddenly, mories of his planned brutality towards mine and Demi’s child fills my head. "You know nothing about how I feel." I scratch my head roughly while a sickening laugh spills off my lips. "I wanted that baby! I needed...how could you understand? Huh? How could you ever understand, Asher? You demand yours be aborted in two heartbeats because having a child would cramp your ambitious goals. We’re not the sa. How could you possibly expect to just get over such a huge loss?"
"Whoa, Whoa, that’s enough." Ashton and Ashal circle while Asher stands stunned into silence by my sudden harsh accusation. "Cool it, Ashley. We know you’re hurting right now and we are deeply pained by it but there’s no need to be vindictive."
"Vindictive?" I ask Ashal. "Have you quickly forgotten who tipped father off about Demi’s pregnancy? I lost my child because he craved to please father. Nicci’s miscarriage was clearly an act of God but Demi’s? She could have carried the baby to full term if certain people hadn’t gotten involved." Pain wracks my soul as I recount Demi’s attack. Tears blur my eyes. "Maybe, just maybe I would have found solace in that baby given the eventual loss of Nicci’s. Why can’t anything go right for ?"
I sink to the floor and bury my head between my thighs.
"Why am I cursed?"
My brothers wrap their arms around and console for the next few hours.
***
"Are you okay?"
I look up from the swimming pool as Asher enters with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He sits next to with his feet dangling in the water.
"I’ve been better." I accept the glass he offers but set it aside when he attempts to pour a drink. "I’m sorry but I don’t want to numb the pain. I need to feel my child’s loss. It’s the last thing we can share."
Nodding, Asher puts away the drink.
"How’s Nicci?"
"Delirious with pain and shock according to her doctor. She’s under supervision." I sigh deeply. "Mother can’t find out, not yet."
"Say no more."
"I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t an to..."
"You didn’t say anything that wasn’t true." He counters with a thin smile. His eyes drift over the pool, to the grayness that lies just beyond the towering walls. "Yeah, I’m not ready to start a family. I did have Nessa terminate more than two pregnancies. Shit, I even lost count. I’m horrible."
We laugh a bit.
"I’m sorry, Ashley. I never stopped to think that you might actually desire parenthood. I was too engrossed with getting rid of Demi that I shelved your own feelings about her pregnancy. I just want you to know that I am not that guy anymore. I won’t go behind your back to tamper with life-changing decisions only you are supposed to make."
"Thanks, Ash."
It feels good to reconcile. I believe he is capable of change even though it’s going to be a slow, tortuous process for him. I am glad he is starting to see the light.
We crane our heads as Ashal cos jogging towards us.
"Hey, you guys need to see this!"
Inside, father is back from work but brought so company along but my ears flare when I spot Josh among them. What the fuck is he doing here? If his smug expression is any indication, father must have brought him along. My eyes dart upstairs, hoping mother doesn’t co down to see whatever it is father thinks he is doing.
"Father? What’s going on?" Asher asks tentatively, his eyes raking the faces of the n and won. The sight of the family lawyer makes my blood run cold. Father’s face is stern.
"I wanted you all to be present when I tackled this matter once and for all. I’ve got too much going on to be sidetracked by flimsy lies fed to my gullible son. You want to know the details of your adoption? These elderly gentleman and lady over here work for the orphanage where your mother and I adopted you boys as babies. They have records of all the etings we had with your biological parents before signing the adoption papers. There are photos too. Feel free to peruse the docunts and ask as many questions as you require to satiate your doubts."
He whips his head. "Ashton, why don’t you go first?"
Ashton grits his teeth, then walks forward to sample the files. Few minutes in, father turns to Asher.
"Won’t you join him?"
It’s a test. We can all see that. Though we desperately wanted to, Asher tacitly warns the rest of us not to join in. Ashton flips through docunts and cites disparities in the earlier adoption papers father gave him.
The elderly man answers his burning questions but every answer leaves Ashton less than satisfied. He never looks at us once or tries to draw us into the conversation. He knows the risk he is taking and carefully avoids drawing us into it.
"And my biological parents? Do you happen to know if they left any records of a next of kin, an ergency contact, anything?"
The elderly woman who replies shakes her head. "They seed to be going through a hard ti financially and made the hard decision to give you boys up for adoption. They didn’t leave enough details."
"Do you know how they died?"
"Why would she know that?" Father queries Ashton.
"It was a small town. I’m sure lots of people knew about things that happened to other people in the town."
"He’s right." The woman tells father before turning back to Ashton. "Last I heard, they died in a fire that gutted their ho. It was tragic."
Ashton takes a good look at the photos, slips one featuring our biological parents into his pocket before returning the files.
"Thank you. That clarifies things."
My breath hitches as father straightens his back.
"What has been clarified, Ashton?"
"The fact that my anonymous texter lied about the details of our adoption. You were right. I’m sorry that I ever doubted you."
Father smiles wryly. "I bet you are. You only had to trust or at the very least, believe after I answered all your questions. However, I guess it was easier to brand as anything but a good father."
"Father, he has apologized." Asher cuts in. "I’ll try to track the anonymous texter to uncover their identity..." Father’s raised hand shuts him up.
"I don’t care about that now. I fulfilled my end of the promise. I went out of my way to fly these busy people into the country just to clear the doubts to my na. There are always consequences to actions and now, Ashton is about to learn it the hard way."
"Please, father..." We all chant but he yells at us.
"One more word from you guys and I might be obliged to punish another brother along with Ashton." His burning gaze returns to Ashton who stands still with his hands in his pocket. "Our lawyer already finished the paperwork. I am officially disinheriting you from today henceforth. You are never to use the na, Rollins, ever again. From this mont onwards, you lose every position, title, status and everything you’ve acquired through my na and connections. Your na will be expunged from my will. A public statent will be issued just as soon as we deal with Billion-Err problem but within this family, no one is allowed to treat you any differently from an outsider!"
His eyes scan our horrified faces. "He’s still your brother so you retain the right to treat him as such but if you dare to spend my money on him or do anything for him using the resources I have provided for you, without my consent first sought and obtained, your accounts will be frozen indefinitely."
My heart tightens with grief. Ashton remains unfazed despite knowing the gravity of father’s declaration.
"This will kill mother!" Ashal barks.
"Your mother already knows about his doubts regarding your adoption. She was beyond devastated by it. I already hinted at taking this decision. If she had any objections to it, she would have aired it at the ti but she didn’t. She’ll survive."
"How could you? Our family is already in shambles and you’re cutting off a son just to prove a point?"
Josh steps up and glares at . "Are you being serious right now, Ashley? My dad has treated you all far more honorably than he ever has to . Despite being his biological child, my identity has been hidden from the world for years and because of that, I have been denied privileges that ought to accrue. Do you know how that made feel? To top it all off, his adopted kids constantly rubbed it in my face that I was the bastard child in the equation. Despite everything my dad has done for you all, taking you from penniless parents into a life of luxury, Ashton had the guts to question your adoption and challenge dad’s role as his father. THIS is kindness, not punishnt. Left to , you all would have been disinherited for not reporting the anonymous texts or Ashton earlier."
"That’s okay, Josh." Father pats him. "I have further decided that your brother, Josh, will no longer be cheated. He is my son after all. Josh will be taking over Ashton’s business chains, cars, houses, accounts and everything under Ashton’s na."
"WHAT?"
"You heard , boys. The official statent announcing Ashton being disinherited will also feature Josh’s acceptance as a mber of the Rollins family. That’s all for now."
Asher rushes forward. "Father, do you an to say you can never forgive our brother’s mistake? What can he do to overturn this?"
"Even if he could sohow earn my forgiveness, it wouldn’t happen in less than a year, Asher. He needs to learn gratitude and I believe a year or two living without the perks of being a Rollins’ son should do the trick. He’s Ashton Sawyer from now on. Let’s see how far that na gets him." Father storms away, guiding his guests towards the elevator to entertain them in the living room upstairs.
Alone, we edge close to Ashton.
"This is madness but I can make him change his mind. He’ll budge, don’t worry."
"It’s okay, Asher. I knew what I was getting into when I poked the bear. I’ll be fine."
"How? What are you going to do? Get a job? Where? Everyone will make fun of you in Danvarr. How can you go from being a billionaire to a minimum wage earner?"
"Ashley, I have skills, rember? Besides, the sooner I learn to fly on my own wings, the better. It’ll be fine."
When he turns to head to the elevator, Josh erges from it.
"I’m sorry but your accommodation privileges at the mansion have also ceased. You are to make alternative housing arrangents. Father’s orders."
"What? Where the fuck is he supposed to go? His accounts are all frozen!" Ashal asks angrily.
"He’s a grown man. I’m sure he’ll figure it out." Josh returns to join father upstairs.
Ashton nods. He cos around to give each of us a hug. At the door, he turns to us with a smirk and salutes.
"Ashton Sawyer, signing out."
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