ASHAL
I leap to my feet like my chair is on fire.
"What did you say?"
Your sister-in-law, Demi Rollins is parked outside and requesting clearance, sir."
This has got to be a joke. Demi doesn’t know this place. She couldn’t find it without my help. How is she outside my house right now? The sa house Olivia is in? My blood chills with dread. Did she tail ? I thought I managed to quell her suspicions with my last penthouse trick. How is this even happening?
"Don’t let her in!" I shriek. "You hear ? Don’t let her in here!"
"Yes sir."
"What the hell?" I blurt out after hanging up. "How the hell did she find this house?"
"The house guest."
I whip my head up to find Lily hovering by the door. She’s taken off her apron and looks graceful in a simple top and pants.
"What was that?"
Lily helps herself into my room without bothering to wait for an invitation. "Don’t you find it strange that the very mont you allowed a guest-your wife’s sister-into this ho, your nosy sister-in-law shows up unannounced to the very penthouse you’ve sworn to keep her away from because of who lives here?" She folds her arms across her chest and faces with square shoulders. "Maddie has been texting soone nonstop on her phone since she got here. I found it strange and grew curious to know who she deed more important to chat with than her sister whom she hasn’t seen in long ti."
Anger flares inside as I recall Maddie texting in the car while I was doing the security checks and then just outside the house when Olivia was thanking for the surprise. I don’t want to believe it. Could Maddie really be behind this? Heck, has she been planning this with Eliana and Demi? How long have they been seeing each other.
I clench my fist and breathe heavily when Demi’s call cos through my phone. Lily’s hand to my chest quells my racing heart.
"Breathe. Calm down. You can’t let the anger win. You’re stronger than it."
I know how dangerously I am teetering between lashing out and backing away right now. This is the pivotal mont where I decide if I want to follow through and hurt sobody or walk off the steaming rage. Damning the consequences, I ignore Lily’s warnings and go to find Maddie.
She and Olivia are still by the pool. The minute I burst through the door, I note the look on both won’s faces. Maddie doesn’t look as surprised as Olivia. I march towards Maddie who lays still while her sister jerks up with panicked eyes and pull Maddie up by her hair.
"Ashal, what are you doing?" Olivia shrieks as her sister moans in pain.
"Let go of ." Maddie struggles.
"Fine." I reply before pushing her into the swimming pool. Before Liv can jump in after her, I grip her arm and together, we watch her sister thrashing about in the pool.
"Ashal, she can’t swim! What are you doing? HELP HER!" Tears roll down Liv’s face as she tries to break from my grip and save her sister but can’t. I make her sit down and go to yank Maddie’s head up. "Please help her out!" Liv screams.
"I will...AFTER she tells why she invited Demi to my house!" Maddie spurts out water and stares up at . Fear glistens in her eyes now. I lean close to her. "It’s going to be Olivia’s head in the water next if you don’t tell EVERYTHING.
When I pull her out, Maddie is shaking like a leaf but I can’t be bothered. Olivia wraps a towel around her sister and crouches next to her. They both look afraid of but I am more concerned with getting the truth out of Maddie. When Lily brings a cup of hot chocolate at Liv’s instruction, I flip the tray, spilling the chocolate on the floor.
"That’s it. You better start talking Madeline or I will make good my threat. WHY DID YOU CALL DEMI HERE?"
"I didn’t..."
I grab her phone and force her to unlock it. I thought I couldn’t get angrier until I saw her text to Demi where she pinned the location of my house.
"How long has this been going on? What did you tell Demi about and Olivia?? What is Demi here for??? SPEAK UP!" Rather than Maddie, Liv is the one who shudders at my tone.
"Lily, take Olivia to her room and see that she gets so rest."
"Yes, sir."
"NO! I won’t leave my sister. Please Ash, please spare her. Maddie, apologize to him. Whatever you did, tell him everything so he can fix this. Talk Maddie!"
Madeline stares up at with red rimd eyes. I can’t believe I almost thought she was starting to see so good in , to trust . I can’t believe I believed her when she spoke about having a gut feeling that was never wrong about people. She was intentionally ssing with my head the whole ti.
"Is this really why you pressed to co visit your sister? You wanted to bring Demi here?" I run my hands over my face and laugh bitterly. "I am such a fool! I have been so lenient with you, so forgiving and every ti you make look like an idiot for giving you another chance."
"I’m sorry." Maddie cries. "I thought Liv was in a bad state in here. I thought..." her eyes drift to her sister’s tearful ones. "I thought she needed help getting away from you. I didn’t expect that you’d treat her with any kind of courtesy or care."
"And what exactly was Demi was supposed to do if Liv was in chains, huh? Blow the whistle? Send the calvary? WHAT???"
"Nothing like that. I t her a few weeks back at a restaurant. She seed really nice and good hearted. I hypothetically told her about my sister’s condition and she was sweet enough to offer to help save my sister. I didn’t ntion your na, Mr. Ashal. Demi wouldn’t even have taken seriously if I dared to accuse her family of sothing like this so I gave her a fake na and altered Liv’s situation to be a case of an obsessive boyfriend. Demi promised to get the help of your family to rescue my sister. I sent her the location of this house thinking Liv wasn’t faring any better than the last ti I saw her over a year ago but I stand corrected."
Tears brimming down her eyes, she cups her sister’s face. "I know she’s only sad because she misses her family but she’s alright. Mom will be happy to know." Then turning to . "I’m sorry Mr. Ashal. Demi doesn’t know any more than what I told her. She’s probably surprised to realize that this house belongs to her brother-in-law but I’ll just tell her I got the address wrong."
She picks up her phone to text Demi but I snatch it and chuck it into the pool. The sisters echo a shocked gasp.
"You expect to believe the lies coming from that deceitful tongue of yours, Madeline? Everything you ever say is a fucking lie. You ntioned my na to Demi, didn’t you? I know you, Madeline. You don’t mince your words. You say what’s on your mind faster than you can think to alter anything. You ratted out my marriage to your sister, didn’t you?"
"Ashal, please believe her..."
"SHE’S LYING!" I tell Olivia. "Your sister is a pathological liar! Demi has been asking all sorts of questions about my penthouse and pestering to bring her here. It all makes sense now. She was curious to confirm everything Maddie told her." I give a pool chair a bad-tempered kick startling everyone except Lily who doesn’t flinch.
"Did you know about this?" I ask Liv.
"What?"
"Did you know about your sister’s little ga plan? She must have shared this with you over the phone at least once." Olivia’s lips keep shaking as she locks eyes with Maddie.
"Really Liv? You too? After everything?" I stumble backwards, devastated by the betrayal. Olivia surges to her feet and draws close to .
"I talked her out of it, Ash, or I thought I did. I told Eliana..."
"Eliana is in on this too? Good to know."
"Ashal, wait!!!"
"Don’t touch !" I bark at her with a narrowed glare. I need to leave now before I hurt both of them. "You made your point, both of you. I will never be good enough even if I forgive your wrongs for a million tis. I am just so slow I keep hoping that you and I..." My voice splinters with emotion. Why did Olivia keep this from ? Why did Maddie stab in the back like this after everything I have done for her and her family?
Olivia cries with and begs .
"Maddie shrugs off the towel. "I’ll make this right, Mr. Ashal. I promise I can. Please."
"SHUT THE HELL UP MADELINE. YOU’VE DONE ENOUGH ALREADY! GET YOUR THINGS. YOU’RE LEAVING MY HOUSE THIS INSTANT."
Back in my room, I kick things around, throwing things off my drawer, knocking down lamps and shredding pillows. My room is a hot ss in a matter of minutes. Why can’t I be enough? Why does everyone around keep betraying ?
After a few more minutes of breathing exercises, I grab my phone and redial Demi’s line, eager to learn what she knows. Is she also going to start seeing as a monster now? She was the only one at ho that didn’t look at like a charity case.
"Hey, I’m sorry I missed your call. Sothing urgent?"
"Oh, no, not really. I was in the neighborhood and was surprised to learn that the beautiful penthouse close by belongs to you. I tried calling to see if you were around."
"Oh. I am still at work."
"I didn’t know you had more than one penthouse."
I grit my teeth. "I have tons of properties all around the country, as do the rest of my family. It’s impossible to keep track of them sotis. Anyway, you didn’t ask. Do you want to visit all my properties in Danvarr?" She chuckles lightly.
"Of course not. I’m just pleasantly surprised. Sotis I forget how insanely wealthy my new family is. I’m sorry for bothering you like that. See you at ho?"
"Sure."
"Ok. Take care."
"Bye."
I stare at the phone wondering if Demi is as clueless as she just sounded.
"I called her." Madeline reads my thought from the doorway. "I told her it was a false alarm. She already knows about Olivia so I sent a picture Liv and I took earlier today in the dining room. Told her Liv is doing great with her boyfriend and being treated better than I could have hoped. I apologized for defaming you and explained that both of you aren’t actually married. She understands that Liv wants your relationship to remain private for now and that is why you’re keeping it a secret for now."
I scoff at her. "It’s very bold of you to think I’d believe a word you say ever again."
"Please forgive . Olivia is hurt. I hate that because of , you two have drifted farther apart from each other. That’s not why I ca here."
"That’s precisely why you’re here, Madeline."
"It’s Maddie."
"SHUT THE FUCK UP." For the first ti, she flinches at my voice. "You ca here to find a way to separate your sister and I. You’ve never accepted for Liv and you never will. I will never get that mixed up again."
"Please, Liv told about the baby. Please don’t harm her because of ." She falls to her knees. "Just give a few days and I will make everything right. You have my word, Mr. Ashal."
"You won’t have a few days. You’d be married and long gone by then."
Her eyes boggle with shock. "What?"
"This ti, I’d make sure you suffer so much that you learn to think thrice before trifling with or my family ever again. Don’t worry about Olivia. She’ll be well taken care of after the move to a different house. You can forget about seeing her or your family ever again."
Through her eyes, I can tell she expected no less. She dabs her tears dry. "As long as Liv and my parents are taken care of, I will be fine. I did all this knowing the consequences of being wrong. You don’t have to worry about running away. I’ll be here when my groom is ready. Till then, I’ll keep working Demi till every last shred of doubt against you leaves her system."
I feel nothing hearing the pain in her voice. "You can’t escape even if you tried. I dare you to try and see. Now, get out of my house this minute because if I give into the rage and hit you, there won’t be a need to rush you to the hospital." She nods at my threat and leaves.
I stand on my balcony and watch Olivia shedding tears as her sister hugs her goodbye. Madeline looks up at for a few humming seconds before getting into the car ant to drop her off at her dorm. Before she reaches, there will be a letter confirming the revocation of her scholarship and her expulsion from the school.
After the car leaves, Liv sinks to the ground and cries even more while Lily tries to take her inside. She is still there when I get into my car and drive away.
***
Day drinking is a habit I want to stop but my life is such a shit show I keep finding my way back to bars. When my bourbon is served at the bar, I guzzle it and ask for another.
Throwing a sidelong glance, I watch Cree moving seamlessly from one table to another, serving guests, smiling beautifully and assisting them in one way or the other like a trained waitress. She’s co a long way from the lady hurling abuses at the hotel receptionist for not letting her in while being dragged away by security. I am glad her life turned out better than mine at least.
She has been avoiding since I got here, barely glancing my way. The few tis we have locked eyes, she waits a beat for so reason and then returns to her duty. She must hate everyone with my face now, especially .
Ever since she t in this very bar, she has been falsely accused of one thing or the other and treated poorly because of it. If I hadn’t stepped in to get her this job, she’d probably have it worse especially after the dia outed my fledging relationship with her.
I drain my glass and demand a refill.
"Easy sir. That’s the fourth glass in twenty minutes. Are you okay? You shouldn’t drink too much. It’s not even 3pm yet."
I smile at the bartender. "It’s 3pm sowhere, right?"
His eyes stray towards Cree. "I’ve been seeing you staring over there. Would you like to call the young lady?"
"No."
"What can I do to assist you?"
"You can pour the drink I asked for."
"That’s enough." Cree says, coming over to the bar. She stares at with a dry look. "You drove here. You shouldn’t be drinking this much. Do you need to call soone, your brothers maybe?"
I chuckle at her attempt at showing concern. In the end, nobody really gives a shit about anybody but themselves.
"I bet you hate , don’t you? You hate that you ever called Mi Rey." I slur.
"You’re drunk." She turns to the bartender. "I’ll help him to a private suite and call his brothers for assistance."
"Ok. Thank you. I’m sure the manager will appreciate it."
She helps up and watches shrug on my jacket. Slowly, I follow her out of the bar to a higher floor where she converses with housekeeping. She unlocks a door that opens up to a palatial suite and helps to the living area.
"Why won’t you say anything to ? Why are you so formal?"
"You should rest, sir. I’ll get one of your brothers on the phone." She shrieks when I pull her down on the couch with and turns her face to avoid my kiss. "You’re drunk. Stop it." Angrily, she writhes out of my grip and adjusts her uniform and hair. "Soone will be here to take you ho shortly."
"I’m sorry, Cree." I let out before the drowsiness can overwhelm . "I should have trusted you. You didn’t deserve to be treated like a suspect. I understand why you did what you did. I probably would have done the sa if I was in your shoes, I guess. Please tell you forgive . I hate that things ended the way they did between us." I pull myself up to my feet but stagger back down.
"It’s alright, Ashal." Cree replies, rushing to help to the bedroom to get a proper rest. When my back hits the bed, I know I have a minute or two before my body completely shouts down.
"You didn’t say you forgive ."
"I forgive you, Ashal. Our encounter wasn’t all bad. You gave my two biggest accomplishnts in life. I will forever be indebted to you." I feel her warm kiss on my forehead. "Now, stop talking and go to sleep."
She takes my hand and rubs gently while I give into the sleep with a contented smile on my face. Just before it all goes black and quiet, I hear one of my brothers rush in.
"How is he?"
"He’s fine, just a bit drunk and tired."
Who is it? I can’t tell the subtle difference in our tones because my head is mushy right now. Asher? He’s been trying to reach all day. Ashton? He’s been withdrawn lately because of his unplanned engagent to Mila and disappeared on us this morning. Ashley? He’s got his back stabbing girlfriend and deceitful wife to deal with.
Who could Mila have called so fast? How did she even get their new numbers? She couldn’t have used my phone because it’s tricky to unlock and I didn’t feel her try to get my thumbprint or eye scan. Even if she did, my passcode will give her a tough ti. Could she have snagged the numbers from Shay?
"Did he ask any questions about..."
"No." Cree replies.
My curiosity gets the best of and I struggle back against the pull of the alcohol. When my eyes open, I’ve been knocked out for roughly twenty minutes. I reach for the glass of water by the bed and guzzle most of it before splashing so over my face.
Beyond the door, I can hear movent and voices. Is my brother still here? When I stand, I feel so much steadier even though my head still hurts.
The bedroom door is slightly cracked open. Through the crack, I find Cree in the living room with Ashton. They’re conversing in a low tone but given my place by the door, I can make out what they’re saying.
"Any idea what her na was? Did you check with your source?"
Cree sighs. "I told you everything I know."
"You can give the contact of your source so I can speak with the person directly, you know. You have a busy job. I hate to drag you further into this."
"I can’t do that. He wouldn’t like it."
What in the hell are they talking about?
"Then you’ll have to help out here. I can’t go about searching for my little sister if I don’t even have a na to begin with."
Little sister? What is Ashton talking about? What little sister?
"The news article even used fake nas for my parents. I checked and it was a dead end." He rubs his hands over his hair. "I can’t believe how far my father was willing to go to bury the truth. Cree, you led to the graveyard once. You must have known my real parents are buried there. Just tell what their nas were. I have no other person to ask. If you don’t know it, ask your source sohow. I just really need to find my little sister. She could be anywhere in the world, alone. I don’t want her to feel alone."
With my head splitting between a massive migraine and confusion, I shove the bedroom door open, startling Ashton and Cree. He lied to us? Cree knows about our biological parents and he lied that she didn’t? Everyone is a fucking liar today!
"Ashal." He breathes, rising up. His eyes dart between and Cree who also stands nervously.
"YOU LIAR. YOU SAID SHE KNEW NOTHING! WE HAVE A LITTLE SISTER AND YOU DIDN’T TELL US?"
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