Chapter 68
DEMI
My legs are shaking nervously as everyone fixates on me. Kira is so evil to do something like this. I try to catch my breath and think.
I can’t even glance at Ashton. I don’t want to give him a look that could easily be misconstrued at the table so I let my eyes droop to my sweaty hands. When father orders me to respond, my heart gallops. How am I supposed to get out of this now?
Anna’s hand reaches under the table to grab mine.
"I’m sorry Mr. and Mrs. Rollins, there seems to be a misunderstanding. Demi didn’t take the number for herself; she did it for me." She dips her eyes in shame. "Like most women in Danvarr, going on a date with the Rollins’ quads is a bucket list of mine that will never see the light of day. Most of us have nursed silly crushes for your sons since they became famous but it’s nothing obsessive like a stalker or crazy." She clarifies. While father’s frown only deepens, mother’s tensed face breaks into a small smile.
"I also heard of Mr. Fantasy but I could never get his number. I have mentioned it to Demi quite a few times so when Kira told her she actually had his number, Demi only took it for me. She brought it to me. I was the one that went out with Mr. Fantasy."
"You’re lying." Kira counters her. "Demi took the number for herself. That’s what she told me. Why wouldn’t she just tell me that she’s taking it for her friend if that was the case rather than letting me suspect that she’s planning on cheating on her husband?"
"Because she knows I wouldn’t appreciate it if she tells other people about my silly crush. She intentionally kept my name out of it but you wouldn’t understand that kind of loyalty. You hate your cousin. You’re also jealous of her. No one here is surprised by how shamelessly you are trying to put her down."
"What exactly is your problem with your cousin, Kira?" Ashton questions her angrily.
She turns to him and her flaring eyes simmer down to painful embarrassment at his chastisement.
"You appear to be all smiley and nice on the outside but getting to know you, I’ve realized you are a bully and a mean girl. Family should seek to protect each other not try to tear each down. If you weren’t sure of what your cousin’s intentions for the date were, you could have asked her or given her the benefit of the doubt. It’s the bare minimum." He turns to her mother. "Mrs. Collin, you will have to do a better job teaching your daughter some manners so she doesn’t embarrass herself and your family by coming off as crass in public."