Chapter 131
ASHAL
It’s been crazy at the mansion lately. Then again, when have my family not been chaotic both internally and externally. With Asher still recovering and father’s scandal attaining new heights of public embarrassment and financial losses by the hour, I wish I could go spend a day at my penthouse and check on my pregnant wife. I can’t exactly do that because I am actively avoiding her right now. I don’t know what she has found out about Maddi and I but I am not ready for that confrontation.
Maddi has also been unreachable lately. I am guessing it has a lot to do with our last meeting and the guilt of entertaining another man when her boyfriend’s funeral is yet to be organized. I plan to give her some time to grieve and process everything before we have the hard conversation about our future, assuming there’s any hope for us.
There’s my family of course and the poor history we have with the Dunns because of Olivia. Father would never agree and I am certain the Dunns won’t allow it either. Olivia will certainly not take it well out of fear of her sister replacing her in the cage I previously locked Liv in. Then there’s mine and Olivia’s baby to think about. Me and Maddi together is an impossible future to fathom but even then, I am willing to try if she is.
I chug down a pint of brandy and listen to Ashton griping on our conference call.
"We’re down by 16% and it hasn’t even been a full day yet."
"Have you spoken to father?" Asher asks. I wasn’t in favor of him joining this call from his sick bed. Frankly, none of us wanted to but he swore at us and dared us to shut him out. If we weren’t in a bind and didn’t need all the help we can get, we would have ignored his threat. Plus, he has always been better at damage control than all three of us combined.
"We literally spent the whole morning with his PR team..."
"About Kristy." Asher clarifies with a sharp voice. I can feel his rage just simmering at the edge. "What’s really going on between them, Ashton? Has he seriously not explained himself to you? Is he seriously waiting to be asked?"
Ashton works his tie and leans back in Asher’s office. He’s killing the Asher look by the way.
"Do we really need his clarification?" He inquires. "I don’t know about you guys but I know what the truth is because I know what father is capable of! Y’all are free to give him the benefit of doubt and hope he is falsely being accused but I won’t. I just want to deal with this problem soon enough before it wrecks our lives. THEN, I’ll give father a piece of my mind for going, yet again, against his word and hurting our mother!"