#Chapter 64: Asking For Permission

Ollie’s POV The next day, I’m surprised to receive a text from Hugh to my regular phone, telling me to come up to the main foyer right away. Confused, I hurry up there, where I find the four brothers, looking various levels of annoyed, all glaring through the open doorway. Outside the door, Jake stands in an ill-fitting suit. He’s holding a bouquet of flowers. When he sees me, he tries to hand it out to me. Before I can even reject it, Conrad knocks the flowers to the side. “What are you doing here, Jake?” I ask. Looking to the brothers, I add, “What’s going on?” “Your boyfriend,” Hugh says with no small measure of clear disgust skewing the word, “wants to speak with all of us.” I look at Jake again, still searching for answers. “About?” “I want to convince them to give me their permission to date you,” Jake says. My own outrage starts to brew. “Jake, I told you that I’m not interested.” “I know where your heart truly lies,” he says. “You keep pretending, but once I’ve