Chapter 5 Loving family

Jenny's hand instinctively rose to her bruised cheek. "Is that a bruise?" her mother gasped, immediately rushing to Jenny's side. "What happened?" she asked, gently taking Jenny's face in her hands. Before Jenny could fabricate an explanation, Julius interjected. "Clumsy Jenny tripped and fell onto the lockers today," he said in a light, teasing voice, his expression enough to intimidate. "Why didn't Richard take care of this?" her mother pressed.

Jenny's face burned with humiliation, but she remained silent as her father clapped his hands to summon a waiter. "Bring Richard here," he commanded. Within moments, Richard appeared. "Explain," her father demanded coldly, "why my daughter has a bruise on her cheek and you did nothing about it."

Richard maintained his composure. "I wasn't aware she had a bruise, sir." It was easy to see where Julius inherited his piercing stare from.

"You didn't notice the bruise on my daughter's cheek?" her father pressed further.

Richard lowered his head in acknowledgment. "No, sir, I did not."

"Then tell me," Eduardo continued in a dangerously calm voice, causing the room to tense, "why should we trust you to keep my family safe if you can't notice a bruise on my daughter's face?"

Jenny panicked, realizing her father might fire Richard, the only person she felt she could confide in, even if one-sidedly. She jumped to her feet. "It's not his fault!" All attention pivoted to her. The truth was on the tip of her tongue: Julius had attacked Kevin, and then vented his anger on her. He'd been yelling at her for no reason, making her life miserable.

But as she glanced at Julius, his threatening glare silenced her. "I hid it from Richard. I was embarrassed about tripping. I didn't want him to know."

Jenny's mother gently placed a hand on her back. "Oh, Jenny, accidents happen. There's no need to hide it from us or Richard! He's here to help," she reassured with a smile.

"I'm sorry," Jenny whispered, feeling Julius continue to glare at her. Richard's face remained expressionless.

"You're so childish, Jenny," Julius remarked. Her embarrassment deepened.

"I am not!"

"Clumsy, childish Jenny," Julius taunted.

"Shut up!" Jenny snapped.

Her father rubbed his temples. "That's enough," he said lightly. "Richard, you are dismissed." As Richard left, he glanced back, his face uncharacteristically concerned. Though he would have noticed the bruise, he still exited without a word. Jenny sat back down, aware of the lethal look in Julius's eyes, which no one else seemed to notice.

"Could someone bring us some ice, please?" her mother called out. A staff member quickly fetched a small ice pack, which her mother gratefully accepted and gently pressed to Jenny's cheek. "You poor thing," she lamented. "Don't scare us like that!"

Her father, seemingly unbothered, resumed discussing his plans, while Jessica was engrossed with her phone. Jenny was left looking at Julius, who cut his chicken with unsettling force.

Silently, she began to pray for the dinner to end quickly.

After ten minutes of listening to her father's discourse on his re-election campaign and the state of the family, Jenny managed to slip away to her room before dessert, citing her collision with the lockers as the cause of a headache. Her footsteps echoed through the vast, empty corridors of the house, emphasizing its size and solitude.

Once inside her room, Jenny closed the door and leaned back against it, her fingertips trailing the polished walnut surface. Her room stood in contrast to the rest of the house, which was defined by dark wood and marble floors. She had opted for carpeting when she moved in, much to the dismay of the historical society representative. However, her mother assured them that the antique hardwood beneath would remain unharmed.

The room was a sanctuary of pale blue, from the canopy over her four-poster bed to the posters adorning the walls. Desiring a lighter atmosphere distinct from the rest of the home, Jenny chose white furniture, despite her family's disapproval. With her mother's support, she had decorated her space as she pleased.

Jenny climbed onto her bed and stood, moving to untie the lace that held back the curtains at each corner. As she released them, the heavy velvet drapes fell, brushing the floor and enclosing her bed. Settling into the center, she wished to imagine a world that existed solely within her mattress and blue velvet curtains.

A knock at the door prompted Jenny to tuck her head against her knees, hoping Julius would abandon his attempt if she pretended to be asleep. The knock repeated, accompanied by a muffled, gentle voice.

"Jenny? Mrs. Swift asked me to bring you some medication for your headache."

Rising and parting the curtains, Jenny made her way to the door, where she found the family doctor standing. Despite the fabricated headache, her cheek throbbed with genuine pain, so she accepted the offered medication with a smile. He handed her a glass of water, and she took a sip before swallowing the pills.

"Thank you," she murmured, beginning to close the door and return to her bed.

"Sorry," the doctor interjected, raising a hand. "I know you're not feeling well, but Mr. Swift requests your presence in his office. He mentioned if you were up to answering the door, you could see him."

Jenny pressed her lips together, regretting her decision to answer the door. The house doctor offered a sympathetic smile before walking away. With a sigh, she closed her bedroom door and trudged down the cold hall, ascending the stairs to her father's study.

As she approached, she intended to knock but halted upon noticing the door already ajar. Inside, Julius sat in a leather armchair opposite her father's desk, wearing a dark red bathrobe and smiling as she entered, casually twirling the robe's belt at his side.

Jenny cast a quick glance at her father and Julius as she settled on the edge of the leather chair next to her brother, trying to avoid her father's intense gaze. The study, with its scent of candles and old books, had been a favorite sanctuary during her childhood. She recalled sitting in the corner, pulling heavy volumes from the shelves, struggling to read them, especially when her father was on business trips. Her mother allowed her to browse as long as she promised to return the books in their proper order.

Now, her father sighed, massaging his temples and looking at them from beneath his brow. After a pause, he leaned back and steepled his fingers with another sigh.

"I have enough on my mind without my children fighting each other," he stated.

Jenny's breath caught, and she inadvertently glanced at Julius. Despite his usually confident demeanor, a hint of fear flickered in his eyes. For a moment, Jenny felt a sense of loyalty toward her father, hopeful he would discipline Julius for what happened.

The silence lingered, and Jenny shot another glance at Julius, who returned a fleeting glare before refocusing on their father's desk. She wondered if Julius thought she had revealed the truth, but she pushed aside her worry. Her father could ensure Julius wouldn't harm her again.

"Julius, Jenny," her father began, "you're not children anymore. You might have played rough as kids, but that's not acceptable now. You need to represent this family properly. I expect it won't happen again."