A Facade

Frank hid his real emotions behind a mask of a facade, something he had mastered over the years. He had to think of something, and fast.

"I was going to….but….." 

"He wanted to surprise you all." Jennifer cut him in, surprising him. Well, that was fast. His lips parted as he glanced in between Jennifer and his father, who remained stone cold. 

"Okay ...well, I'm surprised." Frank's father stated nonchalantly. 

"How did you fall down the stairs?" He asked. 

"I slipped and fell." Came the reply. "I wasn't feeling well. I guess I shouldn't have tried to walk around since I was feeling dizzy." She sighed.

"And why did you get up? The doctor must have advised you to rest. You just have to inform the maids what you need and they will attend to you." Frank's father had his eyes focused on Jennifer, who didn't seem to mind his cold stare. 

"I don't like to order people around. I guess perhaps because I didn't grow up like that. We also had a maid, but I had always preferred to do little things on my own." She smiled as she replied. The little smile that curved Frank's father's lips didn't go unnoticed by Frank's cunning eyes. 

Frank looked at Jennifer and smirked. She seemed to have an answer to everything. She was good at pretending. That was for sure. 

"Very well then. I believe the doctors will want to keep you under observation for some time. I will go back to the mansion. I hope to stay with Frank for a few days. It has been almost a year since I last checked on his work." He said, averting his gaze to his son. 

"But I wonder …..why did you bring a doctor from outside? You could have asked Doc Jon." He asked, raising an eyebrow at Frank. 

"Jon is out of town on a mission." He stated and his father seemed to understand. 

"Fine. Keep me informed. I'm going home to check on our activities." His father walked out of the room with Todd hot on his heels. 

The couple inside the room remained silent until the door closed behind them. 

"What are you going to do when he checks on the activities? He will know that you have kidnapped me. I'm sure that your men wouldn't hesitate to tell him everything." Jennifer stated. Frank's eyes widened when he realised that she was right. He should have thought about that. 

He pulled his mobile phone out of his pocket and dialled his right hand, Mike, who answered within a few rings. 

 "Mike." He spoke with seriousness. "My dad is going home. If he or Todd asks anything, Jennifer is my girlfriend. And don't tell him about the stolen laptop." He went straight to the point. 

"Yes." 

"And one more thing, Mike," Frank added before he ended the call. "Don't let Todd know anything…..you know how he is." He added. 

Chuckling, Mike replied. "Of course, boss. You can count on me. I'll tell the boys that Jennifer is now your girlfriend." 

Frank heard his chuckles. Rolling his eyes he pursed his lips.

"You better help me through this. I don't want my dad to think that I'm being reckless." Frank stated nonchalantly. 

"I'll make sure that everything goes exactly how you want it to." Came the reply and Frank ended the call, satisfied by the answer. 

"So, do you think that things can be solved with a simple phone call?" Jennifer asked, smirking. 

"Shut up woman, I can wipe that irritating smirk off your face. Stay out of my business." Frank snapped at her. 

"Ah, I'm your girlfriend. A facade, yes, but I should know about your things, whether you like it or not. Or else you might get in trouble if I cannot answer your father's inquiries." She snickered at Frank. "You surely wouldn't want that." She stated, smiling mischievously. 

"Fine. But stay out of where you aren't needed. Because if you don't, I'm afraid you will know too much and I can't let you go." Frank replied. 

Shrugging her shoulders, Jennifer sighed. She wasn't interested in his affairs anyway. 

"I want to remind you….if you hurt me or those who I care for even the tiniest bit, I swear I'll tell them everything. I'll tell them that you unjustly accused my father of stealing and that you had kidnapped me from my home." She sneered, as she narrowed her eyes on him. 

"The hell," Frank muttered when Jennifer warned him. Never had anyone had the nerve of looking him straight in the eye, but this woman….. was just something else. She didn't hesitate to face him and now she is threatening him? 

"Whatever, kitten." Mumbling under his breath he walked towards the window. 

"Don't fucking call me that!" Jennifer snapped in between her gritted teeth however, Frank simply scoffed. 

"Like I said. I'll call you whatever I please." He turned around, smirking at her. "You are my 'girlfriend' so I believe I have the authority to call you that." He added. "Dad might be staying for a week or two, which means you have to sleep in my room during this time." He added, a sly smirk curving his lips. 

Jennifer's eyes widened. Does this mean that he might try to take advantage of her? Her breathing hitched and her heart skipped a beat. She wouldn't let him touch her inappropriately. She wasn't a slut and no means no, regardless of the situation. 

"I am not a slut!" She stated, her heart pounding in her chest. 

"I don't want to sleep in the same room with you. I….you cannot….." 

Tears of fear started to sting her eyes. She didn't want to relive the horrifying experience that she had to go through the first day she had come here. She hadn't truly recovered from the previous ordeal. Frank stared at her face. Her confidence was now replaced with fear. 

He sauntered over to her, and it only added to her anxiety.

"Wha…..what are…... you going to do?" She stammered. Her heart was hysterically pounding in her chest. Frank stood beside the bedside, his deathly gaze fixed on Jennifer, who was trying her best to remain calm, yet failing. Her heart was hammering in the chest so hard that she could literally feel every beat of it. 

Frank took his time to scrutinize her expression. Finally, the fear he wanted to see on her face was visible. However, it wasn't the way he wanted to see it. He wanted her to fear her because of who he was. He wanted her to submit to him, not for the fear of him assaulting her. He may be a ruthless killer, but he most certainly wasn't a rapist. 

"Nothing." He stated, staring right into her fear-filled eyes. "As I have stated earlier, I need you to play along at the moment. So right now for the world, we are in a relationship that would break as soon as my father goes back. Then I would tell him that things didn't work out between us. I'm not interested in your body anyway. I may kill without a second thought, but I wouldn't assault a woman." He stated and Jennifer sighed in relief. 

"Right now, I can't risk letting them know too much. Todd will twist everything so that my father would end up believing that I'm not worthy of this rank. I've worked hard to come here, and I will not let anything ruin it. And in return, I'll give you anything you want. Freedom, money, anything. Just play along." He spoke with seriousness in his voice. 

Jennifer took deep breaths, hoping to calm her erratic heart. It was hard to read Frank. But at least he sounded like he was in dire need of her help, hence he didn't seem to be lying. Jennifer slowly nodded. 

"Fine." She whispered. "But I don't want your money." She added. "I just want assurance from you that as soon as this is over, you will let me go and leave my family alone." She firmly replied. 

"Sounds good to me," Frank stated. 

They remained in the hospital for the whole day until Jennifer was finally allowed to go home the next day. Todd, his father and Mike were there to receive them. 

"The room is cleaned, boss," Mike told him to which Frank nodded slightly. 

"Ma'am," Mike smirked as he paid his respects to Jennifer. 

"The doctor has advised that she takes full rest for a whole month. So she will stay in the room for most of the time." Frank stated and gestured to Mike to lead her to the room. 

Frank's father silently watched their every move. He still had a lot to dig about this strange girl. 

"What is her last name?" He suddenly asked, making Frank halt on his steps. 

"Spencer." He replied without hesitation. There was no way he would tell him that she belonged to the Walter family. She may be unaware of her father's connection with the Parkers, but Frank's father was well aware of it. 

"Spencer…..I wonder where you found her." His father murmured right before he walked away. Frank stared at his retreating back. Things were harder than he thought. It was apparent that his father didn't trust Jennifer and it was understandable. 

"Are you sure that she is your girlfriend?" Todd's question frustrated Frank. 

"Of course she is." He confirmed, however, Todd only sniggered at him. 

Clicking his tongue, "my sweet little cuz found his match?" He chuckled. Frank glared at his cousin who was a couple of years older than him, with much hatred. 

"I doubt it." Todd laughed. " And I swear I'll find out the truth." He promised in a hushed whisper, narrowing his eyes on Frank.