The Billionaire’s Unwanted Wife

Chapter 4

"FRANCESKA!"

Startled from staring at Chase's car, Franceska turned to her father when she heard him call her name. She was met with his angry face, and he hurriedly pointed at their gate.

"Get inside! We need to talk!" he said sternly and went ahead into their gate. Meanwhile, her mother just shook her head at her in disappointment before following her father.

Franceska shook her head and then sighed. This was what she was talking about. She was in trouble again. She had said several times last night that she would be home early and wouldn't stay out late. But because they enjoyed their drinking session too much and because of the amount of alcohol, it was impossible for her to do so.

She massaged her temples and then went inside the house. She walked in with her head held high so that it wouldn't be too obvious that she had a hangover.

When she got there, she found her parents standing near the sofa. She approached them to kiss their cheeks. But she was shocked when her father's right hand suddenly landed on her cheek, causing her to fall onto the sofa and her vision to darken.

"Fernando!" She heard her mother gasp.

Meanwhile, Franceska was stunned and realized that tears were already falling from her eyes. She raised her hand and wiped them away with her trembling fingers.

This was the first time her father had hurt her. She couldn't believe he would do that to her. Even when she neglected her studies in San Fernando, he only lectured her.

"I'm getting tired of you, Franceska! I don't know when you're going to straighten up!" Her father's voice echoed inside the house. He was very angry and filled with disappointment.

She also saw Nicole and Layla peeking from the kitchen, watching them, and their faces showed pity as they looked at her. But she didn't need their pity.

"Fernando, that's enough. Something might happen to you. You might have a heart attack from too much anger," her mother interjected, her voice worried.

But her father just shook his head and didn't listen to her. He pointed at Franceska, causing her tears to fall again. "What's happening to you? Why are you acting like this? You're supposed to be the eldest, but we're the ones worrying about you here! Why are you wasting our sacrifices for you? Wasn't your deception in San Fernando enough?!" her father asked one question after another. And those questions hurt even more than the slap he gave her earlier.

"Why can't you be like Francine?!" he added.

Franceska went completely numb when she heard her father say that. There was something even more painful than the slap and his questions earlier.

"We're doing everything so you can graduate! But why are you acting like this? You're staying out all night drinking! Don't you think about how tired we are because of you? Franceska—"

She looked away when she suddenly saw tears falling from her father's eyes. She sighed and, even though she was still dizzy, she slowly stood up from the sofa.

"I'm going upstairs," was all she said, and then she turned her back on them.

She didn't want to make a scene there. She didn't want to let out all her resentments because she might just look like she was jealous of Francine if she did that. She would just keep all her resentment towards her parents to herself.

She walked towards the stairs but stopped when she saw her twin sister there.

Franceska smiled bitterly. She knew she was happy because her father scolded her. She knew she was happy with what her father did to her. She was just pretending to pity her.

"Cheska," Francine said in a soft voice and then approached her. She raised her hand, as if to caress her cheek, but she brushed it away.

Surprise flashed in Francine's eyes because of that.

"Can you not?!" she said sternly and then walked past her.

When she got to her room, Franceska's tears finally burst forth.

Why can't she be like Francine?

Why would she imitate her twin? Because of what? Because she was always the best in her parents' eyes? Because she was smarter than her? Because she was valedictorian in elementary and high school? And while she only received special awards? Often, she didn't get any at all.

She did everything she could, ah! She also put effort into her studies back then. But what could she do if that was her limit? If that was all she could do?

Then, instead of sending Francine to study in San Fernando now that they were in college, she insisted that she would go instead. And what happened? She just failed and wasted her tuition money.

But what could she do? She was sent to study there, but she could feel her father's anger towards her. Every time she called, Francine was always part of the conversation. Like, she should study hard because her twin was doing that. She could feel that he didn't favor her studying in San Fernando instead of Francine.

So, what would she feel? Of course, anger and jealousy!

Until Franceska joined a group of friends. There, she felt that she could also be happy and not be compared to others.

Because their attention was so focused on her twin, they didn't notice what she was doing. And now, when she messed up, that's when they would pay attention to her?

"Damn it. What a joke. They want me to be like Francine? Well, good for her then!" Franceska said and then laughed bitterly. She angrily wiped away her tears until she touched her cheek where her father had slapped her.

And again, her tears started to fall.

She sat on the floor behind her bedroom door and then buried her face between her knees and there she cried silently.

She admitted that she made a mistake in what she did in San Fernando. She knew she wasted her parents' effort for her. But she regretted all of that. That's why when her parents gave her the opportunity to study again here in Los Angeles, Franceska was fixing herself, she was doing her best.

But with her father's daily doubts about what she was doing, she also got tired. Yes, he had lost trust in her. But what about one more chance to trust her?

She was also hurt by the preaching she heard and his daily comparisons of her to her twin.

So, she couldn't help but just do what she used to do—the things he accused her of.

"Daughter, Franceska?"

Suddenly, she heard a knock on her door. She also heard her mother's voice. Franceska sat up straight and quickly wiped away her tears. She sighed.

"Honey? Can I come in?" her mother said again.

But she didn't respond and instead buried her face between her knees again. She didn't want to talk to her mother. Her father might think that her mother was coddling her and they might end up fighting.

Sometimes she overheard her father telling her mother not to coddle her. Until her parents argued about it. It wasn't really true that she was being coddled, her mother was just talking to her.

But Franceska chose to distance herself from her mother. She didn't want to see her caught between her and her father every time she was scolded for her wrongdoings. Besides, even if she didn't say it, it was obvious that her mother was also disappointed in what she had done in San Fernando.

"Mom, let's just leave Cheska alone for now."

Suddenly, she heard Francine's voice outside her room.

Franceska clenched her fist. Why did she come with her mother to knock? What for? Were they going to talk to her and scold her again? And what? Compare her to her twin again?!

She thought that at least her mother understood her.

She waited for her mother's response to Francine. But that knock from her mother was not followed up. She just heard them walking away from her room.

She shook her head. Was her twin planning to talk to her too? What for? So she could compare herself to Franceska?

Her twin was really trying to steal the spotlight!

For the second time, Franceska sighed. She closed her eyes. Perhaps also because of crying, she didn't realize she had fallen asleep.

She only woke up because someone was knocking on her bedroom door.

"Cheska? It's time to eat. Come down."

She heard Nicole's voice.

She looked up at the wall clock and saw that it was past twelve noon. No wonder her stomach was growling.

But instead of responding to Nicole, she just let her tire herself out calling her.

Franceska got up from the floor and then went to her bed and lay face down there. She would just sleep off her hunger rather than join them at the table. Because she knew that instead of being satisfied with food, she would be satisfied with her father's preaching.

Franceska closed her eyes again. But before she could completely fall asleep, she heard her door open. So she quickly got up and looked to see who dared to enter here.

And her eyebrows met when she saw that it was Francine.

"What are you doing here?" she asked the latter, annoyed.

What right did she have to enter her room? While she didn't enter her room.

"Nicole already called you to eat but said you didn't respond. So I called you," Francine said in a gentle and soft voice, as if she wouldn't break a plate.

Yes, they were twins. But they were very different in everything. They weren't the type to look exactly alike. At first glance, you would immediately know who was who.

Francine's face was round and Franceska's was not. The latter also had a mole near her lip, but her twin did not. Francine was also a bit chubby, while Franceska was slim. She was also a little taller. If academics were the topic, they were also far from each other. Even the way they spoke.

"What's the difference between you and that adopted child? Do you think that because you called me, I'll immediately obey?" Franceska said grumpily.

She saw Francine shake her head. "Cheska, you shouldn't make the food wait. That's bad."

"Whatever..."

Francine just shook her head at what she said and then left the room. "We're eating. Come down," she said and turned her back on her.

But instead of following, she just covered herself with a blanket.

***

"Franceska didn't leave her room all day. She endured the hunger even though her stomach was churning. She was also very dizzy, so she just slept it off. No one even tried to call her to eat at the table.

So in the evening, when everyone had finished dinner, when she knew they were asleep, she decided to go downstairs to eat. She was also feeling weak.

She slowly left her room and then went down the stairs. But she was surprised why the light in the living room was still on, but there was no one there. It was impossible for it to have been left like that because Layla and Nicole checked it before going to sleep.

She just shook her head and ignored it and was about to go to the table when she caught sight of their door being open.

And when she looked closely, she saw her father talking to someone outside. The person's appearance seemed familiar. So Franceska went closer and looked to see if her suspicion was correct. She hid behind the door and confirmed that Chase was indeed talking to her father.

Her heart pounded loudly. The mayor was back! And at this late hour.

What did the young man need from her family that he came to them at that hour? Did her parents owe him something?

Franceska put her ear to the door and listened to what her father was saying, "I'm really sorry, Mayor. She really doesn't want to. We talked to her, but she really doesn't want to. Please, maybe next time, you can talk to her," he said.

Who was her father referring to as ‘she’?

She saw Chase nod and then glance at the watch on his wrist. He smiled sparingly at her father, seemingly disappointed with the latter's response. "I'll just come back here on Saturday. I have to go now," the young man said and then left the house.

Franceska wanted to watch Chase's car leave, but she couldn't because her father might catch her listening to their conversation. She would surely get another preaching. Besides, she was hungry.

So she quickly left there and was about to go to the table when she passed Francine from the stairs.

She was standing there, staring blankly outside the door. And when she noticed that Franceska was looking at her, she quickly left there and went upstairs.

Franceska just rolled her eyes because of that.

What? Was she also watching Chase?

She just hoped that the latter wasn't her sister's type too. Because she wouldn't allow her to interfere even with the man she was targeting.