Chapter 5 Lies and Blushes
1112 Words
Joanna suddenly pointed at Sara and shouted, “The surveillance cameras! Frank, there are cameras in the garden! If you check the footage, you’ll see Sara deliberately set me up!”
Frank glanced at Joanna, then turned back to Sara with a faint smile. His tone calm and steady, he uttered a blatant lie. “The cameras are broken.”
Sara immediately sensed something was off. By all logic, Frank should be furious with her after seeing the medical report. He ought to be stripping her of her title as his fiancée.
Why had he pulled her into his arms to shield her from Joanna’s trash-can assault?
How could he be sure the cameras were broken without even checking?
Was Frank deliberately protecting her?
The thought made Sara suspicious. She bent down and picked up the medical report, flipping through the pages.
'Where did Ryan found those junk papers? They’re clearly fake. Could he and Frank have conspired to set me up?'
When Sara reached the last page, she froze. Her mind erupted in a flurry of internal curses.
'What the hell? How could I not know I'm injured?'
'Frank must have arranged that medical check on purpose! I deliberately caused all this trouble, so why is he still helping me? He should hate me by now and be eager to end the engagement!'
'My brilliant reputation has been tarnished by petty schemes! My heart is broken—farewell, cruel world'
Sara was utterly distraught.
Frank, unable to hold back his laughter, was about to speak when his phone rang.
He glanced at the name shown on screen before answering.
On the other end, Charles’s anxious voice came through.
“Frank, I heard Sara got hurt! What on earth are you doing? Mr. Smith said he saw her alone in the garden, and that Joanna attacked her! Didn’t I tell you to show Sara around? How could you leave her by herself?”
Charles sounded both guilty and worried. He blamed himself for the incident. Joanna had dropped by earlier to deliver an invitation, and after that, she’d asked to stroll through the garden. If he had checked with Frank about Sara’s whereabouts, the accident might have been avoided.
Trying to make amends, Charles added quickly, “Sara, is there anything you want? I’ll get it for you as an apology.”
Sara’s inner voice cheered.
'I like money! Give me a hundred million!'
Outwardly, she responded modestly, “There’s no need, Mr. Hoover.”
'Actually, I wouldn’t mind making Frank suffer a little.'
Frank’s instincts flared. He knew trouble was coming, and sure enough, Sara’s next words were spoken in a sweet, pitiful tone.
“Mr. Hoover, if there’s one thing I want right now, it must be Frank's love. But he doesn’t seem to care about me at all.”
Charles exploded with anger. “Frank Hoover! Have you forgotten what I told you? Sara is such a wonderful girl! If you dare make her upset again, I’ll go on a hunger strike!”
The room fell silent. Not only was Dr. Bennett stunned, but Sara was equally shocked.
Sara couldn’t understand why Charles liked her so much. All she’d done was help him as a normal passerby.
Frank sighed, offering a quick agreement before hanging up.
Not wanting Charles to worry, he led Sara out of the hospital soon after.
As they approached the car, Dr. Bennett called out enthusiastically, “Take care, Mrs. Hoover!”
Sara’s cheeks flushed instantly, and she muttered, “Who’s Mrs. Hoover?” before darting into the passenger seat.
'There's no way I like Frank!'
Frank stifled a chuckle. Sara always got flustered easily. It was kind of cute.
The entire ride home, Sara’s face was tinged with a faint blush.
When they arrived at the Hoover Villa, she practically leapt out of the car and sprinted inside, only to be greeted by the sight of Charles and Mr. Smith locked in a heated argument.
“Mr. Hoover, Frank ordered that you not leave the villa!”
Charles, visibly annoyed, retorted, “I’m your employer! Are you taking orders from me or him?”
Mr. Smith responded without hesitation, “Both, of course.”
“Then let me out! I need to check on Sara!”
“But Frank said…”
Their back-and-forth seemed to be on an endless loop until Sara cleared her throat.
“Charles, I’m back.”
Sara hadn’t expected Charles to be actually worried about her.
After parking the car, Frank followed her inside. Taking in the scene before him, he immediately understood what was going on.
Charles, however, was far from done. Like a predator sensing its prey, he grabbed a slipper and hurled it at Frank with surprising accuracy.
The slipper hit Frank squarely, but he didn’t dodge.
Sara jumped at the sight, startled.
'Why didn’t he dodge? Not going to lie, Charles’s aim is scarily good. I’m a little worried about getting caught in the crossfire.'
Frank seemed to share her sentiment. His grandfather was a former military officer, and his precision was no joke.
Still, Frank’s competitive side flared. He wondered if showing off his superior aim would impress Sara.
Taking off his watch, he glanced at its case across the room. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the watch sailing through the air, landing perfectly inside the case.
To ensure Sara didn’t suspect anything, he quickly turned to Charles and said casually, “Still needs practice.”
Then he focused on Sara’s inner thoughts.
She stared at him, utterly unimpressed.
'What was that? Such an obvious fake move. You don’t need to show off like that in front of me. I’ll just think you’re imitating a monkey.'
Frank froze.
For the first time, he truly grasped the meaning of “double standards.”
An inexplicable sense of disappointment settled over him, stemming from the absence of the praise he had unconsciously expected to hear from Sara.
He shook his head, berating himself. He must be losing it.
“It’s late,” Frank said finally. “No need to fuss anymore. Where’s Sara’s room? I’ll take her there to rest.”
Hearing it, Charles reluctantly calmed down and led them upstairs.
Still recovering from the sprained ankle he’d suffered a few days ago, Charles leaned on his cane as he guided them to the door of the room.
“Sara, if you need anything tonight, just call Frank. He’s staying in the room right across from yours. Don’t worry about bothering him. It’s his job to take care of you.”
Sara’s eyes widened in shock.
'What? Is Frank staying right across from me?'
- Writer
