Beyond The Facade

Chapter4

Both of them remained still. They avoided each other's gaze probably because they are shy. Freya's cheeks turned red, and her lips curled up in a smile.

But the soft click of the TV booting on snapped them back to reality. Both of them gazed at the TV puzzled.

A masked man appeared at the scene.

“Getting acquainted already? That's good. You'll have to rely on each other if you want to survive.” The man stated

Then both of them stared at each other, then back at the TV and the man continued, “A little assignment for both of you. Figure out why you're here.” and then the TV went off.

Freya released a frustrated sigh as she circled around the room again and quickly chanted in frustration “This is crazy, amazingly crazy. My life was pretty normal the last time I checked, then I got caught up in a heist, and now I'm abducted. Some masked man is compelling me to rack my brain and figure out why I'm here…”

“Ratting won't help.” he interrupted her, but she didn't stop.

“The worst part is that this f*****g man is masked!!. How are we supposed to get answers? Ransack the house and look for some hidden clues? Clues? What clues? Masked man's got them on lock down!” she clenched her fists as she continued.

“Calm down!!!” he roared.

She quickly looked at him with rage in her eyes. “Calm down? You're not exactly helping!!! ” she growled.

“Like you are? Sit down, take some deep breaths, and then we'll figure this out together.” He commanded before sitting down on the sofa. She finally calmed her nerves and took a seat as well.

“I've been trying to distance myself from him. I don't know why I'm still considered a part of this world.” she broke the silence sadly as tears dripped down from her eyes.

Aeron looked at her curiously, “What world? Who are we speaking of? ” he asked.

“My father,” she replied. Freya's elbows rested on her thighs, her upper body leaned forward as her chest almost against her legs. Her face fell towards the ground.

“He's involved with some shady people and involved in some illegal activities,” she explained, her head still facing the ground.

“You think this has something to do with your father's dealings?” he raised one of his brows as he asked.

She raised her body up and turned to look at him. “I'm starting to think so… Maybe the masked man here is trying to send a message or get some leverage over my father.”

“What about you? Do you have any clue of why you're here?” she asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Not quite, maybe I'm a part of their bigger plot,” he answered, but she doubted it.

“My parents died in a car accident,” he said, trying to convince her, “I only have my sister. She's 12 but very brave,” he let out a genuine smile, an infectious one that made her smile too.

“I'm a successful entrepreneur, quite rich,” he proudly remarked.

“Ooh I can see that” she shot back and they both chuckled in laughter, but the laughter was replaced by the grumbling of her stomach.

Her hands instinctively pressed against her abdomen, “I forgot to mention it. The last time I ate was last night.” she said as she giggled.

“There's no possible way we'll be left in here starving, right?” she asked.

He rose to his feet and headed towards the kitchen with high hopes of getting something to eat. He opened the fridge and, to his amazement, there was lots of food. He became suspicious.

Freya stood on her feet as well, “What? Is there anything?” she said as she ran to him.

“There are a lot,” he replied.

“What? Do you think it's poisoned or drugged?” she asked. Her heart raced in fear.

“It's possible. It just doesn't seem right,” he replied.

“So you want to test the food or what? “ She asked as she stared at him.

“With what?” he replied with a question, but she shrugged her shoulders.

“Come on!” she said as she hit him on his shoulders “They wouldn't possibly kill us. What about the bigger plot?”

With what she said, he dropped his suspicions and hoped for the better. “So are you a good cook,” he asked her, and she shook her head in disapproval.

He gathered the foodstuffs from the fridge. He expertly chopped the vegetables at the kitchen counter. Freya kept leaning in to watch. She was looking for a way to help out.

“So what's that spice?” she asked, reaching out to touch the jar.

He sidestepped, trying to avoid her, but Freya moved again, her body inches from his. “Freya, I've got this,” he said patiently.

But Freya wouldn't budge.“Just let me see…”

In a swift motion, he scooped her up, lifting her off the ground. Freya yelped in surprise as he carried her across the kitchen.

“Hey!” she protested.

He set her down on the counter beside him, spinning her around to face him. “Now, watch from a safe distance,” he teased.

Freya grinned, feeling a flutter in her chest. “Fine, chef.”

As he returned to cooking, Freya sat on the counter, her feet dangling, feeling a sense of giddy joy at being swept off her feet – literally.

“So mom does the cooking?” he asked.

“No, I'm not staying with my mom.” she replied. Bringing up her mom brought back memories, he noticed her silence and turned to her. “So boyfriend?” he said, trying to lighten the mood.

She grinned “Nice one, Mr chef…Well, he used to be when he was still my boyfriend. I often make light meals or order meals.”

He turned back to his cooking.“What happened?” he asked, as he was still focused on his cooking.

“I bumped into him f*****g another girl in his apartment. He probably forgot I knew the door code.” she laughed as she narrated, but it was obvious she was holding in her tears.

“Any reaction afterward?” he asked.

She released a devilish smirk “I invited him to lunch and ordered the satay, knowing he was allergic to peanuts. As he reacted, I called an ambulance and left.”

“So daddy's genes finally kicked in, huh?” he teasingly said. Her smile slowly vanished and she gazed away. The last thing she would want to talk about is her father.