The door of the car automatically opened when they arrived at their destination and Jema got down. She stood looking at the large hospital building before her while Lionel came to stand by her side.
He looked at her as she looked at the building apprehension etched on her face, wasn't she the one who concocted this whole idea and yet she was like this. He would never understand women and this woman was the Queen of them all.
"Hmm", he began clearing his throat bring her back to reality," We are meant to be a couple aren't we so why don't we do what all couples do and...act all couple.. ly",he said struggling with his last words before stretching his hand out to her.
His words seemed to have done the trick of breaking her out of her daze. She turned to fae him and slowly regained her usual domineering composure.
With her chin raised, she slyly looked around the parking lot. Only a few people were scattered around and the didn't seem to care what was going on around them.
Her gaze landed on him again and she gave him a forced sweet smile.
"Oh, of course darling,shall we", she asked more like a statement as she placed her hands in his and they strode into the hospital building.
When they stepped in, the stares began. Visitors and nurses and everyone present in the hospital turned to feast their eyes when they saw their infamous celebrity step in with her mystery lover.
Jema knew that tongues would wag after this been t that was what she wanted after all, they were all acting according to script.
They approached the counter and the receptionist's eyes flew saucers when she saw them. Lionel tried his hardest not to roll his eyes and groan exasperated at the behaviour.
The receptionist handed her a folder to sign and gave it to her companion as well.
" Miss Malteng, your father's been waiting for you..",she added but then paused when she raised her head and noted that the woman she was talking to had began to take her leave, dragging her companion along with her. She almost scoffed at the blatant rudeness of the woman old enough to be get daughter.
Jema knew her way around the hospital and she didn't want to hear anything, her whole mind was fixed on the important business she had at hand.
She paused by the door of her father's ward and Lionel opened the door for her, not wanting to get into any argument with her about chivalry.
She stepped in only to be welcomed by the big and open smiles of her father which she had come to love so much over the years. It made her almost want to come clean and tell him the whole truth.
"Jema darling been waiting for you two", he said to her but his gaze was fixed on the young man beside her.
Lionel quickly decided to put on his act, he had never been in such a situation before and since they didn't go through any rehearsal whatsoever, he was guessing she wanted him to wing it.
He then let out one of his most charming smile when he caught the man's gaze on him.
" Good morning Mr Malteng, it's wonderful to finally meet you, I'm Lionel, Lionel Delano",he said and walked over to the man, extending his hand to him and silently hoping the man took it. He so badly wanted to leave.
Jema's father smiled at him instead but didn't take the hand.
"I want a hug from my son instead", he said and spread his arms wide.
Lionel glanced at Jema from the corner of his eyes. She was just standing there, a tiny smile on her face. He then moved to hug the man as he had requested and the man chuckled satisfactorily.
" Delano, which part of the world is that son",Mr Malteng asked humour filled in his voice.
Lionel smiled again, lowering his gaze for a while.
"I'm Hispanic sir", he said telling the man his real heritage an hoping he didn't think about anything controversial.
The man looked at him for a while bit soon his wide smile returned.
"So Lionel, you finally got through to her huh, hope she doesn't trouble you", he asked, a wide grin on his face.
Lionel walked over to where she was and encircled his arms around her waist, gracing the act with a shameless smile.
" She does, but I know just how to handle her",he said and Jema couldn't help but roll her eyes at his statement.
"Please sit Lionel, Jema, you two aren't visitors here, sit", Mr Malteng said stretching his hand to the sofa in his ward.
They went over to sit but just as Jema was about to sit, Lionel sat her down gently in between his legs, his hands still around her waist an dit seemed like he didn't want to let go anytime soon.
Jema wanted to protest but seeing her father smile at the action made her stifle the feeling.
Sometimes she didn't understand the man she called her father. He was supposed to be strict in her choice of men, but here he was instead acting like a mother desperate for her child to get married to just about anybody.
" So Lionel tell me, how did you meet my daughter, where did you two meet",he questioned looking at him intently, his face now serious.
Jema smiled and placed a hand on Lionel's lap to signal that she would take it from there.
"Well Dad, we met about six months ago in that tropical resort you shipped me to", she said adding the last three words with stress. Those were the only truth in her lie.
The man shrugged at her statement, he understood perfectly well what she meant.
" I asked Lionel Jema",he said and shifted his gaze back to Lionel who smiled when the card was passed back to him, the man was certainly more interested in his part of the conversation.
He pulled her more into his embrace and began stroking her hair.
"Please pardon her Mr Malteng, she is only excited about telling our love story", he said and smiled when he felt her grip on his lap tighten but he ignored her, he was already having so much fun.
" We did meet in the resort, she got herself into little trouble and got me involved as well",he said letting his imagination fly.
"Trouble, sounds like my girl, so what trouble did she get herself into this time", he asked already interested in Lionel's lies.
Jema folded her hands, not believing what was just happening to her. These two men were simply unbelievable.
Lionel looked at her and she returned the gaze, annoyance pirouetting in her eyes but that thrilled him all the more, he was doing a fantastic job.
" You know your daughter well, she got into some trouble with stalkers, meddlesome fans, they thought I was her date because we happened to bump into each other frequently. To cut the like long story short, i managed to kill the whole issue and afterwards...I just wanted to get to know her better and things took off from there",he said softly still stroking her hair.
The man looked moved by his PDA and web of fabricated lies which made Lionel feel bad somehow, for some reason. He wondered how the woman who came up with this whole idea felt about lying to her own father.
The man seemed nice for someone with a lot of money, in fact he wasn't even sure he had ever talked to any billionaire as humble as this man was and he knew a lot.
"It's beautiful how you two met, fate has its ways of planning love", the man began after pulling himself together,"so,..where do you work", he asked and Lionel could feel Jema still in his hands.
Lionel smiled, stroking his chin in a smug manner.
"I, uh, work as a bodyguard sir", he said and Jema turned to face him wide eyed.
She didn't believe what she was hearing, he had been doing great lying all morning and now...this.
Mr Malteng looked at him, not comprehending what he had just said.
" A bodyguard, really",he asked and Lionel nodded. He knew it was a bad idea to choose that but he knew nothing else, it was either that or his other profession.
Jema was suddenly afraid that her father would get another heart attack. She faced him but couldn't see any reaction on him.
Mr Malteng started to nod slowly.
"Hmm, interesting", he hadn't expected what he had just said at all.
" So, who do you work for at the moment",he asked his tone low.
"She sir, that way I'll be able to protect the woman I love", Lionel replied and Jema choked.