The doorbell went off when I am still in my room. I sit still and listen intently. Dad went to the door and opens it. Johnny looks at him, and dad checks him out. Johnny gives his all-time friendly smile.

"You must be Dr. Jake Houseman."
"I am, and you're Johnny Castle."
"That's right, sir, I want to thank you for helping me out."
"Oh, that wasn't me, that was Baby and my wife, I got nothing to say here, even if it looks otherwise."

Mom went to the door and looks at Johnny. She smiles, he sees her and gives her a friendly smile as well. She extends her hand.

"I'm Marge, come on in."

Dad moves aside and Johnny steps inside.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Houseman."
"Please, call me Marge, no formalities here."
"I need to get use to that."

Mom chuckles a little when I came down the stairs. I look at them, I see mom smiling, dad is still checking him out and Johnny, well, what can I say? He is Johnny. I see him smiling amiably, but is true genuine smile has not appeared. Well, that is until just now. I see him turning his head and looking at me coming down. I see his smile changing, I smile back at him, dad has not seen the change, but mom did.

"Baby will show you the room later, you want anything to drink?"
"Depends on what you have to offer."
"A brandy? Or a Scotch?"
"I'm more of a beer drinker actually, but a Scotch is good too."

Dad smiles and went to his liquor cabinet. Mom closes the door when I came closer, she looks at me and winks before she is going to the kitchen. I start to frown as I look after her.

"You look nice, Baby."

I turn my head to him, and then look down at my dress. I look up with a wide smile, he chuckles about my face.

"Thanks! It has pockets!"

He laughs about my grin as I put my hands in the pockets.

"Here you go."

Johnny looks at dad who holds up the glass. I watch Johnny going to him and thanking him when taking the glass. I sit myself back on the couch and inhale deeply. Johnny turns and looks at me, then he sits down next to me.

"So, Johnny…"

We look at dad, who sits down on his chair with a glass of brandy. Johnny straightens his back a little.

"Why are you avoiding your mother?"
"It's a long story, really, so if you got time."
"I've got all day."

Mom came back with a glass of wine. Johnny looks at me again.

"Don't you want something to drink, Baby?"
"Not thirsty yet."
"Tell us, boy."

I see dad is being impatient. I guess he really wants to have a good reason to let Johnny stay here. I inhale deeply and look at mom, who is just watching us while she is sipping her wine.

"About two years ago, my parents got divorced, it was a fighting divorce that took almost four years."
"I'm sorry to hear that."

Johnny shakes his head.

"I knew it was coming, my mother isn't really the most trustworthy person on this planet."

I look at him.

"What do you mean?"
"You know what dad says about me, right?"

I only nod at that, and the last days I have not seen him that much with a woman. Though I still leave the door open when I leave the office. I guess it became a habit.

"Well, actually that is his reflection that he puts on me, but not the reflection to himself but to my mother."
"So, your mother is a whore?"

I look at mom, my mouth dropped, dad sighs and Johnny gulps when he looks at her for a second.

"I wouldn't say a whore."
"But she had a lot of affaires, didn't she?"
"Yes, and she became pregnant from one of them."
"You got a sibling?"
"A half-brother yes, and this is where it's really about."
"What do you mean?"

I am getting a little confused.

"I think she wants him to kill me."
"You sound a little paranoid there, boy."

Johnny looks at dad, then back at me. I can the fear in his eyes.

"You found out, didn't you?"

What is this with mom? You have noticed it too how she figure things out so easily? I wish to know how she does that.

"Yes, about a year ago I discovered about having a half-brother, and I thought it would be nice to meet him. I'm an only child, and the only heir to my father's heritage. So, I thought, that maybe it would be nice to have someone that may know how it feels. So, I agreed to a meeting with him, mom had arranged it for me."
"But?"
"I discovered a note in his jacket, from my mother to him, that he should put poison in my glass when he would be visiting me. The little bottle with poison was in his pocket too."

I am starting to feel upset for him. I, unconsciously, lay my hand on his shoulder. He looks at me and looks in my eyes.

"Why does your mother want you dead?"

Johnny looks at dad, he broke the moment, mom inhales deeply and drinks on her glass.

"Well, my parents were married with a prenup, something my grandfather ordered dad to do, and when dad discovered the first affaire from my mother, he was really happy that he had the prenup."
"Then why did he stayed married to her?"

Johnny looks at mom again. I can see him relaxing a little.

"Because of me. He didn't want me to grow up with divorced parents, besides, he knew if he would have divorced mom after her first affaire, he would have been paying her alimony, and that would have been a huge amount of money."
"So, your father stayed in an unhappy marriage just because of money?"

Johnny looks at me.

"No, Baby, I think his father stayed married not only because of money, but because he also loved her and he tried to save the marriage, didn't he?"

Johnny looks at mom for a second and then down.

"Tell me, Johnny, does your father know about you having a half-brother?"
"He didn't until about four months ago, when mom contacted dad."

I am starting to put some puzzles pieces together now.

"So, when your father had enough of your mother's affaires, and finally decided to choose for himself, and you being an adult as well, he divorced her, and then discovers that you have a half-brother?"
"Exactly like that, Mrs. Houseman."
"Please, Johnny, say Marge. Your father lost it, didn't he? And he takes it out on you."

Johnny looks down and closes eyes for a second and inhales deeply. I see him locking his jaw a few times. He must be so angry.

"He started to accuse me of everything that happened in his marriage, when he eventually realized it wasn't my fault, he started to tell me that he couldn't look at me anymore, that I wouldn't be so different from mom, that I sleep around a lot, that I'm no good, but he gave me the position at his company because I'm his only heir, but he threatens me daily with giving his heritage to my cousin Billy."

I feel really upset for him. Ron told me that he hoped that I would make it happen for his son not to sleep around so much. I start to frown, is he using me to make his son a better man only because of his own heritage? Mom sees my face and puts her glass down. She stands up and I look up at her.

"You want a glass of wine, Baby?"
"Yes, that would be nice."
"Be right back."

I watch her go and then look back at Johnny. Dad is watching us.

"Baby, I want you to resign."

I look at him.

"What? No, I'm not going to resign."

Johnny is looking down while he listens to us arguing about it. Then he stands up, we look at him.

"Maybe it's better if I go somewhere else."
"Yes, maybe you should."
"Nonsense, Jake."

Mom came back with a glass of wine for me. I take it and drink some on it. Dad is getting frustrated.

"Can't you see that they're using Baby for their own good?"
"If Baby wants to resign, I will let her go, and I will let future companies know how good she is at doing her job."

Mom is watching him and then gestures to him to sit down again. He did and looked at her. I am only watching them.

"Baby is happy with her job, I can see how she's opening up, she's getting a lot more confidence as well, and she's happier than I've ever seen her before. She's not going to resign, no matter what reason your father has or had in first place to hire her."

She looks at dad who is sighing very deeply now, he folds his arms. I am sure there will be a fight later one when no one is at home. But I also can see how dad will be losing that fight as well.

"What's your mother's reason to kill you?"
"She wants the heritage, she really think that when my half-brother kills me, that he can take my place and try to win over dad and then get the heritage so my mother can live the life she's used to live."
"But he's not blood related to your father."
"Indeed, Baby, he's not and mom also doesn't know that even if he would kill me, that Billy then will get the heritage."

Mom takes her glass again and drinks some. I drink some from mine too. I need this alcohol for real. This is a lot to take in. No wonder that Penny never went on with the subject when one of them even mentioned it, but I do understand now why.

"There's one thing that's bothering me."
"Yeah?"
"How did your mother hid the pregnancy?"
"Well, at that time she told my father she needed time alone somewhere else and then she disappeared for a year. Dad has always been suspicious about it, but never cared to ask her about her time in New Mexico."
"Well, if it's any solution to you, you're always welcome to hide here when it's needed."

With that mom stands up again and looks at dad, he clears his throat and stands up.

"We're going to the club. We'll be back after dinner since we're invited to eat with the Bergers."
"Okay, mom, have fun at the club."
"You know what to eat for dinner?"

I look at dad.

"Don't worry, I'll order something."

Dad looks at Johnny and inhales deeply. Mom smiles and goes to the kitchen. Dad keeps looking at Johnny and I see he has some questions.

"Say, how much do you own?"
"Me?"
"Yes, you, I guess you've got a fund or something."
"My father has given me 25 percent of the stock exchange of the company already, his reason was to teach me to have some responsibility."
"Smart, and you know how to work with that?"
"Not really, but I want to learn. I found an accountant who is going to help me."
"That's smart, so how much?"
"At this moment I have two billion dollars."

I see dad's astonishment about that, well, it is not exactly that I am not astonished. I know he is a billionaire, but if he owns only a quarter of the company now and that is already two billion dollars. Damn! Sorry for my reaction. I look at dad and see he needs to recover himself from the astonishment. Johnny is watching him. Then I see dad starting to smile and extend his hand. Johnny stands up.

"This is not about what I own, right?"
"No, I know I came a little across as cold there."
"A little, dad?"
"I'm sorry, I just thought you would be here only to pursue my daughter."
"Oh, no, sir, I've got the highest respect for your daughter, she's amazing and she helps me so much. She's going to teach me how to network, and also..."

He pauses and I see dad putting his hands on his hips as he keeps watching Johnny.

"Your daughter seems to understand me, and she tells me how the things are, when I do something that's inappropriate, or act like an idiot, she's not shy to tell me so. If anything, sir, I really look up to your daughter."

Dad looks at me and I only smile at him, he looks back at Johnny and then starts to smile. He extends his hand again and Johnny shakes it this time.

"I'm glad I've got to meet you, and I'm sorry if I was a little skeptical at first."
"I guess that's normal."
"Indeed, and I think you're in good hands, boy."

Dad looks at me and came closer, I stand up.

"I love you, pumpkin."
"I love you too, dad."

We hug a little and he gives me a kiss on my forehead. He gives Johnny one more look and went to the kitchen where mom is waiting for him. Johnny looks after him and then at me. I sit down again and take my glass. He sits down and turns a little. I look at him and see him smile.

"You've got nice parents."
"I know, though I've discovered today that my mother is mysterious, she knows things I never thought she would."

Johnny chuckles about it and takes his glass to have a sip. I watch him. I can see he is feeling more at ease now.

"You're happy now?"

He turns his head.

"Happy?"
"You've got to meet my parents, like you said you wanted."

He chuckles again.

"Yeah, I do, and I'm very thankful I can stay here."
"Does Penny know you're here?"
"Yeah, I told her, she's keeping it to herself, dad doesn't know, and he doesn't have to know either."
"How often do you hide?"
"Every time I hear mom is in town. I know, it's actually pathetic."
"It's not pathetic, I understand, you care enough about your own life to hide from someone who seems to want you dead."

With a deep sigh I see him leaning back and sinking deep into the couch. He lays his head back and closes his eyes. I keep watching him.

"I wouldn't want you dead."

He turns his head to look at me.

"Then I'll lose my job and I happen to really love my job."

I see him starting to smile.

"Thanks, Baby, for being in my life."
"So, what do you want to do?"
"I don't care."
"I'll put Netflix on."
"So, Netflix and chill it is then?"

I roll my eyes.

"You've got a better idea?"
"I've got an idea."

I see his eyes flashing to my chest, and he bites his lip for a second. I roll my eyes again. He thinks I would not have seen it, but I think I know him a little better than he thinks. I start to figure him out and honestly, the more I know about him, and how he reacts to certain things, the more I am liking him.

"I'm still your assistant, so if you feel like doing that, you need to find someone else or do it yourself."

He chuckles about it, and I roll my eyes at him. I drink the last bit of my wine. I see him watching me. I look at his eyes and smile. I know, I know, I wish I could say yes and take him upstairs to my room, but I told myself that my job comes first, and it is actually kind of hurtful to tell him this, but I know I need to.

"You want me to get some beers for you?"
"I'll order some with dinner, but thanks for asking, Baby."

I take the remote and start Netflix.

"Here, choose something, I'm going to make popcorn."
"That's so cheesy."
"Well, if you don't want popcorn, then I've got more for myself."

He looks at my grin and he chuckles while shaking his head. I went to the kitchen to make some popcorn. Lisa came downstairs and looks at me.

"You know where mom and dad are?"
"They're at the club."
"What are we having for dinner?"
"Mom and dad have dinner with the Bergers at the club, so you can eat whatever you want."
"What about you?"
"Johnny will be ordering something for him and me."
"Johnny? Your boss?"
"Yes, he's here."

I see her getting curious and went to the living room to look at him. I knew it, she always says that she is not interested in my job or my life, when I told her and my parents about Johnny, she acted like she was not curious. She is so typical.

"He's gorgeous."
"Yeah, well, I don't want you to even try, he's a womanizer."

Johnny turns his head and sees us standing there. He smiles and I hear Lisa gasp. I roll my eyes and he has seen my reaction. I see a teasing grin forming on his face, I point at him and shake my head.

"You're not going to introduce me, Baby?"
"All right, Johnny this is my sister Lisa. Lisa, this is my boss Johnny Castle."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, miss Houseman."
"Likewise."

Then she turns to me, and I see her face, her bored expression. I guess she has fed her curiosity and now she is over it. I guess she thinks that he is below her, so I will not tell her that he is actually a billionaire.

"Since mom and dad are out, and you seem to have plans already, I'll be going to Fanny, she wanted to go to the movies and then have a drink."
"Have fun."

With an 'ugh' from her she went to get her purse and then leaves the house. Johnny watches her go as I came to the living room with the big bowl of popcorn and the bottle of red wine that mom has opened earlier.