Ch. 1..10

Chapter 1

"Mr. Zeno, your grandmother's condition is feral, we need money to commence her treatments; for now, the money you gave will do for two months, but I can't promise we'll continue after that if you don't bring in more funds." Doc. Ezra explained to Zeno outside the emergency room.

"I understand, Doctor. I'll pay all her medical bills, please take care of my Nana! I promise to pay every month till it's all covered!" Zeno pleaded.

He was heartbroken; he had just lost his parents to an accident twenty-two hours ago. Today was supposed to be their twenty-fourth marriage anniversary, they were driving over to pick him up from a client's house so they could all go out and celebrate, but they were unfortunately faced with a terrible fate.

His parents died instantly without any goodbyes while his Nana was heavily injured and was now in a coma.

"It all depends on you, keep to your word. Good luck!" Doc. Ezra said and left him standing in the hallway.

Zeno stood there, his whole world crumbling at his feet. He felt lost.

For twenty-three years of his life, this was the first time he was going to be alone; he had always been surrounded by his lovely parents and his sweet Nana. Now, he was orphaned and was on the verge of losing his only family member whom he loved so much.

Courage cursed through him when he thought of his Nana; he was going to do everything and anything possible to see that his Nana was properly treated. He can't let her die.

This time, he had a choice; he didn't get this much of a chance with his parents.

He was going to cherish and fight for the only person the universe had left behind for him.

~~

Sebastian Orion was dressed in his expensive, custom-made black shirt and black pants, his shiny black shoes and his customized Rolex watch completed his Cold, intimidating billionaire mafia look.

His tall and sharp features were a bonus to his looks. His hair was neatly cut and styled to the back, only two strands of hair were brought out on each side of his smooth face, just above his eyes.

He stood in front of his big mansion, waiting for his ride.

"Sir, the car is ready." A man in an all-black outfit informed through the earpiece.

A black Lamborghini with his name written on the plate slowly came to a stop in front of him, the door slowly and smoothly flying open like a bird's feather.

Before he could step down the stairs, an agitated young voice stopped him.

"Daddy, why can't I come with you this time?!" A boy of four ran out of the big house, carrying his small suitcase in his small hands.

He sure looked like the mini Sebastian. His facial features looked like it was cloned from his father's face, and his aura was the same as his.

The men in black all looked scared when they saw the young boy. They knew their boss didn't like it when someone failed in his duty, and, they had failed.

He had Instructed them a week ago to keep the boy occupied and find him a temporary nanny before he left for his business trip.

But they failed.

No one wanted to accept a nanny job from Sebastian Orion. They feared him, scared of what might happen to them if they worked in such proximity to him.

Rumors of how people who had offended him suddenly went missing without a trace were hot on the streets. No one dared take such a risk of working in his house!

"I'm sorry, boss, I failed you. I'll accept every punishment." Ida, his PA, rushed and bowed before him, taking the blame for his shortcomings.

Ida dared not say he couldn't find someone simply because they said they were scared.

His boss believed the money he put out with the offer would fetch just anyone.

Sebastian knew the reason they couldn't get his son a nanny, he'd heard the rumors too, well... Not entirely rumors.

He only nodded and turned to his angry son.

"Ken, I'll be back as soon as I strike a deal with the president of France." He bent to his son's level, patting his hair.

Ken only pouted and turned his face away from his father.

"You will be well taken care of by a nanny. Don't be stubborn like the last time. Okay?" Sebastian coerced his son.

"Whatever!" Ken turned in the opposite direction and stumped back into the house.

His men knew that his son was the only one who had the right to talk and act however he wanted with their boss, any other person would be put six feet under.

"Double the price, Ida," Sebastian commanded in his deep voice.

"Yes, sir," Ida replied.

~~

Zeno had just gotten down from the boxing ring, sweats could be seen dripping down his toned masculine body, adding a sheen to his skin.

Again, he emerged victorious. People's voices could be heard cheering him up around the ring as they held up a sign that had his name on, waving it gingerly from left to right.

They were happy their bet had been won.

Zeno was glad he had those many supporters, that meant that a lot of people placed a bet on him; he was sure the payout for tonight would be huge.

He ignored his opponent's boss who was busy accusing him of fowl and demanding a rematch.

The old man was just crazy, how could he demand a rematch when his opponent was passed out cold in the ring?!

He wasn't in the mood to entertain the greedy old man; all he wanted was to meet his boss and cash out for the night; he needed all the money he could get for his Nana's medical bills.

He pulled his black shirt through his head as he walked up to his boss.

"Mr. Rico," Zeno called the middle-aged man who was backing him and chatting with a younger man who looked like he was made from money.

"Ah, Zeno! Nice fight, boy!" Mr. Rico patted him on the shoulder, causing him to wince painfully.

"Ugh!" Zeno grunted.

"Oh, sorry boy. Forgot it was a tough one." Mr. Rico said with a chuckle.

"It's fine," Zeno replied.

"This is Mr. Nicholas; you'll be seeing him more often, Nicholas; this is Zeno; he's our best boxer here." That was all Mr. Rico said before he dragged Zeno away from Mr. Nicholas. He didn't even allow them to greet each other.

"Here you are! boy, Great fight tonight." He handed a light envelope to Zeno.

"Don't forget to do your best next week, bring me more money! Ha-ha-ha!" Mr. Rico laughed loudly.

Zeno didn't share his amusement, he just stood there weighing the light envelope in his hands. He already knew how much was inside, no matter how huge a fight was, he never received anything higher than twenty bucks, it was little but he had no choice, anytime he asked for a raise, he was always told that the money made was put into maintenance and bribing some official who let them run the underground boxing.

He resorted to accepting whatever he was given, he didn't want to be unreasonable.

"Thanks, Rico." He put the envelope into his shorts pocket and left.

"Anytime boy, anytime," Mr. Rico said to his retreating figure.

Outside the building, men and women could be seen smoking and chatting.

"Hey look! It's our champ!" A girl said from the midst of guys, she was in a sports bra and baggy jeans, with her checkered shirt tied around her waist.

"Hey, man! Congratulations on your win tonight!" A guy said as he puffed his smoke.

Zeno smiled and walked over to them.

"Thanks, Anna, Will." He said to them as they did a secret handshake.

Anna and Will were siblings, they were the only ones he could call friends. Over the years, he's made more enemies than friends due to his line of work; his opponents always hated him after a fight.

"Hey, Champ, wait up." Anna ran up to him as he was about to enter his power bike.

"What's up, Anna?" He asked.

"I know you're in a fix right now, I saw this ad online, and I decided to save it for you here," Anna handed him her phone.

Zeno reluctantly took it, he had thought it was another underground job; he didn't think he would be able to make it if he took two boxing jobs.

"What!" Zeno asked unbelievably.

The first thing that caught his eye was the price at the top of the ad; he couldn't believe it; what job could offer such an amount in this year and time?

He quickly read through it and it finally dawned on him.

"A nanny?" He asked with a raised brow.

This must be a scam. Who pays a Nanny a thousand dollars a month?!

 

 

Chapter 2

"Yes, I would have taken it up, but you know me, I'm not good with kids, but you came to my mind the moment I saw it. You up for it?" Anna explained.

Zeno couldn't believe his eyes and ears.

Would he take the job? Hell yes? He knew Anna loved money; if it hadn't involved children, he was certain she wouldn't have thought of him.

"Thanks, Anna! I owe you one." He drew Anna into his arms in a friendly hug, kissing the top of her head.

"Come on, stop it. We're family, don't forget that," Anna said, hiding her blushed cheeks in his chest.

"I owe you one, for real." He promised.

"Fine, I'll let you know what I want in return later. Now, go bag that money before someone else does." Anna told him with a smile.

"Bye!" Zeno entered his power bike and zoomed off.

Anna was glad for Zeno, but, at the same time, she felt sorry for him. He had no idea whom he was happily going to work for.

Honestly, the nanny part wasn't what had scared her off, it was the name of the employer she saw below the ad...

The destination was quite far, Zeno had to ride into the center of the city to find the house, or rather...mansion.

He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to freely drive his bike towards such a heavily guarded gate.

He wondered why the owner of the mansion needed so many guards, was he a drug lord or something?

"Stop!" A guard in a black outfit with a black facemask raised his hand, signaling him to stop halfway to the gate.

Zeno killed his engine and walked towards the guard; he hoped he was in the right address; if not...shit was about to go down.

"State your business here," The guard said, cocking his gun as Zeno approached him.

"I'm here for the Manny job," Zeno said, holding his phone's screen up to show the guard the ad that led him here.

"A Manny?" The guard asked.

"Yes, well, it's supposed to be a nanny but since I'm a man, I guess I'm to be called a Manny," Zeno explained cautiously.

The guard didn't reply, he only looked at him for a long time, then moved away from him to speak into the earphone in his ear.

"Come!" He beckoned Zeno.

"Hands up," The guard commanded.

Zeno complied, allowing himself to get thoroughly searched from hair to toe.

"All clear," The guard spoke to the person at the other end of the earpiece.

"Go in," The guard pressed a button on a small remote he fished from his pocket and the gate slid open.

"Take your bike with you." The guard said.

Zeno returned to his bike and drove it into the huge compound.

"Come," A man said to him as he got off his bike.

He was a middle-aged man, dressed like a butler.

Zeno silently followed him up the long stairs, reaching the door, Zeno heard a female voice out of nowhere.

"Welcome, Butler Nicole, for security reasons, please identify the stranger with you."

"My name is Zeno," Zeno answered before the butler could, he knew he hadn't provided the man with his name yet, and he wanted to help out.

"I'm sorry, access denied. Voice is unrecognized." The voice replied.

"Do not speak, or we won't be let in." Butler Nicole chastised.

Zeno felt ridiculed by a smart home robot. He felt stupid. The owner of this house must be bastardly loaded.

"Siri, this is Zeno, Ken's Manny. He will attune with you once we're in." Butler Nicole explained.

"Okay, access granted. Welcome Zeno." Siri replied.

The huge door smoothly slid open, and the lights automatically turned on as they stepped inside.

Zeno followed Butler Nicole into a three-way hallway and then took the straight path, the lights bouncing off the shiny surfaces of the floor and walls.

They entered a huge living room, he noticed staircases at each end of the living room that led upstairs.

Everything was in Grey and black, the plush sofa, the giant television, the walls, and only the center table were made with crystal clear glass.

Zeno felt out of place.

A second later, a little boy angrily walked down the stairs.

"Who's this now, Nicole?" Ken asked displeasingly, pouting and folding his little arms on his chest.

"This is Zeno, he's going to be the one taking care of you till your father returns." Butler Nicole explained to the pouting boy.

"I don't want him! I want a woman! He looks dangerous," Ken refuted.

Butler Nicole was speechless, Ken had been the one to dismiss all the previous female nannies, saying they treated him badly when they were alone.

"Ken, dear, trust me, I'll be the first to dismiss him if he maltreats you. But, your father wants you properly taken care of. Don't you want to make Daddy happy?" Butler Nicole tried to convince the boy.

Ken was quiet, silently thinking about what the butler had said.

He wanted to make his father happy; he wanted to please his father; he was always in a foul mood every time. He made his decision.

"Fine! He stays till Daddy is back!" Ken announced and ran upstairs, vanishing into a passage.

All these while, Zeno stood at a spot, listening to their debate, he thanked God for making the stubborn boss baby accept him.

"You, come." Butler Nicole said and walked into the dining.

He placed an Apple laptop on the table, and after collecting the necessary data from Zeno, he successfully added him as a member of the smart home.

"From now, you can ask Siri to help you with anything in the house. Follow me." Butler Nicole said.

Zeno started thinking that maybe following the butler around was what he came to do. He's been doing it since he stepped into the compound.

He followed him up the stairs that Ken had gone through earlier.

"This is your room, just beside Ken's room, easy to reach him that way," Butler Nicole said.

"Try it," He said.

"Huh?" Zeno asked, lost.

"Try asking Siri to open your door." Butler Nicole explained.

"Oh, okay. Siri, open my door," Zeno said, rubbing his thumb across the screen of his phone out of habit.

"Okay, Zeno. Opening your door," And just Like that, the door opened.

Zeno was awed; he wished his parents, and Nana were all here; they would tease him about hitting the jackpot and all.

"You're hired, young man. Good luck, feel at home, but, the last floor, It's out of bounds. Understand?" Butler Nicole emphasized.

"Yes, sir. Thank you." Zeno said.

They didn't need to worry, his only business in this mansion was that little fireball. It would be so much fun taming him.

Inside his room was the most comfortable-looking room he'd ever seen. Even though the bed wasn't king-sized, it was still sizeable enough to fit two people, the Grey bed linen looked so tempting for his weak and worn-out body.

The wardrobe was large, and so was the television. He started to wonder if they really needed a nanny or if they just wanted to pay someone to come and experience the luxury of the mansion.

This was the most luxurious house he'd seen his entire life.

His family wasn't poor, they had an average home with three bedrooms, and sometimes, he slept in the same room with his Nana.

His Nana, thinking about her, snapped him out of his dream state.

It was time he got to work.

Just when he wanted to turn and walk away from the door, he heard a soft notification. He looked around and saw a glowing table sitting on the bedside table.

He moved over and took it in his hands, a massage reminder was blinking at him. He tapped it and the message was displayed; it read: It's time for Ken's warm milk.

He placed the tablet back on the table and walked out of the room. He went downstairs and stood in the living room. He needed to find the kitchen.

"Hey, Siri, turn the kitchen lights on," He said, hoping Siri wasn't asleep yet.

"Okay, Zeno. Kitchen lights turned on." Siri said.

Zeno felt stupid, he could have just guessed it. It was right behind the dining.

The white chandelier made the already classy kitchen look like where Gordon Ramsey would hold a show.

Sophisticated in every way.

He went around the shiny black kitchen counter and took out a mug cup.

He opened the two-door fridge took out a can of milk, and poured some into the mug cup.

He put it into the microwave and when it was warm enough to the desired temperature, he took it out and went up to Ken's room.

"KNOCK! KNOCK!"

Zeno knocked but there was no response

"KNOCK! KNOCK!"

He knocked again but still no response.

It was 9:58 p.m., and the boy must have fallen asleep.

 

 

Chapter 3

He decided to try his luck by turning the door handle, surprisingly, the door was unlocked.

He gently pushed it open and went in, and, as he speculated, the little guy was fast asleep under his cozy duvet.

He thought his room was posh, but, seeing Ken's room made him realize that there was no limit to luxury in life.

'Content is happiness.' Like his Nana always told him.

He walked up to Ken's bed, gently placing the mug on the bedside table.

"Ken, buddy, wake up," He lightly tapped the sleeping boy's shoulder.

As he stared at the boy, he realized they were complete opposites compared to when he grew up.

His parents weren't billionaires or even millionaires, but they were always together as a family.

He had never been left alone in the house and had never slept alone.

This poor child had everything that other children would be envious of, but they would never know how lonely he felt.

His parents were busy chasing the bag, forgetting that their child also needed their time and attention.

To him, money was useless if it was used to replace the presence of your loved ones.

He would always remain grateful for his family, maybe being Mexican was what made them value family and made their bond unbreakable.

Here in the states, New York precisely, no one cares about that; they all cared about the dollars.

"Leave me alone, go away," Ken mumbled sleepily.

"Come on, buddy. It's just a small cup of milk for strengthening the bones. Don't you want to be strong and healthy?" Zeno asked.

"I do," Ken replied, slowly rubbing his eyes.

"Here you are," Zeno saw that Ken was trying to sit up, so he helped carrying him up and placing his back on the headboard.

"Here," He carefully gave the little boy the warm mug of milk.

Ken took it and slowly took sip after sip.

Zeno patiently stood beside his bed, waiting for him to finish.

Ken finally drank every drop of the milk and returned the mug to Zeno.

"Go away," Ken said again; he still wasn't accepting of Zeno; he had only drank the milk because he wanted to have strong bones like his daddy.

"OK, buddy. I'll see you in the morning," Zeno gently tucked Ken in on the bed.

"Goodnight," He patted his head before he took the cup and left.

Back in his room, he exhaustedly sat on the floor with his back relaxing on the side of his bed.

He closed his eyes and sighed; it's been a long night. It's been a month since he lost his parents and his Nana became hospitalized, things haven't been beds of roses for him.

He never expected his luck to lead him here today, he guessed God didn't want to take his Nana now, so he provided him a means to save her.

He really owed Anna one

The last thought on his mind was to go take a shower and watch off the sweat and dirt from the fight; he planned to go home tomorrow and get his clothes, but when he opened his eyes, sunlight was streaming in from the big rectangular window he had missed last night.

"Damn, I fucking slept off on the floor." He rubbed his palm over his tired face.

He looked over at the wall clock and was relieved to see that it was just 6. a.m., he thought he was going to be late on his first official day as a Manny.

He stood up and headed to a door by the left side of the room; he hoped that was the bathroom; he was in dire need to use it.

But, before he could reach it, a knock sounded on his door, pausing his journey to the bathroom.

He walked over to the door and opened it, Butler Nicole stood there with two, carrying two black duffle bags in his hands.

"Good morning, Sir." Zeno greeted.

"Good morning, Zeno. Here," Butler Nicole raised the bags to Zeno.

Zeno looked confused, but he still took them from him. He didn't want the old man to feel bad or insulted.

"What's in the..."

"Your clothes. You don't need to leave this house till the boss is back. Everything you'll need is inside the bag." Butler Nicole explained and left immediately.

Zeno stood at the door for some time before he went in with the bags.

He placed them on the bed and opened one of them; sure enough, towels, clothes ranging from pants, trunks, shirts, singlet, hoodies, joggers, and even toiletries were all packed inside the bag.

The other one was filled with shoes, sneakers, sandals, and stockings.

He wondered again who the hell this boss was that treated his employees like they were in a five-star hotel. Being rich sure feels good.

He took a trunk, black shorts, a white shirt, a toothbrush, and toothpaste, and walked into the bathroom.

As expected, the bathroom looked classy.

He quickly brushed his teeth and took a shower. He didn't have time to admire the aesthetic interior that was used in the bathroom.

He came out of the bathroom to find the tablet beeping with a notification.

He came to understand that the tablet was like a guide to him, he noted to always take it around so he wouldn't miss anything.

He picked it up and swiped up to see six notifications;

• Wake Ken up.

• Brush his teeth.

• shower him.

• Make his breakfast (Vegetable sandwich).

• Do whatever he wants for the rest of the day.

• Never take him outside the mansion without permission.

He took the tablet with him and walked out of his room.

This time, he didn't knock because he knew Ken would still be sleeping, it was quite early for him to wake up.

He went into the room and saw the boy hugging his pillow as he slept. He felt a kind of feeling wash over him as he stared at the sleeping boy.

His whole countenance screamed loneliness; he remembered the few days when his parents would leave him for a business trip; he would always hug his pillow that way, but he always had his Nana; he never really felt lonely.

He sat on the bed and gently tapped Ken's cheek. The boy mumbled incoherently and turned the other way.

"Hey, kiddo. Rise and shine!" He said a bit louder than usual.

He knew it would irritate the little boss, but he had a duty to perform.

"Leave me alone," Ken said without opening his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. Come on, into the bathroom." He lifted Ken off the bed and carried him into the bathroom.

"I said no! Leave me alone!" Ken struggled in Zeno's arms, but it didn't deter Zeno's determination; his weight wasn't outrageous.

"Here you are," He dropped Ken to his feet when they entered the bathroom.

"Move!" Ken made to leave but Zeno stood in front of the door, blocking him.

"Sorry, son, you have to brush, and shower," Zeno said as he relaxed his back onto the closed door, lazily looking at his fingers like he had all day.

"I don't want to," Ken folded his hands on his chest.

"But, you have to," Zeno mimicked his posture.

"Okay, how about we strike a deal?" Zeno bent to Ken's level.

"What?" Ken asked, pouting.

"I know you don't like Vegetable sandwiches, right?" Zeno asked.

"Yes, why?" Ken asked, taking his face to the side with his hands still folded.

He made up his mind not to do anything Zeno would tell him. He wasn't going to fall for his tricks.

"Brush your teeth, take your shower, I'll make you sweet milk waffles, and..."

"Really?!" Zeno reeled back from the deafening scream.

He didn't know Ken was capable of such energy; he watched him as he jumped up and down, waiting for him to confirm what he had just said.

"Yes, I promise," Zeno replied, smiling.

"Deal!" Ken took his brush and stood over his sink, he brushed his teeth like he wasn't the one who had refused to enter the bathroom a few minutes ago.

Zeno watched him with a smirk. He mentally thanked his Nana for teaching him everything he knew about children and how to care for them. He would have been so clueless with Ken.

"Can you make it?" Ken asked Zeno as he sat on a stool in the kitchen.

"Sure, man. Just watch," Zeno winked at Ken.

Zeno mixed the ingredients and poured them into the already-heated waffle iron.

"You see, it wasn't that hard," Zeno said as he removed his apron.

"Is it ready already?" Ken asked, giddy with excitement on the stool.

"No, sir. One more minute," Zeno said.

Zeno walked up to Ken and sat on the stool beside him.

"Tell me, son, they never let you eat sweets?" Zeno asked.

He already knew the answer but he just wanted to confirm how strict his parent were.

"No," Ken replied with a shake of his head.

"Well, if you accept me as your buddy, we could have cheat meals more often," Zeno offered.

He wanted to make the boy as comfortable as possible with him, he wanted to help alleviate his loneliness for the period he would be his Manny.

"Deal! You said it, don't go back on your words," Ken said, pointing his cute little finger at Zeno.

"Pinky swear?" He placed his last finger in front of Ken.

Ken hooked his pinky finger with Zeno's, smiling cutely.

He was starting to like this new guy, he seemed like he was going to be better than those previous female nannies.

Zeno chuckled at Ken's excitement.

"Here, young sir," Zeno placed a plate of waffles with freshly sliced strawberries, drizzled with Eagle brand milk.

"Whoa! This looks so yummy," Ken said, rubbing his palms together and licking his lips.

"Try it then," Zeno said, rubbing Ken's head.

 

Chapter 4

Two months later...

"Zeno! Zeno! Come on! You're gonna miss this, it's very interesting!" Ken shouted at Zeno who was washing dishes in the kitchen.

"Be right with you, buddy," Zeno replied from the kitchen.

By the time he was done and went to the living room, Ken was fast asleep, the last episode of Avatar The Last Air Bender was playing on the television.

He turned off the television and carried the boy to his room, tucking him in on the bed.

The last two months have been fun with Ken.

He managed to make him come out of his shell and open up to him, he played and chatted with him most of the days he was free, but he never really mentioned anything concerning his parents, it felt like he wasn't even avoiding the topic, it seemed like he genuinely didn't have anything to say about them, which he found kind of sad.

He also familiarized himself with some of the security men; they weren't overly friendly, but at least they were no longer pointing a gun at him each time they saw him, and that was a good sign.

He imagined how boring Ken's life was before he came, being the only child a in mafia-like world.

He settled down on the sofa and brought out his phone from his pocket, texting Anna.

Zeno: Hi, Anna. Sorry, I missed the last two fights; this job is kind of weird; they won't let me out until their boss returns from his trip, like...a month more. Help me talk to Rico, he listens better to you.

The moment he sent it, he got a notification immediately.

Anna: Not a problem, anything for you.

He smiled as he read her reply. He placed his phone on the center table and relaxed on the huge sofa chair, deciding to sleep there for a while before he went to his room. Soon sleep overtook him.

Approaching footsteps sounded from the entrance, but Zeno was too far go to hear them.

The footsteps sounded closer, and closer, and closer, until he faintly heard Siri's voice welcoming someone into the house, but before he could open his eyes to see who it was, he felt a large hand gripping his neck, his legs were locked tightly between much larger ones, and, he felt the cold metal of a gun placed directly on his...gun.

Zeno quickly opened his eyes from instincts, ready to fight off his attacker, but the moment he did so, he was met with mesmerizing dark grey orbs, staring dangerously at him.

The face of his attacker was too close, he couldn't make out his features, but he knew they were sharp, even from a closed look.

He didn't bother fighting, he didn't want to lose his junior member down there, and his Nana still expected grandchildren from him. He couldn't disappoint her.

"Who. Are. You?" The voice of his attacker was so deep, dark, and commanding.

Zeno was a fighter, but he felt a chill run down his spine from the sound of the voice.

The hand around Zeno's neck tightened, but he endured it, he was a fighter.

Judging by his attacker's looks and actions of confidence, this was his boss. And, he had just landed himself into trouble with a seemingly dangerous man by lying comfortably on his expensive Leathered sofa.

He remembered Butler Nicole's words telling him to feel at home; now, look where it landed him; he was about to lose his most cherished body part.

He carefully thought of how to respond to the angry-looking man above him, he didn't want to mess with him.

"Your Manny, Sir," Zeno managed to answer with his constricting airways.

'This man is a devil!' Zeno thought in his head.

He hated him already.

"Who the fuck are you!"

POW!

A hard punch landed on Zeno's face, close to his eyes.

Sebastian had wanted to come home early so that he could send away the Nanny they found for his son.

But, he wasn't expecting to see the Nanny's boyfriend lying comfortably on his sofa like it was their home.

And his instincts told him there was something off about the man on his sofa, he might be a spy from his enemies.

He had lost his patience with the intruder.

"Answer me!" Sebastian punched Zeno's lips, bruising it as he did.

He was lucky he didn't burst his balls the moment he walked in, but, it seems like the fucker was still trying to play games with him, taking his kindness for foolishness.

"Shit! I'm your Manny!" Zeno said angrily, licking the blood off his lips.

If not because the man who was using him as a punching bag was going to pay him a huge sum of money, he would have fought back, but he didn't, and not necessarily because of the money, but because he also had a gun to his junior Zeno.

"Daddy! Let Zeno go!" Ken rushed down the stairs and pushed his father away from Zeno.

"Who is he, Ken?" Sebastian asked, putting his son behind his leg, hiding him from Zeno.

Zeno palmed his bruised face as he stood up from the sofa chair.

This was not how he expected his night to go. He thought the boss wasn't back until one month later?

"He's my Manny and my best friend," Ken ran from behind his father's legs and went to stand beside Zeno, holding him with his hands.

"Good evening, sir, my name is Zeno Evander; your son's Manny," Zeno straightened up and introduced himself officially.

"Who hired you?" Sebastian asked in a cold tone, frowning hard at Zeno.

He didn't like him.

He stared at the way his son protectively held this stranger's hand like they shared a deeper bond that he would never understand.

"Butler Nicole, sir," Zeno answered, feeling hurt and humiliated.

"Siri? Call Butler Nicole," Sebastian commanded.

"Done, sir," Siri replied.

Not long enough, Butler Nicole was seen walking towards them, his head bowed. He was surprised to see the boss in the living room, everyone had thought he still had one month more to stay.

"Welcome back, boss," Butler Nicole greeted with his head bowed as he reached the living room.

"Pay him in full, and get him out of here," Sebastian stated, putting his gun back in the holster.

"Yes, boss." Butler Nicole replied.

"No! Daddy, you can't do that!" Ken hugged Zeno's legs tight like his actions would prevent his father's decision.

"It's okay, buddy. I'll come visit you sometime," Zeno patted the boy's head reassuringly.

"It's past your bedtime, Kenneth, up to your room," Sebastian said coldly to his son and drew him away from Zeno's leg, taking him upstairs with him.

"Be gone before I come back down," Sebastian paused and said to Zeno without turning back.

He carried the struggling Ken up to his room, not listening to his protests.

Sebastian didn't want strangers in his home. The people he trusted wholeheartedly before had betrayed him without remorse, it hardened him and made him security conscious around everyone.

Before anyone worked for him, he made sure to check their records and their family's records and do a thorough background check on them. They also had to sign an undertaking that if he so found out that any of them betrayed him, or were into something fishy, or even harbored an ill thought toward him or his son, he would kill them at the spot without further questions.

But look what happened for just two months he's been away, they brought in a potential threat into his home, leaving his son under the care of an unverified identity.

"Daddy, please don't make Zeno go," Ken pleaded as his father carried him into his room.

"He's a threat, Ken. We can't trust him. You let me down," Sebastian said to his son as placed him back on the bed.

"Sorry, Dad, but-"

"I thought you better, Ken. Do not trust strangers, but you did, what if something bad happened to you?!" Sebastian asked, trying his best to control his anger, but his son still felt his withdrawn rage.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Ken said, going deeper into the covers.

He knew there was no changing his Father's mind when he decided on something.

"I bought you a present, I'll give it to you tomorrow. Goodnight, son," Sebastian gently patted his son's hair before leaving the room.

"Mr. Zeno, the sum of one thousand dollars has been transferred to you, check your mail for confirmation." Butler Nicole said to Zeno.

Zeno immediately received a notification, confirming what Butler Nicohad had said.

"Confirmed," Zeno said.

He was supposed to be hundred percent happy but his happiness wasn't complete because of the way he was leaving.

He had already bonded with Ken, and he felt pity for him having such an ignorant and unloving father, he wondered why his parents treated him so awfully.

He went upstairs to get his original clothes which he had come with, but Butler Nicole told him to go with everything that had been given to him. He did.

Sebastian stood beside his window, watching his son's ex, Manny, drive away on his bike.

He wondered why they had to find a dangerous man to take care of his son instead of a docile lady.

He never wanted to set his eyes on Zeno again. His instincts told him that something was going to happen to him.

 

Chapter 5

Zeno sat on the bench in the waiting hall. He was waiting for his turn to see the doctor.

He quietly tapped his foot on the floor as he was starting to lose patience; he'd been waiting for an hour but no nurse had come to call him in, just passing him by and tsking other people into the doctor's office.

He'd already paid his Nana's medical bills, which would cover the next two months, but time wasn't on his side; he needed to find something else to do that would fetch him money to cover for the coming months.

He just needed to confirm his Nana's health progress from the doctor, and he would be gone since they'd refused him seeing her for another two weeks.

He was deep in thought about how he was going to get another instant and wholesome cash again, and he wondered how Ken was doing, was he still sad?

It's just unfortunate the little boy got a devil for a father. He could never let himself get involved with him again. Not even under gunpoint.

It's been a week since he left the mansion.

He could only sigh and hope that the little boy found some kind of consolation in his absence.

"Mr. Evander?" A nurse called, carrying a medical file in her hands.

"Yes, that's me," Zeno stood from the bench to allow the nurse to see him better.

"The doctor will see you now," The nurse informed and left.

Finally.

He walked up to the doctor's office door and knocked. A low reply was heard, telling him to enter.

"Good morning, Doctor Ezra," Zeno greeted as he went into the office.

"Good morning, Zeno. Please sit," Doc. Ezra said.

"How's my Nana doing?" Zeno asked directly, not beating around the bush.

He was man enough to hear about his Nana's medical status; good or bad, he wanted to hear it.

Doc. Ezra removed his glasses and placed them on the table, sighing.

"Your grandmother has been stable most of the time, but for the last three weeks, we started noticing that her muscles were atrophying due to lack of usage," Doc. Ezra explained calmly.

"What does that mean?" Zeno asked.

"It means that her muscles have started to waste away due to lack of exercise, locomotion, malnutrition, and sickness. And she has started to lose some pounds due to the condition." Doc. Ezra replied honestly.

"You guys can treat her, right?" Zeno asked hopefully.

"You don't need to worry, this is common amongst patients in the ICU and comatose patients. We started the Neuromuscular electrical stimulation, in due time, it'll treat the atrophy." Doc. Ezra said.

"But, I'm afraid that would burn a hole in your pocket, maybe..."

"It's okay, Doc, I'll manage. Just make sure you treat her to the best care possible." Zeno said.

"Alright, Zeno. It's all going to be fine." Doc. Ezra said, giving him a warm smile.

"Okay, Doc. Thanks." Zeno as he stood.

"See you soon, Zeno." Doc. Ezra said to Zeno before he walked out of the office.

As Zeno walked out of the hospital, he thought about what the Doctor had said. He wasn't medical personnel and didn't really understand what the Doctor said as he should, but all he cared about was for his Nana to be alright.

He would do just anything humanly possible for her to give him that warm and lovely smile again.

He trusted Doc. Ezra, as a young and capable Doctor, the best in the country, believed his Nana was in good hands.

Zeno rode his bike across the always-bustling New York streets; he reached a lonely and dangerous-looking area. Other vehicles drove speedily past the area, but he drove ahead, speeding his bike further into the area.

"Come on, man, Rico's almost dead from losing money," Will was already waiting for him in front of the building.

"Rage, huh?" Zeno asked, pointing at the new sign hanging on top of the building as he came down from his bike.

"Trust me, you don't want to know why," Will shook his head, chuckling.

Zeno shrugged and followed Will inside. If Rico decided to name the underground boxing area then he must have been granted permission from the owner.

Zeno had always wondered who was able to own this kind of business so publicly without the fear of being exposed to the officials; now he had given it a name, and such a daring one: Rage.

"Ah! Zeno my boy! Thank goodness you're back," Rico stood from his chair and hugged Zeno tightly.

Zeno lightly patted the man's back and subtly stepped away from him. He wasn't used to this kind of closeness from the greedy man, he felt weird.

Everyone knew Rico as a greedy man, and Zeno knew his concern wasn't about him; rather, it was because of the money he was going to make with him.

"Thanks," Zeno said.

"Alrighty, boys, you're each assigned to one of the new boys, pick your favorite and teach him the basics, then prepare for your fights tonight. Nicholas is coming." Rico said and waved a dismissive hand at them.

"What's his deal?" Zeno asked.

"His money, of course; what else?" Will shrugged his shoulders.

"No man, not the old man; I meant the Nicholas he mentioned; what's his deal?" Zeno asked again.

Will had thought he was asking about Rico, so he had to explain better.

"Oh, ha-ha! Thought you were talking about that one," Will pointed his thumb behind him.

"No man," Zeno shook his head.

"Nicholas, I don't know his deal, some say he owns the place, some say he wants to buy a fighter and others say he works for the owner, you know, helping him look out for spies," Will explained as they went into the locker room to change their clothes into their boxing gear.

"Ugh," Zeno palmed his face.

The answer he got was even more confusing.

"Which do you think he is?" Zeno asked.

"I don't know, man, don't care either; you decide which storyline you want to believe, though. It's up to you man," Will patted Zeno's shoulder and walked to his locker, and unlocked it.

Zeno unlocked his locker and took out his black boxing gloves, mouth guard, and the red shorts he normally used for boxing.

"See you out there, man," Zeno said to Will who was still sitting on the bench, tying his shoe on his leg.

Zeno saw Anna standing between two guys who almost looked identical, just that one seemed taller and the other one wore glasses.

"Oh my God! Zeno!" Anna dashed into Zeno's arms.

Zeno hugged her, lifting her feet a little from the floor.

"Welcome back," Anna said.

"Thank you, Anna, who are those?" He asked, pointing to the similar-looking guys behind Anna.

"Oh, hey! Come here! Introduce yourselves," Anna beckoned to the guys with her hand.

"Hi, I'm Thomas, and this is my twin brother, Jeremiah. We're the newest members, Rico said we'll get trained today," One of the guys introduced.

The one who introduced himself was slightly shorter, but it was almost negligible. The brothers looked about their early twenties and they both had dark hair, brown eyes, thin lips, and a defined jaw. They were quite good-looking.

"Hey," Jeremiah said quietly.

"Hello, Tom, and Jerry, I'm Zeno," Zeno said.

"Tom and Jerry! Pfft! Nailed it, man," Anna bent over and laughed hard, she held Zeno's shoulder for support and kept on laughing.

"It's Jeremiah, not Jerry," Jeremiah corrected with a stoic face.

"OK. So, which of you is coming with me?" Zeno asked, fixing his boxing gloves, and completely ignoring Jeremiah's I'll attitude.

Anna sniffed her nose. Wiping the tears that came out from the side of her eyes due to how hard she had laughed.

She saw Jeremiah's countenance and decided to quit her fun for now.

"What's going on, Thomas, Jeremiah?" Will asked as he approached the group.

"Chill man," Thomas whispered to his brother as he saw Will approach them.

"Nothing! I think I'll go with Will. Have fun!" Thomas said to his brother before dragging Will Away.

"Then, I'll see you later tonight, Champ," Anna pecked Zeno's cheek and then walked away.

Jeremiah and Zeno stood for a few seconds before Zeno turned and walked into the boxing ring.

He didn't have time for chitchat and was happy that Thomas had chosen to go with Will; he didn't know if he would have been able to keep up with cheerfulness; at least, this one was quiet, and there wouldn't be a need for small conversations here and there.

Jeremiah sighed and followed Zeno into the boxing ring.

"So, we'll be... Put your gloves on, Jerry," Zeno said when he saw Jeremiah casually leaning against the rope.

"It's Jeremiah," Jeremiah corrected with a frown.

"Look, I'm just following orders here, so if you don't want to get screened, then go home, Jerry," Zeno said and went below the ropes, heading straight to his punch bag to practice for his fight tonight.

 

 

Chapter 6

He wanted to channel his anger to something else before he ended up channeling it to Jerry... Jeremiah's face.

He already had his Nana's condition weighing on him and a lot of other things on his plate; he didn't want to add a rich, spoilt brat to them.

"Hey," Someone called from behind, interrupting Zeno's punches and kicks.

He turned to see Jeremiah standing with a bottle of water in his hands.

"What do want?" Zeno asked with a raised brow.

"Fine, you can call me Jerry," Jeremiah said with a smirk.

"Huh?" Zeno gave him the 'Are you crazy' look, scoffed, and then went back to his punch bag.

He was sure Jeremiah must've been sent by his enemy to come and irritate and frustrate him. He refused to play by their cards, he would ignore him, and when he got tired of standing there, he'd go away.

Does he really think he was bothered about whatever his name was?

"Okay, fine, I'm sorry for acting so rigid," Jeremiah said.

But he saw that Zeno didn't stop punching the bag furiously, he was purposely ignoring him.

"Hey!" He held Zeno's arm when he drew back to deliver a punch.

"What the fuck man?!" Zeno furiously pushed Jeremiah away.

"Hey, calm down," Jeremiah raised his hands in surrender, "I just wanted to give you some water and apologize, for real..." He said and stretched out the water to Zeno.

Zeno eyed him suspiciously and reluctantly took the water from him.

It was better they got the wall down between them. Work was smoother that way.

"I...I was jealous," Jeremiah said out of the blue.

"Huh?" Zeno realized that was the second time he replied this way to Jeremiah. He tends to speak quite unclearly.

What does he mean by he was jealous?

"Um, I was... Are you done?" Jeremiah asked as he saw Zeno head to the locker room.

He hurriedly followed him in, he needed to clear the air between them.

"Why are you following me, Jerry?" Zeno asked as he brought out his whey and his water flask.

"I'm sorry for the attitude, Coach..." Jeremiah said, taking his seat beside Zeno on the bench.

"Coach? What's wrong with you dude?" Zeno shook his head at him.

"Yes, like I said earlier, I was jealous of you," Jeremiah confessed, scratching the back of his head.

"Huh... Why?" Zeno asked incredulously.

He didn't think there was anything envious about his life, he was a broken mess, with heavy bills digging up his pockets, and a messed-up life.

"Um, I'm older," Jeremiah said with a shrug.

"God damn it! Can you just get to the point?!" Zeno asked exasperatedly.

"Sorry man," Jeremiah chuckled.

"I don't like being under a younger person, I'm not a newbie to boxing, and I joined here because it's quite famous in the underworld and the pay is decent, and, I also intended to challenge the best fighter who I learned was, well... You," Jeremiah said looking at Zeno from head to toe.

"But, instead of Rico to make us partners or opponents considering my experience, he placed me under you, disregarding all my efforts. When I learned you were younger, I was angry and jealous," Jeremiah sighed.

Zeno couldn't help but chuckle lightly after Jeremiah's speech.

"Seriously man? Then, what changed your mind?" Zeno asked, staring unbelievably at Jeremiah.

He could not believe an adult could be so childish and petty, yet claim to be the older one.

His life was already hard enough, but Jeremy comes along and decides to spice it up, he didn't need such unreasonable dramas at the moment.

"I saw I was being unreasonable, that's why I'm here to apologize... Buddies?" Jeremiah brought his hand up beside his face, waiting for Zeno to high-five him.

"Yeah, buddies," Zeno chuckled as he high-fived Jeremiah.

"Ha! I knew you two would become buddies!" Thomas came and plopped down between them, placing his arms around their shoulders.

"Cheers to the friendship of the trio!" He announced loudly.

"Ouch! Hey!" Thomas cried from the floor, rubbing his tailbone and looking accusingly at his brother for pushing him down.

Zeno shook his head at the twin.

Maybe... Just maybe, they weren't so bad to be friends with after all.

Zeno had just received his payment for the night and was walking out of Rico's office when he saw the twins waiting for him at the exit.

"Hey, leaving now?" Jeremiah asked.

Thomas walked up to Zeno and placed his arm around his shoulder.

"Yeah, not leaving yet?" Zeno asked them.

"Well, we were thinking-"

"Come drink with us tonight," Thomas said, interrupting his brother.

Jeremiah rolled his eyes at his brother, he was sure Zeno would refuse. Thomas was always tactless.

"Uh, not tonight, guys; I've got something to do," Zeno told the twins as they walked out of the building.

"Tomorrow?" Thomas asked, not giving up.

"Yeah, that works," Zeno said as mounted his bike.

"Ok, buddy, goodnight," Jeremiah said, he waved at Zeno and dragged his stubborn brother to their car.

Zeno watched as they entered a classy-looking car with tinted windows and wondered why they wanted to work there, they seemed loaded.

"Hey, Champ," Anna said as she approached him.

"Anna, need a ride home?" He asked with a smile.

"That's tempting," Anna came close to him and raised her hand to his face, barely running her fingers across his jawline.

"Just dropping me off... Or..." She sensually bit her lips, bringing her face close to his.

HERE

Zeno was only smiling at her, he knew Anna had a crush on him, and she wasn't bad either, but he was just surprised at how bold Anna could get at times.

"Um..." Zeno pretended to think about his reply.

"I think I'll... Just drop you off," He smirked playfully at her

"Ugh! Killjoy!" Anna reeled back from him, frowning.

"Come on, princess, let's get you to your castle. You know Will's already gone with that chick," He said and revved his engine, pretending to drive off without her.

"Hey, man, wait for me! You're so evil," Anna said as she caught up with him and jumped in behind him, wrapping her hands around his waist.

"Hold tight, princes Anna," He said and drove off into the road.

After a while, he came to stop in front of an apartment.

"Thanks for the ride, and, Will went with a dude tonight," Anna shrugged.

"Ah, not surprised," Zeno shook his head.

"Good night, Champ! See you tomorrow," Anna waved as Zeno drove off from her house.

Zeno was just a few blocks from his house when he noticed a black-tinted car with a very bright headlight following him speedily from behind.

He first thought it was a random car that was in a haste to pass so he slowed down and cleared from the middle of the road.

But he noticed that the car had slowed down, too, still following him at the same pace. That's when he knew he was being followed.

"Damn it," He muttered and sped up.

He sped past his house, he didn't risk stopping there so whoever they were wouldn't find out where he lived.

He kept driving fast, trying to outrun the car but it just kept closing in on him.

He was sure he knew the streets more than they did, so he kept leading them deeper into areas with bad roads, he reached an alley and immediately drove into it.

He was sure the car could never fit into the tiny alleyway. But, to his shock, two power bikes emerged from behind the car and followed him.

"For fuck sake!" He swore and increased his speed which he had earlier reduced because he thought he had outrun them.

He kept turning from corner to corner, maneuvering the trash cans, and taking sharp bends.

He risked to look back and saw the two men dressed in black with black helmets on the bikes, he couldn't help but wonder who they were.

He hadn't offended anybody in the higher class or the mafia, so he was perplexed as to who they were.

Zeno was lost in thought and didn't notice the new bike that had emerged from the corner and was speedily driving towards him.

"Shit!" He said at the last minute as his bike was about to crash into the impending one and smartly jumped off his bike in a backflip.

He rolled a few times on the concrete floor before he quickly stood up, and by then, three black-dressed men had surrounded him.

"Come with us," The one in the center said., he was the tallest amongst them.

"It's obvious I don't want to," Zeno said and flew a kick to the chest of the one that had just spoken, throwing him far away to the ground.

They charged against him with brutal punches and kicks, but he smartly dodged most of their attack by ducking and bending.

He accurately rendered his blows and even succeeded in knocking one out.

"Argh!" Zeno screamed and fell to the floor.

 

Chapter 7

Zeno felt the electrifying sting of a Taser on his left thigh, and before he knew it, his hands were chained to the back, and a black cloth was put over his head.

Zeno felt two men lift him and carry him in the direction of the car, and he felt the Taser being removed but he couldn't do anything as his hands were currently chained behind him.

After a long and silent ride, he felt those men grab him by the arm and lead him out of the car.

He was unaware of his surroundings and decided to just follow their lead; there was no use resisting now; if he wanted to survive, he had to cooperate; he knew how these things worked.

"Uh!" He groaned as he was pushed down onto a chair.

"Release him, Jasper," Zeno heard an unfamiliar man's voice in front of him.

"Yes, sir," Another voice replied beside him.

Zeno felt his hands being unlocked and silently sighed in relief, he impatiently waited for the cloth over his face to be removed, but it wasn't.

"Young man, do you promise to cooperate?" The unfamiliar man asked.

"Yes," Zeno replied, he had no choice.

"Uncover his face," He heard the man say.

Zeno felt the cloth being dragged away from his face and suddenly closed his eyes from the bright light that shone from the chandelier above.

He slowly opened his eyes and was shocked to see where he'd been taken. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

How was he back here? He racked his brain for anything that could've made that cold and evil man want to kidnap and kill him, but he found nothing.

Had he perhaps taken any of his things by mistake when leaving? No, he knew he didn't, and he was sure he didn't spoil any of his luxury furniture.

"No need to tell you your location, I'm sure you're quite familiar with it," He finally looked at the owner of the voice and saw a man in his late fifties wearing a white suit with a cigarette between his fingers.

He found his features strikingly similar to that man's, just that he had grey hairs lining his dark hair.

He found it funny that he didn't care to know the name of the man who had punched him while pointing a gun at him a week ago.

"I'm Mr. Orion, You can call me Abuelo," Mr. Orion came and offered a handshake to Zeno.

Zeno reluctantly shook his hand and subtly withdrew away. He found the situation strange.

Who kidnaps someone and offers you a handshake? And even orders you to call them Abuelo.

"Leave us and call Butler Nicole," Mr. Orion said to the men, and they quickly dispersed.

Zeno realized that he was sitting on the same sofa he had been lying on that night he almost got his dick blown off.

"Relax, Zeno, let's chat," Mr. Orion came and sat beside Zeno.

"You know him?" Mr. Orion showed him a picture on his phone.

"Yes, that's Ken," Zeno said, staring at the picture he had taken of Ken when he was enjoying the strawberry ice cream he had made for him, an ice cream smear was cutely sitting on the button of his nose.

"You have a smile on your face, you seem fond of him," Mr. Orion said.

"I was," Zeno replied.

"Ah, we should fix that," Mr. Orion smiled and pointed to the door.

Immediately, he pointed at the door; it flew open.

"Zeno!!!!" Zeno looked at the entrance and saw Ken running with speed towards him, Butler Nicole walking behind him with a file in hand.

He immediately slid off the chair and squatted down with his arms open and waiting for Ken.

"Auph! Hey there, buddy," Zeno chuckled as he caught the flying Ken in his arms, hugging him.

"I thought I'd never get to see you again," Ken said excitedly, still wrapping his tiny hands around Zeno's neck.

"Me too, buddy, I missed you too, come on, let's sit," Zeno carried Ken as he stood and placed him on the sofa while he took his seat beside the little boy.

"What a lovely sight. Okay, let's get down to business, young man," Mr. Orion Stretched his hand to Butler Nicole and he dropped the file into his hands.

"What are you holding, Abuelo?" Ken asked innocently, looking up at his Grandfather.

"Nada, m'hijo, just something to make him stay, so you wouldn't be lonely anymore," Mr. Orion said dotingly.

Zeno looked at him quizzically, he wondered what the old man was up to. But, he was sure as hell nothing was going to make him work for that beast of a man again.

Who could be so emotionless and unfeeling to another being to the extent of wanting to kill him the moment he saw him?

He sure didn't want to die young; he still had his Nana to look out for.

He'd rather shoot himself in the foot than spend another night under the roof of an unfeeling Devil.

"Sign this, Zeno," Mr. Orion handed him a piece of paper from the file.

Zeno skeptically took it.

His eyes widened when he saw the amount at the bottom of the paper, but the words at the top instantly made him lose interest in the money.

Zeno mentally noted the devil's name from the contract.

He carefully went through the contract and discovered that it was meant to last for a year and it was also stated that he would resume his duty as Ken's Manny immediately.

He scoffed and placed the paper on the table.

He wasn't going to become his bodyguard.

Never.

And why did they need him? He already had dozens of men flocking around his mansion.

"No?" Mr. Orion asked with a raised brow.

"I'm sorry, Mr... Abuelo, but I can't sign this," Zeno pointed to the paper lying on the table.

"You don't want to be my friend anymore?" Ken asked, tears forming in his clear doe eyes.

"No, Not that, Ken, it's just..." He didn't know how to tell the little boy that his father was a monster.

"Oh, I happen to have this picture on my phone too, let's hope nothing happens to the poor woman," Mr. Orion showed Zeno a picture of a woman lying on a hospital bed.

Zeno's eyes widened in shock and anger.

"No, you wouldn't dare!" Zeno angrily stood up, his face looking like he was ready to kill someone at any moment.

"Won't I?" Mr. Orion asked mischievously.

Zeno watched as he went through his contact list and dialed a private number.

"Hello, Xavier, about what we talked about, go ahead and take care of the woman in St. Mary's hospital, room number 236-"

"Don't! I'll sign it," Zeno quickly bent over, took the pen from the table, and signed his name at the lower right of the contract paper.

"Yay! Zeno stays!" Ken jumped up and down, hugging Zeno's leg.

"Oh, sorry, perhaps another time Xavier. Yes. Thank you," Mr. Orion ended his call, wearing a satisfied smile.

"Yes, m'hijo, I'll do anything for you," Mr. Orion patted Ken's head lovingly.

"Why?" Zeno asked, he needed to know why it had to be him.

He haven't wronged them in any way, why were they trying to hurt him then?

Now he saw where Sebastian got his brutality from. An apple truly never falls far from a tree.

"I just need your help, Son," Mr. Orion said seriously.

"That's ridiculous," Zeno chuckled darkly, clenching his jaws.

"Butler Nicole, take Ken to his room," Mr. Orion said in a serious tone.

"Yes, sir," Butler Nicole replied and immediately guarded the resisting Ken up to his room.

"Please, Sit," Mr. Orion patted the space beside him. Zeno reluctantly sat down; he knew he had already lost the fight; all he just wanted was to know the reasons behind all this drama. "My approach might not have been the best, but I need your help," Mr. Orion slid from picture after picture in his his phone, showing Zeno pictures of him and Ken. It had Zeno wondering how he got those pictures, they were pictures he took with Ken's phone the first time he worked here. Mr. Orion sighed, "My grandchild grew so fond of you, which is unheard of. He never opens up to anyone, not me, and not even his father... I'm sure you've met him, I heard Butler Nicole," He chuckled lightly. "He kept sending me these pictures, asking me to bring you back; you see... He's lost weight, that's because he's been refusing to eat since you left. Sebastian is my only child, so Ken is like a second son to me. I love him with everything I have, and I'll do whatever he wants," Mr. Orion stood from the sofa and lighted his cigarette. "So, of course, I looked you up to make sure you're clean, that's how I got to know you're a champ in the underworld, and that's why I made you his bodyguard," Mr. Orion explained. "As for your role as Sebastian's bodyguard, I know you don't like him very much, so, it's up to you to shorten your time with him," Mr. Orion informed, and walked away from Zeno, pausing in the middle of the living room. "How?" Zeno asked. He was ready to do anything to shorten his one-year contract with that beast. "Ah, you see, it's simple. Get him married," "What?!" Zeno asked incredulously.

 

 

Chapter 8

Zeno never thought he would hear this kind of thing in real life; he only saw such scenes in movies and novels, or perhaps, was he just a pawn in someone's game, just like "Switch On" the series?

He berated himself for thinking stupid thoughts.

"Yes, Zeno, try to make him loosen up with women. Ever since Ken's mother left him, he's been... Well, you've seen how he is," Mr. Orion waved his hands dismissively in front of him.

"How's this any of my concern?" Zeno asked.

"Well, you see, if you're able to set him up with women, at the end of the day, he's a man and he's bound to fall in love with one, and, with love comes possession; he'll want to have her all to himself, that's where marriage comes in," Mr. Orion smiled mischievously at Zeno, pointing his index finger to his head.

"Then, once they're married, Ken gets someone else to take care of him... A mother figure. Then your role and time here will be over. You're free to go back to your Abuela," Mr. Orion walked behind Zeno and patted his back.

"So, you're acting as his bodyguard, and... His Cupid," He patted Zeno's back one last time before leaving him alone in the house of his enemy.

"Zeno, everything has been sent to your room, goodnight," Butler Nicole suddenly appeared beside him and quietly disappeared the way he came.

That's when Zeno realized he'd been lost in his thoughts for a while.

"Um, okay," Zeno was just being polite with the butler; in truth, he was still furious at him for leading him to believe that he could feel at home the last time he was here, and he knew he had a hand in his abduction.

He walked past him and climbed up the stairs.

"Zeno, I need to reinstall your identity with Siri," Butler Nicole walked over to him with a tablet in hand.

"Sure," Zeno said unceremoniously.

He was sick of the place already, so many do's and don'ts.

"Just your fingerprint," Butter Nicole said.

Zeno placed his thumb on the screen and as expected, he heard Siri's voice.

"Welcome back, Zeno," Siri's voice sounded from above him.

He always wondered how they were able to achieve such extreme technology and still look so posh with no added wires or too many mechanisms decorating the whole house.

"Goodnight, Zeno," Butler Nicole said and walked away.

Zeno went into his room and went straight to the shower.

He didn't want a repetition of what happened the last time when he slept off on the floor without having a bath.

He finished his shower and tied a white towel around his waist; he had forgotten; he checked what they brought for him this time in the duffel bag that was sitting on his bed.

He walked out to the room to check for something to wear, but before he could fully step out of the bathroom, his back was roughly slammed to the door, and a gun was pointed between his legs... Again.

"Come on, not again," Zeno muttered, wincing painfully from the hand around his neck.

"I see you're asking for death," Sebastian growled menacingly.

His face was filled with dark rage, and his grey orbs were piercing directly into Zeno's eyes.

"No, no, calm down, trust me, I don't want to be here either," Zeno raised his hands in surrender.

"Back to spy on me?" Sebastian asked dangerously, pushing the gun further between Zeno's legs,

Zeno felt the mouth of the gun touching his... Well, gun, and this time, he really feared that his little Zeno might get busted.

He can't live with that. He decided to answer him honestly, the truth shall set you free, right?

"Who sent you?!" Sebastian barked.

"Your father- Ugh!" He got punched on the cheek... Again.

Seems like the truth doesn't really give a fuck about you.

"Mother fucker!" Sebastian reeled his fist back, aiming for another punch on Zeno's face.

"Argh!" Zeno faked hurt and fell onto the floor, rolling from side to side.

As a boxer, that was part of an escape plan, you either make the enemy believe you're hurt or passed out. In his case, he's faking to be terribly hurt.

"Bastard!" Sebastian landed a kick on Zeno's lower back, using the back of his gun to hit him beside his head.

Zeno immediately doubled over in real pain, his trick only proved to annoy his boss the more.

He was just about to get up when he felt another hard kick in his lower back, he tumbled over and fell on his back.

This time, he quickly stood to avoid getting kicked or hit again, but he suddenly realized that his towel was now lying far away from him, he was naked!

"Shit!"

Zeno lowered his upper body while using his hands to cover his crotch and quickly moved to get his towel; just when his hand almost touched the towel, he saw a heavy black shoe stump on his towel and dragged it out of his reach.

He slowly looked up and saw Sebastian staring angrily at him, still pointing the gun at him.

"Now, get up," Sebastian motioned for him to get up with his gun.

Zeno felt kind of humiliated, being looked down upon by a fellow man was a big disrespect to him, but there he was, naked and crawling, following commands like a dog.

But he he didn't care, he was doing it for his Nana.

He stood up and used his hands to cover his dick, they were both men, but he still had some sense of decency, his Nana raised him right.

"Turn around," Sebastian commanded.

He watched as Zeno slowly turned around, using his hands to cover his ass; like he was interested in his stupid ass.

"Now, pick up your clothes, put them on, and get out," Sebastian said behind Zeno as he kept the gun pointed to his head.

He kept his eyes locked on Zeno's shoulder till he was fully clothed.

"Now, turn around," He ordered.

Zeno turned and faced him, his hair was still dripping water from the shower he had just taken.

"What are you waiting for? Leave!" Sebastian snarled bitterly.

He would have to speak with Butler Nicole to find out why he brought back this stupid clown to his house.

He had just returned from yet another trip, just to find this nuisance in his house again.

He hated Zeno so much; he was classless and looked extremely dangerous to be near his son, who knew if he was sent as a snitch by an enemy?

"I'm sorry, boss, but I can't," Zeno said and stood his ground.

Leaving would mean he wanted his Nana to die; no, he'd rather stay here and take all punches that came his way, he was used to it.

"What?!" Sebastian couldn't believe that such stupid people were still existing in the world.

"I can't leave," Zeno repeated.

"Have it your way," Sebastian marched up to Zeno and threw a jab at him, but he was surprised to see how Zeno's face was harshly turned to the side from his punch, he had thought he'd at least try to dodge it.

That only concreted his belief that this was a useless and tactless person.

Zeno saw him coming at him again and went to dodge, but his leg, wet from the shower, slipped, and he fell face first.

Zeno closed his eyes as he fell, readying himself for the painful impact, but he was surprised and happy he didn't feel so much pain as he expected, he slowly opened his eyes to Sebastian's grey orbs below him, staring murderously at him.

He had fallen on top of his boss!!!

"Shit! I'm sorry," He quickly stood up but slipped again, but this time, he landed with his face cushioning between Sebastian's legs.

"Fucker!" Sebastian raised his leg and kicked Zeno away, sending him flying toward the bed.

"Oh shit!" Zeno muttered, holding the back of his head that had just hit the side of the wooden bed.

"Follow," Sebastian said and walked out of the room, a dark and dangerous aura emanating from him could be felt from miles away.

Zeno followed him behind and only stopped in the middle of the living room when Sebastian paused before him.

"I no longer want to know who sent you. Before I turn around, be gone," Sebastian said lowly, the chill in his tone lowering the room temperature.

Zeno knew Sebastian meant what he had just said, and he really wished there was a way out for him; he thought of what to say when his eyes suddenly caught the copy of the contract lying on the table, he quickly picked it up and moved cautiously closer to Sebastian.

"Sir, boss, I think you should look at these," Zeno said cautiously.

Sebastian slowly turned to him, ready to shoot him this time, but his father's seal at the top of the paper caught his eyes.

He snatched the paper from Zeno and his features turned murderous as he read through the page.

"That monster dare to set his foot in my house?!" Sebastian asked darkly.

Zeno wanted to scoff at the irony, a kettle calling a lot black, but he also realized now wasn't the best time to joke around. His life was still at risk.

He also realized that the relationship between the father and son duo wasn't the best; no wonder Sebastian didn't know how to care for his son, one can only give to others what they have; he didn't receive love, so he couldn't give love.

"Yes, I guess," Zeno replied.

"And you dare to conspire with him?" Sebastian asked angrily.

"I was kidnapped-"

"Fine, you're welcome to stay, but, bear in mind, you'll beg me to release you, and I won't. My bodyguard right?" Sebastian scoffed, and moved closer to him, "That's good then, we'll see how long you'll last.

Please make yourself at home," Sebastian said and walked away.

Zeno sighed in relief, not because he was told to feel at home; he knew that was an irony, but he had sighed in relief because he had survived this phase; he knew new phases were coming and more phases to follow after that.

Zeno lay on his bed that night, a million thoughts running through his mind.

Just like before, he didn't expect his day to end up with him being back here again.

He was weary of his new boss, he was a sick man, and he believed he could kill him in the blink of an eye if he meant it.

He wondered what tomorrow and the days he'd be spending here had in store for him.

He would try his best to be invisible to Sebastian till his last day here, even though it'd be hard as he was going to be his bodyguard, but, he couldn't risk his life ending in the hands of a Mafia lord because he wasn't pleased with did.

Sebastian was a dangerous man, and, Zeno knew without question that he was a Mafia king.

Chapter 9

Zeno's body felt battered as he woke up the next morning, his body was protesting from being overstressed.

He knew he needed to rest, but he couldn't, not in this present environment.

Rest equaled death in his current condition.

"Good morning, Zeno," Ken hugged him softly as he came into his room.

"Whoa! You're up early; that's a change buddy," Zeno patted Ken's soft hair.

"Yeah, and also brushed my teeth and took a shower," Ken said excitedly, waiting to be praised.

"You're awesome, Ken, high-five?" Zeno lowered his hand to Ken.

"Yay, I'm awesome!" Ken said as he gingerly high-fived Zeno.

"Come on, let's get you fed, and off to school," Zeno lifted Ken in his arms and carried him downstairs.

He was surprised to see Sebastian sitting broodingly on the sofa, there was a scowl on his handsome face.

He wondered what it would be like to see that face free from scowls and resentment, probably not in this lifetime. A devil doesn't know how to smile.

Zeno always believed in keeping a friendly relationship with his employers, but he knew it would be hard with this one, if it'll ever be possible, the man was simply impossible.

"Good morning, boss," Zeno greeted as he gently placed Ken down to meet his father.

Sebastian ignored Zeno completely as if he hadn't said anything and wasn't even standing there.

"Good morning, Dad," Ken said from a distance.

Zeno felt bad witnessing such a heart-breaking sight of a father and son.

This was not how it was supposed to be.

No warm morning hugs, no kisses on the forehead, no loving words. Everything was wrong.

What kind of a man was he? Being cold to even his son.

A devil, that's what he was.

Zeno concluded within himself that Sebastian had no heart within him and he realized that he had to thread with caution with him because a person who is unfeeling towards his child could kill you in the blink of an eye without remorse.

"Morning, Kenneth, have your breakfast and go to school," Sebastian said, only raising his head for a second to look at his son.

Zeno quickly looked away from Sebastian's direction when he saw him looking his way.

He didn't want trouble early that morning. It would be better if he just kept ignoring him.

"Make him something healthy," Sebastian ordered in a cold tone.

"Yes, boss," Zeno replied and held Ken's hand, leading him to the dining.

Sebastian watched Zeno as he freely interacted with Ken. It was no doubt that his son had bonded with the bastard.

He wasn't yet comfortable with him, and learning that he was employed by his father left red flags all around him.

But he only relaxed a bit because he had run a background check on him yesterday night and discovered nothing special about him apart from him having a black belt and his secret job as a boxer which wasn't stated where he worked.

He believed he was clean, for now, or he was just a good spy who knew how to cover his tracks.

But whatever he was, Sebastian made sure to always be one step ahead of him.

"Will you come pick me up after school too?" Ken asked in the car.

"Yes, boss," Zeno replied, playfully saluting the little boy.

"Awesome!" Ken said giddily from the back seat.

Zeno was driving him to school, he carefully followed the map on the screen as it was his first time driving to that area.

He was in a hurry to go back as Sebastian's voice rang in his head.

'Be back in thirty minutes, or your Grandma dies,'

He didn't know how Sebastian found out about his Nana, but it didn't matter anymore, what mattered was to drop Ken off and quickly return to his boss.

Working as a Manny and a bodyguard were two challenging jobs.

"See you at noon, buddie," Ken said as he walked Ken into the school gate.

"Okay, bye Zeno," Ken waved and ran inside his school.

Zeno stood there for some time, smiling at the happy boy.

He came to and quickly turned around to walk away. On reaching the car, he suddenly bumped into a young lady with blonde curls.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't careful enough. Are you okay?" He asked as he caught the lady from falling to the ground.

"Ah, I'm fine, it's okay, it's my fault, I was carried away," The lady straightened herself, tucking her hair behind her ears.

Zeno thought the lady was pretty, but she wasn't his type, but that didn't mean wouldn't appreciate good things when he saw them.

"I'm Georgia," She stretched out her hand to him.

"Oh, I'm Zeno. Even though we met quite dramatically, it's still nice meeting you, Georgia," Zeno politely shook her hand.

"Ha-ha, same here, Zeno," Georgia chuckled.

"Yeah, have a good day, Georgia; I hope to see you again, under a nice circumstance," Zeno said naturally.

"You too, Zeno, see you around," Georgia said with a wave and continued on her path.

Zeno waved and hurriedly entered the car.

He was running late.

Zeno parked the car and stepped out of it. He hurriedly jogged up the stairs, but the moment he reached the door, alarm sounds went off and he heard Siri's voice.

"Access denied, Zeno. You're a threat to the boss,"

"Access denied, Zeno. You're a threat to the boss,"

Siri's voice kept repeating the same thing louder and louder, and in a matter of seconds, guards surrounded Zeno in a circular form, with their guns pointed at him.

Zeno was embarrassed, to say the least.

What and how was he a threat to the boss?

He had no idea how everything turned out the way it did, he was struggling to keep up with how fast the event was unfolding.

"On your knees, Zeno," He recognized the voice as the one from the alley the other day he was kidnapped.

He slowly lowered himself to his knees and put his hands up behind his head.

The door opened, and Sebastian slowly approached him, the guards made way for him as he walked into the circle.

"Hand it over, Zeno," Sebastian said darkly.

Zeno really wished he had something to hand over, but, unfortunately, he didn't have any idea about what his boss was asking of him.

"I'm sorry, boss, I don't know what you're- Ugh!" Zeno's face roughly in flew the other direction as a hard punch landed on his jaw.

"Let's try answering that again, spy. Who are you working for?!" Sebastian cracked his wrist, getting ready to deliver another punch.

"Your father, Uhg!" Zeno bent over as a kick landed on his diaphragm.

"Search this bastard!" Sebastian ordered.

Zeno was roughly searched from hair to toe, and when he thought they wouldn't find anything, someone brought out a tiny black object from the pocket of his pants.

"What the fuck?!" Zeno's eyes widened like saucers as he stared at the strange object.

Where the hell did that thing come from?

He'd never seen anything like that t his entire life.

"Here boss, it's a tracker and a recorder," The guard handed the chip to their boss.

"You son of a bitch!" Sebastian tackled Zeno on the floor and punched him brutally in the face.

Zeno blocked the punches the best he could but he still wasn't able to save himself from the calculated punches aimed his way.

"Lock him up!" Sebastian commanded and angrily walked away, he entered his car and drove away.

Zeno coughed out blood as they took him into a dark room and chained his hands above his head.

He was left alone in the dark, quiet room. He could hear the sound of a pin if it were to drop on the floor, that's how quiet the place was.

He regretted not making breakfast for himself in the morning; now, his tummy growled in hunger and he knew it was going to take forever before he ate something...

It felt like hours since he'd been locked away; his hands had gone numb due to blood loss, he felt dizzy, and his whole body shook from hunger and fatigue, to sum it up... He felt like shit.

His hatred for his boss was already verified from the first day they met, but at that moment, his hatred grew, it ran deeper than the deepest oceans.

He wished his parents had never gotten into that accident, then he wouldn't have had any medical bills to pay, and he wouldn't have met his monster of a boss.

The door suddenly opened, and a very bright light streamed into the room; Zeno had to narrow his eyes to let it adjust to the sudden lightening.

"You're full of surprises," Sebastian said as he slowly approached his chained guard.

 

 

Chapter 10

Sebastian saw how weak and battered Zeno looked as he hung on the chain, but he couldn't care less; he was ready to punish him more or even kill him if he didn't give him the response he needed.

"You planned this with her all along didn't you?" Sebastian dangerously strode to Zeno, "Too bad she's still dumb as ever, it wasn't hard to crack and track. Now, tell me what she wants from me," Sebastian lifted Zeno's tired face with the mouth of his gun, forcing him to look at him through his swollen eyelids.

"Answer me!" He hit Zeno's lips with the back of the gun.

Zeno coughed profusely, spurting out blood as he did, his body swinging like an equilibrium experiment as the chain kept him hanging an inch above the floor.

"I've told you before..." *cough* "I don't know what you're talking about, and I have no idea what that was or where it came from," Zeno tried to sound firm.

He would have cursed Sebastian out if his Nana wasn't at stake.

This was the kind of man his Nana warned him to be wary of.

They were rich, powerful, and heartless; they would use you at any cost to get what they wanted, and once they were done, they'd trash you faster than you would do a smelly rotten rat.

And, if they sensed any form of threat from you... It'll be your end. Unfortunately, that was his case now.

"Damn it!" Sebastian cursed frustratedly.

Another blow landed on Zeno's stomach.

"You fucking son of bitch, want to die?!" Sebastian growled and pointed the gun between Zeno's eyes.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, his father's voice bellowed from behind him.

"Stop this madness! Sebastian," Mr. Orion walked into the room with two guards beside him.

"Release him," Mr. Orion ordered the two guards beside him.

They quickly found a remote and lowered the chain, going ahead to unlock it.

Zeno fell to the floor as he was freed, he was numb all over.

He couldn't feel his limbs but he managed to stand up, slowly moving his arms to get blood flow faster to it.

"Who let you in? You're not welcome here," Sebastian's tone was menacing.

"That's no way to treat your father, hijo," Mr. Orion said.

"You may leave, Zeno, Ken is worried about you," Mr. Orion motioned to the guards to help Zeno out.

"Not without my consent, Zeno. Stay," Sebastian ordered, looking straight at Zeno, silently challenging him to defy him

This was the first time he said Zeno's name.

Zeno stood still, he didn't want to upset either of them.

His luck must be so bad in this life that it landed him into a Mafia feud between a father and son, making him an object for receiving their transferred aggression.

"Leave the boy out of this, son," Mr. Orion sighed.

"Humph! You talk like he's innocent. But let me enlighten you, Padre," Sebastian said sarcastically.

He went over to Zeno and stood behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"This moron you've hired for me, conspired with that Einstein bitch of yours to spy on my home," Sebastian kicked Zeno behind the knee, causing him to fall unceremoniously to the ground.

Zeno winced, he was losing all his reserved energy, and he felt like he was going to pass out anytime soon.

"Sebastian-"

"Now, let me warn you, fool; if anything happens to my boy, I promise you a slow and painful death, you-"

"Enough!" Mr. Orion bellowed, looking from Sebastian to Zeno who was now kneeling on the floor, his last strand of strength threatening to give out.

"I hired Zeno for you and Ken, for your security and, for the comfort of my grandson, since his father doesn't know how to love his son," Mr. Orion said firmly.

"Doesn't that sound familiar?" Sebastian's question was laced with sarcasm.

"Stop this at once and let Zeno go," Mr. Orion ordered.

Thud!

Zeno fell flat on the ground, passing out.

The last thing he remembered was hearing a voice asking someone to carry him out of the room.

Sebastian sat in the living room. He was still fuming, but he tried not to show it in front of his child, who was worried sick about Zeno.

"Dad, Is Zeno going to be alright?" Ken asked as he sat on another couch in the living room.

"He's alright, Ken. Don't worry about him," Sebastian said emotionlessly.

It was already 9. P.m. and the doctor was still inside Zeno's room, treating and patching his wounds.

It annoyed him that he had to spend his money on treating someone he hated so much.

"Go to bed, Ken. You'll see him tomorrow morning,"

"But, Dad!" Ken kicked his legs in refusal.

"Nicole," Sebastian called in a low tone.

"Yes, sir?" Nicole immediately appeared beside him.

"Take Ken to his room," He ordered.

"Yes, sir," Butler Nicole replied.

He went over to Ken and squatted to his level.

"Come to bed, Ken. Zeno Is very tired and needs to sleep to be strong again, would you want to disturb him?" Butler Nicole reasoned with Ken.

Ken pouted his lips, pondering over the information.

He sure wanted Zeno to get strong again so that he would still be able to play with him, not disturbing him seemed like the best option to go with.

"Okay," Ken hopped down from the couch.

"I'll see him tomorrow, right?" He asked Butler Nicole hopefully.

"Yes, Ken, you will," Butler Nicole replied.

He took Ken's little hand and guided him up the stairs and to his room.

Sebastian sat there, watching his little boy climb up the stairs with the hopes of seeing his Manny tomorrow when he woke up.

He started to reconsider his decision to send Zeno away.

In as much as he hated his father, he was right about one thing, Ken had grown too fond of Zeno. Taking Zeno away right now would harm Ken's psychology, he didn't want that.

He thought back to the brief and heated conversation he had with his father not long ago before he left.

He had told him how everything happened.

His father had his means of getting whatever he wanted, which is why he was able to get the video of what happened with Zeno in front of Ken's school surveillance camera.

After watching it, his hatred for his son's Mother reached a new milestone.

He discovered that Zeno had been innocent all this while, just as he was saying, but he didn't still like him, nor did he trust him either.

He had checked Zeno's background and found nothing suspicious about him, except that he boxed in an underground arena for money and had a black belt.

But he didn't just like him; maybe he was jealous, jealous that his son liked a common Manny more than he did him, who was the father, or maybe he hated Zeno because he came from the lower class and stank with poverty.

He was sure he had an ulterior motive for accepting to become his son's Manny.

Sebastian didn't trust anyone, he believed that people always end up betraying your trust in them.

Because Zeno wasn't working for his ex-wife didn't mean he wasn't or couldn't be working for someone else.

He knew humans as greedy animals, and the spot on the leopard can never change.

He was sure Zeno would still find a way to try and steal from him, they always do.

He decided to show him that being close to his son doesn't mean he'll get any fortune from him. He knew how greedy and selfish the lower class could be. They were all ass-kissers.

His instinct told him that Zeno was hiding something, and he was going to find out by putting him through a series of traps.

He was a hundred percent sure that Zeno would fall for one of them.

He heard footsteps coming down the stairs and looked up and saw the doctor coming down from Zeno's room, a medical file in his hands.

"I'm done," Sebastian heard the doctor say beside him.

He only nodded in response and kept his eyes locked on his phone.

He gritted his teeth to constrain his irritation as he used his side eye to see the doctor lower himself beside him on the sofa.

"You know, the boy is not the cause of your frustration," The doctor spoke as he casually relaxed back onto the sofa.

"Mind your words, Ezra," Sebastian warned menacingly.

"I'm just saying. Have you seen the boy? You almost put him in the same condition as his Grandma," Ezra shook his head and turned to Sebastian.

"Why keep him if you hate him so much?" Ezra asked cautiously.

"I said, mind your fucking business!" Sebastian pulled out a gun and pointed it at Ezra's head.

"Chill, no need for that. Goodnight, dear friend," Ezra gently removed the gun from his face and stood up from the chair.

Sebastian watched with rage as Ezra casually walked out of his house.

Five years ago, Ezra was his good and trusted friend, but after the incident with his ex-wife and ex-best friend, he cut off everyone, everyone except Ezra who refused to accept that he no longer wanted him as a friend.

Ezra was the only one who insisted on keeping contact with him, and he hated it when he used the opportunity of being close to him to say things that were beyond his boundaries.

He needed to find a way to limit him from coming close to him, but he knew it was impossible, Ezra has been their family Doctor for quite a long time now.

He sighed and looked up to Zeno's room, he wondered if he'd woken. Not because he cared, but because he wanted him to wake up for the sake of his son.

He didn't want his son worrying about him first thing tomorrow morning.

And he didn't want him to use this as an excuse and skip working.

If he had to stay in his house, he had to work for it.