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

'Contentment 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 was growing 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 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 care 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 lift him and placed his back against 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 drunk the milk because he wanted to have strong bones like his daddy.

"Okay, buddy. I'll see you in the morning." Zeno gently tucked Ken into 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 resting against the side of his bed. He closed his eyes and sighed; it had been a long night. Since he lost his parents and his Nana became hospitalized, things haven't been a bed of roses for him.

He never expected his luck to lead him here today; he guessed God didn't want to take his Nana yet, 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 wash 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 on the left side of the room; he hoped that was the bathroom; he was in dire need of it.

But before he could reach it, a knock sounded on his door, pausing his journey. He walked over and opened it. Butler Nicole stood there with two black duffel bags in his hands.

"Good morning, sir," Zeno greeted.

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

Zeno looked confused, but he still took them. He didn't want the old man to feel 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 bags," 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, singlets, hoodies, and joggers, and even toiletries were all packed inside. The other one was filled with shoes, sneakers, sandals, and stockings.

He wondered again who the hell this boss was who treated his employees like they were in a five-star hotel. Being rich sure felt good. He took a pair of trunks, 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; he came out 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 carry it around so he wouldn't miss anything.

He picked it up and swiped 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. He went into the room and saw the boy hugging his pillow as he slept. A warm feeling washed over him as he stared at the sleeping child.

His whole countenance screamed loneliness. Zeno remembered the few times 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; the boy's weight wasn't outrageous.

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

"Move!" Ken tried 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 against the closed door, lazily looking at his fingers like he had all day.

"I don't want to," Ken folded his arms over 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?"

"Yes, why?" Ken asked, turning his face to the side. He had made up his mind not to do anything Zeno told him.

"Brush your teeth, take your shower, and 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 jump up and down, waiting for confirmation.

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

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

Zeno watched him with a smirk. He mentally thanked his Nana for teaching him everything about caring for children. "Can you make it?" Ken asked Zeno as he later sat on a stool in the kitchen.

"Sure, man. Just watch," Zeno winked. He mixed the ingredients and poured them into the heated waffle iron. "You see? It wasn't that hard." Zeno removed his apron.

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

"No, sir. One more minute." Zeno walked up to Ken and sat on the stool beside him. "Tell me, son, they never let you eat sweets?"

"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 help alleviate the boy's loneliness.

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

"Pinky swear?" He held out his pinky. Ken hooked his finger with Zeno's, smiling cutely. He was starting to like this new guy; he seemed better than the previous nannies.

Zeno chuckled. "Here, young sir." He 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.

"Try it then," Zeno said, ruffling Ken's hair.