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 hair 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. 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 hasn't wronged them in any way, so 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 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 on 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 lit 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.