Where's your Mom

The drive took about an hour, and when they got on a dusty road, Pete pulled up to one of the smallest motels Noah had ever seen.

“Okay, guys, we're here,” Pete said, parking his car in front of the building.

“This place isn't too shabby,” Noah mumbled as he unlocked the car door and stepped out of it, walking towards the cab truck to get his suitcases.

Once Noah had his luggage, he turned around and saw Rhodes standing behind him as he said, “I will take these, sirr... Jack.”

“If you are going to treat me like a master than an equal, then I would rather you go back to my parents and not ruin this for me,” Noah said coldly, glaring at him.

Slowly, Rhode pulled his hand back with this hesitant look on his face, and then he said, “Well, then, we better book a room, Jack.”

“That’s more like it.” Noah sarcastically replied before walking away from the cab truck with his suitcases.

A couple of minutes later, they got settled in two tiny separate rooms with Twin size beds, a closet, and a bathroom down the hallway.

For a moment, Noah lay on his back, staring at the flat ceiling, wondering what fate had in store for him by taking him down such a path that he never wanted to be on. He tried to push the thoughts aside, but they haunted him, leaving his mind restless until he got sick of it and got up from bed.

As Rhode was about to put his last folded shirt away, his door opened, and Noah walked in, causing him to pause.

“Jack...” Rhode blurted out. “Do you need something?”

“Tell me all you know about the Carnell family,” Noah said as he shut the door and walked over to the bed, sitting on it.

“Well, the Carnell consists of two brothers, but Edwin Carnell, the oldest, died five years ago... He ended himself, and so Nicholas Carnell took over the chairman position of the family businesses. Nicholas is your soon-to-be father-in-law...”

“If I decide to marry his daughter, that is.”

Sighing, Rhode bit back his tongue and placed his folded shirt on a shelf in the closet before saying, “Nicholas has three children. One girl out of two boys. Glenn is his heart and soul, and whatever she wants, her father would do everything possible to achieve it. His two boys are A-list actors in the movie enterprise. But Glenn runs the movie industry with her acting skills here.”

As the Ceo of multiple movie industries worldwide, Noah found the idea of his wife being an actress okay, but the way Rhode described Glenn had him a little uncertain, and he wanted to meet her to get his head straight about who she was.

“She has starred in numerous movies and excellent series that EXAT had put out. Maybe you two have met before.” Rhode suggested, watching Noah intently. “She’s a trendy actress.”

“No,” Noah answered. “I operate in the shadows. Not many people that work with me know who I am, nonetheless someone I have never met with before.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Well, you two will soon-”

“Today will be fantastic then.”

Raising a brow, Rhode gave him a curious look before asking, “You want to meet Glenn Carnell like now.”

“Why? Is that an issue?” Noah questioned warily.

“Yes. Glenn is like some goddess around here. Not anyone can see her. If you are not going to see her as yourself, Noah Stark, it's going to be impossible to speak to her, and even if you do, it might. It might end up in an unpleasant situation for you.”

“Oh, now I am intrigued to meet this Glenn Carnell. Can you find a way to get me into that house without giving out my identity?”

When a thought hit him, Rhodes bit his tongue to hold back his words, but Noah had already caught his expression of discomfort and raised his eyebrows questioningly at him, his mouth set in a thin line waiting for an answer.

“There's a way...” Rhode said quietly after a long while.

“What is it?” Noah mumbled, his eyes brimming with interest.

“The Carnell has an interview at a house today for a new male servant. You can disguise yourself as a manservant if you desperately want to see her.”

“Great!”

“But this can only be a one-time thing. Your parents will kill me if they know I convinced their only son to become a manservant, and I will never hear the end of it.”

“I won't talk if you don't .”

Looking as though he regrets it, Rhode frowned slightly and said, “Fine. I will arrange everything and wait for you outside.”

“When does the interview start?” Noah asked.

Staring at his wrist, Rhode studied the time on his watch and said, “Two hours from now.”

At twelve on the dot, Noah was standing in front of the Carnell’s mansion gate, dressed in dusky black jeans and a dull blue shirt, his hair neatly brushed back,

“Name,” The security at the gate asked, eyeing Noah suspiciously.

“Jack Curtis,” Noah said, holding a fake ID that Rhodes had made for him. “I am here for an interview for the servant position.”

Looking through his identification, the security guard nodded and said, “Come this way.”

Silently, Noah followed him as they walked to the front of the mansion, and the entire time, Noah's eyes kept darting around the place.

The Carnell mansion was quite impressive with its three-story estate and a yard full of gardens, big bushes and shrubs, and a fountain situated near the entrance. The grounds were well-maintained, and the were guards all around.

For a moment, Noah was distracted by the luxurious interior design of thre insides of the mansion, but then the familiar sound of a child crying hard made him snap his attention to the source of the noise.

The voice sounded so familiar that Noah couldn't ignore the room that the sound was coming from, and he immediately headed toward it, forgetting the guard a distance ahead of him and walking into the living room.

“Who told you to touch the food? You have become a rogue, taking what is not yours!” A lady with a mole on her top lip lashed out.

“Leo,” Noah mumbled loudly, frowning at the kid on his knees with his hands in the air, snot running down his nose and tears staining his face.

Upon hearing Noah’s voice, Leo looked up and let out another whimper, and then stood up abruptly with his little arms held out, running for him.

When he reached Noah, he grabbed Noah’s leg with both hands and stared at him with watery eyes.

“Don't worry, Leo. Everything is okay,” Noah reassured the boy as he crouched down and picked him up. “Where is your mom?”

Frowning at Noah and Leo, the head maid scowled at the two and shouted, “How dare you interfere with me disciplining this little rogue!”

“I only took a piece of bread because I was hungry,” Leo whispered, hugging Noah’s neck tightly.

Nodding, Noah looked at the head maid and asked, “Has he eaten since this morning?”

“How dare you question me! Who do you think you are?!” The woman growled.

“So that is a ‘no’ or not?!”

“We-well... He's an evil child, and withholding food from him is a fair punishment to teach him a lesson. Now, I suggest you leave or else...!”

As his jaw tightened, Noah felt an overwhelming sense of anger and hatred course through his veins, burning with passion, as he clenched his fists, glaring at her, and she immediately felt an overwhelming sense of fear wash over her and quickly looked down from his cold eyes.

“Leo, where's your Mom?” Noah asked, trying to tame his emotions as the boy clung to him tight.

“She’s at work and won't be back until six.” Leo sniffled, wiping his nose on Noah's shirt.

Glaring at the head maid, Noah didn't think it through and asked, “If you wouldn't feed him, can I at least carry him to a nearby cafe and feed him there? He seems hungry.”

The head maid was about to protest against Noah carrying Leo. But then, she immediately hesitated before the words could escape her lips, and smiling within herself, she looked at Noah, saying, “Sure. Why not? If you want to, I will escort you two to the gate, so the guards can't harass you from leaving with him.”