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.”The way the head maid so quickly gave in to him carrying the kid without supervision made Noah suspicious of her, but then Leo's stomach started groaning, and every last one of his senses left him. Getting Leo something to eat was the only thing that mattered at the moment, and all his other concerns faded when he saw that Leo buried his head in his neck, hugging him even tighter, and Noah could feel a small smile appear on his face.“Fine,” Noah said, glaring at the head maid. “I will return him soon.”Immediately, a slight smile beamed on her face, and then she walked ahead of the two, making Noah follow after her with Leo.Just then, the guard that had escorted Noah showed up in the hallway with the Butler in charge of the interview, and the two glared at Noah, leaving with Leo.“What do you think you are doing with that boy!!” The Butler yelled at Noah.Before Noah could speak, the head maid stared into the butler's eyes and said, “This young man seems to know little Leo, and he
The drive was short, and when Rhodes brought the car to a stop, Leo quickly climbed on the seat, pushing his face into the window glass, staring in awe at the bubbly pink and blue building in front of them.“You like it?” Noah asked, watching Leo’s reaction.Pressing his tiny little hands against the window glass, Leo nodded furiously, smiling from ear to ear.“Okay. Let's go and get you something to eat.” Noah smiled as he unlocked and exited the car.Then he reached into the backseat, picked Leo up, and took him out, snapping the door shut.“This is a bad idea,” Rhodes mumbled, following the two inside the cafe.The moment Noah and Leo got to the counter, the cashier gave them a questionable glare, and even though she said nothing, Noah noticed it, and he then realized that others were doing the same.But not to ruin Leo's joy, he played it off and asked, looking down at the kid, “What do you want to eat?”“Ummm... Drumstick, Chicken Little, Tender, Popcorn Nuggets, and Applesauce..
For a moment, Mr. Cornell stared at Noah, and then he looked down at the resume in his hand, and it took him a while before the light bulb spike in his head, and he shouted, “Cease him!”Immediately, Genvieve rushed for her son, hastily taking him from Noah's hand before the guards rushed on Noah, locking his hands behind his back and binding them tightly.Then one of them stepped on his leg, bringing him down on his knees, and Leo immediately started crying, saying, “You are hurting, uncle Jack! Please, stop, please!”To spare her son from seeing such a sight, Genvieve tried to bury his face in her chest, but Leo refused, fighting back against her grip to see Noah.“How dare you walk in here under pretend and kidnap the boy!” Mr. Carnell lashed out.“Is this old man missing all his brain cells?” Noah said out loud before realizing that he did.As he slapped his palm on the chair arm, Mr. Carnell’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and he growled, “You dare speak to me in such arrogance!”“F
Even though Geneieve's voice was loud and clear, they made her voiceless with their accusations, making her stand there, helpless and completely humiliated.“If you don’t want him to go to jail for kidnapping Leo, you will save this family some face by marrying him and getting out of our lives. We have already done so much for you. How long do you plan to suck on this family like a sponge.” Mr. Carnell said with a nasty smile on his face.“I am sucking on your family?! My father was the chairman of BRA Group. Everything you own right now, he labored to make it happen after grandfather’s death!” Genevieve cried, hoping her uncle would understand just how wrong those claims were.Anger flashed in Mr. Carnell’s dark blue eyes. “Oh yes,” he said with sarcasm. “And he jumped off a twelve-story building because of you! And because of you, the company suffered dearly before and after his death. He was a coward and took the easy way out, whereas I stayed and handled the burden of both of you
The morning light met Noah already awake, staring at a suit that he and Rhode picked up from goodwill, lying on his bed with his passport, and he just stood there, his mind blank. There were no words to explain how he felt, not really. He couldn't even describe what this strange sensation was. But when his phone rang and seeing that it was his mother calling, he didn't want to raise any suspicion, so he cleared his throat and answered the call.“Good morning, son. Your father says, ‘morning.’ How are you?” She said in a soft voice. “Rhodes told me that you two checked in a Le grande hotel, and I just wanted to call and see how your first night there was.”“I slept like a baby.” Noah lied, ignoring the ache in his body because of the stiffness of the motel mattress. “I am trying to get adjusted to my new surroundings.”“That’s good. Once you settle in, you can make time with Rhodes to meet Glenn. I promise you that you are going to love her. She's just the sweetest.” “Really,”“Of c
As he stood in the living room with Rhodes, the rest of the Carnell’s family sat on the couches, and for a while, no one said a word. Then Mr. Carnell darted his gaze off Noah and eyed Rhodes, asking, “And you are?”“He’s my father. Unfortunately, my mother could not be here. She is back at home, in the countryside.” Noah cut in, and the fact that he did cuased Mr. Carnell’s face scrunch into a grimace in disapproval.The fact that Noah was forcing this lie on him made Rhodes' chest tighten uncomfortably. The truth was, he hated lying to others, especially compelling people. But his job was to help Noah, and if that meant playing along with this charade, so be it.“So you are Mr. Curtis?” Mr. Carnell asked, trying to keep his tone calm despite his annoyance.“Yes, sir,” Rhodes answered, knowing that the less he said, the easier it would be to avoid looking suspicious.“Hmm, so what do you do for a living?”“I am... was a butler. But I am retired now.”“And your wife is living in the
The courthouse looked so empty and plain as Genevieve, Rhodes, Leo, and Noah walked in, and Genevieve held her tears back, thoroughly disheartened that she was even getting married for the second time.On the other hand, Noah, who had never thought about a wedding for himself, felt a little guilty that this dull room with pale walls and wooden benches was what Genevieve was becoming somewhat his wife in.Then Carnell came in afterward, and the judge presiding over the wedding looked annoyed to be there, seeing that it was Genevieve and some unknown guy he was about to officiate.After Rhodes had escorted Leo to sit with him, Noah and Genevieve moved to the front while the members of the Carnell family took their seat.The judge tried to be professional and snapped himself out of it quickly, addressing the couple in a low voice, asking them if they were prepared for the marriage, and then proceeding to recite some very boring oaths of commitment.Afterward, he told them to exchange rin
The penthouse was quiet, and the echo of his shoes hitting the tile was the only sound Noah heard as he walked further down the hallway.When he finally turned down the corridor, he moved for a substantial dark wooden door and pressed a finger to the sensor pad on the wall next to it. After recognizing his fingerprint, the door slid open with a small click, revealing a large living room, and seated on the couch were his parents.Their faces were stiff and expressions unreadable when they turned towards him, and Noah stood there for a silent second, and then eventually said, “Good afternoon, mother... Father.”Giving him the cold shoulder, Mrs. Stark refused to speak until she noticed the band on her son's ring finger.“Do you hate us that much?” Mrs. Stark cried in a strangled voice. “We trusted you, son.”“And I need your to trust me on this too.” Noah calmly said as he approached a dark green chair and sat down, crossing his legs relaxedly. “Trust you? Son, you just married a wom