“Alexander! Where are you? Enough of this hide-and-seek game. It's time for dinner. Alexander!”
"Mom! Dad! I'm here,” little Alexander called out, his tone shaking.
Alexander’s parents walked to the backyard, and to their greatest surprise, a gun was pointed at their crying little boy’s head.
The men covered their faces with masks, and despite their actions, they didn't come to play. They forced Mr. and Mrs. Hunter into their sitting room.
The hunters kneeled, pleading for the men in black to spare their lives.
“Here’s the Almighty President of the Hunter’s Empire, the richest man in the country. No! No!! They sarcastically said, "In the world."
However, all the hunters did was cry and beg for their lives.
“The President of the Hunters Empire begged. That's interesting and fun to watch. It was indeed an honour to have you kneel before me and beg. But the fun part is that you will be killed,” one of the killers stated.
“Please kill me and spare my family; they are innocent. I’ll do anything. How much do you want? Please name your price." On his knees, Williams begged for their lives.
Victoria Hunter, who was also kneeling beside her husband, joined in, beseeching the men who had come to kill them.
“I beg you, we will do anything you ask. Please spare our lives; please don't kill us.”.
“Unfortunately, your enemies wanted your family dead. You are a good man, but we came to do our jobs. I'm sorry, President Williams Hunter”.
Williams knows this business too well, and he knows they're going to die. He let out a loud sigh. But then he has one last request: to hug his son before his death.
Three-year-old Alexander ran to his father and hugged him, crying. Just before the killers dragged little Alexander out of his father's embrace, Williams removed his golden ring and slipped it into Alexander’s side pocket.
President Williams and his wife kneeled in front of their son, and within a twinkle of an eye, the murderers shot them in their heads, making sure that they were dead.
"Goodbye, President Williams; it was nice meeting you."
Seeing the blood gushing out of his parents' heads, Alexander cried. They shook their bleeding heads. Daddy! Mommy!
Their sender didn't say anything about the hunter's young son, so they just hit Alexander hard in the head, causing him to pass out.
******
The news spread like wildfire across the United States. An unknown killer murdered President Williams' family in their New York home.
No one knew who was behind the attack or whether little Alexander lived.
Six years later, after waking up from a coma, Alexander found himself in their home, but not as exquisite as the one he used to have.
When Alexander was getting used to his environment, Jack Callen, his guardian, took him to the orphanage for protection.
The Homer family adopted Caleb. The Homer family was struggling to climb the social ladder in the business world. They had only a female child, "Zoey,” but they wanted a male who could take up the family name and bring them good fortune.
Despite being adopted by a family, Williams felt most worried about the ring on his finger and the intentions of the Homer family.
******************
It had been a long day for Jason as he walked on the bustling streets of New York looking for a good job. He had searched through every financial firm he could think of, but he was being declined.
He needed this job to boost his importance in the Garrison family. Working as a waiter and earning such a low salary has made Jason an object of ridicule.
"Fuck!" He cursed, as he was too frustrated to think. He had a very good résumé, but he still wasn't considered. Jason was starting to think it wasn't something coincidental. Maybe it was his poor outfit or the Garrison family name.
He halted and then turned to look around for a cab, but he could see no cab in sight. It wasn't so easy to get a cab in high-rise residential areas. Because everyone rides their luxurious cars.
Jason walked home; it was long, but he had no choice but to walk. When he got home, nobody was there to throw curses and insults at him. Jason quietly made his way to the basement, where he slept to relax. He knew that if all the members of the Garrison family came back, his life would be in chaos.
Jason slept for a very long time, and when he was finally awake, it was already midnight. Jason stood beside the window, hungry and deep in thought.
Even though he was hungry, he wouldn't dare complain or go to the kitchen. It was a stern instruction from the lady of the garrison family, Mr. Kim.
After spending a few minutes thinking about his life, Jason decided to go back to sleep. It would be another way to stop hearing his stomach roar. As he was about to return to bed, he heard a loud noise coming from the living room. Jason got curious, he sighed and walked downstairs to check what was causing the noises.
He got downstairs, and he was surprised to see Mr. Lucas Garrison, his adopted father, watching a movie. Jason mentally groaned and was about to run off, but was called back.
"What are you doing here?" Lucas inquired, staring sternly at Jason.
"I, um.." Jason trailed off, not sure of what to say; he didn't want to say something that'd annoy his father.
"I just asked you a question; don't let me repeat myself, "Lucas warned.
His father was looking for an excuse to belittle him again.
"Well, I heard a noise, and I just came to check what the cause was and to know if everyone was asleep, so I'll lock the doors," Jason said.
"That's all you know how to do, right? You can't even get a decent job and help your family. I picked you up from the orphanage and gave you all you wanted, but what did I get? Failure from you. You can't even handle important businesses. Shame on you. You're such a useless boy. Get out of my sight now! "My house is more protected than your life would ever be," Lucas remarked with so much hatred in his voice.
Jason hesitated, wondering what he had done wrong to warrant such an insult.
"I said get lost!" Lucas barked, glaring at Jason.
Jason dried the tears that had gathered in his eyes, and he ran away back to his room, as though someone were chafing him.
Jason got to his room, and he sat on the bed with a deep scowl on his face. He felt humiliated, heartbroken, and insulted, but what could he do? Nothing. He believed life was unfair to him.
He sighed, and his mind flashed back to how everything happened—literally, he had been fooled; perhaps he was the fool himself. He was just a little boy with no say in his adoption. They adopted him for their selfish interests, not because they loved and cared about him.
With a heavy heart, Jason lay back on his small bed. He began to toss for some minutes, and then he finally drifted off to sleep.
*Next morning*
Jason was still sleeping when he felt cold, chilled water being poured on his body.
"Shit!" Jason exclaimed sleepily in fright, and he made to stand up when two resounding slaps hit him hard across his face, which sent him flying back to the bed.
The sleep in his eyes immediately vanished, and he quickly opened his eyes only to see his so-called adopted mother glaring at him maniacally.
Jason immediately held his cheek, trying to nullify the pain. "You moron, how dare you sleep by this time? Don't you have work to do?" Mrs. Kim stated:
"Mum!" Jason called, but she glared at him, and he immediately corrected himself.
"Ma'am, today’s my day off, and I'm very weak. I wanted to regain my strength before doing my chores. I haven't forgotten. I’ll handle everything, I promise," Jason tried to explain, but Zoey immediately rushed to the room and added more light to the flame. I didn't know why she drove so much joy into hurting me.
"Mum, Jason is such a lazy idiot; I'm such that he was even planning on forcing me to do the cleaning when you must’ve gone out," Zoey said, and Jason's eyes
widened.
"Is that what he usually does to you?" Kim, my adopted woman, asked. Zoey nodded her head with a mischievous grin on her lips.
"Yes, Mom. He even said he hates us all and that we're making his life miserable," Zoey stated.
Jason’s heart skipped three beats. He knew there was no use in denying anything because that would only worsen things for him because nobody was going to believe him.
"You dare to say such things about me and my family? They picked you up from the gutters and gave you a name." Kim asked while she pushed Jason.
Jason fell to the floor, and he winced in pain. "It's not true, ma'am," he said as he stood up. Although it won't make any difference if he denies the accusations, he still wants to say something. Someone must hear him.
"And you think we'll believe you? You think I'll take your damn words over my daughter's? You must be joking and definitely out of your mind." She spat.
"He should get punished for this, Mom," Zoey smirked. Jason's gaze met hers, and his blood boiled with rage. If looks were a gun, Zoey, he'd probably have been shot. However, on seeing the smirk on Zoey’s face, Jason knew that he had to face his mother’s tongue. Zoey has done this on purpose.
"Loser." She mouthed and smiled.
Jason rolled his fist in rage, he felt like punching Zoey so hard but he knew that'd be the end of him if he tried it.Mrs. Kim walked to him and she slapped him hard."The nerve you have! How dare you glare at my daughter like that? huh!" She barked.Jason placed a hand on his cheek, and then he bowed his head, fighting off the tears that were threatening to fall."I'm sorry," He apologized. Mrs. Kim scoffed."I want to see you in the kitchen now!" Mrs. Kim ordered before leaving.They all went downstairs to the kitchen, but Jason was the only one looking nervous and unhappy. "Jason, I’ll punish you but first, go get me acup of coffee, I will be in the sitting room."Zoey wasn't happy she wanted her mother to punish me immediately as it was the only thing that gave her joy. "Mom, why don't you punish this fool now?" Zoey half shouted, but Mr Kim eyed her and she shut up at once.A Few minutes later…Jason brought the cup of hot coffee to Mrs Kim, he stretched out his hands, giving
Mrs Kim sneered."I'm sure he wouldn't die from something like this, I understand you Zoey, but you don't have to worry. I know what I'm doing, it was a harsh punishment, I was just trying to teach that fool a lesson. Everything about him irks me. If I remember all the money we wasted on him I get more angry. He should be reminded always about where he belongs,”Zoey shrugged her shoulders, and said, "I trust you, Mom, I know you wouldn't do that.”Mrs. Kim smiled at her daughter’s words and inquired. "Is Jason still in the sitting room?""He’s probably in his room sulking like a baby," Zoey answered and laughed."What is he doing in his room by this time, go and tell him to make himself useful. Or else he would receive more punishment from me. His punishment isn't over yet, there's a lot to be done around the house, I want the whole house sparkling,” Mr. Kim warned."Alright, mommy,"Zoey walked to her mom and hugged her then she walked away. Zoey walked down to the basement, his sma
"You know that you would be punished, for helping me of course and you still want to help me, knowing it'll get you in trouble if Mrs Kim finds out.""Well I don't care about them, I'm not in support of how they treat you, Jason, you're a nice man and you deserve good treatment .""Just take this like a friend helping a friend in need," she remarked. Jason shrugged."I still think you should just leave it, I can handle it, I don't want you to get into trouble because of me on your first day here.""Just let me worry about myself," Tonia replied.She picked up the mop stick and began to mop the already-cleaned room.Jason was relieved but he looked at Tonia in disbelief, admiring how much of a good heart she had. He just hoped she wouldn't get into any trouble for helping him."Take my luggage inside, before Mrs. Kim sees it. You know how dramatic she can be." Tonia said, shaking him out of his thoughts."Okay," Jason said, smiling. Then he took her bags and headed to her room.By th
"Please, stop, Tonia," Jason pleaded, he was already feeling bad. Tonia came to have a short break from school stress now she's met with this because of him. "What are you still doing here? Just get thefuck outta here now!" Mrs. Kim barked."Auntie, I had respected you enough, please don't raise your voice at me. I’ll leave this prison of a house but I have to see my uncle first,” Tonia said."Look around, do you see any trace of your uncle?" Mrs. Kim asked and Tonia shook her head."Well, I'm glad you know, your uncle is not here so you don't have any right to be here either," Zoey said with no sense of arrogance."Please forgive her!!" Zoey pleaded."You fool, if I hear your voice again, I will shut myself, do you think we are done with you?" Zoey asked angrily."Auntie, I came to discuss important things with my uncle. If I leave now, I might not get the chance to see him again, this is very important to me. I can't afford to miss this opportunity." Tonia said."Are you begging y
Jason got to his space and quickly headed for his bed. He was seriously hungry a while ago but due to what had happened, he had completely lost his appetite. How could he be comfortable when Tonia was kicked out of there because of him? Jason had regretted allowing Tonia to help him. But at the same time, happy to see someone stand up for him, someone who cares for him. Jason tried to sleep to forget his pain and the deep pain he felt. Finally, he fell into a restless sleep. He tosses left and right on his bed, sweating profusely until he jolts up from sleep. The incident that had happened made it so difficult for him to sleep. His mind kept going wide with thinking. He closed his eyes and prayed for his life to change. Jason was tired and fine with the way he lived. He imagined himself surrounded by wealth and dealing with wicked people. In his thoughts, he fought for the weak and punished those who caused people pain including the Garrison family. Jason was in his thoughts when t
Zoey eyed him in disgust and hissed before she left.Jason sighed deeply, everything about Zoey is always toxic. He just wished that whosoever was coming wouldn't be as mean and wicked as Zoey. "I just hope this important guest doesn't behave like Zoey and Mrs Kim. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to survive it." Jason muttered.When Jason was done cleaning, he was surprised to hear Zoey instructing him to go and have his breakfast at the kitchen island. It hadn't happened before and Jason prayed for such opportunities to come by. The visitor…..Zoey finished her breakfast and quickly freshened up. She wore baggy black joggers and a white crop top. She packed her head in a loose ponytail. She applied a little wet lips and she was good to go. Zoey waved to her mother who was still eating her breakfast, goodbye. In the next few seconds, we heard the sound of a car driving off the compound.At the airport, Zoey packed her car. She came down and walked hastily to the waiting area. She kep
"Welcome back to my house Ella, how was your flight?" Mrs. Kim asked, smiling profusely. "My flight wasn't stressful at all. And I’ve missed you so much Mrs. Kim, how have you been?" Ella said and slightly pulled away from the embrace but still holding her hands."Same here Ella." Mrs. Kim answered.It was an obvious lie. The Garrison family never cared for anyone. They're too selfish to care. All they wanted was just to make money from anyone who could give it out to them. Zoey just stood with folded hands watching her mother and her friend catch up. and while Jason also stood there watching them.As they finished talking, it was just like they instructed them to look at Jason. And they three shouted at once. “What are you doing there? Standing like a lost puppy,” “Don't you know where to keep the luggage? Fool!” Jason quickly carried the luggage down to Zoey’s room. He didn't know if he should Ella unpack but he didn't want anyone accusing him. Back in the living room…..Mrs. K
“Was I dreaming? Food, cook? Rest? How? Jason thought. He was totally confused. As he was looking around, trying to understand what was going on, Zoey urged him."You should rest, you can have the rest of the day to yourself." They both women helped Jason up and took him to his space. After a few minutes, Jason reached his room. He heard a knock on his door and told the person to come in.It was the cook, Kelvin, with Jason’s food. Kelvin kept the food. Jason said, “Thanks, Kelvin.” Kelvin glanced at him with so much pity, he knew all that he had endured in the hands of the Garrison family. Jason had hurt himself from the fall, and he didn't think Mrs. Kim cared a lot. Now sending Kelvin to give him food was a total shocker for him.Before leaving, Kelvin paused. Jason asked what had happened and why people who despised him were being kind suddenly. He was surprised and wanted to know what happened.Kelvin explained, "Well, Jason, you had an accident, Mrs. Kim pushed you down the st