Summoning up courage, she stood up and went over to him. She drew the nearest chair close to him and sat, his manly scent drifting to her nose.
" I'm hungry, aren't you? " She asked sweetly, giving him an innocent smile. To her utmost surprise, he nodded and her eyes lightened up at that. She picked up a spoon eagerly and fed him almost every food Margaret laid down. Of course, she ate too, she had never had such a delicious meal before. Back at home, her daily meals were sparse and she ate for survival, even a dog's feed was better than her meals.
This tastes like heaven, she thought as she scooped in another mouthful. Alex didn't complain or throw a tantrum, instead, he ate everything. The guy sure had a large appetite, she thought. But why had he refused to eat such a large food in Jack's presence? She wondered. Then a thought came to her, maybe he saw her as a person he could be free with or a friend perhaps. Oh, don't be full of yourself, he would never consider you as a friend, here came the voice in her head again. Ava snorted, not physically of course, and pushed the voice out.
They had breakfast in silence and when they were done eating, Ava stood up and started putting the dishes away. Margaret emerged out of nowhere, it seemed. She glanced at Alex nervously and her eyes darted back to Ava in question.
Ava smiled and shook her head " You look so tense, Maggy. Relax, everything is fine "
Margaret's eyes widened " For real? He didn't give you a hard time or anything like that? "
Ava shook her head " Not at all. As you can see, we're good " Alex stood up abruptly and headed outside. It was Ava who looked anxious this time.
" Where is he going? " She asked.
Margaret smiled a little " The garden. He's going to the garden, he goes there every morning after breakfast "
Ava nodded slowly, absorbing the information " Oh " She said.
" But I'm curious, how did you get him to eat all the food? " Margaret asked, looking interested as she moved a step closer to Ava.
Ava laughed and dismissively waved her hand " Nothing much, I just fed him, that's all " She ended her reply with a shrug.
" Girl! He has taken a liking to you! " Margaret exclaimed in wonder.
Ava looked stunned at first, thinking of the possibility that he had taken a liking to her and then bursted into laughter. It was hilarious, she thought.
" Oh don't make me laugh! " She said and laughed harder.
" You're doing that already " Margaret pointed out.
Ava nodded her head amidst laughter " Yeah... Yeah I know but you just said something hilarious so why wouldn't I laugh?! " And she laughed some more.
Margaret threw her a playful glare " I'm being serious! " She whined.
" I am too! " Ava mimicked Maggie's voice and bursted into another fit of laughter. She finally calmed down after some minutes.
Trying to put on a serious face, she said " Let's put a stop to this, shall we? It's ridiculous "
Margaret gave her a resigned smile " No, it's not Ava, you'll realize it sooner or later " with that, she left for the kitchen, leaving Ava to ponder over her words. Could it be true? She wondered.
Pushing the thought away, she went to the kitchen to help Maggie with the dirty dishes. Then, she went outside in search of Alex. She found him by a tree people called the ' Love tree ' because of its shade and coziness. He had his eyes closed and looked so relaxed that Ava found herself enjoying the serene environment. He sure knew the perfect place to think things through and drift away from the current world they were in. She made her presence known by a shuffle of her legs. He looked up quickly but visibly relaxed when he saw her. Their eyes locked for a moment before Ava finally broke the eye contact and shifted uneasily under his penetrating gaze. It was like he was looking straight into her soul.
She mustered up courage and went to sit beside him, all the time aware of his stare boring into her skin. She looked small compared to his large frame, she thought and smiled within herself.
" Hey " She said softly.
He nodded and his gaze returned back to staring into space. Ava looked at him and felt something clenched her heart, he looked so innocent and lost to the world. Just how bad was the accident that he lost his voice? She wondered. She studied his profile intently, wondering what kind of guy he was before the accident. Was he a ruthless billionaire, brutal, womanizer, what kind of life had he led before the accident, she had no idea. She should look him up sometime on the internet.
" Hey, are you okay? " She asked in the same soft tone, reaching out to touch him on the forearm. Suddenly, she felt a sizzling sensation coursed through her and she withdrew her hand immediately. What the heck was that?! She asked herself, her eyes huge. She looked up at him to see if he felt it too, sure he did, for he looked at her with clouded eyes. His eyes had turned a deeper shade of their color, and her eyes widened slightly as she stare into his golden ones.
He closed his eyes but Ava saw a pained expression crossed over them just before his eyes went closed. He wished he could speak, Ava realized.
She smiled at him pitifully " Everything will be fine, Alex. You were not born dumb so you're going to speak definitely, it's just a matter of time "
At first, he looked surprised that she read his mind. Then his look turned into the one of admiration. Ava blushed and looked away, thinking she would turn into a mess of blush if she held his gaze. She decided to give him some space, after all she had invaded his privacy.
She stood up " I'm heading in, there are some things I need to put in place "
With that, she turned on her heel and he didn't stop her. She heaved a sigh of relief when he made no move until she was safely inside.
" Hey, where have you been? " Margaret asked the moment she saw Ava.
" I was with Alex, is something wrong? " She asked, frowning.
Margaret shook her head " Not really, Mr King wants to see you "
By Mr King, she knew Maggie was referring to Jack.
She smiled " Okay, where is he? "
" He's waiting in the main living room " Maggie replied.
" Why didn't you come tell me he was waiting for me? " Ava asked, starting to get worried.
Margaret gave her a smile of reassurance " I did but he said I shouldn't bother, that you were just doing your job of babysitting his brother " she explained calmly.
Ava visibly relaxed and exhaled a deep breath " Okay thanks, I'll go now "
Margaret nodded and Ava left for the living room. Was Jack no supposed to be at work? She thought, frowning. Well, he was the CEO of his company so he could do as he pleased. How he lived his life was none of her business, she shrugged. Liam was sitting, holding up a toy while Jack was looking out the window, his hands shoved in his pockets. From the back view, he could be passed for Alex, they were built almost the same way, except Alex was more large than Jack. And taller too, she thought, smiling.
" Hey sweetie " She said in greeting, referring to Liam.
He looked up and his face beamed with a huge smile, showing his milky teeth. He had cute bunny teeth, Ava noticed as she walked over to him.
" Hi Ava! " He exclaimed in glee. Ava reached him and scooped him up in her arms. He went to her eagerly and buried his face in the crook of her neck. The boy was in real need of a mother's love, she thought.
" How are you, baby? " She asked softly.
" I'm cool! " He exclaimed but his voice came out muffled from under her shirt.
She smiled, such a young thing without a mother figure in his life. Jack turned and a warming smile was evident in his eyes. A pained expression flashed in his eyes and she knew he was thinking the same thing. He quickly covered it up with a smile and beckoned Ava to come closer.
" Hi Jack, good morning " She spoke first, her hand patting Liam on the back. He was humming to a song only God knew.
" Morning Ava, hope you're good? " He asked warmly.
The guy was nice and good-looking, so why had Mabel neglected him? She wondered. She knew her type, the young married women who found joy in outings than their homes.
She nodded, smiling " Yeah, I'm cool. How about you? " She asked pleasantly.
He nodded too " I'm great "
" I was outside with Alex, I didn't know you came already " She said quietly.
He waved his hand dismissively " Come on, you were doing your job, I couldn't stop you, could I ? "
Ava smiled sheepishly, thinking Jack would have her neck if he knew she wasn't babysitting Alex but ogling him.
" So, how do you like your work so far? Anything I should know about? " He asked earnestly.
Ava nodded slowly, remembering the things she wanted to discuss with him.
" This morning, " She started " I was quite astonished when I saw Alex's breakfast... " She didn't get to finish her sentence as Jack cut her off.
He nodded " Yeah, Alex doesn't eat much. Did Margaret tell you what happened the last time I tried to make him eat more? Things got pretty bad, if you must know " He explained and he had a faraway look in his eyes, he was probably remembering the incident, she thought. He shook his head, to clear it of his thoughts like she did too, she thought.
She nodded " Yeah , she did. I just felt the food is just too small for a grown up "
Jack shrugged and said nothing.
Ava took a deep breath, she had no idea how Jack would take the news she was about to tell him " So... I... Asked Margaret for more food " she clenched her fists anxiously as she waited for Jack's reply.
He looked shocked " You did what?! You fed him more than he actually eats?! So what happened after that? "
She shook her head " Nothing at all, he ate everything "
Jack looked astonished " He ate all the food? And he didn't throw a tantrum or ask you to leave him alone?! "
Ava smiled " Nah, he was pretty calm "
Jack clapped his hands in awe " Wow girl! You've done a good job! You just proved to be the right babysitter for Alex! "
Ava tucked the tendrils of her hair behind her ears , feeling a boost of confidence course through her.
Jack looked at her in admiration " I'm proud of you "
Ava blushed and said nothing. Jack extended his arms for Liam to be brought to him. Ava reluctantly gave in, it felt good to carry a kid in her arms, she thought wistfully. She wished she had a child of her own but on the other hand, she was not ready because she still had lots of things to do before finally settling down. She had to make sure she was absolutely free from her so called family. Soon, she thought. The pay at the King's mansion was good so she would be able to save enough money and quit this job. She would start a new life somewhere else, in a nice place, rent an apartment and live a quiet, peaceful life.