The Hunt Mansion was so huge and beautiful, Aiden couldn't stop staring at it in amazement. He had never in his life been inside a house so big and majestic. His little mind couldn't decipher the exact words to describe it; he just felt it was stunning.
As they all entered the entrance hall, Mrs. Hunt calls for their family Butler Matthew and asks him to show Aiden to his room. Matthew smiles at Aiden and gestures for him to follow him. Matthew decides to show him the entire house before taking him to his room. He leads him to the family room, then the dining room, and the kitchen. There was a massive pantry beside the kitchen, fully stuffed. From the pantry, a door was leading to the Wine cellar.
There was an extensive library and a home office, and Aiden is instructed never to enter these rooms without invitation. In the backyard, there were the servant quarters just behind the swimming pool.
The garden was so beautiful with different types of colorful flowers. Besides the garden was a vast playground that looked like an amusement park with various pieces of equipment. There was a cricket court, tennis court, and open ground.
Aiden goes to the first floor, which consisted of the master bedroom of Mr. and Mrs. Hunt, various other guest rooms, the music room, the Home theatre room, and the Gym room. Aiden was awed at everything he saw, as he never thought such rooms even existed in a house.
The topmost floor did not have many rooms; there was a huge balcony, a game room, a master bedroom that belonged to Dylan, and another room which was now going to be Aiden's room.
Aiden is taken to the last room, which looked so big that the entire house he shared with his parents could fit in. Aiden couldn't help but jump excitedly. Matthew smiled at the boy's excitement. He was a kind man who was the head of all the maids and servants at the mansion. Aiden ran around his room, looking at the bed, closet, bathroom, and study table. His room had a huge window through which he could see the garden and the playground. This reminded him of his room in the orphanage.
Matthew leaves the room, asking Aiden to come to the dining room at the time of dinner. He unpacks his luggage and arranges the few clothes and books he had, accordingly.
He decides to get fresh and goes to the bathroom. It was as big as his room at the orphanage. There was a bathtub as well. He wanted to use it but didn't know-how. He makes a note to ask Matthew about it later.
Aiden gets dressed after a shower and was thinking about what to do when Dylan enters his room.
"Can you help me clean my room?" asks Dylan. Aiden nods and follows him.
If Aiden thought his room was huge, then Dylan's room was gigantic. There was a King-sized bed at the center, a computer table, a walk-in closet, a study table, and a shelf with books. The room also had a spacious balcony facing the pool.
Though the room was huge, it was very messy. Clothes and books were scattered around everywhere.
Dylan goes and sits on his bed and starts playing on his mobile. Aiden just stood there lost, looking here and there.
"What are you waiting for? Clean it," says Dylan and continues playing his game.
Aiden was confused as he expected he would be helping Dylan clean the room. As usual, Aiden couldn't say anything, so he ignored it and gathered the things on the floor. He arranges the books on the shelf, the toys in the closet, and puts the dirty clothes in the laundry bag. Once the room was clean, Dylan looks around at his room, gives the nod, and asks Aiden to leave. Aiden wanted to talk to him and get to know him, but he was too shy to do it, so he goes back to his room.
It was evening, and Aiden was very hungry, but he didn't know what time the Hunt's had their dinner, and nobody even called for him. He waited and waited but finally decided to go to the dining hall.
Dylan and his parents had just finished having their dinner. They got up and left, completely ignoring Aiden. Aiden goes to the kitchen and sees Matthew with few other servants. Matthew asks Aiden to join them for dinner, and they all have it in the kitchen.
The food was so delicious; Aiden had never tasted such good food ever. Once he was done, he goes back to his room and lays down on the comfortable bed. He thinks about the events of the day. Who would have thought suddenly his life would take such a turn. Aiden, who had no family, now had a Mom, Dad, and an elder brother. He also got to live in such a luxurious mansion. He smiled at the thought and slept dreaming about a happy future.
The next day, Matthew takes Aiden to Mr. and Mrs. Hunt's office as instructed. He leaves after asking Aiden to enter inside. Aiden was very nervous about meeting them, but still, he opens the door and enters inside.
Mr. Hunt was checking some documents; he raised his head and gestured for Aiden to sit. Mrs. Hunt was talking to someone on the phone. Aiden sits down, waiting for them to say something. Even after 5 minutes, nobody said anything. Mr. Hunt was still checking the documents, whereas Mrs. Hunt checked her phone after finishing the call.
Aiden tried to recollect the things he had learned in the orphanage, about how they should behave with the guests. He remembers Madam Cecilia also said the Hunt's were his new family, so he thought he should greet them politely.
He practices it a few times in his mind and finally musters up his courage and says, "G-good Morning Mom, Dad."
Mrs. Hunt was enraged hearing the word 'Mom.' "Who are you calling Mom? "She screamed.
Aiden was shocked at the sudden outburst. He was shivering like a leaf when Mrs. Hunt continued, "Let me make one thing clear to you, boy. I am not your Mom, nor is he your Dad. We have only one son Dylan."
"Calm down, Diana, let me speak to the boy," said Mr. Hunt to his wife.
"Don't ask me to calm down. Let me handle this. It's not even a day, and he already thinks he owns this house. We need to show him his real place," says Mrs. Hunt, exasperated.
Her words deeply hurt Aiden. They seemed so polite the previous day, so now he couldn't decipher the change in their attitude. He was doing what Madam Cecilia had taught him, but whatever he does, it always seems to be wrong. This is the exact reason he tries to avoid people, as he is always scared of offending them and getting punished in return.
His thoughts are interrupted by Mrs. Hunt. "The reason we adopted you is not that we need a son. Heck, even your parents didn't want you, then why would we? Why should we take care of you?"
Aiden was in tears now. He should have known it was too good to be true.
"Now you are staying in our house, eating our food, using our bed. We even have to pay for your education. So how do you plan on repaying us?" asks Mrs. Hunt.
"I…I d-don't have any money to pay," Aiden whimpered. He had never expected he would be asked for repayment for being adopted. Was it always the case? No one had informed him about that. Moreover, the other adopted kids he saw at the Christmas party always bragged about how good their family was and took care of all their needs.
Mrs. Hunt scoffs. "So as you don't have any money to pay, you have to pay it in some other way."
Aiden felt a ray of hope. "W- what can I do to pay you?"
"You are just a weak boy; what can you do?" Mrs. Hunt looked at Mr. Hunt and said, "I think we made a mistake by adopting him. We should have adopted someone better."
Aiden was panicking. His dream of having a loving family was already shattered. Now he will be sent back to the orphanage. He shuddered at the thought of Madam Cecilia's reaction if he goes back.
"I…I…I will do anything you say. P-Please don't send me back to the orphanage," Aiden managed to say in between his tears.
Mrs. Hunt smirks. This is what she wanted. "Anything?"
"Y…Y…Yes," said Aiden looking fearfully at Mrs. Hunt.
"Don't look at me like I am going to eat you. I am not that cruel," said Mrs. Hunt annoyed. "You say you would do anything. Are you sure you won't back out later?"
Aiden never had a problem with obeying others. "I won't back out, M…." He was about to say Mom but suddenly realized his mistake and stopped himself.
Mrs. Hunt said, "Ok, then it's decided. We will take care of all your needs, and in return, you have to do whatever we say, no questions asked. It would be best if you specifically did whatever Dylan asks you to. Help him with his school work."
"O-Ok. I will do as he says," agreed Aiden.
"There's another important thing. If you are staying here, you have to follow a few rules. The first one I already told you about. Next, whenever at home, you address me as Ma’am and him as Sir," she said, pointing towards Mr. Hunt.
"Ok, Ma’am," said Aiden obediently.
Mrs. Hunt was impressed. Dylan was right about this boy. "From next week, you will be going to school with Dylan. Everyone at school will know that we have adopted you, so behave yourself. I don't want any complaints."
Aiden nodded his head eagerly.
"Also, remember not to say a word about whatever we discussed to anyone; if you do, then there will be consequences, "Mrs. Hunt threatened.
Aiden was scared at her expression. "I…I...I s-swear I won't tell anybody anything."
"Ok, You can leave now."
Aiden hurried out of the office and rushed back to his room, and locked the door. His tears had stopped by now. Though things did not turn out as he had hoped, he was still relieved because he had seen and faced even worse situations in his life. He did not have much choice but to choose the best out of the worst, and right now, staying here was better than going back to the orphanage to face Madam Cecilia's wrath. He just prayed and hoped that he never regrets this decision.