FOUND |✔️

3.

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In the blink of an eye, a week passed.

During the days, Devin tried to get Noel to feel safe in his home. He always promised the boy he wasn't gonna rescind him, he pledged to himself to find out what the child was so afraid of. His initial plan was to take Noel to the orphanage but from observing the lad, taking him back would be the worst idea to ever exist. Based on the rumors about the orphanages in Rivdin, it wasn't encouraging at all. Imagine growing up in an environment where one wouldn't be able to see the light of the day.

As a kid, having fun has always been the main case. Their way of raising kids was the complete opposite. The abuse was quite normalised and no one could do anything about it. Some say orphaned children have sworn that they'd rather be slaves than live such an unruly childhood. Devin would never be able to take Noel there, not even for a million dollars, maybe he could make an exception for his grandma? Who knows?

First, he will hide Noel and try to get information from him. Devin didn't wanna be labeled 'the man who held a child captive.' That would be a huge disaster. Not only would it ruin his reputation, he might be seen as a criminal.

Nonetheless, Devin tried to focus on Noel's mental health. He made sure to make sweet meals that would please the boy, and later on, after serving the boy different meals, he figured the boy loved apples. Devin had added different fruits to his every meal. The banana he'd given Noel one time was eaten halfway, same with the bunch of blueberries and guava. They were all eaten halfway excluding the apple.

Noel had shamelessly sucked all the groceries from Devin's house dry leaving nothing in store. He had to go into town today to buy more groceries as soon as possible. He'd never left the kid alone to go into town in fear that the boy might hurt himself or go into a panic attack. The times he'd left Noel alone was to fetch water from the closed well he'd connected to the shelter pipes outside, hang some wet garments or just work a little on pieces of furniture since he was still furnishing his home. This time, Devin had to go into town to get some things urgently.

"Hey, Noel," Devin peered into his room. He found Noel sprawled on his bed with closed eyes. He couldn't help but mentally call the boy lazy.

"Noel," The boy stayed unmoved to Devin's call. He couldn't help but sigh knowing the boy might be sleeping. Not once had the boy left Devin's room, Noel stayed glued to Devin's bed like a CoolAir gum stuck under your shoe. It was quite irritating but Devin had to remind himself that he was just a ten-year-old he was dealing with, but still, he couldn't just let this behavior repeat itself.

Devin wondered if it was still too early to start disciplining the boy and teach him some manners. The boy was literally making Devin his slave in his own home. And now, looking at the boy sleeping soundly on his bed with no worries or any negative energy knowing there was someone– a man who had promised to protect– there to serve him made Devin quite mad and perhaps...jealous.

"Noel...!" Devin groaned, his voice snapping the boy's eyes wide open. Noel jolted into a sitting position on the bed before his eyes quickly shifted to Devin, piercing his eyes into the man's gaze.

"S-sir? Wha–?"

"Sleeping? Is that all you know how to do?" Devin firmly asked, a cold expression forming on his face.

"I-I was just t-tired, is something wrong, sir?" Noel began fidgeting. Had he made his protector angry? But what did he do that sparked this kind of expression on his face? He thought Devin was already seeing him as someone who would stay by his side for the rest of his life. Noel might've already been foreseeing Devin as a father.