Accepting a Loving Heart

Chapter 4: Punishment

"We'll be okay sleeping together in one bed, right Max?" I asked, assuming Max would also sleep in the same bed.

"I have no problem." Max said with a shrug. The head butler intruded at that moment.

"No. No. Master Vincent. Master Luc ordered us to prepare a room for young master Max, adjacent to your room." He said as he went over and opened an adjoining room. Max looked wide eyed at the bright beautiful room decorated in white and grey. Max's room also had its own bathroom.

"Thanks. This is gorgeous." He said excitedly as he looked around the bright, warm room.

"I am glad it's to your liking." The butler smiled at Max. I tried to overlook the way he treated Max and Juan differently. I guess I would need to talk to Luc about this soon.

"By the way, master Luc's room is also adjoined to your room. That door leads to master's suit. It's of course locked and can be opened from master's room. But just to let you know." The head butler told me as he showed a door on the other side of the room opposite Max's room and my face went red. Jeez, can he be less obvious? Just then, our luggage was brought in by two butlers.

"Would you like assistance to unpack?" One of the butlers asked and I shook my head. When everything seemed settled, the head butler informed us that breakfast will be served shortly and asked us to come down in an hour. After breakfast, he promised to show us around the house. I asked the kids to unpack quickly. Since I knew we wouldn't be staying in one place for long, I asked the kids to not unpack everything but to take out only what was needed. I asked Juan to go and take a shower first while I decided to rest a bit with James. Laying James down on the bed, I laid down beside him and sighed. Aeroplanes were rarely comfortable to me even if I was flying in what looked like a first class area. I had dozed off almost immediately when Juan tapped my arm.

"Dad." He whispered and I opened my eyes blearily.

"Um, we have to go down soon." He told me. I sat up in bed feeling refreshed after sleeping in a comfortable bed for even half an hour. I asked Juan to watch over James as I went to take a shower. The bath room was similar to the bathroom in Luc's New York mansion but this one had a private Jacuzzi as well on one side with a view of the hills outside. It would be nice to relax there at night. I had a visual of Mount Etna from the Jacuzzi.

Taking a quick shower, I went back to the room and saw Juan outside in the balcony area. He looked cute with his hair in a half pony tail. I went over to him to check what he was looking at. I saw the huge pool the butler mentioned outside my window. Surprisingly Cade and his friends were already in it with the teenagers who were there to greet them.

"Wow, they hit the pool quickly, didn't they?" I asked Juan. Juan's face looked pale and my eyes went back to check what was happening in the pool.

The brunette girl who was flirting with Cade earlier was jumping on Cade's back in the pool and her hands were all over his chest. She kept giggling. Cade didn't look like he was enjoying it but he didn't say anything either. I guess I would feel bad too if it was Luc in Cade's place. Thankfully in my case I know Luc cannot tolerate anyone getting into his personal space and he behaves rudely when someone intrudes into his space.

"We have to go to breakfast soon Juan." I reminded Juan, pulling him away from the balcony. Juan looked so down and I didn't know what to say to comfort him since I had no idea what was going on between him and Cade. I guess he would open up to me in time when he starts trusting me.

"Let's go and see the horses when we are done with breakfast." I told him and Juan nodded listlessly.

"Do you know how to ride a horse?" I asked him and he nodded.