Book 1: Chapter 5 - Stuart Finds A Goal In Life
1579 Words
"What about your mom?" asked Henry Taylor, deep in thought. She looked so vulnerable and disturbed that he didn't want to ask her any questions, but she was underage and he had to know the details before sheltering her under his roof.
"My mom and dad separated when I was six years old," she informed everyone.
"Do you want to go to her?" asked Hannah Taylor gently.
"No, she had remarried after a year of leaving us. She didn't keep in touch. Last year we heard she was unwell. So I don't want to add to her woes," Vienna informed them.
"Unwell?" asked their dad.
"Yes, Mr. Taylor. She has leukemia," she informed as silent tears fell from her eyes. Hannah Taylor pulled the young girl into her arms.
"It's okay, dear. Why don't you stay with us?" she suggested, and Vienna nodded.
"You both must be tired. Why don't you freshen up? Have you eaten?" asked their ma, releasing Vienna.
"Yes ma, we had breakfast," informed Sean.
"Vienna, you're very safe here. No one will know that you're here. We can talk later when you're well-rested," said their ma.
"Sean, take her to Denver's room. Tell him to shift into Daxton's room till I clean up one of the guest rooms for him," she instructed. Denver's room was right beside Sean's and since Vienna trusted him, it would be better if she stayed nearby. The guest rooms were further away and she might feel uncomfortable.
"Yes, ma," Sean said, getting up with Vienna, who clutched onto Sean's hand again. It was obvious that the girl trusted only Sean, who had rescued her. Even Stuart and Jaden went upstairs with them while Sean led her to Denver's room and knocked.
"Den, open up. You need to vacate. Ma's orders," he said.
"What the fu*k, bro?" Denver swore, opening his door but froze when he saw Vienna too standing with his brother.
"Umm, hi, sorry," he said, coloring a little, but soon he was brought out of his daze when Sean smacked his stomach and looked at Vienna.
"That room's mine. You wait there till I vacate this room for you, okay?" he whispered, pointing toward his room next to hers. Vienna nodded and went to his room to wait for him.
Sean strode into Denver's room with purpose, "Look guys, she's had a tough time. I saved her from committing suicide. The girl's off limits. None of you will harass her or try your luck with her. Is that understood?" he said solemnly to both Denver and Daxton.
Stuart chuckled and walked out before Sean could stop him. He went into Sean's room and saw Vienna sitting on the bed. "Welcome to the madhouse, Vienna. You might have forgotten my name, so let me introduce myself," he started, but she interrupted with a smile. "I remember your name. Stuart right? You are Sean's twin," she said and Stuart grinned.
"Great. You can treat me as a big brother. I'll help you out whenever you might need me. Okay?" he offered and Vienna grinned.
"Thanks," she said.
"Don't worry, after a few months I'll bring my girl over to give you company," he told her, and her eyes brightened up.
"What's her name?" she asked curiously.
"Allison, " said Stuart, and they smiled at each other. The door opened and a furious Sean came into the room.
"Stu, do you mind going back to your room? Jaden wants to talk to you," he told him.
"Sure, Sean," said Stuart with a wink, whistling and going off towards his own room while Sean fisted his hands tightly with anger. What was about this young girl that made him so possessive about her?
Just as Stuart walked out of Sean's room, Jaden pulled him along with him to their room. " Stu, we've got to talk," he said. They reached their room and closed the door.
"Now spill what exactly happened last night," said Jaden, anxiously.
Stuart told him everything that had happened, and Jaden sat with his head in his hands. "Why did you have to call her by her name? I'm sure she's suspicious by now," said Jaden.
"Let her be. I want her to hunt me down and ask me questions," said a frustrated Stuart.
"What if she doesn't? What if she just treats you as a one-night stand only?" he asked and Stuart sat slumped on the bed.
"I've fallen for her, bro. I don't think I can be just a one-night stand for her," he admitted in a voice full of pain.
"But what choice do you have?" asked Jaden.
"Plenty, I will pursue her till I make her mine," said Stuart, a grin appearing on his face at his sudden brainwave.
Jaden groaned. "What if she talks about us to Rosalie?" he asked in horror.
"Good enough for you, bro. You'll get your girl in this life," Stuart said with a laugh while Jaden rolled his eyes at him.
"I'll go home tonight. My exams start two days later. I've got a good internship at an Austin-based financial firm. I would have to join immediately, as soon as my exams are over," he informed Stuart.
"You could have looked for an internship in Houston," said Stuart with a sigh. A job meant he wouldn't get to meet his best friend as frequently as they did till now.
"I tried, but all the Houston-based firms wanted experienced people. Maybe after a year, I'll have enough experience to shift here," said Jaden, with a smile.
"Yes, I think I too should do something worthwhile with my life after all," said Stuart, deep in thought. Jaden would be a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) after his exams and he already got a job. What was he doing with his life? This realization hadn't struck Stuart before as much as he realized it now. Allison would never look his way if he didn't get established in life. Why should she? She'd been earning since the age of sixteen, while he hadn't even started at twenty-three. What would he do when he knew he would never be happy in a 9-5 boring job?
Jaden left in the evening. Nick and Nelson, who were their uncle Nolan's sons, came over when they heard that Sean had brought home a girl. Nate and Queen were already stuck here since the afternoon. The only one missing was Ryan, Nate's eighteen-year-old brother. However, he too arrived within ten minutes. So it was really a madhouse in the true sense of the word, with Sean saying his "she's off limits" speech every five minutes.
Hannah was the happiest of all since she found a sweet girl who helped her with the cooking. In fact, she was so surprised that the girl could cook so well. "Where did you learn to cook so well, dear?" she asked Vienna.
"Yes dear, do tell us," echoed the boys from the kitchen door before Vienna could answer her.
Hannah rolled her eyes at the whole bunch of them. "Whoever crosses the threshold and enters the kitchen will have to help with the cooking, " she said and the whole bunch of them went a yard backward. However, to her surprise, Sean entered the kitchen sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
His ma's eyes popped out, and she pinched herself to believe what she was seeing. Sean, the fashion king or the glamour boy who was so particular about his looks and tattoos, was inside her kitchen. To do what?
"Sean, are you ready to cook?" his ma asked.
"Yes, ma, tell me what to do?" asked Sean, standing beside Vienna and checking out what she was doing.
"What can you do? Can you chop the vegetables?" she asked, suppressing a grin that was battling to break free.
"Yes, ma, tell me what should I chop?" he asked and all his brothers stared at him with their jaws dropped. All except Stuart, who sat in his room researching what he would do with his life.
Hannah took pity on him and gave him broccoli, bell peppers, and tomatoes to chop for dinner. He stood close to Vienna and showed off his skills. He was studying food technology, after all! All the other boys sighed and realized that a shortcut way to a girl's heart is by helping her to cook.
"Ma, can you teach me to cook?" asked Denver, and Hannah Taylor sat down on the nearest bar stool in shock.
"Me too, ma," said Daxton.
"Me too, aunt Hannah," said Ryan.
"Me too," chorused Nick and Nelson.
"You guys can cook and Nate and I will eat," said Drake with a laugh as Nate too joined in.
After two hours of extensive research, Stuart decided to apply for an online postgraduate course in Food Science and Innovation. He filled in his details and submitted his applications to some of the reputed universities of Houston. Tomorrow, he would accompany his dad to work and earn his bread. He felt much better after his decision.
He went downstairs to the living room and saw that his dad was working on his laptop. "Dad, I need to talk to you, " he said. His dad looked up in disbelief.
"Yes, son. Tell me, " he said, focussing his attention upon Stuart.
"Dad, I've applied for an online Master's program in Food Science and Innovation. From tomorrow, can I go to work with you?"
- Writer
