Babysitting the mute billionaire

" Couples on the beach doin' the dirty tricks.... La la la la ". Ava Adams sighed and closed her laptop. Her stepbrother, Bobby was back and it meant she was in for more trouble tonight. Her joy at being hired as a babysitter dampened the moment she heard Bobby's voice.

" Where have you been? " He said, the moment she came downstairs. He staggered, and Ava knew then that he was drunk. She rolled her eyes inwardly but replied anyway.

" I came down the minute I heard your voice. Where's Ben? " She looked behind him, in search of her second nightmare. Ben, her step dad was much worse than a beast. Her mother, Dawn had married Ben when she was 12. Her birth father, Davis, died in a car accident and things had not been easy for them. Dawn married Ben few years later and things were going smoothly for them, except for her nasty stepbrother of course. Ben, at that time, was a rich businessman but all that crumbled when his company went bankrupt. Bobby had blamed it all on her mother for coming into their lives.

Things became worse as Ben lost all hopes of saving his company and became a gambler. Dawn tried to keep the to keep the family together and worked all day to save up some money. But things go the way she planned because the moment Ben discovered the money, he stole everything and gambled without leaving a penny. Dawn died a year later and Ava was left to live with her beast of a step father and her douchebag of a step brother.

" Get the fuck out of my way! " Bobby retorted and pushed her. Ava landed on her butt and groaned. She rubbed her sore ass, thanking her stars that he didn't do much worse to her. She was used to them hitting her on many occasions so this was nothing. She watched Bobby leave and sighed. She was battling with what was too much for a girl of 22 years. Her once creamy, white skin was pale and dry. She was a 5'2 feet brunette with a pair of beautiful blue eyes. She was what guys termed as a figure '8' shape. She was a stunning beauty. She was truly beautiful and took after her mother.

" Son of a bitch " she muttered, helping herself up. She went back to her room to prepare the necessary things for the interview the next day. She would gladly accept any job that came her way. Being a babysitter was better than nothing, and as long as she would be paid, she was okay with it. She loved kids so she was sure she would do fine. Most of all, she was glad that finally, she would be able to gather up some money and run away to where Ben and Bobby could never find her.

********

She woke up the next morning feeling excited and anxious. She wore one of her few best clothes, a black knee-length gown and paired it with wedge sandals. Leaving her face bare, she squatted and brought out the box she hid under her bed. She opened the box, brought out few dollars and put it in her bag. She locked her door and went downstairs. She was relieved when none of the beasts she lived with was awake yet.

Ben obviously didn't come home and she was glad. Twenty minutes later, she was in front of the mansion. She stood there shocked and wondered if she got the wrong place. Though she knew she would be working in a mansion, she had not expected it to be this huge and beautiful. Shaking her head to clear it of her wandering thoughts, she rang the doorbell. The door opened a few seconds later and a middle aged man appeared.

" Yes? " He looked her over.

" Hello good morning. I'm here for an interview. I applied for...." The man cut her off, motioning her inside.

" Okay okay come in " and he turned to go in.

Ava felt she was in heaven the moment she walked in. The whole place was breathtaking. She couldn't find the perfect words to describe it.

" Have a sit. He will join you soon " The man said over his shoulder, as he disappeared.

Ava fed her eyes to her heart's content, she got a good look at the whole place now. A cough sounded and she looked up, startled. Standing before her was a very good looking, matured man. He looked around 37 years, give or take a few years. He was tall and had jet black hair. Shiny blue eyes were staring down at her and she looked away, shyly. He smiled and Ava decided he had a cute smile . He looked vaguely familiar though.

" Done checking me out? " He asked and his smile got wider. Ava realized then, that she had blatantly stared at him rudely.

" Uh? Oh... Sorry sir " She stammered, getting up on her feet.

" No, you can sit " He laughed.

" Thank you sir " She replied politely.

" Jackson. It's Jackson. You applied for the job of a babysitter, right? "

" Yes sir... Yes Jack. I'm Ava Adams " She answered.

" Beautiful name for a gorgeous lady " He complimented, eyes twinkling.

" Ava, can you tell me about yourself. Family, kids, relationship, home, everything. It will help us greatly to know if you're suitable for this job " He smiled.

" Okay, " Ava took a deep breath and continued, " I'm 22 years old, graduated from High school 5 years ago. Wanted to further my education up to College level but financial problems " She smiled painfully. Jack listened without interrupting her and Ava sighed before she continued.

" Mom died few years back so I live with my stepdad and stepbrother " She left out the part that her stepfather was a gambler. Jack could tell she was hiding something but decided not to push it.

" I'm sorry about your Mom " He looked really sorry.

" It's fine thank you " She blinked back the tears which were starting to form around her eyes.

" Now let's get down to business " He sighed audibly and brought out some documents.

" Let me ask you this before we proceed "

He took a pause before he went on " Any complications? Married? In a relationship? Single? "

Ava shook her head " None "

" Okay. Now, please go through these rules and regulations carefully ". He handed her the documents and sat back on his chair, waiting for her. Ava went through the documents thoroughly and took a pause after reading a particular one.

" I'll live here? " She looked at him, stunned.

" Yeah. And one more thing, you'll be on probation for 2 months before we decide if you'll work with us permanently ". He exhaled a breath.

" Is there a problem? " He raised an eyebrow.

" No no no it's fine. I mean, thank you sir" She was happy that that finally, she would be leaving that hell hole she called a home. But how handful must the kid be, for the job to require her stay there temporarily, she wondered.

" I thought I made it clear you should call me Jack " Jack smiled.

" Thank you Jack " Her own smile brightening the whole room.

" Okay good. Now let's proceed. The person you'll be babysitting is.... " They both turned to look when they heard the sound of someone's footsteps. A kid of about 6 years came to Jack and he smiled, scooping him into his arms. The boy was cute and looked a lot like his father.

Ava automatically assumed he was the one she would babysit, smiled and waved.

" Hello there! I'm Ava . Your dad employed me to babysit you but I won't " She shook her head vigorously for emphasis, laughing.

" I'll be your best friend! " She exclaimed.

The little boy looked confused for a moment then bursted into laughter. He laughed so much that his Dad had to hold him tightly to prevent him from falling.

" Whoa you're cool! I would have loved it if you were my babysitter " The boy said wistfully and pouted.

" Hush now, Liam. She'll still be your friend " Jack tried to pacify the boy.

Ava was confused now. If it was not Liam, then who would she babysit?

" Oops sorry! How rude of me to assume you have just a kid " She put her hands on her face, ashamed.

Both father and son laughed, and Jack confirmed now that she'd do great at her job. The woman was energetic, he liked that. But he was not so sure with Alex though.

" No it's fine " He smiled " As a matter of fact, yeah I have just Liam. The person you're babysitting is not Liam. It's Alexander ".

Ava couldn't explain why she shivered, just by hearing the name of the kid. There was something fishy, she could feel it.

" Okay. Is he family? Oh sorry! Of course he would be. Geez what's wrong with me? " She sighed dramatically, facepalming herself. Jack laughed heartily, the sound echoing the spacious room.

" Alex is asleep right now but we can go see him if you'd like " He was already on his feet.

" Sure " and she stood up too.

Jack led the way and they went upstairs. The place was massive, Ava thought as they passed rows of rooms until they finally stopped in front of one.

" Okay. Here we go " He entered multiple passwords and Ava frowned. Even password was required before one could be given access into the room of a little boy? Who exactly was this kid? She wondered. The door swished open and Jack motioned for her to enter.

The room was dark, even the curtains were drawn . Ava, breathing heavily, went to the window and drew back the curtains without being asked to. Light seeped in immediately and Ava looked around, in search of Alex. The room was big enough to accommodate more than three people and it was beautiful. There was something odd about it though, she noticed.

She spotted a man lying on a bed on one end of the room. Jack followed her gaze and said quietly " That's him. Alexander King ".

Even his name sounded powerful, Ava thought. She went still, shocked at coming to the realization that it was not a little boy she would babysit, but a grown up man. The fuck? Why would they need to babysit a grown up man? Was he sick? These were the questions going through her mind and she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Jack walked over to the bed and she followed slowly.

Up close, she could see the younger version of Jack. Alexander was drop dead gorgeous, he was beautiful in fact. Long eyelashes caressed the lids, a long, pointed nose and small, full lips. No doubt he would be the center of attention of women.

" Uh... Alex is... a bit sick, just so you know " He said quietly, looking uneasy.

" Sick? How do you mean? " She probed.

" Uh... He was involved in a big, terrible accident 3 years back and had not been himself since then ".

Ava remembered then. The young billionaire whose pictures was all over the social media. It was said that he was involved in a big accident. Rumor had it that his business opponents tried to kill him but he was saved at the last minute. He was in coma since then and had not been spotted.

The accident happened around the time her Mom died. Ava realized now why Jack had looked so familiar when she first saw him. The striking resemblance to Alex, the aura of wealth and power all made sense to her now.

" Oh " was the only thing she could think of saying. Words clogged up her throat and the word she uttered was laced with so much emotion that even Jack could feel it. Suddenly, she felt a tenderness towards the guy lying down on the bed. A tenderness she had never felt towards anyone except her mother.

She had learned to bottle up her emotions these last few years. All thanks to Ben, he had taught her that, as he inflicted bruises on her.

" I'm sorry " She whispered. She didn't know what she was sorry for exactly, the man lying down or her pitiful life.

" You okay? " Jack asked in concern, looking her over.

" Yeah I'm fine " she answered, her voice betraying her.

" Okay. Are you still willing to be his babysitter? " He queried.

" If you'll allow me to " She answered, her gaze not on Jack but Alex.

" Mind you, Alex understand every word spoken and harsh words or harsh treatment won't be tolerated. He feels pain too " He stated, all humour gone in his voice, replacing it with the tone of a protective brother.

Ava was somewhat annoyed with Jack's words. How could he say that? Placing her hands on her hips, she told him quietly, " Everyone is different, Jack. We're all different. I don't know if you're saying this because you've had experience with cruel babysitters before but I'm assuring you that I'm way different from those people. I can't treat a human that way, and definitely not a sick one. You don't generally assume everyone is the same " She exhaled heavily. She couldn't believe that she had talked to him like a mother would to a disobedient child.

Jack glared at her " Alex is not sick "

" You said it yourself that he is sick, didn't you? " She countered.

Jack looked at her for a while and finally shrugged " He's not really sick. He pretty much understands every word and he observe a lot. He just doesn't speak. Yet " He added.

" He can't talk? " Ava was bewildered.

" Doesn't speak for now. He used to " He answered.

" Yeah sure. Heck, he was the CEO of the great Kings International " Ava said thoughtfully.

" But he makes gestures, give you sign to let you know what he wants "

" Oh really " She said rhetorically and nodded in understanding.

" And one more thing, " He started.

" Shoot " Ava couldn't wait to get it over with.

" Whenever he glares at you and he draw his bed cover over himself, he wants you to get out. He throws a tantrum when he's not obliged " He finished, letting out a long breath.

" And yet another thing, " He continued " Never force him to speak. Remember, he was not always this way and definitely won't remain this way forever. Do you understand? So be careful when speaking to him "

" And the last thing, he's not really a fan of physical contact, he doesn't like to be touched that much. I mean, he hates having hands all over him. Do you understand what I'm saying? "

" Yeah I do. When do I start? " She asked.

" Whenever you like of course. Be it today or tomorrow, it's your choice. But I would suggest you bring in your things today and start work fully tomorrow. Or do you need more time to inform your family? " He asked and Ava rolled her eyes inwardly at the mention of the word ' family '. Ben and Bobby were nothing close to family at all. She was glad to be out of their clutch, finally. And there was no way she would tell them about her new job. Not now or ever. She just hoped they didn't find out this place until she made enough money to run away.

" Can I bring in my things today and sleep over then I'll start working tomorrow? " She asked in a pleading voice. Jack didn't think twice before he nodded.

" Sure. Do you need help bringing your things? I can send my driver to help you " He offered.

Ava looked at her wristwatch and was lost in thought. Bobby would be out by now but she couldn't say the same thing for Ben since he didn't come home the previous night. There was no way she would delay leaving that God forsaken place so she nodded. She had had enough of their treatment. She was sure those two douchebags didn't see as human because she herself couldn't treat an animal the way they treated her.

" I don't really have many things to pack but I could use some help right now " Plus having a guy beside her would make her feel less scared, if the two beasts turned out to be around. She just hoped and prayed luck was on her side and she wouldn't have to deal with them.

" Okay. Let's leave Alex now, shall we? " He placed his hands on the small of her back and together, they went downstairs to the main living room.

" A minute please " Jack said as soon as they got to the living room room and excused himself, leaving only Ava and his son. Liam went over to Ava and raised his arms. Ava understood the little boy wanted to be carried and thus, obliged him. He rested his head on her bosom and his little arms went around her to play with her hair.

None of them noticed Jack had come into the room and was now watching them. No doubt Ava would make a great babysitter, he thought. This was the motherly love he wanted Mabel to show to Liam, he smiled wistfully. Setting his personal life aside, he focused on Alex. But could Ava handle Alex? He wondered.

He made his presence known by coughing discreetly. Ava looked up, startled. " Oh.... I didn't know you came here already "

" Oh it's fine " and he smiled, looking at his son. He couldn't see his face so he turned his attention back to Ava.

" Is he asleep? " Ava looked down to check and it turned out Liam was fast asleep.

" Yeah I think so " She smiled and ruffled his hair. She stood up and handed him gently to Jack who wasn't too good with kids as he woke Liam up in the process.

" Dad? " Began a sleepy Liam.

" I'm here baby " and he kissed him on the cheeks.

" Is Ava leaving us? "

" No son, she just wanna go pick up some few things. She'll be back soon " Liam immediately went back to sleep. Jack looked at Ava " My son has taken a liking to you " He stated the obvious, smiling. Ava smiled back but said nothing to that.

" His mother? "