Chapter 1

" 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 "