Chapter 3: 3 Victoria Hawkes

Sitting in the back of the black luxury car, the woman glanced at the dirty boy on the seat next to her. It was clear he was uncomfortable due to his stiff posture but he was still trying to hide it by looking out of the window at the passing scenery.

Thinking back, the idea to suddenly adopt a child only came recently. It was that specific event a couple of weeks prior that set everything in motion, causing her to go through all possible orphanages to find a suitable kid.

Still, she remained unsuccessful for a long time. Maybe it was due to her chronic inability to take care of children but she didn't like any of the children shown to her. It was a tedious process.

To be clear, she didn't have any particular requirements for the child but rather relied on instincts. A feeling to find the right one. Unfortunately, this approach turned out to be useless. Not a single one was pleasing to her eye.

At least, not until she came to the last orphanage on her list.

It was an old, decayed building at the edge of the slums. Funding seemed to be an obvious issue, something that became even clearer after seeing the children.

They tried hard to show a happy face but inside, they hid the fear of hunger and loneliness. Some of them learned to live with it while others didn't. Regardless, she had the feeling she wouldn't find a suitable one here either.

That's when she met him.

A scrawny boy who looked like his age hasn't reached the double digits quite yet. Surprisingly, he seemed to be more concerned about the stinging bruise over his eye than her who was standing right in front of him.

Without her knowing, her interest was already picked. He had this unbothered attitude as if he didn't care what happened around him. Plus, his eyes still had this strong glint of defiance like a defenseless beast that wouldn't submit.

While she continued observing him, the words already escaped her lips.

"Can I see Blue Eye's file?"

She didn't know his name but his bruise was enough to identify who she was referring to. A moment later, a thin file was spread across her arms.

Conor. No last name. 10-years-old. He graduated from primary school top of his class and seems to be the smartest kid around here.

It turns out, he's older than he looks. However, the next statement made her smile.

He's glib and provoking. Multiple entries of bad behavior and involvement in fights. Still, looking at his physique and injuries that couldn't be hidden by those dirty rags, he hardly won any of them.

Smart, rebellious but powerless.

She sympathized with that. Maybe even more than she wanted to admit. At that moment, she already made her decision.

"He's the one. I'll prepare the paperwork."

Her sister used to say that no child could ever endure her torture.

Maybe this boy can prove her wrong.

...

As Conor looked at the woman, he could see her clearly for the first time. After they entered the car, the woman took off her black baseball cap, making it possible to recognize her facial features completely.

Truth be told, she was incredibly stunning. At least, he hasn't seen any woman with better looks than her so far. Part of that might be because he lived in the slums but he was sure her appearance was extraordinary even among the wealthy and powerful.

Smooth, honey-blonde hair that fell gently down to her shoulders and almond-shaped eyes that glowed in a greyish-blue color. Together with her unblemished skin, perfectly shaped eyebrows and curvy figure, Conor felt a vast sense of inferiority for the first time in his life.

Luckily, he hasn't reached puberty yet or his reaction might be even worse.

Still, he never put himself down willingly which is why he tried to put on a strong front.

"I'm Conor!" The boy proclaimed proudly.

Intrigued by his sudden introduction, the woman raised an eyebrow.

"Victoria Hawkes."

"So, where are we going?"

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"Your new home, for now." As he heard her answer, Conor looked out of the window in excitement. They were driving past the other cars at high speed, making the trees in the distance almost blur.

"We're going to one of the vacation homes of the Hawkes family. My private residence. You'll live there with me until you can be shown to the world."

"The Hawkes family?" Conor already guessed it after seeing the car but his new family seems to be quite a big deal.

"Yes. The Hawkes family is one of the most powerful military families for generations. The influence we wield in society is considerable. Of course, as a new child from that family, you need the necessary skills to represent us in public."

Looking back at her with a blank gaze, Victoria waved her hand.

"Don't worry, you'll understand it in time."

For the next twenty minutes, the car remained quiet. Conor felt interested in the outside scenery, which is why he noticed that the surrounding buildings slowly vanished. Then, the car came to an abrupt stop.

"We're here."

At Victoria's words, Conor nodded and followed her outside the car. However, his face dropped in confusion when he couldn't see anything. There was nothing but a forest and a winding road leading up a mountain.

"Where is it?" He asked.

"There." Victoria raised her arm and pointed at the sky.

Squinting his eyes, Conor looked up until he could see a modern white marble mansion sticking out from the mountaintop.

Honestly, it looked amazing. Extremely cool. For a while, he couldn't believe that he would live in such a place. The next moment, however, an obvious question suddenly emerged in his mind.

Why?

It's so inconvenient and far up. Why would someone live there? Is it just some rich person's shenanigan or something?

"The air is much cleaner and it's away from the dense city atmosphere. That's why I decided to place a mansion there just in case."

Well, no shit.

But more importantly…

"Why did we stop down here and don't drive up the road?"

Victoria tucked her hair behind her ear and gave Conor a quick glance before responding.

"The steep slope is making me dizzy."

…

What a clear lie!

A part of him wanted to go back to the orphanage right away but he knew his life would only go downhill from there. Yet, looking up at the mountain towards the mansion brought an odd feeling to his stomach.

Does she expect him to hike up the entire thing? How long will that take? No, could he even make it in the first place?

Throwing over a hateful gaze, Conor made his contempt clear.

This woman wasn't his new family or savior.

"Come on, little bug. We can do some bonding on the way up."

This woman was the devil himself.

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