"He really likes you…" I said with a smile.


    Time for Little Hayden to earn some favor points so that he can keep his name and also his life. Hayden looked down at the puppy and sighed again. I wondered if he regretted getting the little thing and prayed that that wasn’t so.


    "What did you want to show me?" Hayden asked.


    "You bought dog toys, right? I was with Little Hayden earlier in the garden, but I was too busy working on my sketches, so he had to y all alone…" I mumbled.


    "And?" Hayden urged to me to get to my point.


    Well…


    "I was just thinking that it’ll be nice if you could…you know…y with him a little outside. Of course, when you have the time like on the weekends…" I suggested hesitantly as I reached out a hand to stroke Little Hayden for some courage.


    Hayden looked at me with an incredulous expression like I had asked for something quite crazy. Did I just ask for something that crazy? I started to doubt myself for a moment. Hayden stared at me for a moment longer before his gaze fell to the furry ball nuzzling close to his leg.


    "Let’s take him out to the gardens when I’m home for the day," Hayden finally replied in resignation.


    "Thank you. I’m sure that Little Hayden will be so happy to y with you. Right, Little Hayden?" I said as I smiled at Hayden.


    "I don’t really care if it makes him happy or not…" Hayden muttered.


    Swiftly, his arm was around my back, and he had pulled me into a hug. My eyes widened in slight shock at his sudden embrace while I could feel his warm breath against my ear.


    "Thank you, Hayden…" I whispered as I enjoyed the warmth of his hug.


    …


    A week past by not without incident. Little Hayden grew up fast and had adjusted to his life in the mansion. Despite Hayden’s disapproval, I managed to keep Little Hayden’s name. I honestly found it funny and quite convenient that both of them would respond to my call. Little Hayden behaved very well when he was with me but the same couldn’t be said when he was around Hayden.


    They were like two boys ying together. Sometimes they would get along and other times not really.


    Overall, I found the dynamic between the two extremely entertaining. Regardless of Hayden’s initial doubt about keeping Little Hayden, it was undeniable now that those two had developed a bond and our lives were more adventurous with Little Hayden around.


    "He bit my shoe. Have you seen this?" Hayden asked as he thrusted his shoe towards me.


    "I’m sure he didn’t mean any harm…" I mumbled before trying tough it off.


    Hayden rolled his eyes at me in annoyance, and I was thankful that Little Hayden was now taking a walk outside with one of the maids. Otherwise, who knows what would happen…


    "Are you going out today? You’re so dressed up…" I inquired.


    Hayden was dressed a in very smart looking suit today and I couldn’t help but wonder where he was going.


    "I have a follow up interview today," he replied curtly.


    "I see. Well, have a nice day," I replied.


    …


    I’ve been working on exploring various techniques for the past week but haven’t decided on where to focus my efforts. Being stuck here was making it a little bit difficult to find inspiration. Usually, I would head to the museums and art exhibitions to look for some inspiration but that wasn’t a viable option right now.


    Working on some sketches and paintings helped to pass the time but I knew that I wasn’t making enough progress professionally.


    My career at the art school had all but ended by now. Of course, I didn’t expect that they would put my sses on hold until I could get back to teaching. It was unfortunate but because I was stuck here, the school had other teachers take over my sses and all my students were transferred to new mentors and teachers. Honestly, it hurt to see my efforts all go to waste.


    It was sad that I couldn’t finish what I started. Telling Hayden that would just lead to useless fights, though. In the end, I kept it all to myself.


    Although I was in contact with my friends over some group chats that we shared, I couldn’t meet them or tell them what was going on. It was for their own safety and my own peace of mind. I didn’t want to involve anyone in my troubles or my life with the mafia. From the chats, it was clear that my peers were making some progress in bing professional artists.


    Some decided to go directly into teaching while others have started applying their talents to the corporate word such as joining advertising agencies or design agencies.


    As for me, today will probably be another day or painting alone in the studio with Little Hayden ying with some random toy at my feet. Admittingly, it wasn’t a bad life, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could go on with this. If my grandmother is looking down on me right now, would she feel proud of what I’m doing with my life?


    Probably not.


    In a week’s time I’ve sketched and painted many paintings, all without any focus. I painted flowers,ndscape of the garden outside, Little Hayden, and a portrait of a model that I found online. I closed my eyes and put down my paint brush because it was clear that I could no longer concentrate on the painting in front of me.


    My thoughts were a mess and I felt very insecure about my future and theck of progress that I was making.


    How am I supposed to make a living like this? How much longer will I be stuck here?


    Suddenly, my phone started beeping and vibrating. Little Hayden paused in his ying and looked up at me, his eyes twitching from side to side as he listened to the sound of my phone beeping. I grabbed my phone and peered at the screen. For some reason, I had received multiple email notifications.


    --To be continued…