Hollywood Zenith

" This looks increasingly ridiculous every time I see it." Darren sighed after looking at the giant walls.

" Yeah, I am proud of it. As the foundation's first Orphanage, it must have certain galore to it. Besides, I bought the land for cheap!"

" Excuse me? Is that really an Orphanage? It looks like a conglomerate's base." Rosaline also came upon Darren's invitation. After doing and hauling large quantities of items, she became curious about this place.

She was right with her assessment. Situated on the outskirts of LA, the Orphanage had very advanced facilities that cater to the children. There were no flashy buildings, just a tiny little 'village' surrounded by nature.

Over the years, the Verdant Foundation has become one of the most recognizable non-profit charities. Samuel had invested three per cent of his wealth until now, which might seem small, but one had to consider his net worth.

Verdant was a charity focused on helping orphans and children in need across several countries. Focusing on improving the lives of impoverished children, It provided orphaned children with food, clothing, education, and medical care.

The charity also supports caring communities by providing training programs that help create sustainable jobs.

The only drawback was that they were too slow with expansion. With Samuel as the sole contributor, opening many such bases across the country took a lot of work. He was thinking about holding a few charity dinners that would help relieve some of that stress off of his shoulders.

" Let's head inside. They must be waiting for us."

" Sir.." It was the truck driver that Samuel hired to deliver suitably. It was unexpected, but they bought too much stuff and ultimately paid some people for the goods.

" I almost forgot. Follow us inside, and I will inform someone to guide you. Help them with storing the goods."

" Ok"

...

...

...

" Waah"

" It's Boss!"

"Boooss"

He was spotted immediately after he got out of the car. There was no need to disguise himself here, so he already took off his cap and sunglasses. It also prevented any accidents, as he knew what would happen.

" Yaaay" A sea of children tackled him to the ground without warning. They were giggling and laughing after a successful 'raid'.

" Lucas, stop it! May stop pulling my pants! Ava, hey, stop shaking me! Char, stop rolling on the floor; you will get dirty!..." Even if there were a dozen children, Samuel clearly remembered their names.

The reason was they were the first 'batch' that he took in. He clearly remembers their gloomy nature, but looking at their happy faces put his heart at ease.

" Children, stop it! I am sorry, Director, I couldn't stop them. They had been restless since I told them you were coming." James was a middle age man who was also an orphan. After achieving small success, he wanted to return 'home', and that was when Samuel entrusted this place to him.

Before Verdant took over, this place had been under some other lousy organization. Samuel had to buy the adjacent land and build most of the buildings from scratch.

" It's okay. I like this kind of welcome. What about the others?" Samuel patted their heads.

" Sarah wanted to come, but her condition is not good. So, I forbade her; other children were inside. I was afraid they would make too much noise."

" Alright. I will see her, you take care of the stuff I brought. It's not much, but store them carefully."

" You don't have to do that. We have enough." James was genuinely grateful, but It was hard to accept as they had already received so much from him.

" Do as I say. It's not like I come here only a few times a year."

" Right, these are my friends. This is Rosaline, and You remember Darren, right?"

" Yes, Nice to meet you. I am James Miller. Are you not aware? Master Darren visits us once a month. Sometimes, he also brings his friends. They are a great help!"

" Oh, that's the first time I am hearing about it. Darren, didn't you say you hate kids?"

" No-, Yes, I do." But when the kids 'jumped' him next, he didn't resist; instead, he laughed. Really a softie!

Rosaline exchanged a greeting with James; she was opposite Darren and openly showed love for the kids surrounding her. Fortunately, she didn't receive the dreaded tackle.

" They really are cute! I can't believe such a place existed so close to our home." Well, they never needed marketing, to begin with; it was complicated for everyday people to know. How many charity does an average person knows about? Almost zero. They had to worry about themself first and foremost.

Suddenly someone pulled the helm of Rosaline's dress, which surprised her. It was a very quiet kid; the kid spread his hand like he was asking for something.

" Hmm..little guy, do you need something?" She asked.

" Oh, Ollie, where were you hiding? Come here!" Samuel called him over. Ollie strode over with small steps and made the same gesture with Samuel.

" Why are you pestering her?" Samuel lifted him up into his arms. The little guy was only six years old, but he was brilliant.

Upon questioning, Ollie brought his index finger and twisted the side of his cheek.

" Oh shoot! I totally forgot! Sorry, I didn't bring any this time." Samuel showed a helpless expression.

Seeing it, Ollie bulged his cheeks and crossed his eyebrows, pretending to be mad. It was not the first time Samuel had done such a prank on him; he was not stupid!

" I am serious! I will definitely bring it next time, I promise." This time Samuel's splendid acting worked as Ollie began to struggle in his embrace. This little guy was getting more and more spoiled.

" Alright, Alright. Rosaline, can you bring those bags? I am afraid he will start crying soon."

Rosaline didn't know what was happening, but she followed his instructions. The kids also helped carry small bags; they already knew what was in them.

" Lucas, as the oldest, I will give this mission to you. Distribute it among yourself." The bags were filled with different candies. It was their last stop when Samuel had emptied a small candy store. Without tribute, it was impossible to get rid of these small devils!

" Happy?" Samuel asked after giving him a small basket.

Ollie moved two flats, palms with a huge smile to convey his thoughts. He began running around with other children as they performed some sort of 'happy' dance with Darren as their centre. It was good that they were getting along.

" That looked like a common occurrence," Rosaline said from the side.

" Yeah, Ollie is very reserved because he can't speak, but whenever it comes to candy, he starts acting like a spoiled kid," Samuel replied while looking at them.

" I noticed. Well, I have never seen such happy kids." She was also fascinated; the more she learned about Samuel, the more she understood how different he was from others.

" That's my life goal. " Samuel muttered his breath.

" Let's go. They must be waiting for us." He urged everyone to go inside.