Chapter 11: Unwanted Assistance

Tuesday morning arrived with a chaotic rush. Lani barely had time to breathe between getting dressed, checking emails, and making sure the twins were ready for school.

As she sat in her office, sipping her first coffee of the day, Olivia strolled in, looking far too awake for Lani's liking.

"Good morning, boss lady," Olivia teased, settling into the chair across from Lani's desk.

Lani groaned, rubbing her temples. "It's too early for your energy."

Olivia smirked. "Or maybe you're just grumpy because of him."

Lani narrowed her eyes. "Who?"

"You know who."

Lani sighed dramatically. "Ugh. Don't start."

"I have to start," Olivia said, crossing her legs. "Because I want to know—how's Elias doing?"

Lani scoffed, setting down her coffee. "Annoying."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "That's not what I asked."

Lani leaned back in her chair. "Fine. He's… competent."

Olivia's grin widened. "Competent?"

Lani exhaled sharply. "Okay, more than competent. He does his job too well, actually."

Olivia's laugh was full of amusement. "And that bothers you because…?"

"Because everyone acts like he's so amazing," Lani grumbled. "Even the kids."

Olivia smirked. "Sounds like someone's jealous."

Lani shot her a glare. "Jealous? Of him? Please."

Before Olivia could push further, Nina, Lani's secretary, knocked on the door and peeked in.

"Ma'am, Elias is back after dropping the kids off at school," Nina said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Should I send him up?"

Lani waved a hand dismissively. "No need. I don't have anything for him right now."

Olivia, however, perked up. "Actually…"

Lani's eyes widened. "Olivia, no."

Olivia grinned mischievously. "Oh, yes."

She turned to Nina. "Tell Elias I need a favor."

Nina nodded, clearly eager for an excuse to talk to Elias again, and disappeared.

Lani groaned. "What are you doing?"

Olivia leaned forward. "I need him to help watch Leo."

Lani blinked. "Leo? Your son?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah. My usual sitter bailed, and I have meetings all day. You did say Elias is competent, right?"

Lani folded her arms. "I said too competent."

"Exactly," Olivia said, leaning back with a smirk. "Which means he'll be fine watching Leo."

Lani huffed. "Whatever. But if he ruins your kid, don't blame me."

Olivia chuckled. "Oh, I won't. But I will enjoy watching you struggle to admit he's good at his job."

Lani rolled her eyes just as the door opened, and Elias walked in.

He looked as composed as ever, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable. "You needed me for something?"

Olivia nodded, standing up. "Yes. I need you to watch my son, Leo, for a few hours."

Elias raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't hired to babysit your kid."

Olivia smirked. "You were hired to assist with kids. Leo is a kid."

Elias sighed but didn't argue. "Fine. Where is he?"

"At my place," Olivia said, grabbing her purse. "I'll send you the address. Just make sure he eats and doesn't burn the house down."

Elias gave a slight nod. "Got it."

As he turned to leave, Lani couldn't resist muttering, "Let's see if you're too competent now."

Elias just chuckled and walked out.

Lani scowled. She really didn't like that guy.

Elias pulled up to their school, parking the car smoothly before stepping out. The mid-afternoon sun was warm against his skin as he walked toward the front gate. A few parents were already there, chatting amongst themselves while waiting for their kids.

Leo was easy to spot—Olivia's six-year-old son had a mischievous smirk on his face as he ran ahead of the other kids, his small backpack bouncing with every step.

The second he saw Elias, he slowed down, eyeing him with curiosity. "You're not my mom," Leo said, tilting his head.

Elias crossed his arms. "Observant."

Leo squinted. "Who are you?"

"Elias."

Leo frowned. "Just Elias?"

"That's all you need to know."

Leo stared at him for a few seconds longer before shrugging. "Okay, cool. Let's go."

Elias handed Leo a snack Olivia had packed and guided him to the car. As soon as they got in, Leo wiggled in his seat, clearly up to something.

Elias watched through the rearview mirror as the little boy's hand inched toward the window button.

"Don't," Elias said flatly.

Leo paused, looking at Elias through the mirror. "Don't what?"

Elias's eyes narrowed just slightly.

Leo grinned and pressed the button anyway.

The window rolled all the way down.

Elias didn't react. He simply stared at Leo through the mirror, completely silent, his expression unreadable.

Leo gulped.

Something about the way Elias looked at him—so calm yet so intimidating—made the hairs on his neck stand up.

Slowly, Leo rolled the window back up without saying a word.

Satisfied, Elias shifted into drive and pulled away from the school.

Leo sat quietly for the next five minutes before finally mumbling, "Okay, you're kinda scary."

Elias didn't respond.

Leo chewed on his snack, watching Elias from the corner of his eye.

"…I think I like you," Leo finally admitted.

Elias glanced at him briefly. "That was fast."

Leo grinned. "I like people who don't talk too much."

Elias smirked slightly but said nothing.

He started driving away before he realized that the twins were not in yet.

---

Elias stepped out first, scanning the area as the school bell rang. A wave of kids rushed out, chatting excitedly as they searched for their rides home.

Then, through the crowd, a little girl's voice rang out—

"Elias!"

Lily sprinted toward him, her backpack bouncing, her face beaming.

Elias barely had time to react before she threw her arms around his waist in a quick hug.

"You came!" she said excitedly. "I wanted to show you my clay project!"

Elias nodded, giving her a small pat on the head. "I told you I'd be back."

Lily grinned up at him. "Come see! It's in my bag!"

As she fumbled with her backpack, Elias noticed movement to the side.

Luca stood near the school doors, watching them.

His arms were crossed, his face neutral—but his fingers clenched tightly around the strap of his backpack.

Elias met his gaze.

Luca looked away.

"Look!" Lily said, pulling a small clay sculpture from her bag. "It's a bunny! But I made it look like a superhero."

Elias studied the tiny figure. It was lumpy, uneven, and slightly misshapen.

"…Impressive," he said.

Lily beamed. "Right? I worked so hard on it!"

Leo, who had been silent until now, leaned closer. "Whoa, that's so cool!"

Lily turned to him, her eyes widening. "Really? You think so?"

Leo nodded. "Yeah! I wanna try making one too!"

Lily gasped. "You should! Elias is really good at helping with stuff like this!"

Leo's eyes brightened. "Really? Can you help me too?"

Elias sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's not exactly my job."

But Leo and Lily were already looking at him with big, expectant eyes.

Luca, meanwhile, had seen enough.

Without a word, he walked past them and climbed into the car, shutting the door a little harder than necessary.

Elias glanced toward the vehicle, noting Luca's tense posture.

Interesting.

With a final nod to Lily and Leo, Elias gestured for them to get in as well.

As he followed them into the car, he couldn't help but think—

This job was becoming far more complicated than he expected.