Lyra's POV
"Lyra Carson?"
I hadn't even knocked. The front door of the Weston Mansion swung open the moment I reached the front step, revealing the man himself—Leo Weston. He didn't look intimating; he was intimating. Tall, broad-shouldered, dress in a black suit that looked sharp enough to cut glass. His dark eyes fixed on me, assessing me, as if I'd already failed some silent test.
So this is the guy hiring me to watch a kid?
Mafia boss? Sure. Billionaire? Definitely. But babysitting? Not really.
"That's me," I managed to say, my voice sharper than I felt.
"Come in." His voice smooth and commanding. He turned and walked deeper into the mansion without waiting for my reply.
This was a mistake.
I should have turned around and driven off the moment I saw the place—a looming, gothic beast of a house that literally screamed, don't Go in. But the agency email was clear: generously paid, live-in required,no questions asked.
And with my bank account going down the drain, I'd somehow convince myself it was worth the risk.
Noah, standing in Leo Weston's shadow, the weight of that risk wa hitting me like a train.
The foyer was massive and cold. marble floors stretched out beneath my feet, on the dark wood paneling give the house a lifeless feel. Where the family photos? The kids toys? Hell, even a misplaced jacket would have been a welcoming sight.
"I didn't expect you to be the one interviewing me," I said trying to keep up with his steps. " I thought maybe... a guardian or —"
"Mira's family is me," he interrupted me without looking back. His voice was flat.
"I handle everything concerning her. Personally."
Great. No pressure.
We moved down a long,echoing hallway that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up."she's been through a lot," Leo said, his tone softening just a bit. " she doesn't speak much, but she listens. I expect you'll be patient with her."
" No problem," I said, though I was starting to panic inside. Why would a man like this—who clearly had more important things to do, like running a criminal Empire—be so involved in hiring a nanny? There had to be more going on here than what I was being told.
We stopped in front of a heavy wooden door. Leo paused, his expression unreadable, then he opened it. sunlight poured into the room a stark contrast to the rest of the mansion in the middle of the flower surrounded by sea of books and crayons, sat Mira.
She was smaller than I expected. Dark hair Framed her pale face, and her big brown eye locked unto mine the second I stepped inside. She didn't look scared but there was something guarded about her— like she was sizing me up as much as her uncle had.
I crouched down to her level, forcing a smile. "Hi Mira. I'm Lyra."
She blinked, gripping the edges of the book in her lap a little tighter but said nothing. I wasn't sure if that was normal for her or if I was already failing this interview.
Leo stood by the door, watching us in silence. his presence was like a pressure, pushing me said right thing to do the right thing—whatever that was.
" I love books, too," I offered glancing at the pile around her." What's your favorite?"
Mia's eyes flicked from me to her uncle and back again. No answer. She didn't move,didn't speak— just stared at me with a mixture of curiosity and caution that made my chest tightened.
"She'll open up to you, in time," Leo said quietly. He didn't sound entirely sure. Neither was I.
I nodded, still crouched awkwardly on the floor. Mira hadn't run from me,so that was something, right? I looked back at Leo was now watching us we can intensity that made my skin prickle. Was waiting for me to fail? Waiting for Mira to give some sign that I wasn't right for the job?
"I'll leave you two to get acquainted," he said after a long pause. His voice dropped, almost too low to hear. "You'll be good for her."
I couldn't tell if that was a statement or a challenge, but before I could reply,he disappeared down the hall his footsteps fading into the distance.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and turned back to Mira. She was still staring at me her little fingers still clenched around the book like it was a lifeboat.
"So, Mira," I said gently, sitting cross-legged beside her. "You like coloring?" I picked up a crayon from the floor and started doodling on a nearby scrap of paper. "I'm not very good but I think I can manage a flower. or maybe a dog. If you looked at it this way."
Mira didn't laugh, didn't even smile. But she didn't pull away either. Her gaze shifted to my simple drawing.
Progress. I thought. Maybe.
But deep down, I knew this wasn't going to be as simple as caring for any other child. There was something else going on here,something heavy and unspoken that hung in the air like a shadow.
But hey, what's the worst that could happen when your boss is a Mafia Kingpin?
Right?