Lani sat on the couch, her arms crossed as she stared at Mia, who sat across from her, nervously fidgeting with her fingers.
"So, you're really leaving?" Lani finally said, her voice quieter than she intended.
Mia nodded, her eyes full of regret. "I have to, Lani. My daughter needs me. She's struggling in school, and my family in Mexico says she's not adjusting well. I can't keep being here while she needs me there."
Lani let out a slow breath, leaning back into the couch. She understood. She really did. But that didn't make it any easier. Mia had been with her since the twins were born. She had been more than a nanny—she had been family.
"What am I supposed to do without you?" Lani muttered, rubbing her temples. "The twins love you. I don't know how they'll handle this."
Mia gave her a sad smile. "They'll adjust. And you'll find someone. You always do."
Lani scoffed. "Yeah, because trustworthy, reliable people who can handle my kids and my insane work life just grow on trees."
Mia laughed, shaking her head. "You're stubborn, Lani. But you'll be fine. Olivia is already on it."
That made Lani groan. If Olivia was involved, that meant she had already started making decisions for her.
And that was never a good thing.
---
The next day, Lani stormed into Olivia's office, slamming the door behind her. "Tell me you found someone decent and not some random person off the street."
Olivia barely looked up from her computer, completely unbothered by Lani's dramatic entrance. "Good morning to you, too."
"Olivia."
Her best friend sighed, closing her laptop. "Relax. I did find someone."
Lani narrowed her eyes. "Who?"
Olivia smirked. "His name is Elias Carter."
Lani's frown deepened. "Elias? That sounds like a guy's name."
Olivia nodded, grinning. "That's because he is a guy."
Lani blinked, her arms slowly dropping to her sides. "Wait. What?"
"I hired a male life assistant for you," Olivia said casually, as if she hadn't just dropped a bombshell. "He starts tomorrow."
Lani gaped at her. "You—you hired a man to take care of my kids? To live in my house?"
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Lani. It's the twenty-first century. Men can be caregivers, too."
"That's not the point!" Lani threw her hands up. "I don't want some random man in my house, cooking, cleaning, taking care of my children—"
"First of all," Olivia interrupted, holding up a finger, "he's not random. He comes highly recommended. Second, you have no choice because Mia is leaving today, and you need someone now. Third…" She smirked. "You're going to hate this part."
Lani glared. "What?"
"He's really handsome."
Lani's jaw clenched.
"And apparently, most of the female employees in the office already love him," Olivia added, enjoying every second of Lani's irritation.
"Oh, fantastic," Lani deadpanned. "So now I have to deal with a bunch of lovesick women and a pretty boy who thinks he's God's gift to earth?"
Olivia shrugged. "Sounds about right."
Lani groaned. "I already hate him."
"You haven't even met him yet."
"I don't need to."
Olivia smirked. "Oh, you're going to have so much fun."
---
That night, Lani was in full panic mode.
She sat on her bed, laptop open, searching How to fire someone before they even start.
Unfortunately, Google wasn't being very helpful.
"Mommy?"
Lani looked up to see Luca standing in the doorway, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"What's wrong, baby?" she asked, closing the laptop.
Luca shuffled into the room, climbing onto the bed. "Mia's really leaving?"
Lani's heart ached at the sadness in his voice. She pulled him into her arms. "Yeah, baby. She has to take care of her daughter."
Luca sniffled. "I don't want her to go."
"I know," Lani whispered, kissing the top of his head. "But we're getting someone new to help us."
Luca looked up at her. "Will they be nice?"
Lani hesitated. "I hope so."
She wasn't convinced.
And she had a bad feeling she was about to find out just how annoying Elias Carter really was.