Chapter 6

~ Sarah's POV ~

I exhaled a long, shaky sigh for what felt like the hundredth time, as I stared up at the towering, iron gates of the Callahan mansion. All through the long night, I had desperately tried to steady my racing thoughts, whispering to myself like a mantra that Seth was going to like me… that he would accept me as his nanny. But standing here, dwarfed by their massive gate, every ounce of the fragile courage I’d managed to scrape together vanished into thin air.

Jessica had offered to come with me, but I told her I could do it on my own, and now I was regretting not tagging her along with me.

While I was good at fighting and defending myself, Jessica was good at anchoring me and encouraging me when I felt like I wasn't good enough.

It was weird that I was terrified over a little kid, but that kid was the one holding the key to me getting the job, and that was why I was nervous... If I was being honest with myself, I was scared.

"You can do this, Sarah," I forced my trembling lips into a tight, practiced smile before reaching out and tapping the intercom.

Just like yesterday, a detached voice crackled through the speaker, demanding my identity. I cleared the lump in my throat and replied that I was here for the second interview.

In no time, a guard stepped forward to usher me in. I frowned slightly, realizing it wasn't the same man from yesterday. How many guards do the Callahans even have?

This was a family home, not a maximum-security bank, for crying out loud. But I quickly clamped down on my judgment. I had far more critical things to worry about than auditing the Callahans’ security detail.

I was led inside the mansion, and Mrs. Callahan was waiting for me, her face lighting up with a bright, genuinely warm smile. She seemed… remarkably nice.

"Good morning, ma'am," I greeted, my voice sounding smaller than I intended.

"Good morning, Denise. How are you?" she asked, her tone laced with kindness.

"I'm good," I nodded, praying she couldn't hear the frantic pounding of my heart against my ribs as I tried to mask my terror.

"I'm sure you are. Anyways..." she gave a soft, knowing chuckle. "My son is in his room. Want to come with me to see if he likes you?"

If I had the luxury of a choice, the absolute last thing I’d want to do was audition for a spoiled, entitled brat. But then again... I really needed the job.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied, plastering on another synthetic smile.

Mrs. Callahan turned and led me down a sprawling, cavernous hallway. It stretched out so far ahead of us that a sense of dread crept in, making me feel like the walk would never end.

Finally, we reached a massive staircase and began the long climb upward.

Why on earth was this house built like a labyrinth? A family could live here for weeks and never even cross paths.

Before the tragedy ripped my family apart—back when my mom was still with my dad and me—our house had been small, cozy, and bursting with life. We couldn't help but see and talk to each other every single day.

But here? The Callahans could probably go weeks without crossing paths. Wealthy people really had a messed-up way of living.

Finally, after what felt like an endless climb, Mrs. Callahan came to a stop in front of a door.

"Seth... can I come in?" she called out, her voice dipping into a cautious, almost pleading tone.

There was a swift silence before Mrs. Callahan knocked again. "Seth?"

Wow!

Really?

If he could snub his own mom this way, that means he might not even look at my face. I hadn't seen this kid, but he kept reminding me of Saxton... they were both alike.

"Common Seth. Tell Mummy if she can come in." she pressed on.

"Fine... you can come in?" he said from inside.

Mrs. Callahan smiled at me, and I reciprocated with a fake smile as I watched her creaked the door open and enter the room. I followed suit.

Seth was on the floor playing with plastic toys.

"Hmm... Seth... my dear. I brought you a new nanny," Mrs. Callahan said, her voice dropping to a gentle, tiptoeing whisper.

The boy looked up from his toys to me, and his mom. His gray eyes were practically staring at me.

Of all the colors in the universe, he had to have gray eyes? Saxton's stupid eye color?

"You're my new nanny?" he asked, his voice unexpectedly tiny and innocent.

Wasn't it obvious enough? His mom just said so... still, I smiled and nodded, bracing myself for his rejection.

"Come closer?" he said.

Did this little rat just order me to come closer?

Well, I was the one who needed the job, not him. Sucking a breath, I walked closer to him and squatted in front of him and his numerous toys.

"What should I do? How do I save the princess?" he asked, looking up at me with sudden, intense earnestness.

"Huh?" I blurted out, totally caught off guard.

"I'm the commander of the army," he explained impatiently, pointing to a plastic figure, "and I'm trying to save the king's daughter. How do I save her?"

For a second, I wondered if he was pulling my leg. Is he serious? He was the one playing the game. Why didn't he just pick up the princess from wherever he'd hidden her and call it a day?

But as I looked at his small face, the cynicism melted away. He was just a seven-year-old kid lost in his imagination. A sudden, fond memory flashed through my mind of me playing identical games on my dad's old phone when I was little.

"Hmm..." I softened my tone, leaning in. "What are you finding difficult?"

"I'm stuck," he sighed, a look of genuine frustration wrinkling his brow. "I can't go through the gate because I'll get killed. My brother was the one who set the territories. He's like the villain, and I need to show him I can save the princess."

His brother? The blind one? I frowned, staring down at the intricate setup of the toys. The strategy and defensive lines didn't look like the work of a blind person at all.

"Are you even listening to me?" Seth asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah," I blinked, quickly clearing my throat. My tactical instincts—the ones honed from years of learning how to fight and defend myself—suddenly kicked in. "It's simple, Seth. If you can't go through the gate... you climb over the wall."

I reached down, picked up one of his plastic soldiers, and dramatically hopped it over the makeshift brick barrier his brother had constructed.

As I analyzed the toy layout, I couldn't help but marvel a little. His brother must be a genius to create such complex tactical territories with mere blocks. Maybe he’s crippled, not blind.

"Wow!" Seth’s face completely transformed. A massive, radiant smile broke across his face—a smile so pure and infectious that it broke through my icy defenses. Before I could stop myself, a genuine, unforced smile spread across my own face.

"I never thought of it!" he gasped, his eyes wide with awe. "But... what if I get caught and die before I save the princess?"

A genuine chuckle escaped my lips. He could easily just bypass the rules and dump the soldier next to the princess, but he was completely committed to the high stakes of his imaginary war. I respected that.

"It's simple... make sure you don't get caught," I said, leaning in closer and lowering my voice conspiratorially. "Strike before they even know you're there." I flicked an enemy soldier over with a swift, playful demonstration.

"Wow!!!" he shrieked, bouncing on his heels, utterly captivated.

Mrs. Callahan watched us, a look of profound relief and joy washing over her face. "So... what do you think, Seth? You want her as your nanny?"

Seth looked at me, his gray eyes shining, and split into a wide, toothy grin.

"I like her, Mummy."