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Lincoln’s POV Up close, Archie Samuel was even more intimidating than he looked on television. He had a razor-sharp jaw, piercing grey eyes, and a posture so rigid it looked painful. Everything about him screamed power, wealth, and absolute control. I held my ground as he paced around me in the grand foyer, his polished dress shoes clicking sharply against the white marble floor. He looked at me the way an officer might look at a recruit who had just shown up to boot camp wearing sandals. "You look too young, Mr. Greyson," Archie said, his tone cold and unreadable. He crossed his arms over his broad chest. "And frankly, you look far too relaxed. This isn't a summer camp counselor position. My boys have dismantled professional nannies with decades of experience." "Relaxed doesn't mean unprepared, Mr. Samuel," I replied, keeping my voice level despite the knot tightening in my stomach. I couldn't afford to let him see me sweat. I needed this job. My rent was two months overdue, my bank account was down to double digits, and the city wasn't getting any cheaper. If I walked out of this mansion without a contract, I was out of options. "Experience on paper is one thing," Archie continued, stopping directly in front of me. His grey eyes narrowed as he studied my face. "Handling two highly intelligent, extremely mischievous seven-year-olds who have made it their personal mission to terrorize every adult in this house is another. I need results, not optimism." "Give me a chance to show you," I said firmly. "I don't break under pressure." Archie stared at me for a long, heavy moment. He didn't look convinced, but the exhaustion in his eyes told me he didn't have many choices left. "Fine," Archie said slowly. "A trial period. Starting right now. I have a board meeting in thirty minutes that I cannot reschedule. I will be back by five o'clock. If the house is still standing and you haven't quit by then, we will discuss a permanent contract." "Fair enough," I said. What Archie didn't notice—and what I caught out of the corner of my eye—was the subtle movement at the top of the grand staircase. Two small heads were peeking through the white wooden railings, watching our every move. Leo's POV Toby and I crouched low on the soft carpet of the upper hallway, hiding behind the thick railing posts. "He's tall," Toby whispered, leaning so close his cheek almost touched mine. "Do you think he's strong?" "Doesn't matter," I whispered back, narrowing my eyes at the guy down in the foyer. The new guy was wearing a plain black jacket and jeans. He didn't have a clipboard like Mrs. Gable, and he didn't look super old like the lady before her. He looked completely laid-back, like he was just hanging out. "He looks easy," I declared softly, a grin spreading across my face. "Look at him. He's smiling. He doesn't even know what's coming." "Are we using Plan A or Plan B?" Toby asked, his eyes shining with excitement. "Both," I said. "We get rid of him before Daddy even gets back from his meeting. Record speed." Toby giggled and covered his mouth. Down below, we watched Daddy pick up his briefcase, give the new guy one last warning glare, and walk out the front door. The heavy entrance doors clicked shut. The new guy was all ours. Lincoln’s POV The second the front door closed, the mansion fell into a deep, eerie silence. I set my dark duffel bag down by the hallway bench, pulled out my phone to set a timer, and placed it on the side table near the kitchen entrance. I took off my boots to avoid tracking dirt into the immaculate house, leaving them neatly by the door. "Alright boys!" I called out, looking up toward the balcony. "You can come down now. I know you're up there." Silence. Then, the sound of tiny, rushing footsteps echoed through the upper floor, followed by a loud, painful-sounding thud, a crash, and a sharp scream. "Ow! My leg! Leo, it hurts!" I didn't panic. I walked at a steady, calm pace up the grand staircase and rounded the corner into the hallway. Toby was lying flat on his back near the entrance of the playroom, holding his right knee and groaning dramatically. Leo was kneeling beside him, looking up at me with fake panic written all over his face. "He fell off the play structure!" Leo cried out, pointing at his brother. "His leg is broken! You need to go call 911 right now! His phone is in the kitchen!" "Oh, it's so broken!" Toby wailed, rolling around on the carpet. "It's spinning! I can't feel my toes!" I stopped a few feet away, leaning my shoulder against the doorframe. I looked at Toby's leg. Then I looked at Leo's face. Leo was watching me closely, waiting for me to panic, run downstairs, and lose my cool. "That looks terrible," I said, my voice completely flat. "A broken leg is serious business." "Yes! Go call the ambulance!" Leo urged, standing up. "Well, I would," I said, reaching into my pocket, "but I left my phone on the table downstairs. Let me just go grab it." I turned around, walked downstairs, and checked the table. Just as I expected, my phone was gone. I walked over to the front door to put my boots back on so I could search the main floor properly. I slid my right foot into my boot, only to feel a cold, squishy, wet sensation completely coat my sock. I pulled my foot out. The inside of my boot was filled to the brim with cold, green lime gelatin. I looked up toward the stairs. Leo and Toby were standing at the top of the landing, leaning over the edge, struggling to hold back their giggles. "Oh no!" Leo called down, fake concern dripping from his voice. "Did somebody spill Jell-O in your shoe? And where is your phone? Did you lose it already?" They thought they had me. They thought I was going to yell, panic, or call their father in tears. Instead, I looked up at them, let out a slow breath, and smiled. Lincoln’s POV "You guys are pretty good," I said, shaking the green slime off my sock. "Gelatin in the boots is a classic. Stealing the phone while I was coming upstairs? Great teamwork." The twins stopped giggling. They looked at each other, thoroughly confused by my total lack of anger. "You're... you're not mad?" Toby asked, tilting his head. "Mad? Why would I be mad?" I replied, stepping out of my ruined boots. "It's a game, right? But if we're playing games, you should know that I never lose." I walked over to the living room couch, sat down, and crossed my legs comfortably. "What about my broken leg?!" Toby called out from the stairs. "If your leg was actually broken, you wouldn't be standing on it right now," I said calmly. "Also, you were holding your right knee upstairs, but you're leaning on your left leg now." Toby quickly shifted his weight, his face turning bright red as he realized he had been caught. "As for my phone," I continued, looking around the living room, "you hid it somewhere close because you didn't have enough time to take it upstairs. Which means it's down here." I pulled out my wrist watch—an old, loud analog watch—and held it up. "I set an alarm on my phone for five minutes after I walked in," I said. "In about ten seconds, it's going to go off." Leo's eyes went wide. He darted down the stairs, frantically running toward the giant decorative vase near the fireplace. He reached inside, grabbed my buzzing phone, and tried to hide it behind his back, but it was too late. I stood up, walked over, and held out my hand. Leo stared at my hand, then looked up into my face. He didn't see an angry adult waiting to scold him. He just saw someone who was two steps ahead of him. Slowly, Leo placed the phone in my hand. "Not bad, Leo," I said, putting the phone back into my pocket. "Now, about my boots..." I looked down at my squishy green sock, then looked back at both of them. "Since you guys made the Jell-O, you're going to help me clean it out. And after that, you're going to teach me how you managed to wire the ceiling for Mrs. Gable's glue trap, because honestly, that sounded impressive." Leo and Toby stared at me in complete silence for three long seconds. Then, a massive, genuine smile broke across Toby's face. Leo tried to keep his tough, serious expression, but a tiny spark of awe flashed in his blue eyes. "You really aren't going to tell Daddy?" Leo asked quietly. "Daddy has enough on his plate," I said, kneeling down so I was at eye level with them. "This is between us. But next time you try a prank on me, you better make it harder. Because green Jell-O is amateur hour." Leo let out a surprised laugh, looking at his brother. "I like him," Toby whispered loudly to Leo. Leo crossed his arms, trying to hide his grin. "He's okay. For now."