Chapter One

Chapter One

Evelyn

“Can you believe it?” I threw my free hand up in frustration, pacing the length of my almost bare room as I spoke to my twin brother on the phone.

“It really is crazy,” Everett said.

“I knew Janice was going to do something when she found out that I was planning to leave New York two months from now, but I did not think that she would get me fired,” I lamented.

“Overall, they just did not like you at that school.”

I heaved a sigh as I sat on a cardboard box that had been taped up and was currently holding some of the things that I had packed up already.

“Yeah, I suppose that is true, they just did not like me.”

I suppose I should have realized that this was exactly what would happen.

Janice, my work enemy at the kindergarten I had worked at for just over six months, overheard my conversation with my brother while I was cleaning up after closing, and found out I was moving.

For the first few days, I had waited for something to happen but she had done nothing.

She was always staring at me like she knew something that I did not and she enjoyed the slow torture I was feeling, the power she had over me.

Now, two weeks after, just when I had begun to think that perhaps I was being paranoid and maybe there was still a little bit of good left in her, the headmaster called me into his office.

He asked me if it was true that I was planning to leave in two months and I admitted it.

“What did the headmaster even say before firing you?” my brother asked.

I picked up the roll of tape that was laying on the floor next to the boxes and propped up my phone with my shoulder, holding it to my ear as I played the tape. I needed to distract myself from the anger I was feeling.

“He asked me what I was planning to do with my job since I was leaving. I told him I was planning to put in my two weeks’ notice when I was ready. This man really said that two weeks was nowhere near enough to find someone who was going to replace me and that I was inconsiderate!”

I scoffed. “Inconsiderate? How is putting in my two weeks’ notice inconsiderate?”

I threw the tape into an empty box and wrapped my hand around my phone once again as I stood up.

“You were not being inconsiderate at all, sis. If anything, he is the inconsiderate one,” Everett replied.

“Exactly. How can he fire me and tell me not to come to work on Monday because two weeks was not enough time to find my replacement? How is firing me on the spot going to solve that problem for them. Not they don’t even have two weeks to look for someone new.”

“Um, they probably already found your replacement in the two weeks nobody said anything to you.”

I froze as my brother’s words began to make sense to me.

“UGH THOSE FUCKING SNAKES!!”

My brother chuckled. “Okay, calm down. You already knew they were shady when you found out he was in an affair with Janice.”

I frowned. That was true.

“I do not know what to do now, Everett. I am still going to be here for two months and I do not have a job anymore,” I murmured, completely broken up by this.

“Well, I could just help you out again…”

Everett was kind of a big deal. He had gone on to become a CEO of a Fortune-500 and he was making a lot of money with the company that he founded.

I was happy that he had managed to become as successful as he was. He deserved it more than anyone else.

“Nah, thank you. You have done enough already with securing the place I will be moving into in San Francisco, Everett. I cannot ask you for any more,” I said, shaking my head even though he could not see me.

“Yes, but still…” Everett began but I cut him off.

“No, Everett. I do not want to keep bugging you for the things that I need. I should be able to take care of it myself,” I said with a confidence that I did not feel.

“You know you could never bug me, sis,” Everett insisted.

His words made me smile. He was always so willing to help me. He had never once looked down on me or made it seem like I was not working as hard just because I was not doing as well as he was.

“Thank you, Everett. I know I can always count on you. But still, this is…” I finished, moving my hands in a circular motion as I tried to finish the sentence. “Too much.”

A silence stretched between us and my brother hummed in thought.

“Well… actually, there might be a good job you can do in the meantime that pays really well,” he said suddenly, his pitch decreased and I had to strain my ears in order to hear what he was saying.

“Okay…?” I drawled out suspiciously as I waited for him to tell me what the job was. There was something in his tone that had my hairs standing.

“So, you might not like it…” he began and I ran my hand down my face. I waited for him to continue, after all, I needed a job and I was not exactly in the position to be selective with my choices.

“Stop making me tense and spit it out already, Everett,” I said.

“Well, Cassian is looking for a nanny,” he paused as he waited silently for me to consider the offer.

My expression grew cold the moment I heard the name that was mentioned. My brother did not have to be in the same room with me for him to know exactly what reaction I was sporting. I supposed that was why he had been so reluctant to tell me the job description.

“What?!” I queried, unable to hide the coldness from my voice.

“Okay, Evelyn, I need you to calm down and actually listen to me,” he said.

I remained silent as I waited for him to sell me the idea.

“You know Cassian is good for the money, and he plans to pay really well. He is going to be super busy with stuff for his work for about a month and as such he is not going to be able to take care of his daughter, Emilia. So, why don’t you just step in?” he asked.

I remained silent as I thought about it and my brother took that as an opportunity to continue to try to talk me into it.

“Listen, Evelyn. I would not bring this up if I did not think it was going to be a good opportunity. It is just like you said. You still have two months left until you have to go to San Francisco, and in the time you are here, unless you agree to let me help you out, you will have to get a job and this is the best offer right now.

“Besides, Cassian knows you and he would trust you to take care of his kid, so, that makes the process for getting the job easier than any other you could try for.”

I sighed as I thought about the man.

Cassian James.

Cassian was my brother’s best friend.

They had been best friends nearly all their lives, ever since they could talk. Everett grew up with him.

While that was wonderful for them, I had had the misfortune of growing up with him as well, considering he was practically joined at the hip with my brother.

I did not like Cassian. I had never liked him right from the moment we met. At first, when I was younger I just hated needing to share my twin. But as we got older, I just didn’t care much for his character.

That would have made me feel guilty if it were not for the fact that he hated me just as much as I hated him.

The feeling had carried on till the last time we saw each other 6 years ago when I was 21 and he was 22. I was certain it would remain the same even now.

“Everett, you know Cassian and I do not get along,” I said adamantly.

“Oh, please. Are you still carrying on with your childish feud? You are both grownups now and it has been six years since you last saw each other. I am pretty sure that those feelings would have faded away by now,” he said.

Everett had always been the mediator between us and he had never understood why his best friend and sister could not get along.

“Ugh, fine.” I was suddenly feeling like we had reverted back to our childhood. “I will only agree to it if he agrees to it.”

The phone was silent for a second, then I heard my brother’s voice.

“Okay, I am going to call Cassian the moment this call ends and we will talk about it.”

My brows raised at how high his voice had gone just now. Clearly, he did not believe that we were mature enough to let go of our childish ways.

“Yeah, whatever,” I said, holding back my laughter at the thought of him breaking this to Cassian. I highly doubted that he would accept my brother’s offer.

“Bye bro.” I ended the call and looked around my room.

I really need to finish up packing.

I would only be leaving the things I still needed for my two months stay out.

I sighed. Life had been going quite fast for me and it seemed like it was about to be going even faster.