I will do it, professor

       "Like a Nanny...?" Maria slowly pronounced, still not comprehending fully what her boss meant.

He was amused by her interpretation, but concealed his emotions well, remaining professional. "Well, something similar, but much more advanced. You will be saving him from himself. Saving him from self-destruction." he explained, his tone becoming firm as he spoke.

"How does that work?" Maria ventured, trying to understand the idea.

"It's simple." The chairman nodded again and gestured for her to grab the next document he had been referring to. "You will be assigned to him full-time. You will be the closest person to him, in the sense that you will be with him every single day, monitoring his condition and keeping him company. In addition, you will be responsible for making sure he doesn't hurt himself or others by doing things that will eventually deteriorate his mental health and state of mind." He concluded, his fingers tracing the lines of the paper in front of him as he watched her read through the contents.

Maria felt like a boulder had landed on her chest, crushing her lungs and breath into pieces as she looked down at the words written across the page. The implication of the terms made her stomach churn. She felt like a prisoner awaiting execution, with no chance to plead for mercy from her jailers.

"Finally," Desmond sighed, leaning back in his chair. "It would be a home service, meaning that you will be visiting him daily if you agree to the task."

The entire explanation took less than five minutes, leaving Maria's mind reeling. The professor wanted to assign her to a man who needed constant supervision, someone whose mind had been beaten into submission by his experiences and was hanging on a thread. It was an honor to be chosen by the chairman himself, but she did feel she was ready for this kind of responsibility.

"Wow..." She muttered breathlessly, dropping the papers to the table. "I'm honored, Professor."

Desmond gave her a warm smile, one that she hadn't seen in years. "Thank you." He said sincerely. "Now, I know you have many questions regarding your new job, so let us discuss those first--"

"But I don't think I am a good fit," Maria interjected, cutting off the professor's sentence politely before he could continue.

"What?" Desmond's expression grew stern, and the corners of his mouth curled downward. "Why do you think so?" He questioned her, clearly unhappy with the news.

Maria swallowed thickly, looking down at the table for a moment. There was a reason why she was hesitant to accept this opportunity, yet she did not know why. "There are a lot of reasons." She started, fruitlessly looking for a place to begin, feeling her confidence waver under the professor's gaze. "Firstly, I don't think I can help him. His case is too extreme, and he needs somebody else." She admitted, hating the fact that she couldn't seem to convince herself. "If I may ask, why did you assign me to this job? There are more qualified doctors here, after all."

His eyes narrowed at her question, his expression never faltering. "That's the only problem you have, miss Patterson." He shook his head with clear disappointment and finished his drink with one long swig of his drink. "Your ability to see beyond the physical and emotional problems of your patients allows you to diagnose them accurately and treat them accordingly, Miss Patterson. However, your only flaw is underestimating yourself, not recognizing your capabilities." He finished, his firm expression never faltering.

She blinked a few times, and her face warmed up by degrees. This was the closest Desmond had ever come to complimenting her abilities. She never expected to receive such praise from him, especially when she thought of him as nothing more than a hard-to-please figure who wouldn't spare anyone any slack.

"You asked me why I chose you?" He continued, and she nodded slowly. "Because I believe in you, simple. It would be such a shame if I have to assign someone else to this task, simply because you doubt your worth." He added, his tone conveying his thoughts. "But if that's how you feel, the job will be given--"

"I will do it, professor." She interrupted him with an honest declaration, her eyes closed for a second as she savored the sensation of acceptance from her mentor. "I want to help the patient," she added and opened her eyes to look at him again.

The room fell silent, save for the quiet moment Desmond sat staring at her, trying to gauge if she was being sincere or not. After observing the determination filling her blue gaze, her decision was met by a soft smile and nod of approval from the elderly man. "Very well, you made the right choice." The man acknowledged and reached out to shake her hand, a gesture that startled her.

"Thank you, sir, I will do my best." She responded immediately, returning his warm handshake.

Desmond broke the contact quickly, and his brows rose as a thought crossed his mind. "By the way, I almost forgot to mention this new appointment comes with double pay," he revealed, so airily and casually as if he didn't just give away a piece of huge news capable of altering her life.

He waited for her reaction, and Maria stared at him blankly for a few seconds before realizing what he had implied. Her lashes flickered, and her eyes widened as her mind tried to process the unexpected information. "Do-double pay?" She stammered, finally comprehending the professor's intentions, her voice low and barely audible.

"Yes, Miss Patterson. You heard correctly." Desmond nodded, his glasses glimmering with each swift movement.

"Professor!" Maria exclaimed, flinching from her seat and nearly falling over her chair. Her mouth was parted loosely with wonderment, and she lifted a shaking hand to touch her chest, where her heart pounded rapidly. "That's an incredible amount of money, it's twice my current salary." She squeaked, unable to hold back her astonishment.

"Of course." Desmond agreed with a knowing smile, almost chuckling, and leaned forward to take a piece of his cookie.

"Sir." She grabbed the edge of the table, her tone becoming urgent and purposeful. Her free palm dived up to rest against her chest, like a soldier pledging for his country. "I am more than ready. I am ready to work. l am ready for this job. Ready for this challenge." Her eyes blazed with zeal and her tone sounded like a presidential candidate making a speech on how he plans to solve the economic crisis if elected into office.

The professor was amused by her uncaged enthusiasm and sat back in his chair, watching as Maria shifted eagerly and then settled down. "Then, welcome abroad, Miss Patterson. Let's start by discussing the contracts and other pertinent information regarding the patient."

"Definitely sir," she responded, nodding energetically as she picked up the document once again.

***