Eli's POV
"Rule number one," the old man said calmly, tapping the table between us.
"Fix my grandchildren…..and make them less of an embarrassment to the family."
Okay.. did I just mishear him?
I stared at the document in my hands.
Then at the stiff man in the black suit beside me.
And finally back at the old man behind the massive desk.
Technically, the old man in front of me was one of the richest men in the country. TheCEO of Donovan Industries.
He owned an empire worth more money than I could imagine in ten lifetimes.
And now…
He was giving me an offer? Why?
"I'm sorry," I said carefully, lowering the paper. "What exactly are you asking me to do? What do you also mean by fix?"
The old man leaned back in his chair, and took a deep breath.
His silver hair was perfectly combed, and deep lines around his eyes hinted at decades of power and sleepless nights running an empire.
Even sitting down, the authority around him was impossible to ignore.
"My grandchildren," he said calmly, "are irresponsible, arrogant, useless, and completely incapable of working together."
The man in the suit didn't react.
Which meant this was probably not the first time he'd heard that statement.
He paused.
"They are also my heirs."
Ah.
That explained the frustration.
"I want you to live in their mansion," the old man continued, "and help turn them into functioning adults."
I laughed nervously.
Because this had to be a joke.
"Sir," I said, "I work six part-time jobs and barely survive college. I don't think I'm qualified to fix rich people."
If anything, he looked amused.
"On the contrary," he said calmly. "You might be exactly what they need."
His sharp eyes studied me carefully.
"When I say you are capable," he said quietly, "then you are capable."
I glanced at the man in the suit again.
He remained completely expressionless.
"But," I said, turning back to the old man, "you could hire professionals for something like this. Therapists. Advisors. Literally anyone more qualified than me."
The old man chuckled softly.
"I have."
That answer made me pause.
"And?"
"They all quit."
"Of course they did."
"One lasted three days. Another ran out of the mansion crying."
"Ah!"
"Most people are too intimidated by their status to challenge them." He tapped the desk. "You were not."
My stomach sank a little.
Right.
The party.
The argument.
The idiot with the handcuffs.
I cleared my throat.
"That was… a misunderstanding."
The old man chuckled.
"No, Mr Eli. It was courage."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Help me straighten out those four knuckleheads."
His voice softened, but the authority in it didn't.
"Use any method you like," he said casually. "You may scold them, argue with them, embarrass them if necessary."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"You could even whip their backsides and their egos if it comes to that."
I blinked.
He's talking about grownup adults like they're kids.
"…I'm pretty sure that would get me fired."
He smiled faintly.
"You will not be fired." He tapped the paper again. "I will pay your full tuition until you graduate."
My grip on the document tightened. My eyes widened.
"And if you succeed," he continued calmly, "I will also fund your education abroad if that is what you wish."
My brain stopped working for a moment.
Those words alone felt like something from a different universe.
"And all you have to do," the old man finished, "is help me deal with four very troublesome grandchildren."
He studied my face again.
Then smiled slightly.
"So tell me, Eli."
"How good are you at dealing with spoiled brats?"
I opened my mouth. And smiled.
Because the honest answer was:
Very good.
I'd been dealing with one at home for years, and the ones I meet during work hours.
But there was still one question that kept scratching at the back of my mind.
I looked down at the contract again.
Then back up at him.
"…Why me?"
The old man's gaze dropped briefly to my neck. Something flickered in his eyes.
"You will understand that later," he said quietly. "After you meet all of them."
That answer made me even more nervous.
I had absolutely no idea how I had gotten myself into this situation.
And the worst part…..
This conversation wasn't even the strangest thing that had happened to me this week.
That honor belonged to the moment I first met one of his grandsons.