I LOVE MY NANNY

The relentless hum of the air conditioner did little to cool the heavy, suffocating anxiety settling in Abbi’s chest. She stared at her reflection in the smudged window of the jeepney, barely recognizing the tired eyes looking back at her. Just a week ago, her biggest problem was passing her midterms and stretching her allowance until the end of the month. Now? A sudden family crisis had torn her world apart, dropping her flat on her face in the middle of a sprawling, unforgiving city with empty pockets and a mountain of responsibilities. Survival had a steep price, and Abbi was paying it with her last remaining shreds of comfort. “Just think of it as a temporary detour,” she whispered to herself, taking a deep, shaky breath as the vehicle finally ground to a halt near an upscale residential enclave. Her destination was the Tan household, a sprawling modern home that looked more like a fortress of glass and steel than a place where people actually lived. According to the agency, they needed an emergency live-in nanny. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and Abbi, despite having zero professional nanny experience, save for looking after her younger cousins back in the province had practically begged for the job. It's not that she wants this kind of job or that she has no choice, it's just that it's the first choice that comes to her mind. With trembling fingers, she gripped the strap of her faded backpack, stepped out onto the polished pavement, and pressed the doorbell. The heavy wooden door swung open to reveal a little boy who couldn't have been more than six years old. He had big, expressive eyes, a mop of messy dark hair, and a pout that instantly melted Abbi’s guarded heart. "Hi," Abbi said, her voice softening automatically as she crouched down to his eye level. "You must be Thompson." The boy tilted his head, studying her with innocent curiosity before a bright, gap-toothed grin broke across his face. "Are you my new nanny? The last one cried and ran away when I hid her lipstick." Abbi let out a nervous, breathless laugh, the tension in her shoulders easing just a fraction. "Well, I don't own any lipstick, so I think we'll get along just fine." "Thompson, step back from the door." The sudden, baritone voice cut through the entryway like a sharp blade of ice. Abbi froze, her muscles locking up as she slowly straightened back up. Stepping out from the shadows of the grand staircase was a young man close to her own age. He wore a crisp, dark-gray button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, exposing strong veins and a posture so rigid it looked painful. His jawline was sharp, his gaze dark and piercing, and an aura of absolute frostiness radiated from him. Zyrile Tan. He didn't look like a typical older brother, he looked like a guardian who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders and made sure everyone around him suffered for it. Zyrile’s cold, evaluating eyes swept over Abbi from head to toe, lingering briefly on her worn-out sneakers before locking onto her eyes. There was no welcome in his gaze, only a silent, heavy warning. "You're late," Zyrile said flatly, his voice devoid of any warmth. "And if you think this house is a daycare center where you can just stroll in and play games, you're badly mistaken." Abbi swallowed hard, her spine stiffening despite the sudden lump in her throat. She had taken this job just to survive, but standing under Zyrile's intense, hostile glare, she realized survival was going to cost her a lot more than she had bargained for. "And if you're thinking of doing something stupid, just do it, I have a lot of eyes around." His voice seemed even scarier than his threat. Abbi didn't seem to know what to do next. The young man's gaze made it seem like he might punish her with just one mistake. She had no other choice. This was the only household that hadn't demanded a mountain of background checks or ID verifications. As luck would have it, she knew the former nanny, which meant the Tan family wasn't quite as strict about references, a blessing for someone desperate enough to overlook their old family scandals. It was a Saturday. While the younger kids had a reprieve from school, the younger sibling still had tutorial lessons to juggle, and the eldest young master was bound to demand attention. "Are you just going to stand there? My sibling is going to be completely late because of whatever it is you're doing." The stone-cold voice shattered Abbi’s racing thoughts. She already knew the unyielding rules of the Tan household. Do what is right, leave no room for error, and accept your choice without complaint. Just thinking about it made her chest tighten with exhaustion. Dealing with the eldest ward wasn't just going to be difficult, he was guaranteed to be an absolute nightmare. True to form, her very first day began with a barrage of harsh words. Zyrile had immediately branded her a "turtle" just because his lunch was a few minutes behind schedule. He hadn't bothered to list his exact food preferences in the welcome packet, leaving her guessing in the dark. With limited options, she had cobbled together a modest meal: fried rice, classic adobo, fresh pineapple juice, and a handful of pickles so he wouldn't choke on her cooking. Balancing the tray, she made her way up to his private suite. She knocked three times. Silence. Frowning, she wondered if the man was deaf or simply letting her twist in the wind out of spite. Finally, losing her last shred of patience, she twisted the brass knob and pushed the door open. She stepped into his private mini-living room just as the inner bathroom door clicked open. Zyrile stepped out, wearing nothing but a low-slung towel around his waist, water droplets still glistening across his broad shoulders and sliding down his chest. Abbi froze, her breath catching as her eyes involuntarily locked onto the striking, chiseled lines of his physique. "S-sorry, Sir Zyrile! I—I've been knocking forever—" she stammered, her face burning instantly. Before she could even finish, Zyrile scoffed, a dark scowl cutting across his sharp features. "I genuinely wonder if you even bothered to read my house rules." He walked past her toward a modern walk-in closet, his movements sharp and deliberate. Abbi's gaze helplessly tracked the movement of his back, entirely mortified. "You've barely been on the job for a few hours, and you've already botched half a dozen things. Are you even taking this seriously?" He spun back around, glaring at her with eyes full of contempt. "Yes, sir. I'm serious, I'm just... still adjusting. I'm so sorry," Abbi whispered, her voice trembling as she offered yet another apology. By the time the afternoon sun began to dip, Abbi felt entirely hollowed out. It felt as though her entire existence had been reduced to a single, endless loop of saying I'm sorry. And God help her, she was already exhausted. She felt like she wouldn't even be able to show her face to Zyrile tomorrow. She couldn't even breathe properly out of the stress and anxiety she felt just at the thought of the young master's voice. Master? As if! He wasn't a child! He wasn't crippled either! There was nothing wrong with him! He was a monster! A completely ill-mannered man whose only skill was giving orders. So annoying! Abbi couldn't help but grumble as she lay in bed. It was already late, and she had just finished all her household chores. Her body and mind were exhausted, but her restless mind refused to rest. Every single annoying way that man had treated her flashed back in her head. She practically writhed in frustration, yet she could do nothing but keep her mouth shut and endure it. Because of that, she decided to make her own set of rules. She let out a quiet, bitter laugh as she wrote in the dark. Instead of sleeping and resting, here she was, trying to calm herself down first. At the same time, she remembered the person who used to take care of the Tan brothers, Zyrile and Thompson. Natty, or Nana Natty as young Thompson called her. She had already retired after serving the Tan family for decades, and Abbi was so lucky that she was chosen as her replacement. Even though she and Nana Natty were not related at all, the older woman had trusted her completely... or perhaps Nana Natty simply had no idea about the dark events that took place before Abbi headed here to Manila. With that thought, the past flooded back into Abbi's mind. It was like an old book that suddenly flipped open to pages she desperately wanted to forget. Her heart hammered, she turned cold, and she was completely wrapped in overwhelming anxiety. She knew her hiding place was only temporary. A temporary safety. She couldn't live hiding forever because she knew that one day, someone would recognize her. And when that happened, she would never be able to accept whatever cruel fate awaited her at their hands.