“I’m in London for five days of meetings. I have no childcare. You have already proven you’re better with Lily than anyone I could’ve hired on short notice. I’d like to hire you to help care for her while I’m here.”
Noah blinked.
“I’ll pay you five hundred dollars a day,” Andrew continued. “You’ll have your own adjoining hotel room. Car service to your competition events. And your competition comes first. I only need help around my meetings and in the evenings.”
Noah stared at him. “Five hundred a day?”
“That’s what a travel nanny would cost. And frankly, I trust you more than a stranger with references.”
Noah’s first reaction was not excitement but caution.
“Sir, I need to focus on the competition. This trip is… everything.”
Andrew nodded. “Then that remains the priority. But I’d also like to discuss something beyond these five days.”
Noah said nothing.
“My company has a foundation. We fund exceptionally gifted students from underserved communities. Regardless of how this competition ends, I want to talk about supporting your education.”
Noah’s face changed in a way Andrew would remember long after: hope colliding with wariness. The look of someone who wants to believe in help but has learned not to trust it too quickly.
“Can I think about it?” Noah asked.
“Of course.”
By the time the plane landed at Heathrow, Noah had made his decision.
“I’ll help with Lily,” he said as passengers stood and opened bins around them. “And… thank you.”
Andrew smiled. “Good. We’ll work out the details once we’re in the car.”
The contrast between Noah’s usual world and the one that greeted him outside Heathrow was extreme enough to feel unreal. A black Mercedes waited on the curb. The driver opened the door. The ride into central London happened inside a cocoon of leather, polished wood, and quiet efficiency.
Andrew listened as Noah explained the competition format: opening ceremony, then three days of increasingly difficult rounds—individual proof-based problem solving, collaborative team modeling, and a final presentation before a judging panel.
“What do you think your best chance is?”
“Pressure rounds,” Noah said. “I’m good at staying clear when problems get hard.”
Andrew believed him.