Nova

I'm trapped. My back is pressed against the wall as Theodore's body towers over mine, radiating a potent, sexual energy. The closeness is suffocating, yet enticing, making my skin prickle with sensitivity and it takes everything in me not to reach out and touch him.

My arousal has me in a state of hyper awareness, so when he leans forward and my nipples graze against his body, I find it hard to keep my eyes open and I feel my juices oozing onto my panties.

"You're mine..." he says in a deep, husky voice. A baritone voice that has haunted my sex dreams for years.

"You're mine, Starlight."

And just like that, the spell that trapped me in his sensual web is broken.

Memories of him calling me his Starlight, memories of our past romance floods in, and with those memories come all the pain of his betrayal.

Anger courses through my veins and I push his wide chest, trying to create some distance between us. To my surprise, he allows himself to be pushed and takes a step back, his eyes never leaving me.

I stand tall and my chest is heaving with emotions as I glare at him.

"You have no right to call me that," I begin venomously. "No right at all!"

I take a step forward with eyes blazing in anger.

"You left and married your rich wife, didn't you? I was not good enough so you threw me away for her. And now what? You're tired of her?" I spit out the words, my tone dripping in disdain. "You're probably bored with her or maybe she's no longer pretty enough for you. Whatever the reason, you don't get to choose her over me and then use me for pleasure. Go back to your fucking wife, Theodore."

As I catch my breath after my outburst, I see a flicker of sadness in Theodore's eyes but he quickly turns away and slowly walks to his desk, leaving me feeling a mix of emotions.

I am still fuming and ready to say more, but the deep sadness in his eyes leaves me feeling unsettled.

Theodore's voice cuts through the silence. "There's a car downstairs to take you back to the house," he says as he sits down and turns to face the city skyline outside his window. "The twins are waiting for you."

It is clear that the conversation is over.

I huff and storm out of Theodore's office, slamming the door shut behind me. Only when I am alone in the elevator do I realize that, according to that contract I stupidly signed, I will have to deal with Theodore Thompson's presence even more and the thought makes my stomach twist in complicated ways.

At the ground floor, I wrap my arms around my midriff, feeling vulnerable and out of place among the sleek, suited business people rushing to and fro.

Just as I am about to exit the building a hand reaches out from behind and drags me away from the revolving doors.

I am yanked sideways and my feet stumble to keep up. When I finally regain my balance, I look up, ready to confront whoever it is but my eyes widen in surprise when I see Xander, or as she is more appropriately known in her workplace, Alexandria.

"Christ! What the fuck, Xander?" I say as I try to shake off her grip on my arm but she doesn't let go. Instead, her fingers dig deeper as she navigates me through the crowded lobby.

"Xander, where are we going?" I demand, trying to keep up with her pace but I am met with silence as she continues dragging me away.

It isn't until we stop in front of an unremarkable door marked 'storage locker' that she finally speaks up.

"I'm sorry Nova," she whispers. "I heard Mr Thompson sent those guards to bring you and I was worried so I called him. You can bitch about it later."

"Called who?" I ask, but before I can get an answer, Xander opens the storage locker and shoves me inside, making me stumble head first into mops and brooms.

"What the hell, Xander!" I shout as I regain my balance in the dark space. I turn around about to bang on the door to be let out when the small room is suddenly illuminated.

And there, standing surrounded by cleaning supplies, is my older brother, Kai.

"Xander you fucking snitch," I mutter.

"Is that really your reaction to seeing your older brother Nova?" he asks amusingly.

"Maybe I'd be happier if I knew you weren't coming to lecture me about something," I say casually, hoping to sidestep the main issue.

"Maybe I'd be happier if I didn't get a call telling me my younger sister has been kidnapped by the rich fucker who owns this company." His tone is light, but even in the low lighting from his phone, I can see the anger in his eyes.

When I found out about the contract, one of the most prominent things on my mind was how Kai would take the news. I at least thought I would have time to prepare him for it, but instead, now I have to face his disappointment in a cramped storage room, in the company of the man Kai blames for everything.

"I wasn't kidnapped, Kai." My voice voice drops to a whisper when I say, "I was employed by the CEO and he wanted to see me."

Kai's eyes narrows and he stares at me in disbelief. "Employed by Theodore Thompson? The Theodore Thompson who bankrupted our family business and sent our parents to an early grave? That man?"

His words are a stark reminder of who the man who was making my underwear a dripping mess minutes ago really is. Shame washes me as I realise what I was close to doing with the person that did so much harm to my family.

"I didn't know he was the fucking employer," I say defensively.

"Watch your fucking language, Nova."

I take a deep breath to calm myself. "I didn't know he was the employer, Kai. I had no idea."

For a moment, the small room falls silent as Kai stares at me skeptically. "Have you sent in your resignation?"

I steel myself for his reaction, taking a deep breath again. "I-I can't resign. I signed a contract and breaking it comes with a penalty.

"How much?"

I hesitate, knowing the answer will only make things worse. "More than we can afford definitely."

"Fucking hell Nova."

"Language," I say under my breathe.

"I guess there's just one option left," Kai says resolutely as he begins to walk out of the storage room but I quickly grab his hand to stop him.

"You're not going to ambush or beat up Theodore Thompson, Kai," I say firmly, trying to reason with him. "You can't keep going through life using your fists to solve problems."

Kai's face darkens in a way that would have been scary if he wasn't my brother. "If you didn't keep getting yourself into trouble, I wouldn't have to," he replies calmly.

Guilt pricks at me but I decide to ignore his reply and focus on stopping him from doing what he's planning on.

"He's a CEO. If you hurt him, no matter what I do I won't be able to keep you out of jail again, Kai. It's not worth it."

We stand there in silence for moments, both of us lost in thoughts until a sly glint appears in Kai's eyes. "What is your role?"

I raise an eyebrow, wary about where this is going. "I'm the nanny."

"So you have access to the house?"

"I live there."

Kai's face twists in distaste when he hears my reply, but he says nothing about my new living arrangements and outlines his plan.

"You'll be my spy, Nova. You'll gather any information you can find on Theodore Thompson's business dealings, and we'll sell it to his rivals and people who want to see him taken down.

My eyes widen after I listen to his plan. "Kai, I'm not sure I can do that," I say hesitantly.

"We'll take Theodore Thompson down together, Nova. We will get revenge for our parents."

Nova

"I want you to lay low and gather intel," Kai says, his voice low and urgent. "The bastard is getting a kick from forcing you to work under him after all he's done to you, to us. Use that to our advantage while I make some...arrangements. My contacts will help us bring him down."

I stare at Kai, hoping desperately that he is not serious, but the determination in his eyes tells me otherwise.

"Can you do this?" I can see the question in his eyes. And the hint of doubt. "Can you make sure not to be caught?"

For a moment, I hesitate. Kai's doubt makes me want to prove him wrong. I want to scream 'yes', to show him I am worthy of his trust and validation. But the faces of those I will be betraying flashes through my mind.

Mrs Jenkins is the sweetest old woman and the twins need a caretaker who has no ulterior motives.

My gaze locks onto the floor in shame as I realize I can't go through with this plan.

The door bangs from the outside, and Xander's hushed voice comes through. "Guys, you might want to finish up soon. I have a job to get back to and I fucking love you Nova, but I don't want to lose it."

"That's our cue," Kai says as he turns to the door. "Call me when you have information."

"I can't." My voice is barely a whisper and my gaze remains on the floor.

Silence fills the small room.

"What do you mean you can't," he asks calmly, but I can feel the questioning look he gives me even without seeing it.

I avoid his eyes, my eyes darting around, looking for a distraction. A part of me wants to back down and blindly agree to his proposal but instead, I steel myself and stand my ground.

"I mean I don't think I can lie to them," I admit, my voice rising in frustration. "Mama and Papa, they wouldn't want you taking revenge and I don't want you to go back to dealing with shady people to provide for us-"

Kai's voice cuts through my protest, laced with a hint of hurt. "And yet I have done exactly that, time and time again to keep you safe."

His words hit me like a cold slap, stripping me of all the confidence I just mustered. I retreat into myself, silenced by the weight of his statement. The accuracy of his words sting and we both know I am completely unable to respond to it.

Kai sighs loudly and pinches the bridge of his nose. Then, he steps closer, setting his hands on my shoulders. "Nova, look at me," he says with a much softer voice.

I hesitate, but eventually meet his gaze. Kai offers me a gentle smile that makes the corners of his lips crinkle. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. But you have to understand. You have always been...idealistic, trying to take the high road in life. And it would have worked." I hear the pride swell in his voice. "You would have had your degree, you would have opened that music studio you keep going on about, you would have been everything you wanted to be. No doubt about it."

A wide smile spreads across my face even as I try to hide it. Kai's opinion has always mattered to me. After our parents died and I dropped out of school, Kai became the only person I could depend on, my rock. As a new adult, fully responsible for his younger sister, he had to make sacrifices and do some questionable things to provide for us. Sometimes, I worry that he resents me for causing everything that went wrong, so the pride I hear in his voice now fills me with joy and my smile widens.

Kai sees my smile and rolls his eyes at my reaction to his praise, making my smile widen even further. For a second, I remember how much closer we were when we were younger.

The moment passes and Kai's smile disappears as he continues. "Unfortunately, that life was taken away from you. It kills me to think of everything you have lost just because of the whims of a spoiled rich boy, but I want to help you take back what's yours. It might not be the ideal solution for you, but let me help you get your life back on track."

As I stare into his eyes, I see the genuine concern and sincerity etched on his face. For the first time in a long while, I am reminded that my brother still cares very deeply about me.

However, a nagging doubt still lingers in my mind.

"I still don't think I can do this, Kai," I say as I remove myself from his grasp. "Destroying Theodore's life for my personal gain? No matter what he's done to us, think about his children, his wife..."

Kai flinches a little at my reply and I look down at the floor again. "I don't want to hurt people, Kai. I don't want to stoop down to that level."

The sound of Kai's quiet chuckle draws my attention away from the floor.

"Nova, if selling one or two corporate secrets is enough to topple Theodore Thompson's business empire, I would have done it years ago."

I stare at him in confusion as he continues. "These corporations are willing to spend billions, just to catch up to their counterparts. Selling business information can set us up for life, but to them, it's just a drop in the ocean. Maybe we shouldn't try to cripple Theodore but we should try to get our lives back on track."

Xander bangs the door again, but Kai's eyes remains fixed on mine.

"So?"

I bite my lips as I think about it, but the answer comes easily to me now that I know I won't be harming anybody. Theodore took away my choice in life, it is only fair I get that life back using him.

"Ok. I'll do it."

Kai's face immediately breaks into a genuine smile, and I realize he knew what my answer would be long before I did. "Good."

He quickly kisses my forehead and opens the door, strutting out.

"Alexandria." He says curtly.

"Kaiyan," she replies in a matching clipped tone and we both watch him walk away.

"Well...what happened?"

"You told my brother I was being kidnapped?!" I ask her incredulously.

"I didn't know what to think!" she replies in a high pitched voice and starts walking away. I roll my eyes and catch up to her, refusing to let the conversation die. "I mean why else would he send literal fucking guards to escort you here!"

"Well..." I sigh, telling her about the clause in the contract. He might not have kidnapped me, but that clause binds me to him anyways.

"Oh damn!" Xander's eyes widens in shock. "So you're stuck working with him."

Before I can respond, a sturdy man in a black suit and driver's cap approaches us, scanning me briefly before nodding. "Nova Patel?" he asks firmly. "I've been waiting for you. We need to leave."

My brows furrow in confusion and I glance at Xander, who raises an eyebrow. "Getting kidnapped again?" she asks with a hint of amusement.

I chuckle and shake my head as I remember a car was supposed to take me back. "I guess this is goodbye, X. I need to nanny the twins and possibly be a maid to their mother if necessary. Who knows? Maybe my salary will be doubled," I say with a taut smile and resigned shrug.

Xander's expression turns serious and she opens her mouth to say something but the driver starts walking away and I hurry after him, turning back to wave Xander goodbye.

Unspoken words linger at her lips and she looks at me with concern, but she quickly returns my wave as I step into the sleek black car waiting for me by the entrance.

My head is filled with different thoughts during the drive to the Thompson mansion. One of the most recurring one is what I would do if Mrs Jenkins and the twins want nothing to do with me again after I ran away from them the last time I was here.

Even though Theodore is the only one with the authority to terminate my employment for the next year according to the contract, running away from my job probably didn't do well for my professional image in Mrs Jenkins eyes. And as for the twins, they are seven and have probably forgotten everything about me by now.

Just this morning, I was convinced I'd never see the twins again and that the next time I see Mrs Jenkins would be to briefly tell her I'm resigning, but things have changed drastically since then.

Now I am returning to work for the man who broke my heart and who was a major player in my parent's death and everything that subsequently happened, as a corporate spy. Yet what I am most worried about is his children hating me.

The weight of my new role settles heavily on my shoulders and I let out a deep sigh.

Just then, the Thompson mansion comes into view and soon, the car is pulling up into its driveway.

"Thank you," I say to the driver as I alight, but he merely grunts in response and drives off. I guess punctuality must be a big deal to him and he is still upset about me keeping him waiting. Just two days into my job and apparently, I have a knack for pissing off all members of the Thompson household, staff included.

"Yay," I say sarcastically under my breath.

As I walk to the door, my mind drifts back to my encounter with Theodore this morning. Not the uncomfortable memory of our bodies pressed against each other. In fact, I mentally shove that part away, pretending it never happened.

Instead, I think about his anger and dismissive attitude after I called him out for his infidelity. The Theodore I knew would never cheat, or get angry at being called out for it. It is a sobering reminder that the Theodore I knew is gone, replaced by a ruthless and cunning individual.

With that thought, I knock on the large doors.

After a few moments of waiting, the door is opened by Mrs Jenkins, her expression a mixture of surprise and warmth. "Nova dear, how do you do?"

I smile sheepishly, feeling a twinge of guilt as I hear the familiar warmth in her voice. "I apologize. For leaving so abruptly last night. There is no justification for my lack of professionalism and...I just hope you can forgive me," I say with my head bowed.

Mrs Jenkins laughs her old, crackling laugh and opens the door wider. "Don't worry lass. All that matters is that you're here now. I know two young children who haven't stopped talking about you since yesterday," she says with a twinkle in her eyes.

My heart swells with unexpected joy at the thought of the twins missing me. "Shall we?" Mrs Jenkins asks as she invites me in.

"The twins are up in their room," she says as we walk deeper into the house. On noticing my confused face, she quickly gives me direction to both rooms and I go to the stairs. I quietly make my way up, feeling the excitement build in my chest with each step.

Following Mrs Jenkins' directions, I soon reach the door that has the name 'Emile' spelt on it in cute letters. I knock softly, waiting with my heart in my throat for a reply. When I get no response from either Emile's room or the next room with 'Ethan' spelt across the door, my brows furrow in confusion as I wonder where they are.

After a moment of silence, the corner of my lips lifts and I walk down the hallway quickly, eager to see if they are where I think they are. My suspicions are confirmed when I slowly open the door to my own room and the twins are seated on my bed with my violin sandwiched in between them.

Ethan throws his little hands up in mild annoyance. "Nova is a violinist, Emile! She's the only one who can play "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" on that thing."

His sister doesn't listen to him though. Instead, she runs her hand over the strings, enthusiastically plucking at them and filling the room with discordant music...or rather, noise.

"If you make so much noise..." Ethan starts in a whisper, but when another rough note sounds from the violin, he abandons whispering and speaks clearly to be heard above the sound. "If you make so much noise, Mrs Jenkins will find us and scold us for entering Miss Nova's room without her permission."

"I'm sure I can make it play if I can figure out the right string to touch," Emile says with her face scrunched up in concentration as she continues to touch strings at random.

The interaction between the children makes me laugh under my breath and I open the door wider, announcing my presence. "I guess that's one way to learn how to play the violin."

The twin's eyes widen as they turn to face me. One second they are sitting on the bed staring at me with big, innocent eyes, and the next they are a blur of excitement as they run into my waiting arms.

"You came back!" Emile exclaims with barely contained happiness.

"I told you she would," her twin responds with a smug smile, but the grip he has on me is so tight, it is almost as if he's convincing himself that I am not a ghost.

I smile widely, squeezing them both in a tight embrace. "Of course I did! Who else will help Mrs Jenkins find her reading glasses?"

The twins burst into loud, innocent laughter that bounces throughout the room and fills my heart with joy.

As I hold them close, I feel a sense of belonging. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm exactly where I need to be.