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.

Nova

As the days pass, I find myself getting even more attached to the twins. At first, I was worried about having to deal with Theodore every day, but a quick conversation with Xander on a phone call let me know that he is currently on a work trip, fully occupied, and I should not be expecting him home for days.

And so, I am able to give Emile and Ethan my full attention. Our daily routine has consisted of homeschooling and chores, followed by hours of playtime in my room.

"Ok so let's try to play it again," I say as I hand over my violin to Emile. She quickly sets it up how I taught her and folds her face in concentration.

Emile is the one who came up to me and asked me to teach them how to play the violin. At first, it was hard figuring out how to teach two young children to do something I learnt to do a long time ago, so when both of them begin to make progress I can only attribute it to them being naturally talented.

"That was so good, Emile," I say after she plays a few jerky but clear notes. "You have made so much progress."

A beaming smile spreads across her face as she passes the instrument to her brother sitting besides her.

While Emile rushes headlong into each new lesson, Ethan sits back and learns at a measured pace, his eyes lighting up with concentration as he picks up the basic skills.

So when Ethan easily picks up the melody Emile has been struggling with, I am not surprised. What does catch me off guard, is Emile's reaction.

Her face falls and her eyes well up with tears. "I hate playing this stupid violin," she exclaims with a trembling voice as she slams her bow down. Before I can react, she has jumped off the bed and runs out of the room, disappearing down the hallway In a flash.

In the silence she leaves behind, Ethan and I stare at each other and he offers me a small smile that does nothing to distract from the deep sadness in his eyes.

"She misses mommy," he says, his voice barely a whisper. "Mommy used to play the piano and Emile thinks that if she learns how to play an instrument, she can feel closer to her."

I am caught off guard as Ethan's words settle in like a puzzle piece. I have been working with the twins for weeks now and yet this is the first time I have heard either of them speak about their mother and I groan internally as I guess why.

"Ethan, can you wait here for a minute? I'll be right back." I hurry down to the kitchen, where Mrs Jenkins is busy preparing lunch.

"Mrs Jenkins?," I say slowly. How do I bring up such a sensitive topic? Maybe it is not my place to, but Emile's tear stained face flashes in my mind and I know I need to ask.

"I'm sorry to pry, but what happened to the twins' mother?"

Mrs Jenkins' hands pause mid motion and she turns to face me with a look of surprise and a hint of sadness. "You didn't know?" she asks with a low voice. "She died in an accident years ago."

*****

"We're here!" I say to the twins as we step out of the car. The afternoon sunlight casts a warm glow on the building as the twins inspect it curiously.

"Where is this?" is Emile's sulking response, but I can see the glimmer of excitement she has been trying to hide in her baby blue eyes since I told her we are leaving the house.

"Welcome to Harmony studios, the best music studio in the city," I say as we walk to the door. My voice drops to a whisper when we get closer to the entrance. "It is my dream to one day own it but don't tell the owner yet."

Ethan lets out an amused chuckle but Emile's face remains passive as it has throughout the drive here.

As I open the door, a symphony of sounds envelopes us, captivating the twins. A wide grin grows on my face as Ethan's immediately lights up and Emile's eyes widen.

"Well?" I ask, my eyes glistening with excitement. "Are you ready to enter a world of music?"

I lead them into the building, the sound of music growing clearer and more vibrant as we pass practice rooms where musicians hone their craft. The twins stare at each passing musician in awe and a sad smile filled with longing falls on my lips. One day, I will be the one playing on the other side of the glass, my music inspiring awe and admiration.

We arrive at a cozy room with a magnificent piano at the center. The pianist seated on it greets us with a nod and immediately begins to play a whimsical melody that fills the twins with wonder.

She starts out slow, but the familiar sound of "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" soon fills the room.

It was hard to convince the pianist to grant me this favor, even harder to convince Mrs Jenkins to let us come here.

But all that is worth it when I see the joy on the face of the twins. They stare at the piano, the simple melody holding them in a trance.

Ethan's eyes remain fixed on the pianist as the final notes fade away. "Wow," he breathes. Emile's gaze meets his and she completes his thoughts. "That was beautiful."

I pause, letting the lingering emotion from the music settle in before I steer the conversation to the real reason I brought them here. "You know, I think your mother's love for you is still very much alive," I say, repeating words I told myself after my parent's death to cope with the grief. "She might not be here physically, but I'm sure she would be incredibly proud of the person you're becoming, not just because of your talents, but because of who you are individually. You don't need to learn an instrument to know that."

I end with a small reassuring smile, not wanting to say more than I should. While I have experienced loss myself, I can't dictate what the twins have had to deal with since the passing of their mother. But I can support them as they process their grief.

Emile's eyes immediately fill up with tears and I instinctively open my hands, inviting her to seek comfort in them. She collapses into me, her small body shaking with sobs. Time stands still as she cries, her tears soaking into my shoulder.

When we are back home, I hold Ethan's hand as I carry a sleeping Emile up to her room and slowly lay her down on her bed, kissing her forehead before closing the door behind us.

"Ethan, are you ok?" I ask, concerned that he might feel left out.

"Thank you, Miss Nova, for helping Emile," he replies instead with a sincerity that is surprising coming from a seven year old.

I squeeze his hand reassuringly. "Anytime, Ethan."

As we walk down the hallway, I see a sliver of light coming from a door I have only ever seen locked close. "Ethan, why don't you go ahead and meet Mrs Jenkins? I need to use the restroom for a minute."

Once Ethan disappears from my view, I approach the door cautiously, my heart beating faster. I push it open and the door creaks softly, revealing an office.

Theodore's home office.

As my eyes land on the documents on top the desk, Kai's plan echoes in my head.