5. Revenge

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.”