Chapter 8 Fast Plea

Ava's POV

The sunlight streamed through the large windows, casting a warm glow across my room. I woke to the familiar sound of Tristan's excited footsteps padding down the hallway. It was Saturday, and while I was scheduled to go into the office, I knew Tristan loved mornings like this, time spent lounging around before the day really started.

I rolled over in bed and grabbed my phone. 7:45 a.m. A little earlier than I'd hoped, but Tristan never really let us sleep in on weekends. I smiled to myself as I heard his voice echo from the kitchen.

"Andrew! Can we make pancakes?"

His voice was muffled, but I could still hear the excitement in it. I sighed and pulled myself out of bed, slipping on a robe before heading toward the kitchen. As I neared, I could hear Andrew's deep, easy laugh, followed by the clatter of bowls and utensils.

"Alright, alright. But you're helping," Andrew said, his voice laced with amusement.

I stepped into the kitchen to find Andrew standing at the counter, a bowl of flour in front of him. Tristan was beside him, his face scrunched in concentration as he tried to crack an egg into the mixing bowl without getting shells everywhere.

"Good morning," I greeted, watching as Tristan's face lit up when he saw me.

"Mama! We're making pancakes!" He cheers, and does a mini dance, indicating how excited he was.

I smiled, leaning against the doorframe. "I can see that. I hope you're not making too much of a mess."

Andrew glanced at me with a mock-serious expression. "No promises. This one's more interested in eating the chocolate chips than putting them in the batter."

Tristan giggled, clearly proud of himself, as he sneakily tried to grab another handful of chocolate chips. I crossed the kitchen and ruffled his hair. "Chocolate chips don't make a good breakfast on their own, you know."

He grinned up at me, unfazed. "But they make the pancakes taste better."

"Smart kid," Andrew said, winking at me as he handed Tristan the whisk to mix the batter. "I thought you were going to be up late" he adds, looking at my direction.

"Well, with this new project at hand, I need to get it done. I'm not going over to London tho, I'll work from the office here in New York"

"You shouldn't over stress yourself Ava, you can handle that anytime"

"Well, the sooner the better, I want to get Derek off my hands as soon as possible" I say, the thought of the day already has me tired

"If you say so then"

We moved around the kitchen easily, with Andrew managing to take charge of the cooking while Tristan did his best to help, and I filled in where I could. The smell of pancakes soon filled the air. As the three of us worked together, I couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness, these were the moments that grounded me, that made everything else worthwhile.

Once the pancakes were ready, we all sat down at the dining table, Tristan already diving into his plate with enthusiasm. Andrew took his seat across from me, giving me a soft, knowing smile as he poured syrup onto his pancakes.

"We have cooks but you make it seem like we're the only ones here" I giggle, staring at the pancakes

"Well, it doesn't hurt to cook some meals sometimes" Andrew smiles "These turned out better than I thought they would," he adds, cutting into his stack. "Maybe we should let Tristan take over the kitchen from now on."

Tristan giggled, his mouth full of pancake. "I'm the chef!"

I laughed softly, shaking my head. "You two in the kitchen together is chaos waiting to happen. I think we should let the cooks stick to doing the cooking next time."

Andrew gave a mock gasp, feigning offense. "Are you saying you don't trust me to cook?"

I raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I'm saying I trust Tristan more than I trust you."

Tristan laughed, clearly enjoying the back-and-forth, while Andrew just grinned and took another bite of his pancakes.

Tristan talked excitedly about school, his friends, and the new video game he wanted to play later. Andrew chimed in occasionally with advice or witty remarks, and I listened, feeling a sense of calm that I hadn't felt in a while.

"Remember Uncle Andrew, we are going to play chess after this" Tristan says proudly, taking a gulp of his strawberry milk

"Of course little boy" Andrew says, like a proud father.

But as much as I wanted to linger in the warmth of this morning, the clock was ticking. Work waited for no one, and I had too much to handle at the office.

After breakfast, I stood up, stretching as I glanced at the time. "Alright, I need to get ready for work."

Tristan's face fell slightly, but he didn't argue. "Will you be back early?"

I leaned down to kiss the top of his head. "I'll try, but no promises. I've got a lot to do today."

Andrew stood up as well, collecting the dishes. "Don't worry, we'll keep ourselves entertained, right, buddy?"

Tristan nodded, though I could see the disappointment in his eyes. I smiled softly at him before heading to my room to get dressed.

A short while later, I was ready for work, dressed in my usual sleek business attire. I grabbed my bag and kissed Tristan goodbye before heading to the door. Andrew stood near the entrance, his hands in his pockets, watching me with that familiar, unreadable expression.

"Have a good day," he said quietly.

"You too," I replied, meeting his gaze for a moment longer than I intended.

There was something in his eyes, something that always seemed to linger between us, unspoken but ever-present. But I wasn't ready to face it, not now. So, with a small smile, I turned and walked out the door.

I stand at the entrance of the building, wondering if I should get the driver or drive myself. "Well, it would be nice to drive alone with some loud music" I whispered to myself.

The drive to the office was uneventful, but as I neared the building, my phone buzzed in my bag. I glanced at it, expecting the usual flood of emails or texts from Nikolai, but instead, there was a series of messages from an unknown number.

My brow furrowed as I unlocked my phone and began scrolling through them.

"Hey... I know it's been a while, but I can't stop thinking about you."

"I miss you, Ava. More than you can imagine."

I frowned, my heart rate quickening. The messages continued, each one growing more intense.

"I don't know how I let you slip away. I made a mistake. I need you back in my life."

"Please... just talk to me."

A cold chill ran down my spine. The words were suffocatingly familiar, in a way that made me anxious. But the number wasn't saved in my phone, and I couldn't place who it was.

Who could this be?

As I pulled into the parking garage, I hesitated before stepping out of the car. The messages were unnerving, and something in my gut told me that whoever was sending them had intentions I didn't want to face.

My phone buzzed again.

"I still love you, Ava. I've never stopped."

That message hit harder than the others, like a sucker punch to the chest. It wasn't just spam or some stranger trying to get a reaction. These words were too specific, too direct. And at this point, I wondered if coming to work was such a good idea.

I stared at the screen, my mind racing. Derek? No. It couldn't be. He wouldn't do something like this, his ego won't let him do so... right?

I locked my phone and stepped out of the car, forcing myself to breathe. Whoever it was, I wasn't going to let it ruin my day. I had too much to focus on; meetings, reports, clients and more importantly, Derek's company. I couldn't afford to be distracted by cryptic messages from an unknown number.

But as I made my way into the office building, the knot in my stomach remained, a constant reminder that something from my past was trying to claw its way back into my life.