Chapter 7

Michael and Birkhoff grabbed a quick lunch and discussed all the new information they got. Ultimately they reached the same conclusion - Nikita had to decide what she would do. Michael was going to talk to her on Wednesday and the only thing he could do from then on was to support her.

Michael was worried about her reaction though. It could go many different ways. He didn't want to argue with her but knew she would probably be upset with him for hiding all of this. It would be understandable but Michael would hate it. He only had her well-being in mind. Hopefully, she was going to see that after the initial shock. Nikita and Michael hadn't hidden anything from each other in years.

After lunch, the boys headed for work. They sat through a few meetings together and then returned to their individual offices.

Michael could not concentrate for the life of him. His mind was such a mess. He couldn't stop thinking about Anh and Edward's story. It was devastating. A part of him also couldn't help but imagine the scenario of Nikita really being their daughter. That baby was ripped away from its parents in such a brutal way and there was a chance that that baby was now the person that was his whole world. The thought broke his heart. Nikita had gone through so much in her childhood. Add this story to the mix; there was no way it wouldn't affect Nikita deeply. Michael was terrified of that.

To calm himself down he decided to do something that was bound to cheer him up. A few days ago Nikita had requested a date night as soon as she got back. Michael wanted to make it extra special since they were going to be reuniting after a week.

It was the summertime so he could make a romantic set-up in their backyard, cook her favourite food and make the evening all lovely for her.

He looked online for flower arrangements he could get and made some orders. There was a store in town he could visit for candles and other things to make it all pretty. He was going to cook her favourite food and make sure the pantry was all stocked up with her favourite snacks. A grocery run was definitely needed.

Michael was happy to make a to-do list for the rest of the day to help him organise the date night. It instantly made him feel better.

The rest of the day went by as normal. He had his usual video call with Nikita on his break then did some more work until it was time to leave. Michael got in his car and drove to the grocery store to get everything he will need for their date night.

He found everything and even decided what dessert he was making to surprise Nikita. The shopping trip was a success.

As he was walking through the isles of the shop, though, he got a weird feeling. He couldn't put his finger on it but the feeling kept increasing as he continued browsing through the store. It felt like someone was watching him but he couldn't see anyone.

{3N: Can I take him home with me? :)

*Nikita sends a photo of her with a little kitten*

{3M: I'm sure Archie would appreciate it.

{3N: It's so cute though.

{3M: Are we talking about the kitten in the photo or you? Can handle only one of you home.

{3N: Fucking tease.

{3M: Says the one who sent me 10 bikini pics just today alone.

{3N: Love ya! :D

Call me when you get home.

Michael couldn't help but laugh. She was the real tease in their relationship. God, he missed her so much. He was never letting her go anywhere for this long. He wouldn't survive it.

While he was distracted texting her he didn't notice someone approaching him.

"Hello Michael" That voice. Fuck no.

Michael lifted his head and in front of him stood Edward Carter. "Mr Carter"

"Please call me Edward. Never liked officialities." Michael nodded and didn't know what else to say. Heck, what was he supposed to say? Greet him like they were friends or pretend this was a happy coincidence. And now thinking about it, was this a coincidence?

"Look, I didn't like how we left off things today. Could we have a chat, just the two of us?" Edward wasn't pushing it. There was space for Michael to decline but something made him think about it. Edward had left a good impression on him and he felt like he could have an actual conversation with him. He wanted to hear him out but at the same time, Michael wanted to put some distance there. Nothing was set and confirmed yet.

"Okay about what?"

"I do have more to share that will hopefully help you understand some things. I don't want anything from you other than just an opportunity to talk one-on-one"

"Give me your phone" Michael agreed to talk with Edward but this time he was going to control the environment. Edward hesitated but gave his phone to Michael. "This is my address. Meet you there in about 30 minutes"

"Thank you" Edward smiled gratefully and left. Michael sighed. This was growing heavier and heavier on him every day. There wasn't much he could do without Nikita but he could listen at least. Hopefully, it was going to help when it was time for action to be taken.

Michael finished up at the store and headed home. While waiting for Edward he put the groceries away and took care of Archie. He texted Nikita that he would call her a little later. Otherwise, she would worry about him. She knew his routines.

Michael invited Edward to the house for a specific reason. One thing he hated about the meeting was that no one considered how Nikita would feel about the situation. She was a real person with feelings and traumas too. Bringing Edward to their home was a way to show him that.

It was still his and Nikita's home though so he wasn't going to invite Edward in really. Good thing it was summer and Nikita and Michael had an amazing private garden that surrounded the whole house.

When Edward arrived Michael led him to the backyard where he and Nikita had made themselves an outdoor living space. "How did you manage to find such a gem here?" Edward asked, amazed.

"Oh" Michael didn't expect that. "It didn't look like that when we bought it. We did a lot of renovations and added our own touches to the place" Nikita and Michael were very proud of their home. It was so special because they took the time to make it theirs just the way they imagined it.

"That was one of my dreams too. I wanted to buy an old house with lots of character and renovate it. There is something special about designing your own home" With the way Edward was talking Michael could swear he was an interior designer or an architect. "It looks like you have the passion for that. Do you also work in real estate?"

"Oh, no. I just liked the idea of creating the perfect home for my family. After I got out of prison I fulfilled my dream of becoming a chef and now I own my own restaurant in London"

"When did you manage to do all of that?" Michael was still confused about the whole timeline of events surrounding Edward's arrest and him getting out.

"Anh encouraged me to. I had missed out on some much while I was in prison. She felt guilty about it so she got me through culinary school and helped me open my restaurant. It helped her a lot too for a while" Michael felt like there was something there.

"Why for a while?"

"She refused therapy. Her only focus was getting my life back together and then finding Nayeli. She bottled up all of that pain inside. Eventually, it started to change her. She started to obsess over things like the past, what could have been, and what should have been. It became really bad last year" It was getting harder and harder for Edward to talk.

"What happened?" There was definitely a story there. An incident of some sort. Michael could tell.

"We were in Scotland on a getaway and we were walking around. All of a sudden she started running towards a woman. She grabbed her and started screaming that she was Nayeli. I barely convinced the woman not to call the police. That's how bad it was…Then I had to force her to get help and it eventually got a little better. That is why she is so defensive right now. It's nothing against you personally"

"I understand. What she and you also had to go through will leave its marks of course but Nikita is my priority at the end of the day. I think and will think about her first all day every day for the rest of my life. She has also gone through so much, especially regarding family relationships. That's why I don't want to push it on her. It's her decision" There wasn't much else to say. Michael had made himself clear earlier today and if Edward had come to change his mind he was wasting his time.

"And that's how it should be. I want to be clear here. I completely agree with you. I argued with Brian about the way he went about finding Nikita. It wasn't right but he sympathises with Anh a lot so he tries to do everything he can to speed up the process." Michael was surprised to hear Edward's thoughts on the incident with Allen. He suspected Anh and Edward were behind it all along with Brian Miller.

"So you didn't know about Allen and the whole waiting around for Nikita thing?"

"No, absolutely not. Brian used one of his special contacts in the police to get an address when we were going nowhere with locating Nikita. He only managed to get the street and that was all the updates we got. We had no idea that he had gotten Allen involved. We learnt about it after you went to Brian's office. He called us after that and told us. I wasn't exactly happy about it."

"You weren't? Does that mean Anh was?" Edward had used we/us in his previous sentences but now he was referring only to himself.

"Anh was glad to see he was working hard on finding Nikita. She didn't see anything wrong in his methods. Again, I can't blame her"

"Yes, but you are in the same position as she is. You are also looking for your lost child and you-"

"I am what? Calmer? More put together? I have always been that way. That doesn't mean I don't hurt inside but that doesn't help me. I rather put my energy into something positive. This world is cruel enough." Michael was shocked by the difference between Edward and Anh. They were like yin and yang you could say. Maybe that's why their relationship still worked after all the shit they had been through.

"So what do you put your energy into?" Edward smiled and turned to Michael. He felt oddly comfortable with Edward now so he didn't mind the shift of the conversation.

"I am a partner in my best friends' tech company. Help them manage it, recruit new people, and create a good work environment."

"So you are a helper. You seem like a person that guides people along their path. Like a teacher or a coach" Michael laughed when he heard that. "I was for like a decade and now my role does kind of have a guiding element to it. I enjoy it. Guess that is where I choose to put my energy into"

"What does she put her energy into?" Edward realise what he asked after it came out of his mouth. He was just going with the flow of the conversation. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have"

"It's okay. Nikita helps out in the tech company and also works with another friend helping to fight human trafficking so she does a mix of things." Michael didn't mind talking about Nikita when it wasn't too personal. He also felt like he could trust Edward. It felt like a genuine chat about life things.

"That's great. It's what matters at the end of the day - what we put out into the world and what impact we want to make."

"Why did none of this come out this morning? You have a very interesting philosophy about life." Michael was amazed at the person Edward was.

"There is always a time and place for it. I came here to be open with you. I also don't trust people easily and it's valid of course especially nowadays"

"Open about what?" Michael felt like he knew the answer but there was something else in there too that Michael couldn't get through.

"My intentions. I want to get to know you and Nikita as well. We weren't able to show you everything we had but there is a very high chance your Nikita is our Nayeli so I had to do something." And there it was.

"I can't do anything more for you" Michael was getting tired of repeating it so many times.

"You don't have to do anything. I just wanted to know more about you and her straight from the source rather than some report or document" Michael appreciated and respected that so he was going to give Edward something.

"You have the right to 3 questions. I will answer them no matter what they are but only 3 and that's it" Michael could do that and not feel too bad. Edward didn't seem like the type that would cross the line with such an opportunity.

"Ooff. You really got me with that one. There is so much…What is her favourite thing to do?" That was the first simple question that popped into Edward's mind.

"She has a few hobbies - yoga, running, swimming, drawing and anything crafty you can think of. " Michael loved talking about Nikita and was surprised at how comfortable he was at talking about her with Edward. Deep down he knew there was a very high chance these people were Nikita's parents but he still had to wait for the confirmation. That should have stopped him but he saw how Edward's whole face beamed when Michael started talking about Nikita.

"What is her favourite colour?"

"Is that what you are wasting one of your questions on?" It wasn't a bad question but it didn't give him much information about Nikita. That's why Michael was shocked by it.

"Oh, believe me, I'm not wasting it"

"A light baby blue for colour in general, red for clothing" Michael was intrigued by Edward's answer "Are you going to tell me more about why you asked?"

"I painted Nayeli's nursery ceiling to resemble the sky. Light baby blue and lots of clouds. She loved looking at it and I joked it was going to be her favourite colour when she grew up" Edward teared up recalling the story.

Michael decided not to tell him the real story of how that colour came to be Nikita's favourite. Maybe there really was something there or it could have been just a coincidence. "And your final question?"

"It's not really a question. More like a wish. I have only seen one or two photos of Nikita…If you're comfortable with that of course"

Michael was hesitant at first. That was a bit more personal. Edward seemed like an honest man. Michael had a good feeling about him so he decided to trust it. He unlocked his phone and looked through his gallery. He landed on a recent photo of Nikita he had taken that he absolutely loved.

"This is here actually from last week. We were playing on the basketball hoop out here" Michael and Edward happened to be sitting at a table right across from the little basketball court Michael and Nikita had made in their side yard. In the photo, Nikita was laughing at him and dribbling the ball. It had been such a fun afternoon. She was wearing an old jersey of his back from when he played basketball in high school. Michael had locked up his old life before Division in a storage room. When they got free he got his stuff back. Nikita loved every single thing.

Edward was stunned when Michael showed him the photo. "Now I get it"

"Get what?"

"Why you are so overprotective of her. Who would want that smile and spirit to break."

"She is my everything so yeah I don't fool around when it comes to her. I respect you for coming to talk to me. What Miller and your wife are trying to do is not going to work. This right now is what is going to work." Brian Miller and Anh Carter were going to push Nikita way too much in jumping into everything straight away. This was going to be a slow process that wasn't going to start before a DNA test.

"I promise you and Nikita will have the space you need to figure everything out. This is my number. You can call anytime" Edward handed him a piece of paper and a business card "Even stop by my restaurant if you feel like it" Edward chuckled.

"Wait" When Michael read the business card his eyes widened "You are the owner of Edion?" Michael was in shock. That was Nikita's favourite restaurant in London. Every time they travelled to London Nikita insisted they went there.

"Yeah? Don't tell me you hate it. It's not that bad" Edward laughed. Michael did as well. "No, I…Nikita loves that place. We have been there dozens of times. I don't remember ever seeing you" Michael was still amazed. That guy was good. The restaurant was awesome. One reason that Nikita loved it so much was because of how many vegan/vegetarian options there were. There was a whole vegan and vegetarian menu.

"Well, I'm happy to hear that. I usually stay back in the kitchen and make sure everything is in order. I have an amazing host that takes care of the guests. Please when you do come next time let me know. Doesn't matter if we see each other again or not" That struck Michael. His invitation was genuine. He didn't expect anything in return or try to use it to get close to Nikita. Michael had hope that maybe it wasn't all going to be a big disaster.

"Can I ask you a question and I want you to be honest" Michael had to know something before Edward left.

"I have been only honest with you until now and I have no plans on changing that. Go ahead"

"Did you follow me today? It's a little strange how we just ran into each other." Michael wouldn't be bothered if the answer was yes. This meet-up was actually helpful and settled some of his nerves.

"I know it seems that way but no. I wanted to talk to you and I even got your number from Brian. I was going to call you tomorrow but then I saw you at the store. I couldn't skip the opportunity."

Michael wasn't one to believe in faith but he believed in people. He could read Edward like a book. That was a huge plus in this situation. It was good to have someone he could somewhat trust because he couldn't say the same about Anh and Brian Miller.

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