I want you to be here

Although Alex had a lot on his plate, especially with balancing the expansion into the Asian music industry and handling big contracts with other corporations who were interested in the "rookie group," Via Novus, he still couldn't shake the strange and determined expression that Alexa gave him. He racked his brains trying to figure out why it bothered him so much but he still couldn't figure anything out. So he tried everything. On multiple occasions, he tried to get information out of Naomi regarding Alexa's mom. But Naomi was tight lipped and extremely good at avoiding too much detail in her responses.

Once though, he divulged the details of the last night Alexa and him spent together and how Alexa had said that Kaia was her mom. Naomi had flinched and Alex thought he noticed something strange flash through her eyes. Although he was sure he most likely imagined it due to fatigue and desperation, he couldn't help but still feel that something was up…

~~

In the country, Alexa had celebrated her fifth birthday on the 10th of August with Kaia. She was delighted when she received the birthday present that Alex bought for her. She proudly showed Kaia the glittery purple pony plushie that her Papa Alex bought her, momentarily forgetting Naomi's warning, which was not to mention Sabor Sights or Alex. Seeing how happy Alexa was, Kaia couldn't help but feel an ache in her heart.

When Alexa made a wish and blew out her candles, Kaia asked what she wished for. But Alexa only smiled and said that it was a secret. If she told Kaia, then her wish wouldn't come true and she wanted it to come true really badly. Kaia had chuckled and pulled her in for a hug saying that she would do her best to help Alexa's wish come true.

Alexa smiled and gave her a knowing look, saying that Kaia would definitely make the wish come true. Very very soon…

~~

Now that Alexa was five years old, she already entered elementary school. Like Kaia, she was clever and a fast learner. Although she was supposed to be in kindergarten, she skipped two grade levels and was now in second grade. When she entered pre-K, the teachers realized that Alexa already knew most of her alphabet and basic shapes, as well as numbers up to 20. She even knew simple math calculations already, as well as how to read simple sentences almost fluently. A lot of Alexa's progress was attributed to her eagerness to learn new things, as well as the hours of fun interactive videos in Alex's office.

Many teachers were surprised at the progress Alexa already made and even joked and teasingly poked fun at Kaia for being such an amazing mother. They decided to directly move Alexa into first grade where she barely struggled to grasp new topics.

As a result, many of the other kids held grudges against Alexa because of the praise she received from the teachers. Even though Alexa was a loveable and fun person, many of the other kids disliked her. Afterall, they were often criticized for not being as fast of a learner as Alexa, despite being two years older than her.

They often snubbed her. But Alexa still tried to befriend them, although it soon turned into fear when the other kids caught onto her weakness. They found out that Alexa didn't have a father. They would often poke fun at her and tease her for being fatherless. Alexa became extremely scared of the other kids and dreaded going to school. She was confused about why the other kids were so hostile towards her.

One day after school, she went to Kaia's music class and sat in the back, reading to herself. There was another Bring Your Parents to School Day coming up and she didn't want to be picked on again. She didn't like it but was too scared to tell on the other kids because she didn't want to trouble Kaia.

After the class was over, Alexa walked up to Kaia. "Mummy, can I borrow your phone to call Auntie Naomi?" she asked politely. Kaia had been busy looking through some music sheets before looking up. She nodded and handed her phone over. "Alright, but don't talk for too long and stay nearby. I still need to go to a teacher's meeting in a bit, but I'll be right back. If you need anything then ask Uncle Trevor. He should be here soon to pick you up, ok?" Alexa looked at Kaia and nodded.

Uncle Trevor was the landowner's nephew. Since the landowner had back problems, Trevor ended up going over to greet Kaia. When he first saw her, he was surprised that Kaia was a beautiful young mother with an equally beautiful and kind smile. He practically fell in love at first sight with her and had a slight crush on Kaia, although he never got the chance to tell her. Since meeting her, he often went over to see if she needed any help.

When it came time for Kaia to leave for the teacher's meeting, she warned Alexa not to wander too far and wait for her. Once Kaia left the room, Alexa stood up and left the music room. She didn't want to stay in the classroom any longer and decided to go outside to make the call.

She slipped the phone into her coat pocket and wandered through the halls. But before she turned the next corner, a few kids suddenly called out behind her. Alexa's heart almost stopped as she froze up on the spot. "Hey, Alexa! Should we get a throne for your "Prince" father? Maybe if we do, he will show up!" Laughter echoed throughout the halls. Alexa frowned, flinching slightly before speed walking away from the sounds.

All she wanted to do was to get away from them, but they kept following her. The sounds of running feet echoed throughout the hallways as Alexa nervously turned her head to look back and saw them running to catch up to her with evil sneers on their faces. Alexa felt an uncontrollable sense of fear surge through her as she ran harder and faster to get away from the other kids. Why was she always picked on? What did she do? Tears rolled down her face as she continued to run.

Alexa quickly went down a side hallway and blindly pushed the janitor's closet open and quickly shut it. She took deep and shaky breaths to calm herself when she heard the sounds of slowing footsteps nearby. She subconsciously pulled Kaia's phone out of her pocket and clutched it tightly. When the sounds disappeared, she continued to press her ear on the door and listened closely for any signs of the bullies. She wasn't sure how long she waited but after a while her heartbeat slowed down and she let out a sigh of relief.

She looked down and noticed the phone held tightly in her hand and suddenly remembered why she wanted it. She stared at the phone for a while, suddenly feeling unsure about whether or not she should make the call. But finally, she opened the phone and pressed the keypad before punching in Naomi's number, which she had long memorized. Her finger hovered over the call option for a few seconds before she finally pressed it.

It took a few seconds before Naomi picked up. Her voice was sweet and kind. "Hello?" Alexa panicked for a second, forgetting to answer as she heard footsteps nearby. She silently locked the door and covered her mouth to stop herself from breathing heavily as the tears rolled down her face again. Naomi was confused by the silence and what appeared to be breathing sounds over the phone. She started feeling unsettled and said, "Mia?" a few times. No answer came for a while and Naomi started to freak out a bit.

Hearing Naomi's voice, Alexa silently cried even harder. She felt so relieved to hear her Auntie Naomi's voice again, but she felt really scared. The footsteps moved away and Alexa listened closely before finally croaking out, "Auntie Naomi…?" Naomi let out a sigh of relief upon hearing Alexa's voice. But she noticed that something was off. "Alexa? What's wrong, Cupcake?"

Alexa moved away from the door and walked deeper into the janitor's closet. She sat down in a corner and took shaky breaths in and out to steady her breathing before she started to speak again. "Um...Auntie Naomi, is...is Mr. Alex around?" Naomi was somewhat startled. She began to feel extremely concerned and worried again as she furrowed her brows and began wondering why Alexa said Mr. and not Papa like usual. Alexa heard silence on the other end and asked if Naomi was still there. Naomi flinched slightly before stuttering out, "Oh...oh yeah one sec Cupcake. He just got out of a meeting…" Alexa sat very still, carefully listening to Naomi who was walking towards Alex's office.

Naomi stopped in front of Alex's office and knocked on the door three times before opening the door. "Mr. Sabor, I have a personal call for you…" Alex glanced up from his desk. "Tell them to call back later," he stated before looking back down at the Late Night Show contract for Via Novus. Naomi frowned as she studied his stern expression. He seemed to be more stressed and irritable since Alexa went back home. Naomi cleared her throat. "Well Mr. Sabor, this is an important personal call. It's Alexa." Just hearing the name 'Alexa' made Alex place the contract file down on the table and quickly stand up from his desk. He swiftly walked over to where Naomi was, grabbing the phone she held out to him. "I'll return your phone later, thanks," he said with a quick smile before walking back to his desk. Naomi smiled at his reaction and walked out of his office, closing the door behind her softly. Alex sat back at his desk, placing the phone to his ear. "Alexa?"

Hearing Alex's voice, something in Alexa broke as she felt a lump rising in her throat. Her eyes watered again and she began to sob. "P--pa...pa...Alex" her voice cracked and she tried to continue speaking. Her vision blurred and she wiped her eyes as she struggled to speak. Alex felt something was extremely off and his heart broke hearing Alexa's sobs. His face darkened at the thought of something he hoped wasn't happening to Alexa. "Alexa, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Are you hurt anywhere? Did someone hurt you? Where are you?"

Alexa was overwhelmed by all the questions. She sniffled, trying to control her breathing. "I…I...I'm at school…ri--right now...An--and th--the kids made fun of me…a--again...because I don't have a daddy."

Alex froze. What Alexa told him was like a knife twisting into his heart. He clenched his fists tightly on his desk as he sucked in a breath. "Did they hurt you anywhere? Did you tell an adult about this? Is there anything I can do? Where's your mum? Does she know about this?" Alexa wiped her runny nose and tearstained and wet face on her coat sleeve. "Mummy is in a teachers m…meeting. I...I can't tell her about it. I...I don't...don't want her to be...sa--sad. I…I was wondering if you c--could come here..." she said with a pleading tone.

Alex blinked. His heart ached to say, "I'm sorry Alexa, but I can't just drop work right now and go to the countryside. It's too far...and I don't even know where in the countryside you live in." Alex sighed at how useless he felt. He suddenly realized something important that he forgot to ask about. "Why do you need me out there for?" Alexa frowned, looking down at the watch on his wrist. "W--we're having a Bring Your Parents to School Day and mummy is busy. Y--you're like a daddy to me...and I want you to be here...for me...please…" she mumbled towards the end. She clutched the phone and pressed it to her ear tightly, wishing that he would say yes. Alex clenched his jaw as he made a split second decision.

He grabbed a sticky note and a pen. "Tell me where you live." Alexa told him what she knew, which was the name of the town her house was in. Her phone suddenly started dying and she didn't realize until it was too late.

Alex frowned when the call suddenly ended. He dialed Kaia's number again but the call didn't go through because the number he dialed was currently not in service. He stood up, leaving his office to find Naomi. He walked for a bit before he found Naomi and Zac discussing the details of the meeting earlier on with coffee in their hands. "Naomi!" he exclaimed upon seeing her. His voice was stern but had a falter in it. He was worried and anxious. Startled, Naomi almost spilled her coffee and quickly looked up at Alex. "Hey, what did Alexa want?" Alex looked at Naomi. "I need Alexa's address right now. Also, clear my schedule and send any necessary gifts out as an apology to any of the CEOs or presidents or whoever I need to meet when you reschedule a new meeting time. If Mi Sung comes back, keep her busy somehow. If she mentions the wedding tell her something extremely important came out and I'm leaving the country or something so push it back. Honestly, I don't care if you have to lie and say it is work."

Naomi flinched when Alex demanded for Alexa's address. She wanted to interject but he never gave her a chance to speak as he was in a rush. All she could do was stare at him as her heart began to race and she feared that Kaia would think she betrayed her. "What exactly did Alexa say?' Naomi's brows furrowed slightly as she tried to keep her cool. "Ok Alex, slow down. What's going on?" Alex looked at her with exasperation. He ran his hand through his hair and replied "Alexa said she needs me and she was crying…"

Naomi frowned slightly as understanding began to dawn on her. She sighed ruefully as she silently said sorry to Kaia in her heart. Something had occurred to Naomi. This was a chance. A chance for them to get back together. If Alex "accidentally" bumped into Kaia, then…then maybe he could fix the problem and Kaia could return…! And if Kaia returned then...wouldn't Mi Sung have to leave. Truth be told, she was tired of seeing the both of them moping around and missing each other. Plus, Alexa needed both of her parents. Naomi finally nodded after considering everything. "I have an idea. Alexa's mum is a talented music teacher for kids of all ages, which means some of her students must have talent as well. What if you go out to the countryside to scout and recruit some of these talented kids?" Alex grinned and nodded. "Naomi, you're a genius! Unfortunately, I'll need you to stay here and get everything sorted out here. Zac, go get packed. You'll accompany me in scouting out some potential recruits."

Naomi quickly got everything settled. She thought about calling Kaia and maybe warning her but she knew if she did that Kaia would try to run away from Alex.

Naomi booked a small company chopper to take Alex and Zac out to the countryside and also contacted Mi Sung. When Naomi called her, Mi Sung wasn't pleased. She disliked Naomi because of Alexa and was pissed to find out that she was getting blown off for "work." Instead of staying put, she still booked a flight to the UK, determined to settle this marriage with Alex once and for all!