022.“What do you think you’re doing?” Melissa snapped at Jack after he walked back into the hall. “How can you just suggest a breakup out of the blue? Do you have any idea how crucial a time like this is?”Jack ruffled his hair. “I got upset. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t think because I was so scared and hurt and… I just said whatever came to my mind.” he whispered.Trent, Jack’s friend facepalmed. “Fuck it, Jack,” she sighed. “Axel is back. This is the time you need to get close to her and show her you can do better than Axel. That you can give her more than Axel can ever give.”Melissa just sighed and sat down. All she wanted was for Amber to be happy again. She knew what the lady had been through, she was aware of Jack’s efforts as well, but things were becoming complicated now that Axel was back.Jack steepled his fingers. “What do I do? I said hurtful things to her.”Trent massaged his forehead. “You have to go back out there and apologize. Right now, you are in a compet
023.“And it’s a wrap. Thank you all for coming.” There was a round of applause and everyone began to disperse, except the reporters who flocked around Kevin and wanted to get additional information from him concerning the Charity gala. Amber stood to her feet and grabbed her bag. “You still haven’t told me what’s wrong, Amber. You just disappeared and returned like nothing happened. But I could see your hands trembling slightly. Did anything happen to you? Did that guy name Axel do anything to you? Just tell me and…and… I will beat him up. I don’t care how handsome he is.” Gina balled her fists, her expression turning protective.Amber forced a smile. “It’s nothing serious,” she looked around, her gaze landing on Maverick who was standing alone. Glad that Axel wasn’t with him, she rushed to his side, leaving Gina who raised a brow. “Good evening, Mr. Maverick.” she greeted with a smile.Maverick turned to face her, his lips curving into a smile at the sight of her. “Wonderful Even
024. The next day… GLAM MAGAZINE Amber walked into the office and was shocked to see everyone smiling and looking at her. She had no idea what the attention meant. She was usually the center of attention, but this particular one looked different — it wasn’t the usual one she got every morning. What was going on? When she got to her department, Gina rushed to embrace her with a smile on her face. “Didn’t you see my texts and calls?” Gina asked. Amber raised an eyebrow. “No, I just—” “Mr. A approved your draft early this morning!” Gina exclaimed and the employees applauded. Laura scoffed. “Sheer luck.” Amber rolled her eyes at Laura’s statement before smiling at Gina. “I’m so happy!” she hugged Gina. Gina chuckled. “Ms. June asked to meet her in the office.” Amber nodded and rushed into Ms. June’s office. “Good morning, Ms. June.” she greeted as soon as she entered. Ms. June stood to her feet with a smile. “Good morning, Amber. Have a seat,” she gestured to the ch
025.THE SMITH'S Amber turned the doorknob, opened the door slightly and poked her head in. "Hello!" she called.Loris, who was busy setting the table rushed to the living room. "Amber!" she quickly opened the door and pulled Amber into a warm embrace. "Oh, sweetheart, it's been a while." she whined, rubbing Amber's back.Amber chuckled. "It's nice to see you too, Mum," she said, pulled away from the hug and gave Loris a kiss on the cheek.Loris brought her in and shut the door. "You've been so busy working that you can't check on your mother anymore, huh?" she asked, feigning offense. "My little journalist." she pinched Amber's cheek.Amber chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Mum, stop it. I'm not that little anymore." she said, looking around to see if Cole was in."Oh, please, you will always be my little sunshine, sweetie." Loris smiled, causing Amber to smile as well."Where is Cole?" Amber asked, feeling all excited.Loris beamed. "He is upstairs in his room-"Amber didn't wait for
026. AMBER'S APARTMENT Amber sat on the floor, her back rested on the couch in the room. Her thoughts drifted to how Axel had saved her from those thugs on the night of the gala. She couldn't believe she actually got butterflies when he called her his woman. She knew he was only trying to intimidate the men, but why couldn't she get that off her mind? Then, her thoughts went to her relationship with Jack. She should have opted out of it when she had the chance. When it hadn't gotten to this and when Axel hadn't come into the picture. Now, she didn't know what to do. She remembered her father's words, but it was easier said than done. Her doorbell rang and she forced herself up to take it. "Coming!" she walked to the door, peeped through the hole and was happy to see Melissa standing there. She opened the door with a smile. "Tada!" Melissa beamed, holding up a carton of pizza and drinks Amber's eyes widened. "Girl, I love you!" she exclaimed, taking the pizza from her and steppi
027.GLAM MAGAZINE"Congratulations to us for the successful release of the last issue of the year," Ms. June announced and the employees clapped their hands. "I want to commend you all for your hard work and diligence into getting this done. Well done, everyone," she said. They applauded themselves. "We will be going off work tomorrow. I wish you all a prosperous new year.""Best wishes, Ms. June." The replied in unison.Ms. June smiled. "Dismissed," she said and they all stood to their feet. "Amber, see me please."Amber nodded and followed Ms. June to her office. When they were in, she sat down and faced the woman, waiting to hear what she had to say. "I want to personally commend you for the wonderful article. You made the outlines and the Lead Editor is so proud of you," she said and Amber humbly bowed with a smile. "The New Year is almost here. And when we resume work, we need to start working on more articles. I believe you see the request of the readers and how they want to k
028.NEW YEAR'S EVE... AMBER'S APARTMENT "Are you really gonna leave, Amber?" Cole asked with his arms folded. "We were supposed to spend the New Year's Eve together."Amber sighed and facepalmed. "Cole, I've told you time and time again that this is very important. I promise to make it up to you guys on new year day. We will do whatever you guys want and it will all be on me." she pouted, giving him the cutest expression she could muster.Cole rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the puppy eyes but he couldn't. He finally gave in and raise his hand in surrender. "Fine," he said with a sigh. "But only because you said you'd do whatever we want." he smirked and Amber's eyes widened."Can I take that back?" she asked but he shook his head. "Please, let me take that back." she whined, knowing Cole was going to use it to his advantage.Cole shook his head. "Not gonna happen. A promise is a promise," he said and Amber sighed. "And this Mr. A better not try this next time. I know he's the cit
029.'Return to your senses, Amber. He is just messing with you. Come on!' Amber yelled in her head, but it seemed her body wasn't cooperating with her.Axel lifted her chin so she would look into his eyes and leaned forward, his eyes burning with an intensity that made Amber weak in the knees. Her grip on her bag tightened. "Cat eyes," he called and she blinked at him, knowing that if she dared to utter a word, it might come out as a moan instead. "Why are you so hot and tempting? I thought I could put up with holding myself during the day, and now you come here, all dressed up and tempting me," his voice was deep and husky, and Amber swallowed. "Do you have any idea how much I want to kiss this red lipstick off your lips and leave it swollen with a mark that I own you?"Axel maintained eye contact with her. He knew he had her right where he wanted her, but he didn't want to rush things with her. Despite the urge to show her that she was his, and he would never share her with anyone
125 ~ Final Chapter ~ Epilogue Wedding Day… “Don’t cry, baby. You’re gonna ruin your makeup.” Loris said, her own tears falling. Amber nodded. “Mum, you asked me not to cry but you’re doing the exact same thing.” she sniffled, trying to hold back her tears. Loris wiped her face with the back of her palm. “It’s just that I can still remember forcing you to go to College that fateful day, and you didn’t want to because you didn’t want to stay with Cole. But you had no idea Axel was there. You two started young, and you’ve been through a lot together. I’m so proud of you for being so strong and resilient.” Amber smiled, squeezing her mother’s hand gently. “I wouldn’t have gotten through it all without Axel, Cole, my friends, and you, Mom. And now, here I am, about to marry the love of my life. It’s a dream come true.” “And I’m honored to be here,” Loris replied, her voice soft and loving. “Now, I don’t want to be responsible for making you late on your wedding day, so let’s g
124 ~ Penultimate ChapterA Day Later…Axel’s eyes fluttered open and the first set of eyes he met were those cat eyes he fell in love with. As he stared into those eyes, everything came rushing back to him and a small smile played on his lips.“Cat eyes,” he called weakly and she hugged him, but was careful not to hurt him.“Oh, Axel! I’m so happy you’re awake!” she burst into tears, a flood of relief washing over her. When she saw him get stabbed, it was almost like her world had come to a halt. She’d panicked and gotten angry that she had to inflict the same pain on Jack without even thinking twice.Axel winced slightly as Amber tightened her embrace, but he smiled. “I’m sorry I worried you,” he whispered. “But I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”Amber pulled back, her eyes bright with tears. “How are you feeling?” she asked, smoothing his hair back with a gentle hand.“Better, now theat you’re here,” Axel replied, a weak but genuine smile on his face. “Are you okay?”Amber snif
123.A.A Entertainment…That same night, Larissa had fallen asleep in the employee’s lounge while resting. Her eyes suddenly snapped open, and she checked her wristwatch to see that it was already late into the night. She tried to call Axel, but his number was not going through. She couldn’t get Maverick either.Her eyes darted to the glass of juice she had taken. Something didn’t feel right. She wasn’t one to sleep this long and in the company for that matter. She stood up and quickly rushed to Maverick’s office, but he had just woken up too.“This can’t be a coincidence. How did we fall asleep at the same time?” Larissa asked.Maverick was about to answer when they heard a sound coming from Axel’s office. They both exchanged worried looks. “Quick, call the nearby police station. I’m sure it’s either a thief or someone I’ve been suspecting for days now.”Maverick nodded and went to make a call while Larissa snuck into the office. There she was, standing with her phone placed on her e
122.Amber stumbled backwards, feeling like a knife had been pierced through her chest. In that moment, the words of Friedrich Nietzsche which says “Betrayal hurts more when it comes from someone we trust. And the pain is reminder that our trust was misplaced and our love was blind.”She couldn’t believe the one person she had trusted with her life during her time of pain was the same person that caused her the pain to begin with?Ironically, it was like a twisted game of chess where she had been nothing more than a pawn, manipulated by a mastermind who had disguised himself as a friend and confidant. It was a cruel irony that only added to the bitter sting of betrayal.Amber swallowed hard, the ache in her heart intensifying. “How could you?” she asked, her voice shaky. “I trusted you. Melissa trusted you. Cole, my parents, we all did.”Jack didn’t have an ounce of remorse on his face. “I did what I had to do to get you, Amber,” he replied. “When I confessed my feelings in college an
121.Amber exchanged worried glances with Cole and the rest. “It can’t be, right?” she whispered, her chest tightening. “Jack can’t be Don. It’s not possible. He would never hurt anyone.”“Amber is right. Are you sure you checked the address correctly? Maybe there was a glitch or something?” Melissa asked. She might be mad at Jack for everything he had done, but she knew him too well. He would never hurt anyone. He wouldn’t stoop this low.Cole looked uncertain, but he was sure this can’t be a mix-up. He was a computer expert, and there was no effing way he would have gotten the wrong address. “As much as this might sound shocking, it might actually be true. Think about it, Jack is the only rival Axel has now. He used to date Amber before Axel returned. And according to what I’ve heard him say, he’s loved Amber since College.”Axel nodded. “Cole is right.”Amber shook her head. “No, this can’t be right,” she began pacing, her heart pounding in her chest. “I know Jack might be temperam
120.Axel felt like a thunderclap had just sounded in his head the minute he saw the message. Cole leaned close to Axel so he could take a look.“Whoa!” Cole exclaimed. “He caught the bait. But what the heck is Amber doing outside?”Axel sighed. “I can’t break up with Amber, Cole. She would be devastated,” he massaged his temple as he thought of a plan. “Devastated,” he repeated. “That’s it!” Cole arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” he gasped. “Don’t tell me you’re going to really break up with her? Axel, Amber might faint, and I will beat you up! It’s not a threat, it’s a promise.” Cole warned.“Relax and hear me out,” Axel said and Cole took a deep breath to calm himself down. “I am going to break up with her, but it’s not going to be a real breakup. We have to find a way to let in on the plan.”Cole seemed to get it and nodded. “Don’t worry. I know how to do that,” he said and Axel raised an eyebrow.“How? We can’t inform her through calls or texts. Our phones might be connecte
119.“Uh… I was…”Larissa folded her arms, her expression stern. “What are you doing in Axel’s office and why are his files scattered on the desk?” she asked, her eyes running over the mess Candice had made.Candice knew she needed to find a way out of this mess. “Uh… it’s not something serious. I just,”“You just what?” Larissa asked, her voice getting hard. Last time she checked, employees weren’t allowed in Axel’s office, especially when he wasn’t in. Coupled with that, Axel didn’t even like Candice to begin with, so there was no way he would ask her to get anything from his office for him, not when she and Maverick were around.“I was looking for the file I submitted to Mr. Axel,” she began, her heart beating frantically in her chest. “I mean, my resume and stuff. I don’t know where I kept the original anymore, and I need to check something urgently, that’s why I came here to find it.”Larissa scoffed. If Candice thought she was going to believe any of those lies, the lady was cle
118. The reporter’s voice echoed through the television in a serious, breaking news tone, “This just in: The only son of the world-renowned billionaire, Kevin King, has taken to social media to announce that his wedding to renowned journalist Amber Smith is soon, with the date being kept a secret.” The news spread like wildfire. Within minutes, the entire nation was buzzing with excitement, speculating about the date and location of the wedding. But underneath the glamour and excitement, a darker force lurked in the shadows. As the days passed, Amber and Axel played their part, lavishing each other with affection in the public eye. Every post, every picture, every tweet seemed to fuel the media frenzy and the anger of the dangerous underdog. Meanwhile, Cole and Axel worked tirelessly to track the mysterious Don. But despite their best efforts, they kept coming up short. The spyware was immune to every hack they tried, and the location remained hidden. It was as if Don were a ghost,
117.After the dinner, Amber, Larissa and Melissa stayed back to help Loris clean. Kevin talked over wine with Mr. Smith while Axel felt like his world had been tilted. Cole walked to him and held his hand, leading him upstairs to his room.Maverick, who had also noticed the distressful look on Axel's face had to follow them as well. They got to Cole's room and he locked the door then turned to face Axel.“Spill it. What happened back at the dinner? Your phone beeped, you checked it and all of a sudden, your mood changed. You haven't been yourself since then,” he said and Axel let out a sigh. “You might not married to Amber yet, but you and I have been friends long enough to be called family, and I won't appreciate it if you decide to hide this from me.”“I don't intend to hide this from you, Cole,” Axel said, his tone low. “I'm just worried. I might not be as scared as I was years ago, but I'm worried. Don is back.”“What!” Maverick and Cole exclaimed at the same time.“How is that p