121. “Are you sure that’s gonna work?” Axel asked after Amber explained Jack’s plan to him. “I mean, you and Janice are literally at each other’s throats. It’s crazy if you ask me.” Amber rolled her eyes. “I know befriending her sounds like a lot of work since I can’t put up with her,” she said, her tone laced with uncertainty. “But I believe this might work.” she was ready to do anything to prove to Cole that Janice wasn’t to be trusted; that Janice was a liar and was using him. There was no way she would be able to convince Cole without any evidence. Axel’s expression turned thoughtful as he massaged his temple, “Don’t you think she would find it suspicious? I mean, you can’t just walk up to her and ask her to be friends with you.” “I’m aware of that, Axel,” Amber said, folding her arms over her chest. “That’s why I have a plan. It’s simple, really.” She grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I’ll pretend to have an issue with Cole.” she said. She already had one though becau
122.“Axel? My Axel?” she asked, her cold gaze on Janice and her so-called best friend. Janice folded her arms with a smirk on her face. She had no ounce of remorse on her face and Amber nodded her head as everything returned to her piece by piece.All this while she had thought it was for grades. She had no idea the main target was Axel, her boyfriend. Janice had been getting close to Cole and finally began dating him because she wanted free access to Axel every time she wanted it. And Cole was oblivious to that, giving the bitch the upper hand. Amber put her hand in her pocket. She felt a wave of rage wash through her as her eyes stayed glued on Janice’s face. Now she was angry for two things.One, Janice deceived her brother. Two, Janice was trying to seduce her boyfriend. It took every bit of self-control in her not to begin teaching the damn girl a lesson right now. “So…” Amber frowned, glaring at Janice. “You’ve been dating Cole to get close to Axel, right? Do you know Axel is
123.Amber, Axel, and Cole walked into an empty classroom where Cole slammed his fists on the wall. Amber quietly took a seat and Axel followed as well. They sat there, watching Cole exhale.Cole had seen it with his own eyes and heard it with his ears. He couldn’t believe that Janice was this heartless to have used him with the aim of getting to Axel. He felt betrayed and hurt. All these months, he thought they had something genuine going on. He thought he had finally found love and found someone who loved him, but it was fake. He was such a fool to have fallen for her lies.And he had accused Amber of lying and being selfish when she warned him about Janice. He turned to look at Amber, who was seated with Axel, his expression turning sadder by the second.He walked to where she was seated. He knew he fucked up and needed to apologize to her. “Amber,” he called, his voice soft. “I just want to thank you for making me find out that Janice wasn’t someone to be trusted,” he said and she
124.Melissa and Jack waited as Amber was being rushed into the Emergency Department where her wounds would be treated. Axel rushed into the hospital and Melissa ran to him.“Where is Amber?” he asked, paranoid. When they had called him that Amber had gotten shot, he couldn’t believe his ears and had to rush down here. “Is she okay?” “She is currently being tended to at the Emergency Department—”Axel didn’t wait for Melissa to finish answering his question as he began heading to the place, but she held him to stop him. “You can’t go there right now. They asked us to wait until they are done. Please, calm down.” Melissa pleased.Axel sighed and massaged his forehead. He couldn’t stay in a place and began pacing around, his heart beating frantically in his chest. “How on earth did it happen?” he asked, turning to face Melissa and Jack.“We have no idea,” Jack replied, his face filled with horror. He couldn’t believe what just happened. “We just finished our project and were about to l
125.While they waited for Amber to come out of surgery, Axel couldn’t help pacing. Cole had rushed in as well and had to wait as they filled him in on what had happened.“I believe it’s a targeted shooting as well, Axel,” he said, a frown settling on his face. “And believe me, if I find the jerk that did this to my sister, I swear I’m not gonna spare him.”“That’s if I keep him alive,” Axel answered.Melissa and Jack stared at Axel and Cole with shocked expressions on their faces. They knew these two cared so much about Amber, but they had no idea they were willing to kill to get revenge for her. She took a deep breath and buried her face in her hands. Her heart was beating frantically. Even though the surgery was being done on Amber’s arm, she still felt scared.When the doctor mentioned that Amber would be going in for surgery, she had been triggered. She recalled how one of her aunt was involved in an accident, and the doctor said it required her to go into surgery. Her Aunt didn’
126.A FEW DAYS LATER“Well, we have investigated, and the conclusion is that, it wasn’t a targeted shooting, but a stray bullet like we had predicted,” The female officer, whom Axel had questioned the day Amber got shot.Axel and Cole exchanged looks as they went through the statement. According to what the police officer had earlier explained, it was actually a robbery and an exchange of fire.Axel sighed, ruffling his hair. “Fine then,” he said, finally believing what she said because he had tried doing some investigations on his own, but couldn’t find anything. Maybe it was like she said. “If you find anything else, please do not hesitate to let us know about it.”The police officer nodded with a smile. “Definitely.”.Cole and Axel walked out of the station and got into the car as Axel drove them out of the premises. “Do you really believe that this is their conclusion, Axel?” Cole asked, his voice filled with doubt.Axel sighed, his gaze fixed on the road. “Not really, but I don
127.“Hey, Melissa, have you noticed that Axel has been acting weird lately?” Amber asked as they walked into the school hallways, filled with students who were just walking out of their classes. Melissa raised a brow. “Acting strange?” Melissa furrowed her brows, trying to think of something. “Not really. Why do you think so?”Amber sighed, licking her lower lips. “I don’t know if it’s just me or…” she sighed again. “He isn’t spending much time with me like before. Whenever I want us to spend some quality time together, he would tell me he was busy with something and had to take care of it. He isn’t spending time with me in school as well. I don’t know, but I feel like he’s avoiding me.”Melissa shook her head. “Knowing how much Axel loves you, he would never avoid you,” Melissa patted her shoulder. “Maybe he is really as busy as he claims. Axel is someone who can barely stay away from you. What reason would he have to avoid you? Even 24 hours a day is not enough time for him when h
128.“Oh that bitch! I should have hit her harder!” Melissa snapped, pacing back and forth as the doctor cleaned Amber’s wound.Amber gave her a soft smile. “Your slap was enough. I bet her cheek will sting for days.”Melissa shook her head. She wasn’t satisfied. “She made your wound open again. Just this morning, I was happy that you were healing, and soon the cast would come off. Then that stupid weasel opened it all up again. Look, she made you bleed,” Melissa seethed as the doctor changed the bandage and cast. “I want to return the favor.”Amber chuckled, shaking her head. “It’s fine, Mel. I’m already feeling better, and it’s that painful anymore, see?”Melissa sighed and took a seat. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better. I know how hurt you are, Amy. I know you are in pains.”Amber bit her lower lip, knowing that Melissa was right. The pain was nothing to write home about. She has been handling it quite well, but now, she felt like her hand was about to come off.She h
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