Axel Lysander is a business tycoon who is generally known as the cold hearted billionaire. He never interacts with women except on a professional basis. He is arrogant and mean to everyone, and does not care about how people feel. He has never fallen in love in his life. The first day his heart races is the day he meets Claire McLennie at the airport. When this fearless young woman awakens in him feelings he does not even know exists, he knows he has to keep her close. Claire McLennie carries a lot of baggage. Her past is one big mess she is trying to run away from. Running takes her halfway across the world, all the way to New York and into the hands of Axel Lysander, the cold hearted billionaire. Their first meeting is the beginning of a chain of events that will rock her world. She has no idea the effect she has on the business tycoon, and he is bent on letting her know just how much she affects him. Claire wishes nothing more than to start a new life, and falling in love with a cold hearted billionaire is not an option. When the deep, dark secrets of her past come to light, when the whole world seems to be against her, when her life is turned upside down a second time, will he stand by her side? Or will he join the world and watch her burn?
View MoreClaire was having a wardrobe battle with her best friend.
"It's a special day!" Danielle pulled a bunch of clothes out of their shared wardrobe and added them to the tall pile on the bed. "Don't go dressing like the poor kid from an almost non-existent town."
Claire sighed. "But I am a poor kid from an almost non-existent town, D."
Danielle threw up her hands in exasperation. "Okay, here's what we are going to do." She picked up a sleeveless blouse, a pair of corporate trousers and a blazer. "You are going to look like an accomplished young lady who has gotten her degree and is now on her way to work at the conglomerate of all companies, Lyn Corporation."
"Fine. Let's have it your way." She collected the clothes and headed for the bathroom. "I don't feel it though."
"What?"
Claire paused, her hand on the doorknob. "I don't feel like an accomplished lady. I feel like a terrified little girl running away from a monster."
She entered the bathroom and pulled the door shut. Turning on the faucet, she let the hot water wash over her, and she willed it to take her worries away. It didn't work, but it helped her dissect every thought.
This job opportunity could not have been presented to her at a better time. She knew she could not go back home. She had come to college to escape home in the first place. Now, she wanted to leave everything behind. A fresh life was all she needed.
Five minutes later, she was out of the shower. By the time she returned to the bedroom, Danielle had her moving boxes packed and stacked in the corner.
"I'm going to miss you, C."
"I know. Me too." Claire smoothed out the last creases in her outfit. "What do you think?"
Danielle shrugged. "You look…smart?"
Claire chuckled and her eyes brimmed with tears. Danielle gave her a look.
"What part of "it's-a-special-day-no-crying-is-allowed" did you not understand?"
Claire sniffed. "Yeah, that part."
Danielle pulled her into a hug. "You're ready, Claire. Don't ever doubt it. Now go out there and show the world what you've got."
Danielle drove her to the airport. Since it was their last day together in person, they chatted about any and everything.
"Don't forget to put the cap of the toothpaste on after using it."
"D!" Claire laughed, "I only forgot once!"
"Still," her friend hummed, drumming on the steering wheel with one hand, "you tend to forget little things like this. Try not to leave the back door unlocked, okay?"
" I know, I know. We went over this, remember?"
"Who's the one who forgets stuff?" Danielle glanced at her before focusing on the road. "I'm going over it all again, just to make sure."
So they did. The drive was filled with laughter as Danielle dredged up one embarrassing memory after another. It was when they arrived at the airport that Claire realized her friend was just distracting her.
"Nice job, D, saving me from myself."
Danielle gave her a wink. "I don't know what you're talking about." She popped the trunk open. "Have a safe trip. Call me as soon as you land."
Claire pulled out her suitcase from the trunk as Danielle alighted to give her one last hug.
"You know, you didn't have to book a First Class ticket for me."
Danielle rolled her eyes and crushed her to her bosom. "Consider it my parting gift to you."
"Aren't you coming inside to see me off?"
Danielle opened the car door. "If I come in with you, sister, I'm not letting you get on that plane." She blew her a kiss, entered the car and drove off.
Claire stood watching her taillights until the car disappeared round a bend. She shut her eyes against the cascading wall of tears, wiped the strays from her cheeks and entered the lounge. For a small airport, the crowd was huge. Everyone seemed to want to travel today.
Squeezing herself between the mass of moving bodies, she headed for the terminal. Her flight was in three hours. Danielle had packed her a sandwich, so she looked for a corner where there were fewer people. There were no seats left and she stood with her back to the wall, pulled her suitcase between her legs, and munched on her sandwich.
Somehow, even after always tasting Danielle's cooking, her friend always managed to surprise her. Today, the sandwich was dripping with some unknown sauce. Danielle must have discovered a new recipe. She was always doing that, hunting for recipes.
A loud commotion drew her attention. The crowd had gathered at the terminal, and everyone was talking at once. She moved towards the crowd, wondering what was going on. Her phone buzzed in her coat pocket and she pulled it out.
"Hey D."
"What's going on, Claire?"
Claire could tell she was very upset. "What are you talking about?"
"I just got a refund for the ticket I bought for you. Your flight has been cancelled."
"What? No, hold on. Let me check."
She hung up and walked to the counter.
"Excuse me."
She tried to attract the attention of those at the counter, but everyone had a phone pressed to both ears and were trying to talk to the crowd all at once. An old woman was yelling in the crowd, so Claire turned to listen to what she was saying.
"How can they be so heartless? My daughter has just given birth. I need to get out of here on this flight. What fault of mine is it that she booked a First Class ticket?"
Claire walked towards the woman. "Your ticket was cancelled because it was First Class?"
The woman held her with both hands. "They say some company guy just came and needs the entire First Class compartment for himself!"
Claire could not believe her ears. " They cancelled our flights because someone needed the whole space?!"
The woman drew Claire close and whispered conspiratorially. "They say he is very rich and owns a lot of companies."
"So?" Claire drew her eyebrows together. "That makes no sense. Why didn't he book the whole compartment earlier and save us all the trouble of getting up early to board a flight that isn't leaving with us in it?!"
Her voice was rising and attracting stares from people, but Claire couldn't care less. This was her life they were talking about! She needed this job, and missing an interview or going late did not sit well with her. People around began nodding in acknowledgement of her statements.
The airport staff knew that a fight might break out, so they called Claire aside to speak to her.
"Miss," the man whose attention she had tried to attract initially was saying, " you need to understand. This is no ordinary person and…"
"What did he offer you?"
"Excuse me ma'am?"
Claire balled her hands into fists. "I asked, What. Did. He. Offer. You?"
The man regarded her with a condescending gaze. "You think he paid us off?"
"I know that is exactly what he did," Claire returned the stare.
"Listen here now, young lady…"
"Where is he?"
"Madam! You can't…"
"Where is he?" She roared.
The man pointed to the VIP exit.
"Which of the cars?"
"He brought the whole convoy, ma'am."
Claire gritted her teeth in frustration. "Which of the cars?"
He pointed to one at the very center. The car door was open, and one leg encased in a shiny loafer was visible from where she stood. Claire headed to the parked car, ignoring the protests of the staff behind her.
When she was about a foot away from the car, her phone buzzed again. Danielle had sent her a text.
@dandyelle
Sorry C, all the tickets are sold out for all the flights today. You have to wait till tomorrow. Should I come pick you up? Xoxo.
No D, Claire thought. I'll handle this myself. A security man blocked her approach.
"This is a restricted area ma'am."
Claire pursed her lips. "I need to speak to your boss."
"I'm sorry ma'am, but you can't move any closer."
The look she gave him could have burned concrete.
"You need to get out of my way sir, or I might hurt you real bad."
He gave her a skeptical look. "Sure. I am soooooo terrified."
Claire gave him a sweet smile. "I killed my own father. Don't think I can't do it again."
He looked like he didn't believe her, but his hand went to his gun.
"What is going on?" A smooth velvety voice drifted to them from the open car door.
Keeping a close eye on Claire, the security man explained the situation to the man inside.
"She wishes to speak to you, sir."
"Well, why don't you let her?"
"Um, sir, I don't think that is a good idea, " he cast a furtive glance at Claire and lowered his voice. "She seems to be a little… eccentric."
"She looks fine to me." The smooth voice returned with an edge to it.
While they were debating the issue, Claire marched right up to the security man and shoved him aside.
"He asked to speak to me, so stay out of my way for your sake."
Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the obnoxious being responsible for her troubles, and felt as though the wind was knocked out of her.
Okay, I'm in tears right now. I can't believe we have come full circle with this story. I'm proud of you all readers, and so grateful for all your support. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope this story has taught you a lesson on life and love.I can't thank you all enough. You have made it possible for Claire and Axel to come this far. Without your support, I would have given up on this story.I love you all. Thank you. Here's a truckload of hearts and kisses and love and flowers and everything beautiful for you all! 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🖤😘😘😘😘🧡🧡🧡Stay healthy, stay safe, stay loved! 😍😍
“You're still watching that?"Claire looked behind her from where she was curled up like a ball on the sofa. Axel stood by the pillar, his hair dripping wet. He was barechested, and Claire had a full view of his godlike body. It was one she had worshipped the night before, and the memories flooded her head. She felt her face go hot.“Why not?" She blustered. "As much as I am concerned about the trend of animal abuse, I get a kick from watching you tell them off.”Axel scowled at her. "That's a very mean thing to say.” His face brightened instantly. "I'm not complaining, though. Why are you blushing?”Claire touched her red face. He was coming closer to peer at her curiously. She squeezed her eyes shut.“You should put some clothes on."Claire felt the sofa dip where he sat down beside her.“No." His breath tickled her face. “I would rather not." Claire rolled her eyes, but kept them closed. "Fine, whatever.”He grabbed her jaw and roughly pulled her against him. "Look at me.”Her eye
Axel had planned the wedding just like Claire wanted, so they moved on straight to the reception in the same place. The dance floor was cleared for the couple to have their first dance, and open the floor. The orchestra struck up a tune, and Claire put her hands around Axel's shoulder.“I can't stop thinking about them."Axel placed his forehead on hers. “Maybe that's because it's about time we got rid of them. I don't want anyone spoiling your mood.”Claire sighed. “There's a little problem though." He whirled her around before holding her close again. "What is that?”She leaned into his chest. "I am finding it rather difficult to leave the comfort of your arms right now.”Axel grinned. "Then don't. We can go after the dance. Besides, we are making a lot of people jealous here. This isn't a chance you want to pass up.”"I've already put my mark on you." She smiled with belligerence and dug her fingers into his suit. “No one can take you away from me." That cracked Axel up, and he s
Axel stood by the altar, watching the heavenly beauty in white walk down the aisle towards him. His heart was beating erratically, and he found it funny how she still made his heart race after all this time. He made a mental note to thank Jenise for making the most beautiful wedding dress for his woman.With each step she took, he found it increasingly difficult to breathe. She stole his breath away, and she had not even said anything yet. Axel was watching her intently, so he easily caught the shift in her gaze and expression. He looked over at what had crumbled her face, and blinked, twice.“What the hell?"“What is it?" Donald was his best man, and was standing close enough to hear him curse out loud. He followed his line of sight to where Rose McLennie sat, and beside her a woman that looked like her older form. They were both wearing sneers on their faces, sneers that were at that moment directed at Claire.Axel turned to him. “How did they get in?"Donald shrugged. "No one got
"Don't stand me up."Those were Axel's last words as he had left the cafe the previous day. Now, as she stood in her flowing wedding dress, she could not help but wonder if his earnest plea was the reason she had put in this much effort to look beautiful.Myla had done wonders on her hair, packing it all to the back bridal style. Her face popped out at anyone that looked, and Myla was grinning at her over the top of her head.“Wow, Claire, just…wow!”Eric had just stepped into the room, and his eyes filled with tears.“I thought today is supposed to be a happy day." Claire said with a soft smile. “Let's save the tears for later, mm?"Danielle was standing by Claire's side, smiling widely. She had done her makeup, and there could be no other exceptional way to do it. Claire looked perfect, beautifully perfect. He took her hand and kissed it. “You have such gifted hands, Danielle." Jenise peeked out from the closet. "I made the dress, hand me my flowers.”Eric chuckled and pulled out
Axel shrunk under the gaze of the women. He saw the men around him do the same. They had had their bachelor's night out the previous day, and the prank had fallen on him. He couldn't get out of it like he had wanted. Earlier, he had tried dissuading the guys."What if she passes out?"Donald had pushed a mask on to his face. "All the more fun, then.""Tomorrow is the wedding!"Hunter snickered. "The worse thing that could happen is if she leaves you at the altar."From her thunderous expression, Claire looked like she just might. She had been terrified, that much was obvious from how her entire body was still trembling. Her legs gave way, and she fell into a chair and began sobbing again.Axel longed to go over to her and put a comforting arm around her, but the look Danielle was giving him stopped him. She looked ready to burn any male that came within a foot of where the women were huddled together around Claire. Eric was not excluded from the ostracization. He had tried to dissuade
It was the ladies' turn to exchange glances. "How can you not know what happens the day before a wedding?" Myla asked. "Even my Coco knows!" Axel raised a brow. "I do know about the bridal shower, but you already had one yesterday."Jenise nudged Danielle. "Tell him. Put them out of their misery." Her voice rang with mockery.Danielle and Claire giggled. "We are going to the spa and hair salon!" Hunter rolled his eyes. "For a second there, I thought something really important was going to happen."Jenise puckered her lips. "Getting a massage and your nails done is "something really important", especially if you are getting married the next day."Axel rose. "You should tidy up the rest of the invitations. Donald, make sure you send them out, along with the accompanying emails."Claire ruffled through the invitations. "I didn't accidentally put one for Croatia in there, right?""Claire." Axel extended a hand towards her. "Walk with me for a second."She reluctantly took his outstretc
Axel stared at Claire in wonder. "You stayed up for most of last worrying about my whereabouts, and now that I'm back safely, you find yourself something else to worry about?"Claire drew her lips into a pout. "I waited up for you because I already had that in mind! Then we couldn't reach you and I forgot what I was worrying about."Axel had to suppress his laughter. "Oh. I see. Well, I have not sent any invitations out yet."Claire sat up. "Really? The wedding is in two days!"Axel furrowed his brows. "Um, yeah?""How would the guests have time to ready their outfits?"Axel snorted. "If anyone cannot get a proper outfit for an occasion, even if it is thirty minutes away, that person would not be in my list. You know the circle I belong to, Claire. If I give them the invitation that morning, and tell them to dress a certain way, they'll show up at the wedding before you."Claire frowned. "That would not be very polite.""I am not polite, sweetheart. I thought you knew that."Claire bi
Danielle gently shoved her forward. "Don't worry about that. At the rate at which you're eating, you'll probably not fit into the dress by weekend."Jenise snorted out a laugh. "I guess that means we will need to do the fitting of the dress on Friday night."The ladies giggled in amusement, and Claire glowered at them."That's not funny, guys!" She grabbed Coco's hand. "Come on, Coco, let's leave them to their impolite behavior."Her reaction only made them giggle more. Claire was not particularly upset. She felt pretty good that they were at least having fun. She could not begin to imagine what they had gone through when she had been in the state of coma. She had not even properly thanked them yet.Claire could see Donald from afar, through the glass doors. He was leaning on the limo, speaking into the phone and smiling widely. Occasionally, he would draw circles with his toes or scratch the back of his head, an indication that he was speaking to his new girlfriend. His relationship
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