006.AMBER’S APARTMENT ————“Oh, Melissa, I still can’t believe it!” Amber threw her hands in the air, looking so down and frustrated while Melissa tried her best to pat her back and assure her that it was fine.“If you think about it, this is quite strange,” Melissa said and Amber looked up at her, her face filled with curiosity. “Axel left without giving you a valid reason—”“Don’t forget that he hurt me before leaving.” Amber placed her hand on her forehead.Melissa rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that too. All these years, he’s been in Las Vegas, blocked all access that you could get to him and went fully anonymous. He built his company from the ground up, and it became successful immediately. For years, he rejected the proposals sent by Glam Magazine for interviews and didn’t even bother showing his face to the public. Now all of a sudden, he accepted, and it turned out to be your outline.”Amber scratched her head. She wasn’t getting what Melissa was saying. “Your point?”Melissa poked
007.A.A ENTERTAINMENT Axel held Amber's ID card in his hand as he swayed in his chair, waiting for her to arrive. The Lead Editor had been sending him lots of texts, still apologizing for how Amber had behaved but Axel wasn't interested in all that. He only wanted to see her.Maverick walked into the office and bowed. "The Journalist from Glam Magazine is here."Axel adjusted in his seat. "Let her in," he said and Maverick bowed before walking out. Axel dropped the ID card on the table and adjusted his suit, fixed his hair and steepled his fingers as he waited for her to come in.The door to the office opened and he stood up with a smile only for his smile to disappear when he saw that the person who just entered wasn't Amber.Laura, on the other hand, was stunned by how good looking he was. For a moment, she forgot to think as he raised a brow at her, wondering who she was and what she was doing in his office. He tilted his head towards the door but there was no one else coming in.
008.An hour later, Amber was already standing in front of Axel's office door, her grip on her handbag tightening. After speaking with Ms. June, she had taken some time to get herself mentally and emotionally prepared. All she had to do was ask him a few questions like in the outline and then leave, never to see him again."Ms. Amber, welcome." Maverick smiled.Amber turned to face him and forced a smile as well as she bowed. "Mr. A is in a meeting right now. He will be with you shortly," he conveyed and she nodded. "Please wait inside.""Inside the office?" she asked and Maverick nodded. Amber forced a smile. "No, I'll just wait here. There's no need for that."Maverick smiled at her. "Please. I insist." Amber sighed but eventually nodded. She walked into the office, her heels clicking on the tiled floor. Now she had the time to look around and she realized the office actually looked nice; talk about an understated elegance. The walls were a soft grey, lit by recessed lighting tha
009.The air seemed to charge with electricity as Axel stared at Amber, who didn’t break eye contact with him. She hadn’t wanted to ask, but she couldn’t help it. This is a question that had been bothering her for years, and she needed to get it out of her system today.Axel broke eye contact and sighed as he leaned back in his seat. Amber fiddled with her fingers as she waited for his response, but he said nothing.Amber sneered, lowering her gaze. “Well? Aren’t you gonna say something? Or perhaps, do you need me to help you elaborate?”“Amber, I—”“Was our relationship part of the things you had to give up to climb to the top?” she asked, and Axel’s eyes widened.No, that wasn’t it. That would never!“Amber—”“Or did I mean nothing to you just like you said years ago? Did you really mean you were just using me to pass time then? Or maybe I was just some toy—”“Amber, please!” Axel snapped, his heart beating frantically in his chest as he stared at her. Amber’s eyes heated up with te
010.GLAM MAGAZINE“You’re back safe and sound, Amber,” Ms. June gave her a teasing grin. “You did well. What were you so afraid of?” she asked.Amber only forced a smile.“Well, all you have to do is prepare it, send him the draft and let him approve it before we publish it. Who knows? It might become the Cover story of the magazine.”Amber’s face lit up. “That… sounds amazing. That was what I was aiming for before sending the outline anyway.”Ms. June chuckled. “You are a hard working lady, Amber. I believe you’re going to make me proud, just like you’ve always done.”“You can count on that, Ms. June.” Amber smiled genuinely this time.She walked out of Ms. June’s office and sighed before walking to her desk. When she was seated, Gina swayed her chair to Amber’s side, and cleared her throat. “Now is time for you to give me all the tea. What is Mr. A like?” she asked.The rest of the employees perked up their ears, ready to listen to what Amber was going to say even though they prete
011.“What did I miss?” Axel turned to face Maverick the minute they walked into the house.Maverick folded his arms and paced the room, massaging his temples. “I don’t think their relationship is public. Else, we would have known about it.”Axel got rid of his shoes and plopped down on the couch in the living room. His heart was aching badly, but he still couldn’t blame her. After all, he left her with no choice but to date another man when he let her go.But… he thought their love was strong, right? It’d been five years. Had she gotten over him for real?Maverick stood beside him, watching his mood switch from sadness to hurt then regret.“Hey, don’t you dare regret it.” he spoke up and Axel looked up to meet his eyes. “It might not have totally been the best way to handle it then, but what would she have you do, huh? You were unprepared and had no choice. Plus, you were young and lacked the capacity to protect her then.”Axel lowered his head and rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t bear t
012.“The interview…” Amber trailed off and forced a smile. “It went well.”Jack watched her closely. He knew Amber too well. As much as she didn’t like to boast or brag about her efforts, there was a certain way her face always lit up whenever he asked about her successful interviews. This time around, she looked conflicted, and it made him wonder what must have happened.“Hey,” he called softly. “Didn’t it go well? I mean, you’ve been preparing for months and thankfully, your outline got picked. I was expecting you to at least tell me how the interview went.”Amber sighed and licked her bottom lip. “Well…” she cleared her throat and suddenly beamed. “It went well!!!” she exclaimed, causing Jack to laugh heartily.“Gosh, you almost got me there,” he took a deep breath of relief.Amber only chuckled and shook her head, but deep down, she knew it wasn’t over. She couldn’t hide the fact that Mr. A was Axel for long. Very soon, Axel might do a face reveal and Jack would find out. Why not
013.Amber rubbed her jaw, her eyes fixed on the red lettered “Rejected” on the draft she submitted. She wondered what could have made Axel reject her draft. She checked to see if he stayed any reasons, but there were none.“Gosh, what the heck!” she facepalmed.Gina moved closer and stared at Amber’s laptop screen. Her eyes widened. “What? He rejected your draft?” she whispered.Amber nodded with a sigh. “And he didn’t state any reasons or modifications to be made.”Gina raised an eyebrow. “That’s not right. He should highlight where you got it wrong. Besides, no one has ever rejected your drafts before. This is a first.”Amber frowned and took her phone. “I’m going to call his assistant,” she dialed Maverick’s number and he answered immediately. “Good day, Mr. Maverick, I got Mr. A’s response on my draft. It was rejected, and no reasons were stated. Would you mind helping me notify him?” she asked.There was silence from the other end before Maverick spoke up again. “Mr. A would lik
086.Laura sat in a coffee shop, her feet tapping relentlessly on the floor. Vera had gone to get them drinks but that was the least of her problems right now. She knew Gina was the one responsible for the beating she received, but she had no idea how Amber was able to clear her name in just a small amount of time.This only confirmed her suspicion that there was someone helping her form the sidelines. But who could that be? And why did the girl who helped to get the man caught look so familiar?"Something is fishy!" "Laura, did you hear, Amber has gotten all her opportunities back. Lots of companies are calling to get interviewed by her. They were moved by now she took care of the case and gave the police the leverage to catch the abuser." Vera dropped the coffee on the table and sat down.Laura groaned. "I hate how this is turning out, Gina. We need to do something about it.""That's not all. Ms. June has given her the cover page for the Mainland Tech Conference Article. If she pu
085.Amber's face lit up when she saw Larissa walking out of the club. She got down from the car and rushed to hug her. "You're back!" she gave Larissa a peck on the cheek. "You did it! My reputations cleared. I watched everything."Larissa smirked. "Told you not to worry about anything. Did you think it wouldn't work out when the plane was Axel's?"Amber raised a brow. "I thought it was your idea."Larissa shook her head. "It was all Axel's. I only agreed to be the bait," she said and Amber smiled."I'm grateful to you both. Now I feel relieved that it's all been taken care of. I can sleep with a smile now." Larissa chuckled.~•~•~The next day...GLAM MAGAZINE Amber walked into her department and Gina rushed to her. "Oh you have no idea how happy I am that you're finally back to work. The man has been caught by the police. Turns out, he was brutally beaten by the ladies he harassed. He's currently being questioned and you my dear, have gotten your fans back."Amber scoffed as she
084."Hey, beautiful," the man drawled, his voice low and seductive.Larissa's grip on the glass tightened, her brows twitching as she fought the urge to punch him in the face and give him a good beating. She quickly forced a smile to her face and turned to face him. "Hi." she answered and looked away. All she had to do was play hard to get and he was going to try forcing himself on her for sure.The man took a seat beside her. "Can I buy you a drink? A beautiful lady like you shouldn't sit here all alone, you know." his eyes roamed her body as his tongue ran over his lips.Larissa rolled her eyes. "As you can see, I already have a drink. And it's not bad to be alone, is it?" she asked."So you're really alone," he smiled to himself and moved closer. Larissa noticed this and leaned back. "You know," he began, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I saw the way you danced a few minutes ago. Mind if we get a room and you can show me privately? I'd love to see it up close." he touched her la
083.KING'S MANSION The family was seated in the dining room, having a nice relaxing dinner. Kevin looked at Axel, who seemed to be in a good mood. It's been a while he saw Axel actually eat enough food like he did.His gaze darted to Larissa and Maverick. They were also in good moods. Were these kids hiding something from him? Besides, he saw the scandal with Amber. They couldn't be smiling at a time like this, right?Knowing Axel, he would have thrown a tantrum and dealt with whoever did it. But here the young man was, eating like he was celebrating.When he couldn't take it anymore, he dropped the fork and knife he was holding, making a clanging sound on the plate that drew the trio's attention. They all turned to look at him."You three, what's going on?" he asked, his gaze narrowed at them.The three of them exchanged confused glances, having no idea what Kevin was talking about. "Uncle, what are you talking about?" Larissa was the first to ask.Kevin scoffed. "Are you trying to
082.“No! There's no way I'm letting you do that. What if it backfires? Promiscuous men like him can do anything to women.” Amber declined after Larissa told her about the plan. “C'mon, Amber,”“No, Larissa,” she sighed. “You are an idol. You have fans all over the world. Do you have any idea what this would cost you if it backfires? No way am I letting you go to that club and be the bait.” Larissa chuckled and took a seat beside Amber. “I like the fact that you underestimate me, Amber,” she smirked. “Look, I know how the club works. And I know what makes stupid bastards like that idiot tick. Do you think I'd go there with no backup? Trust me. It will only be just to lure him into the trap.”Amber sighed. “I don't know, Larissa.”“Amber listen, I'm sick and tired of seeing mean comments against you. Many jealous reporters are using this opportunity to ruin you the more. They might have been quiet because they saw nothing to use against you, but now, they are trying to ruin your rep
081.Amber pulled away from the kiss and cupped Axel's cheeks, her eyes shining with love for him. Axel raised a brow at her. “What was that about?” he asked amidst chuckles.Amber batted her lashes at him. “Don't you like it?” she asked, her voice small.Axel’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, then a grin spread across his face. “Well, now.” he drew Amber closer, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I do like it. But I can’t say I’m not a little bit surprised.” his voice was low and gravelly, making Amber’s heart flip-flop in her chest.Amber blushed, but she couldn’t look away from his intense gaze. “I had to do something to thank you,” she whispered. “For everything.”Axel’s eyes softened as he stared at her. “Amber, you don’t have to thank me for anything. I’ll always be here for you. No matter what.” He pressed his forehead against hers, their lips inches apart. “And I want you to know, I love you too.”Amber’s heart skipped a beat. She wrapped her arms around him. They've been thro
080.“So, how long have you and Mr. A been together?” Larissa asked during their break.Amber was taken aback by the question. “What? He and I are not together.” she answered.Larissa chuckled. “Seriously? Are you telling me that you two feel nothing for each other, or he feels nothing for you?” she asked, handing a chocolate bar to Amber.“Aren't dancers supposed to eat healthy snacks?” Amber asked, her gaze on the chocolate as she tried to change the topic.Larissa raised an eyebrow. “First of all, this is dark chocolate, which is supposed to be good for you. Second of all, don't change the subject.” she pointed her finger at Amber. “Now, tell me. Are you and Axel just friends, or is there more to it?”Amber fidgeted with the wrapper of the chocolate, avoiding Larissa's gaze. “We…we're just friends,” she insisted, though her voice wasn't quite as convincing as she'd hoped.Larissa smirked. “Uh huh,” she leaned forward, her eyes glinting with mischief. “Okay, let me break this down f
079.Axel continued patting her on the back as she cried. Amber couldn't help the tears. She melted into his arms while he kissed her hair. “Hey, stop crying, okay?” he said and she nodded.Axel pulled away from the hug and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Look at me,” he said and Amber looked up at him with a tear stained face. Axel used his thumb to wipe her tears and smiled at her. “You're a strong woman, Cat eyes. You don't need to let them know they've gotten you. I know you were set up, your friends know that as well, and your loyal fans too.”Amber nodded. “I'm just so hurt and annoyed.”“I understand,” Axel said. “And I won't let that motherfucker get away with hurting you. He's just dug his own grave for hurting my woman.”Amber smiled, a blush crawling up her cheeks. “You still call me your woman in such playful tone while I'm really annoyed here?”Axel leaned forward and rolled strands of hair into his index finger. “Why not? At least I got a smile from you.” he said, hi
078.GLAM MAGAZINE Amber walked into the company the next day, but something felt different. The employees were murmuring and talking in hush voices as she walked by. Her brows creased. What was going on? She was still in a sour mood from what happened yesterday, what was going on today?She walked into her department and Laura walked to her. “Oh, what a slut you are. I should have known that you got all your fame because you sleep with me that are old enough to birth you.”Amber frowned. “What the heck are you yammering on about?” she asked.Laura snickered. “You're a journalist. The news should be something you check every damn fucking day. I always knew you were pompous, now you've gone outside to show the world just how terrible you are.” Amber shook her head and walked to her desk. She knew bantering with Laura won't yield any results. The girl will only end up getting her to lose her temper, and she didn't want that.She brought her phone out and switched her data on. Her eyes