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
031.GLAM MAGAZINEAmber held the necklace in her hand as she swayed in her chair. If Axel thinks he could win her over with something expensive, then he was clearly mistaken. He should know the kind of person she was. She hated extravagance, and she particularly detest when people try to please her with extravagant things.She picked up her phone and dialed Maverick’s number. Maverick picked up almost immediately like he was expecting her call. “Good morning, Ms. Amber.”Amber sighed. “Good morning, Mr. Maverick,” she took one last look at the necklace. “Please, I’d like to give something to Mr. A. Would you mind me sending it over then you help me hand it to him?” she asked.“Of course, Ms. Amber. I’ll have someone come for it.”Amner sighed in relief. “Thank you so much, Mr. Maverick,” she hung up and was about to put the necklace in a box when Gina gasped.“Oh my God, Amber, you have this?” Gina took the necklace from her. Amber was about to take it back, but Gina pulled her hand
030.As they drove Amber back to her apartment, a soft music played in the car while Amber was lost in thoughts. She couldn't count how many times her heart had skipped beats tonight. And when Axel told her his wish, she felt a kind of warmth she hadn't felt in years; a familiar warmth only Axel could give.She turned to look at him and there he was again, staring at her, with those piercing blue eyes of his that intimidated other people but made her heart yearn for him. When she had asked why he wished for her and not for himself, his reply wasn't something she'd expected,"I wished for you because I want nothing more than to see you happy, loved, successful and full of energy and hope. For me, your happiness is my satisfaction. I want nothing more than that for you."And she knew she wasn't going to forget that in a hurry. "Axel," she called, her voice barely above a whisper. "Did you really mean everything you said to me five years ago?" she asked, her face filled with curiosity.A
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
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
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
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
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
024.The next day…GLAM MAGAZINEAmber 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 chair in front of her des
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