016.The next day, Amber couldn’t concentrate on work as she kept zoning out, her thoughts drifting to what Axel said the previous night.Did he actually mean everything he said? She might not have given him a response then because she was unsure, but now that she thought about it, did he really want her? Did he approach her because he wanted her back and not because of the guilt?Amber shook her head to get rid of the thoughts and stood to her feet. She walked to the water dispenser to get a glass of water, which she took before returning to her seat.“Amber, Ms. June wants you.” Gina tapped Amber’s back.Amber nodded and headed for Ms. June’s office. When she got there, Ms. June gestured for her to take a seat which she did. “The deadline is approaching, Amber. Have you corrected the draft and sent it to Mr. A?” she asked.Amber shook her head. “I’m almost done with the corrections, Ms. June. You know, he made numerous corrections so…” she trailed off and lowered her head.Ms. June
017.Axel kept staring at Candice as she walked to stand in front of him. She made to hug him, but a look from Kevin made her halt.Kevin walked to stand in front of them, smiling. Axel looked at his father, his expression showing he wanted an explanation. Candice rubbed her arms, waiting for Kevin to say something.“Hey, no need for the staring contest, come sit down,” Kevin smiled at Axel.Axel sighed and sat down, crossing his legs. Candice sat down as well and Kevin followed right after. He faced Axel. “Before you ask, no, she isn’t one of the ladies I kept for you. Besides, you already made it clear that no one can replace Amber,”Axel nodded, his gaze fixed on Candice, who looked away instantly. She couldn’t believe how more good-looking he had become:“You know Candice’s father has been friends with us for years. Candice just returned from overseas where she went to study theatre and arts. He pleads that you let her work in your company. I think she wants to go into dance and a
018.Amber quickly pushed him away. “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked, folding her arms.Axel smiled at her. “You asked us to talk, didn’t you?” he asked, feigning an innocence that made her want to hit him on the head with a brick.“Do you act like this to every female reporter who comes to your office?” Amber asked, her voice laced with irritation. Had he become a pervert? Why would he hold her like that?Axel’s eyes darkened and closed the space between them. He leaned forward, but Amber leaned back. Axel didn’t stop and leaned in again. Amber tried to lean backwards to escape him, but he wrapped his hand around her waist and used his other hand to support her back. “I do that to only those who come to my office uninvited, while I’m addressing my employees and asking us to talk.” He paused, his eyes locked with hers. “Now, shall we continue our conversation?” he questioned, raising his eyebrows suggestively. “You look a little hot, do you know that?” Axel whispered, sendi
019.Saturday Night… Cinema… 9pm“Are you enjoying the movie?” Jack asked and Amber nodded, but her thoughts were elsewhere. She kept checking her phone at intervals. The deadline was Monday, and she needed Axel to attend to her before then. She had already polished the first draft and sent it to him again, but he hasn’t said anything.Coupled with that was his obsession with making her heart skip beats several times. She couldn’t trust herself around him anymore, and had to stop meeting with him personally. But Axel was a determined person, and it was driving her nuts.She drew a long breath and checked her phone again. There was supposed to be text from Ms. June with feedback by now, but she still got nothing.Jack kept noticing that she was spacing out at intervals. He watched her closely and when the movie was over, Amber turned to face him with a strained smile. “Did you enjoy the movie?” she asked, rubbing her palms together.Jack smiled and nodded. “How about you? You seemed to
020.KING GLOBALAmber stared at the imposing doors of the luxurious hotel, where the event would be taken place and exhaled. When Ms. June had requested her and Gina handle this event, she knew that woman was prone to throwing her into the den of her past.There was no doubt that she was going to see Mr. King himself today. And there was no doubt, Axel was going to be here today. Jack was going to be here to be here too. She prayed they wouldn’t cross paths. She didn’t want Jack to find out Axel was Mr. A.“Are you coming or not?” Gina, who was excited and pumped up for this, asked, already walking in.Amber exhaled and walked in as well. They registered their names and were led to the front row which were the seats designated for them. Amber wondered how this was possible. This wasn’t her first time attending such event. She was dang sure that someone had pulled strings for them to have the best spots. Only reporters with lots of connections or influential backing get to sit at the
021.There was silence for a while as Amber fiddled with her fingers. This was bad…really bad. She hadn’t wanted him to find out, and he still did.Amber hesitated, biting her lip as if considering whether or not to confirm Jack's suspicion. “Yes,” she finally answered, her voice barely audible.Jack's expression hardened, his face a mixture of anger and hurt. “Why didn't you tell me? I deserve to know these things, Amber.” he paused, taking a breath to steady himself.Amber sighed, tucking her hair behind her ears. “I know, but I didn’t feel the need to let you know about it.”“Is that why you didn't react when you saw him? Why you just stood there like a fool? Because you're still in love with him?” Jack accused, his voice shaking with anger. “Is that it? All this time, you've been playing me for a fool?”Amber’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?” she asked, wondering where this conversation was headed. “A fool? Do you have any idea what you are saying? Why would you even say that to me?” s
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
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
116.A week later…THE SMITHS…When Amber and Axel arrived, Amber turned to face Axel. “Do you think your father will be able to make it? He's busy and all. He might not want to bother himself with our humble dinner.”Axel raised an eyebrow at her, wondering where that idea was coming from. He took Amber's hand in his. “This isn't just any dinner, Amber. This is family, and I'm very certain my father will make it. He might like wealth and influence, but he doesn't take family for granted. You don't need to be extravagant to please him. Besides, this dinner is all about us.”Amber smiled and nodded, feeling at ease. “Welcome, my sweet couple,” Loris stepped out of the house with a smile.Amber facepalmed. “Mum, don't make this awkward.” she muttered.Loris chuckled. “Oh please! Today is a happy day,” she turned to Axel, her face beaming with smiles. “Welcome home, my son-in-law. I told you that was going to be the best proposal, and you did wonderfully well.”Axel walked forward and L
115.Next Day...GLAM MAGAZINE “Of course, mum, I'll definitely bring him and his family over,” Amber said as she stepped out of her car. “I was shocked too. Believe me, I didn't expect all of that.”“Oh my baby! I can't believe you've grown so much. You even got proposed to...on television!” Loris kept going on and on, her voice breaking.Amber sighed and shook her head. “Mum, are you crying?” she asked, but there were only sniffles from the other end. Amber facepalmed. “Mum, I thought we talked about this.”Loris sighed from the other end. “I know. I know, I'm just so happy, you know? Just yesterday, you were this tiny little baby. And now... you...” she trailed off.Amber smiled and shook her head. “It's fine, Mum.”Loris sighed. “Yeah, I know. Don't forget to bring Axel home for dinner, alright? We can all have a family dinner.”Amber smiled. “Sure, mum. I gotta go now. I have a lot of work to do today.”“Okay, baby. Enjoy your day.”Amber hung up and took a deep breath. Her moth
114.“No!” Jack yelled, throwing the glass of wine he was holding to the ground. The glass shattered to pieces, its contents spilling all over the floor. “This is outrageous! No!” he yelled.Trent, who was seated opposite him stood to his feet. “Come on, you have to give it up already. There's nothing to be done anymore.” he clapped his hands and the maids quickly rushed to come clean the mess Jack had made.Jack felt like a volcano threatening to explode. He couldn't believe Axel had the guts to propose to Amber for the whole world to see. Amber was supposed to be his. She was supposed to get married to him. Axel can't ruin her life and come back to get married to her.Jack let out a shout of pain of frustration, his hand clutching to his chest. He was so hurt that it felt like his heart was being tugged at, about to be ripped out of his chest. “No, I can't let this happen, Trent, I can't lose Amber like that!” he yelled, his eyes already glistening with tears.Trent sighed. “There'
113.“What is going on here?” Laura finally asked. Her focus was solely on Amber. “Are you related to Mr. King in any way?” she asked.Amber shrugged. “You could say that.” she faced Axel with a smile on her face.Laura blinked. She wasn't daft. Something was actually going on. It was either Amber was related to Mr. King, or she was dating… she shook her head. That was impossible. If Amber was dating Axel, everyone would know about it. Amber wouldn't have kept it hidden. If for anything, Amber would have intentionally announced it to rub it in her face.“I think they are dating, Laura.” Vera whispered.“No, I don't believe that!” Kevin smiled at Axel. “I thought you said you'd make a big announcement about your relationship after the face reveal. What changed?” Amber blinked, turning to look at Axel. Axel grinned. “Well, a certain lady said she wanted this night to be all about me. She doesn't want to take the attention away from me.” he answered with an eye roll.Kevin chuckled hea
112.Axel wore a sleek black suit fit him perfectly, with a white shirt underneath. His black bowtie was tied neatly around his neck, giving him a polished and professional look. His dark hair was styled perfectly, falling in soft waves around his face. And then there were his eyes. Amber could see the intensity of his gaze from her seat as he looked out over the audience, taking in the stunned silence that had fallen over the room.Laura couldn't help swooning while Vera felt like she was on cloud nine.“Oh my gosh! He is so good looking! Why would he hide his face when he's so hot?!” Vera asked.“Maybe he already has a girlfriend and doesn't want shameless ladies drooling all over him.” Gina replied with a smirk, causing Laura and Vera to gasp.“You-”“Shh, everyone! He's about to speak!” Amber cut their argument off, her gaze fixated on Axel. Maverick walked to him and hugged him, smiling widely. Axel returned the hug and then stepped forward, a microphone in his hand. “Good even
111.After Candice left in a fury of anger, Amber turned to face Axel, a smile playing on her lips. “You're really one in a million. I don't even think there's anyone like you in this world,” she said, her voice filled with emotion. “I love you so so much.”Axel pulled her close and kissed her lips. “I love you more, Cat eyes,” he replied, his expression mirroring hers. “You are my woman, and I will never let anyone downplay that part.”Axel meant every word he said and Amber knew it. She couldn't ask for more. This was the kind of life she ordered and appreciated. Axel, on the other hand, had only let Candice go because today was a big day for him, and he didn't want any mishaps. He would have fired her if it weren't for her Father and his Father's relationship. But that didn't mean she was off the hook.Amber cupped his cheeks and chuckled. “You look s dreamy whenever you defend me like that. I want to kiss you so bad, but you're about to do a face reveal in front of the whole world
110.Amber folded her arms, her expression hardening. Just when her night was getting good, Candice had to show her annoying face here. “How may I help you, Candice?” she asked with an annoyed expression on her face.Candice's smile was all too cheery for Amber's liking. “What are you doing in here?”Amber raised an eyebrow at her. “What sort of question is that? Do I need to have a reason to come to the studio?”Candice scoffed. “Look around?” She pointed at everything. “Does any of these belong to you? Whether you work here or not is none of my business, but you can't just walk in here like you own the place.”Amber couldn't believe this lady. What the heck was wrong with her? “For your information, my boyfriend owns this company so I have the right to enter wherever I want to. But of course, you won't understand that because you're too busy being jealous and bitter towards other people's relationship,” she said and Candice gasped. “I have been silent, but I don't think I can keep i
108. FRIDAY… DAY OF THE FASHION SHOW. “Is everything ready?” Ms. June asked Amber, and her team. Amber looked at everyone; the cameramen, Laura, Vera, and Gina before nodding her head. “Yes. Everything and everyone is ready.” Ms. June smiled. “Tonight is the night everyone has been waiting for, team. You got to try your best to get it all on camera. Laura will handle the oral interviews, while Amber will handle the written ones. Gina and Vera are there to assist. In the end, we will merge everything together and make sure it makes headlines.” Everyone nodded, a sense of excitement and anticipation in the air. They all knew what was at stake: a scoop that could make or break their careers. They’d spent weeks preparing, and now it was time for the main event. “Let’s go,” Ms. June declared, leading the team out of the office and into the waiting car. When they had entered, she bade them farewell and whispered in Amber's ears. “Make us proud.” Amber smiled and nodded with a