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
024. The next day… GLAM MAGAZINE Amber 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 ch
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
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
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
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
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
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
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