034."What did you come to do in Axel's company?" Candice asked, her lips curving upwards.Amber internally rolled her eyes. So, Candice knew Axel was Mr. A. She couldn't help but wonder how they got to connect with each other again. Last time she checked, Candice had transferred out of their school because she was too pity she and Axel were in love. Amber sneered. There's no doubt the lady was back because they weren't together."I could ask you the same thing," Amber folded her arms. "What are you doing here?" Amber knew it wasn't her business to know, but somehow, she wanted to know what Candice was doing in Axel's company. Candice clicked her tongue, sizing Amber with her eyes. The lady had grown and become more beautiful than she remembered. She looked away. "I work here," she said and Amber couldn't conceal her shock. Candice worked here? How's that even possible? "How about you? You're a Reporter, I don't see you having any business here. Especially after what you did to Axel.
035."You want me in the same office with you?" Amber asked, her eyes widening in shock. What the heck was this man doing?Axel chuckled softly. "What? Don't you want to be in the same office with me?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her.Amber shook her head. "I don't want to." she answered plainly.Axel sighed and steepled his fingers. "It's not like you have a choice, sweetheart," he sneered. "We are going to be working on the feature together, Ms. Smith. If we don't stay in the same office, how do you expect us to get it done?" he asked and Amber bit her lower lip.Now that he put it that way, it did make sense. But how was she going to survive in the same office with him? She hadn't spent an hour with him without him frustrating and making her question what her heart really wanted. And now she was going to be frequent here now. How was she going to put up with this, huh? Looks like fate has decided to open her chapter and give her life a good spanking.Amber sighed. "But your off
036.Amber walked beside Axel as he showed her around. She wasn’t interested in everything even though they looked beautiful and nice, and was certain the reason she'd remember most of the things he said was through her recorder. Axel's company was big, no doubt and deep down, she was glad he finally achieved his dream. She recalled him telling her years ago, that he loved Entertainment but then she asked him why he got into Mass communication department. He didn't give her an answer then, but she made a mental note to include the question in the feature about his company."....And my personal favorite, A.A Entertainment studio," Axel said and that seemed to catch Amber's attention as he threw the big doors of the studio open.Amber's eyes widened. "Wow!" escaped her lips as she gaped at the massive studio which looked like a building on its own. The main hall had a big stage, with a spectators corner."This is where we deal with auditions whenever we want to start a new movie or any
037.Later that day...AMBER'S APARTMENT "Seems fate is playing a quick one on you, Reporter Amber," Melissa teased with an amused expression on her face. "Who would have thought that you’d be working in the same office as your ex-boyfriend? Not just that, he's a CEO, you're his journalist. What are the odds?" Amber rolled her eyes. "Calm down, Mel. It's not like I want to work there. We're just trying to give the readers what they want. And..." Amber trailed off, wondering if she should tell Melissa about it. But Melissa was her best friend, she deserved to know at least and maybe she could get down advice from her."And?" Melissa asked, her face filled with curiosity.Amber fiddled with her fingers. "I feel like Axel didn't really mean to break up with me," she said and Melissa's eyes widened. "Wait, before you say anything... I met Candice at the company today.""Candice Meyer? That bitchy and spoilt daughter from a wealthy family? The shameless one?""Melissa," Amber chuckled. "
038.Maverick's heart was racing as he picked up Axel's unconscious body and rushed him to the private hospital where Axel's personal physician, Dr. Richards, was based. The drive seemed to take forever, but finally, they arrived at the hospital and Axel was rushed into the emergency room.Maverick paced the waiting room, his thoughts racing. He couldn't help blaming himself for forgetting to make Axel take his medications. If he'd known, he wouldn't have left after Axel chased him away. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" he facepalmed.After what felt like an eternity, Dr. Richards walked out and Maverick rushed to him. "How is he? Please, tell me he's okay and his condition isn't getting worse."Dr. Richards sighed. "He is stable now and will be awake soon. But I'd like to ask, did he see something traumatic?" he asked and Maverick raised an eyebrow. "You already know he has anxiety and depression. Did something trigger it?"Maverick massaged his temple as he tried to think. "None that I know of.
039.GLAM MAGAZINE Amber walked into the company, in a good mood. But something didn't feel right. The employees she walked past all kept giving her disdainful looks while murmuring things to each other.Some who smiled at her got things whispered into their eyes and frowned instantly, shocking her. She wondered what was going on and why everyone seemed to be looking at her like they couldn't wait to beat her up or something."What a bitchy woman! Tsk, women sure know how to use what they have to get what they want." someone muttered while walking past her, loud enough for her to hear.Amber stopped in her tracks. "Excuse me?" she asked and the lady turned to look at her."How may I help you?" she asked, throwing Amber a disgusted look. Amber couldn't make out what was going on but the employees had already gathered, ready to see what was about to go down between her and the woman. Amber sneered. She wasn't going to give them that satisfaction. She might not know why they were murmu
040.Later that evening...Jack stood in front of Amber's door, contemplating on whether he should ring the doorbell or not. He'd been so pumped up to come talk to her, but now that he was standing in front of her door, he couldn't help feeling nervous. He'd wanted to apologize to her and ask her out on a Valentine date in advance because he didn't want Axel to beat him to it.No one needed to tell him that Amber still had a soft spot for Axel, and before Axel would win her back totally, he had to take her attention away from him. He couldn't lose her, not after all the efforts he'd put in to be here.He stretched out his hand to knock when the door suddenly opened. Amber, who wanted to take out the trash blinked in shock when she saw Jack in front of her door. "Jack," she called, smiling. "You didn't tell me you were coming."Jack quickly took the trash leather from her and smiled as they walked out together. "I kinda wanted to surprise you. Also, I've missed you so much so I wanted
041.GLAM MAGAZINE Amber sat in the office the next day, her head replaying the conversation she had with Jack the previous night. She hadn't been able to give him an answer and even though he acted like he wasn't hurt by that, Amber knew he was. But she couldn't bring herself to answer him no matter how hard she tried.And then he'd told her to forget he asked and left after giving her a peck on the cheek. She drew in a long breath. How long was she going to keep this up? She really wanted to let him go, but then she had to wait. On the other hand, she didn't want to keep hurting him like this."Amber!" Gina suddenly called, causing Amber to jerk up in shock. She turned to look at Gina who was staring at her with a frown. "Seriously? What's wrong with you? You've been zoning out and barely got any work done. It's so unlike you. And it's almost time for you to leave for A.A Entertainment."That seemed to snap Amber out of her confusion. "What!""Duh, it's a few minutes to 12pm.""Shi
119.“Uh… I was…”Larissa folded her arms, her expression stern. “What are you doing in Axel’s office and why are his files scattered on the desk?” she asked, her eyes running over the mess Candice had made.Candice knew she needed to find a way out of this mess. “Uh… it’s not something serious. I just,”“You just what?” Larissa asked, her voice getting hard. Last time she checked, employees weren’t allowed in Axel’s office, especially when he wasn’t in. Coupled with that, Axel didn’t even like Candice to begin with, so there was no way he would ask her to get anything from his office for him, not when she and Maverick were around.“I was looking for the file I submitted to Mr. Axel,” she began, her heart beating frantically in her chest. “I mean, my resume and stuff. I don’t know where I kept the original anymore, and I need to check something urgently, that’s why I came here to find it.”Larissa scoffed. If Candice thought she was going to believe any of those lies, the lady was cle
118.The reporter’s voice echoed through the television in a serious, breaking news tone, “This just in: The only son of the world-renowned billionaire, Kevin King, has taken to social media to announce that his wedding to renowned journalist Amber Smith is soon, with the date being kept a secret.”The news spread like wildfire. Within minutes, the entire nation was buzzing with excitement, speculating about the date and location of the wedding. But underneath the glamour and excitement, a darker force lurked in the shadows.As the days passed, Amber and Axel played their part, lavishing each other with affection in the public eye. Every post, every picture, every tweet seemed to fuel the media frenzy and the anger of the dangerous underdog.Meanwhile, Cole and Axel worked tirelessly to track the mysterious Don. But despite their best efforts, they kept coming up short. The spyware was immune to every hack they tried, and the location remained hidden. It was as if Don were a ghost, sl
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