106.Amber gently walked into the house with Loris. Her gaze fixed on Axel and Cole who were busy playing video games. She turned to face her mother, who gave her a go ahead.She rushed to the front of the boys and spread her arms, showing off her new hairstyle. “Ta-da!” she exclaimed, her face beaming with smiles.Cole’s eyes widened while Axel stared at her, love emojis literally popping out of his head. His girlfriend looked breath taking. Her ponytails were gone, replaced by a sleek, straight hairstyle that fell past her shoulders and shone like silk in the light. The simple change transformed her from a cute, bubbly girl to a stunning young woman, full of grace and beauty.Cole let out a low whistle, his jaw dropping in admiration. Axel, on the other hand, seemed to be at a loss for words. “Amber,” he breathed, standing up from his seat and wrapping her in his arms, “you look…amazing. You're beautiful, baby.”Amber smiled, her cheeks flushing pink. “Thanks, Axel,” she said, her v
107.Loris led Amber, Axel, and Cole to a table before leaving to get things for the art exhibition ready. While they were seated and Amber took pictures and videos, a man approached her.Axel’s eyes narrowed, watching the young man’s movements like a hawk. Amber, however, was still caught up in the world of art, oblivious to the approaching stranger.The young man stopped in front of Amber, smiling broadly. “Hello there,” he said, his voice smooth and suave. “My name’s Adrian. You’re the loveliest lady I’ve seen here today.”Amber looked up from her phone, slightly surprised by the compliment. “Oh,” Amber said, flustered. “Um, thank you, Adrian.” She glanced at Axel, whose expression had darkened considerably. Realizing the situation, she quickly added, “I'm here with my boyfriend. Axel, this is Adrian.”Adrian turned his attention to Axel, giving a polite nod. “A pleasure to meet you, sir,” he said, his smile faltering only slightly.Axel stared back at Adrian, sizing him up. “Amber
108.BOSTON “Home sweet home!” Amber exclaimed, throwing herself on the couch in the living room.Cole rolled his eyes. “You are lucky Axel asked for the house to be cleaned before we got here,” he said, dragging her luggage in. “Else, you'd have a meeting with dust there.”Amber sat up, batting her lashes at Cole. “That's why he's the best boyfriend in the world, brother,” she sneered, turning to face the door.Axel walked in and took her luggage from Cole. “I'll take it to her room. You go freshen up. I ordered pizza for dinner.”Cole beamed. “You think of everything,” he said, gave Amber a warning glare before taking the stairs to his room. Amber rose to her feet and took her luggage from Axel. “You pamper me too much,” she said, her face beaming with smiles. “It's just luggage. I can definitely take it to my room myself.”Axel took the luggage back from her, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled. “I love pampering you, Amber,” he said, his voice gentle. “And as long as
109.“That's all for today, students. I'll be expecting your reports for the holiday project in my office tomorrow morning, is that understood?” “Yes, Professor Willer.” The students echoed.The Professor smiled and walked out of the class. The students began putting their books into their bags while Melissa turned to look at Amber. “Girl, I've been quiet all day, but that didn't mean I didn't notice this gorgeous dress you wore today.”Amber smiled, a blush crawling to her cheeks. “Axel got it for me back when we started dating. I haven't really worn it since he got it,” she said, putting her notebooks and textbooks into her backpack. “I decided to wear it to make him happy today.”Melissa chuckled. “What did he say? Did he love it?” she asked.Amber nodded, leaned in and whispered into Melissa's ear. “He almost ate me up,” she said and Melissa purred. “If it weren't for Cole's presence at home, I'm sure I would have missed first period.” Melissa laughed out loud. “Oh my gosh, Amy,
110.Amber returned to join Melissa in the cafeteria, her face filled with smiles that made Melissa suspect her to the bones. Jack had already left, claiming he wanted to handle some things, but Melissa had to wait for Amber.“Have a seat,” she patted the chair beside her, her gaze fixed on Amber, trying to look for whatever was out of place because she knew Amber didn’t just help Axel with whatever he asked her to. He had teammates who could do that with ease.Amber raised an eyebrow, but she took a seat regardless. She took a sushi burger and just as she was about to take a bite, Melissa spoke up. “So… how did that stuff go with Axel?” she asked, barring her lashes at Amber, who looked up to meet her eyes.Amber’s cheeks flushed instantly, confirming Melissa’s suspicion. No way is she going to tell Melissa how Axel had tricked her into the storage room and fucked her to oblivion since he couldn’t get his hands off her.Melissa studied Amber's reaction, sure that she was hiding some
111.Amber smiled, deepening the kiss, causing the students to gasp and murmur while some took pictures. They pulled away from the kiss and Amber bit her lip. “Hello, boyfriend,” she chuckled.Axel smiled and took a seat beside her, his hands linked with hers. The students couldn’t believe that it was indeed true that their prom king and queen were dating. Who would have thought that their golden boy would fall in love with a girl whom they once called an unnoticed nerd. The girls were literally burning with jealousy, while the boys just stared, now regretting why they hadn’t approached Amber from Day one.Hazel couldn’t help the embarrassment. Not only were all eyes on her, her plan had failed even before it was implemented. She had thought Amber had a crush on Axel the day she caught her speaking with Axel—she thought Amber had overreacted as a result—she had no idea the lady was dating Axel. And she just made a fool out of herself.Axel’s gaze shifted to Hazel who had her knees on
112. “Jack, you’re only making yourself feel worse by watching this video.” Gideon said, his expression a mixture of annoyance and worry. Jack had spent all evening in the dorm, his gaze fixed on the video the students took of Amber and Axel kissing in the cafeteria. He had been going through his social media feed when it popped up and since then, he couldn’t get his eyes off it, no matter how hurtful it was. Gideon, who had been watching him was only getting pissed with each passing moment that Jack stared at his phone. “Bro, you said you were over it and would try to be happy for her!” he snapped. “It’s not that easy!” Jack snapped back. “I’ve been trying to, okay? But it’s not fucking easy to watch the woman I love kiss another man—” “That she loves,” Gideon interjected, his gaze fixed on Jack’s angry face. “She loves Axel, Jack. And as her friend, you should look out for her. I thought we’ve been over this. If you can’t handle it, give her a little space until you know you ar
113. “C’mon, Cole, it’s just one stupid dinner. Why won’t you agree to come?” Amber snapped, following Cole down the stairs and into the living room, where Axel was seated working on his laptop. “If it’s a stupid dinner then it’s going to have stupid people, and I don’t want to come.” Cole argued, taking a seat on the couch with a smug expression on his face. Amber stopped in front of him, her hands placed on her waist as she glared at him. “You know I didn’t mean it that way,” she said, trying her best to bring down her voice. “We’ve never gone out for dinner before. This is a perfect chance to have a brotherly and sisterly bond with each other.” Cole snickered. “And I told you I’m busy and not interested,” he replied, his tone firm. “Besides, when have you ever invited me out to dinner? This is suspicious!” his eyes narrowed. Amber sighed, massaging her forehead. How the fucking hell was she going to convince this duck head brother of hers to just come to this dinner date.
033.“Have a seat, Ms. Amber,” Axel smirked at the expression on her face. “You need it.”Amber’s fists clenched and unclenched. Why was the universe being this mean to her? For fuck sake, he was the one who’d hurt her, but why was she at his mercy? He should be on his knees, begging for her forgiveness, but why is she the one being frustrated by him?“Why are you really doing this to me? What do you really want from me?” she asked.Axel stood to his feet and walked to where she stood. He stopped in front of her, his tall frame towering over her despite the heels she had on. “I already told you what I want from you, Amber. Isn’t it obvious that I want you?” Amber sneered at his words. “Do you think it’s that easy to want someone back after hurting them? Do you think I’d just open my arms wide to accept you after everything or are you used to getting things done your own way?” “I do know how to get things done my own way,” Axel replied with a small smile. “But I decided not to do tha
032.“Ms. June, you can’t be serious!” Amber snapped, not believing what the woman just said. “What do you mean a partnership with A.A Entertainment? And why would I be the in-house Journalist? What happened to Laura?” Ms. June swayed in her chair, her expression neutral as she looked at Amber. “Amber, you have to calm down. This is a very good thing for our company; partnering with A.A Entertainment… do you even have any idea what that means?” she asked but Amber wasn’t interested in what it meant or any other thing that pertained to it. Her concern was the fact that she was at the center of it all, and she knew darn well Axel was using this to his advantage. Was this the new plan he told her about? Was this what he meant by her getting to know his company? Did he have to be so petty just to win her back?Her fists tightened. Oh, she wasn’t going to let him get away with this.Ms. June noticed the conflicting emotions on Amber’s face and stood to her feet as she walked to where Amb
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