120.Amber blinked. She couldn’t believe Cole would say such a thing to her. How on earth was she selfish? She was doing this for his own good. It was hurting to see her genius brother being fooled by a wolf in sheep’s clothing. But now because she cared, Cole had to raise his voice on her for the first time. It broke her heart so much that her brother didn’t trust her enough to believe her. “We’ve never had a fight before, Cole,” Amber said, her eyes turning glassy as she looked up at her brother. “Are you going to allow your so-called girlfriend come between us? I’m your sister. I would never hurt you or put myself first before you.”“Stop making this about you, Amber,” Cole sighed, feeling conflicted. “When you and Axel got together, I wasn’t against it. Even when you two kept it away from me, I didn’t get mad.”“I and Axel are different!” Amber snapped. “And the reason you approved of the relationship was because you trusted Axel. You knew he was a good person. I don’t trust Jan
121. “Are you sure that’s gonna work?” Axel asked after Amber explained Jack’s plan to him. “I mean, you and Janice are literally at each other’s throats. It’s crazy if you ask me.” Amber rolled her eyes. “I know befriending her sounds like a lot of work since I can’t put up with her,” she said, her tone laced with uncertainty. “But I believe this might work.” she was ready to do anything to prove to Cole that Janice wasn’t to be trusted; that Janice was a liar and was using him. There was no way she would be able to convince Cole without any evidence. Axel’s expression turned thoughtful as he massaged his temple, “Don’t you think she would find it suspicious? I mean, you can’t just walk up to her and ask her to be friends with you.” “I’m aware of that, Axel,” Amber said, folding her arms over her chest. “That’s why I have a plan. It’s simple, really.” She grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I’ll pretend to have an issue with Cole.” she said. She already had one though becau
122.“Axel? My Axel?” she asked, her cold gaze on Janice and her so-called best friend. Janice folded her arms with a smirk on her face. She had no ounce of remorse on her face and Amber nodded her head as everything returned to her piece by piece.All this while she had thought it was for grades. She had no idea the main target was Axel, her boyfriend. Janice had been getting close to Cole and finally began dating him because she wanted free access to Axel every time she wanted it. And Cole was oblivious to that, giving the bitch the upper hand. Amber put her hand in her pocket. She felt a wave of rage wash through her as her eyes stayed glued on Janice’s face. Now she was angry for two things.One, Janice deceived her brother. Two, Janice was trying to seduce her boyfriend. It took every bit of self-control in her not to begin teaching the damn girl a lesson right now. “So…” Amber frowned, glaring at Janice. “You’ve been dating Cole to get close to Axel, right? Do you know Axel is
123.Amber, Axel, and Cole walked into an empty classroom where Cole slammed his fists on the wall. Amber quietly took a seat and Axel followed as well. They sat there, watching Cole exhale.Cole had seen it with his own eyes and heard it with his ears. He couldn’t believe that Janice was this heartless to have used him with the aim of getting to Axel. He felt betrayed and hurt. All these months, he thought they had something genuine going on. He thought he had finally found love and found someone who loved him, but it was fake. He was such a fool to have fallen for her lies.And he had accused Amber of lying and being selfish when she warned him about Janice. He turned to look at Amber, who was seated with Axel, his expression turning sadder by the second.He walked to where she was seated. He knew he fucked up and needed to apologize to her. “Amber,” he called, his voice soft. “I just want to thank you for making me find out that Janice wasn’t someone to be trusted,” he said and she
124.Melissa and Jack waited as Amber was being rushed into the Emergency Department where her wounds would be treated. Axel rushed into the hospital and Melissa ran to him.“Where is Amber?” he asked, paranoid. When they had called him that Amber had gotten shot, he couldn’t believe his ears and had to rush down here. “Is she okay?” “She is currently being tended to at the Emergency Department—”Axel didn’t wait for Melissa to finish answering his question as he began heading to the place, but she held him to stop him. “You can’t go there right now. They asked us to wait until they are done. Please, calm down.” Melissa pleased.Axel sighed and massaged his forehead. He couldn’t stay in a place and began pacing around, his heart beating frantically in his chest. “How on earth did it happen?” he asked, turning to face Melissa and Jack.“We have no idea,” Jack replied, his face filled with horror. He couldn’t believe what just happened. “We just finished our project and were about to l
125.While they waited for Amber to come out of surgery, Axel couldn’t help pacing. Cole had rushed in as well and had to wait as they filled him in on what had happened.“I believe it’s a targeted shooting as well, Axel,” he said, a frown settling on his face. “And believe me, if I find the jerk that did this to my sister, I swear I’m not gonna spare him.”“That’s if I keep him alive,” Axel answered.Melissa and Jack stared at Axel and Cole with shocked expressions on their faces. They knew these two cared so much about Amber, but they had no idea they were willing to kill to get revenge for her. She took a deep breath and buried her face in her hands. Her heart was beating frantically. Even though the surgery was being done on Amber’s arm, she still felt scared.When the doctor mentioned that Amber would be going in for surgery, she had been triggered. She recalled how one of her aunt was involved in an accident, and the doctor said it required her to go into surgery. Her Aunt didn’
126.A FEW DAYS LATER“Well, we have investigated, and the conclusion is that, it wasn’t a targeted shooting, but a stray bullet like we had predicted,” The female officer, whom Axel had questioned the day Amber got shot.Axel and Cole exchanged looks as they went through the statement. According to what the police officer had earlier explained, it was actually a robbery and an exchange of fire.Axel sighed, ruffling his hair. “Fine then,” he said, finally believing what she said because he had tried doing some investigations on his own, but couldn’t find anything. Maybe it was like she said. “If you find anything else, please do not hesitate to let us know about it.”The police officer nodded with a smile. “Definitely.”.Cole and Axel walked out of the station and got into the car as Axel drove them out of the premises. “Do you really believe that this is their conclusion, Axel?” Cole asked, his voice filled with doubt.Axel sighed, his gaze fixed on the road. “Not really, but I don
127.“Hey, Melissa, have you noticed that Axel has been acting weird lately?” Amber asked as they walked into the school hallways, filled with students who were just walking out of their classes. Melissa raised a brow. “Acting strange?” Melissa furrowed her brows, trying to think of something. “Not really. Why do you think so?”Amber sighed, licking her lower lips. “I don’t know if it’s just me or…” she sighed again. “He isn’t spending much time with me like before. Whenever I want us to spend some quality time together, he would tell me he was busy with something and had to take care of it. He isn’t spending time with me in school as well. I don’t know, but I feel like he’s avoiding me.”Melissa shook her head. “Knowing how much Axel loves you, he would never avoid you,” Melissa patted her shoulder. “Maybe he is really as busy as he claims. Axel is someone who can barely stay away from you. What reason would he have to avoid you? Even 24 hours a day is not enough time for him when h
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