Perfect Revenge (Revenge Series Book 1)

by Catherine Edward

  "I made some pasta for lunch. Both of you come along and we will talk later," Sara ushered them both into the dining hall, which was next to the open kitchen that was only separated by the kitchen island.

  Samantha’s clicked against the dark-walnut floors as she took in her surroundings which held green soapstone counters and custom furniture painted in black.

  “Spanish spaghetti with olives, one of Axel’s favorite recipe,” Sara crooned.

  Samantha inhaled the delicious aroma of the food and let it fill her lungs, the pasta tasted just as delicious as it looked. "It's so good," Samantha hummed in approval between the bites. “I haven’t tasted a Spanish spaghetti this good before.”

  “She makes them from scratch,” Henry boasted, and Sara's grin widened with joy as she served her more.

  Axel never brought a girl home, except for Alicia, whom she never approved of. She liked Samantha immediately and she loved how she didn't fuss with the food, complaining about extra calories. In fact, Samantha had a healthy body, unlike the skeletons that lived on salads. She would fit perfectly in their family with her infectious smile and a friendly personality.

  Samantha shook her head and stopped when she offered another serving. "Thanks a lot for the lovely meal, Sara. But, I will burst if I eat anymore," Samantha stated patting her already full tummy.

  "You should come here often, my dear,” Sara told Samantha later when they were in the driveway, tossing a look at Henry who caught up.

  "Ah, yes, you should. Sara likes you a lot and I would love for you to visit us often," he added looking at his wife. He could already see the wheels turning in her head.

  Axel shifted uncomfortably beside them. "Sam, why don't you take my car?" Axel asked, offering her his car keys.

  "Ah, but -"

  "I can't drive for the next few days and you can pick me up from my home tomorrow morning," he said, waving his injured right hand in front of her face.

  "Okay," Samantha accepted, taking, the key from his hand.

  "He never allowed anyone to drive his car before," Sara whispered to Henry, who nodded without taking his eyes off his son and the new girl. “He was perfectly fine with holding the spoon before.”

  "Um... see you tomorrow then," Samantha waved as she turned the ignition on. Axel and his family watched as Samantha drove off.

  "I like her! She is good for you, son," Henry commented.

  "Huh... what? Dad!"

  "I agree with your father," Sara supported with a huge grin.

  Axel shook his head in denial. "No, you got it all wrong. I've never ever thought about her that way. She is good at work and I respect her," he argued.

  "That’s a good start. Then, I suggest that you better start thinking of her that way." Henry was not the one to go down without an argument.

  Sara squeezed her husband's shoulder understandingly before going in.

  Time to give some alone time for father and son.

  Axel always listened to his father and she hoped he listened to him now. She wanted him to have a second chance for happiness, to fall in love again, this time with the right woman. As his parents, it was their responsibility to make sure that their son had a chance for happiness again.

  "Dad, I don't think it's wise."

  Sara could hear them talking as she sat on the couch.

  "Of course it is, son. You know, your mother approves her and we think that she could be the one for you."

  "But dad, you never know that. She is my secretary and nothing more."

  “How long is she working for you?”

  “A little more than a year. One year and two months.”

  "She is the only woman aside from your mother, who puts up with your arrogance. Isn't it true?"

  "Yes."

  "She is the one you are training for the new place as a General Manager. Isn't she?"

  "Yes. But, that doesn’t mean anything," Axel argued.

  "That means everything, son. That means that you trusted her enough to assign more of your works to her."

  It was a statement and Axel couldn’t disagree.

  "Of course, I trust her with responsibility."

  "Good. Now, all I could say is that women like Samantha are hard to find. She is a hard worker, she had earned your trust and from what I see, you are comfortable with her around," said Henry, and regarded Axel who had a frown on his face. Henry knew his words were working.

  "I have seen you with enough women after that soul-sucking leech to know that you are never the one for pleasantries. You care for her and you got arrested today just because you couldn't put up with someone talking bad about her."

  "Dad -"

  "The choice is yours to make, son. I am just stating the facts here," Henry said, patting his son's shoulder.

  Sara smiled inwardly. Their job was done, now it was up to Axel to take it further. Sometimes, Axel needed a push towards the right direction.

  Axel pondered over his father's words for the entire night. His father was right. He cannot live like this forever. He had to move on with his life. For that, he had to put his trust in someone and he could only hope that his trust is not broken this time.

  Was he ready to take that step?

  Sleep seemed so far with thoughts of Samantha occupying his mind. The thought of her warm body flush against him hardened his member once again and he remembered how soft she felt in his hands.

  Shrugging the indecent thoughts away, he switched on the TV, settling down on a news channel as he fought the thoughts about her. She was different, a professional. He never saw her in an unprofessional way until recently and didn't know what to make of his father's words. What does he have to do to think of her in a different way?

  You are already doing it, his subconscious answered.

  A news from a trustful source claims that the heart-throb Alexander McGregor is now dating the gorgeous Alicia McKenna. The couple seemingly met at one of the met gala’s and had gone for a few secret dates since then.

  The news had him sit straight as he watched a video clip of the couple played on the channel. Anger pulsed within him and he gritted his teeth as he took in her appearance. If anything she had gotten more vibrant and her skin was glowing.

  “That was faster than I thought.” His lips curled up into a wicked smile as he tilted his head looking at her again. "This certainly changes the game," he whispered thoughtfully.

  Axel switched off the TV and closed his eyes as sleep took over enclosing him in its warm embrace.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Alicia smiled in satisfaction as the news channels kept repeating the fake story. They kept gushing about how perfect the couple looked together. She’d had their photos taken without Xander’s knowledge and leaked them to the press.

  The photos looked cozy enough to make others believe that they, in fact, were a couple. Only Alicia knew how perfectly timed those photos were.

  Her mother’s idea seemed to work and Xander so far hadn’t declined the claim. It was only a matter of time before she made the story true. It wouldn’t be too long before she had him in her bed and there would be no turning back for him then.

  Xander wasn’t like the other men she dated before. She had to push him to do everything and last night was the first time he’d ever bought her a gift. A bouquet of roses, nothing more. An old-fashioned way to please a woman. If you want to please me, get me a diamond necklace, she wanted to shout at his face when he showed up with the flowers.

  However, she’d become more determined to have him. The thought of him following her like a lost puppy was certainly a turn on and she was counting on it. A gossip column suggested that Alicia didn’t stand a chance with Alexander as she wasn’t his type. A statement she took it as a challenge and the one she was willing to change in the near future.

  Maybe cooking a dinner for him would make him see her in a different light. Not that she knew how to cook. She can order a delicious meal and make it look like she’d spent hours preparing that special d
inner for him.

  But then, she’d received a call from her father, congratulating her and inviting both her and Xander for dinner. Alicia agreed immediately as the wheels in her mind started turning with all the possibilities.

  Chapter – 5

  "Hello Samantha, right on time." Sara greeted Samantha with a cheerful smile when she parked in their driveway the next morning.

  "Good morning, Sara," Samantha chirped with a huge smile on her face.

  "A very good morning to you, dear. Come on in. Axel just hopped into the shower."

  "Okay."

  "Come here, have some breakfast. I made berry pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs, Axel's favorites."

  "Oh, no thank you. I just had some cereals on my way here."

  "Come on, that is no proper diet. You need to eat real food. One pancake won't hurt your stomach, Sam."

  Samantha laughed as the bubbly woman in front of her, dragged her to the dining table, placing a plate loaded with pancakes, bacon, and eggs.

  "Oh my God, I cannot eat all this."

  "Sure, you can." Sara's shoulder long golden brown hair bobbed with her movement as her blue eyes twinkled with joy.

  Samantha could see where Axel got his eyes from and she liked the elder woman who reminded her so much of her mother.

  "Where is Henry?"

  "Henry went for his morning walk. He'll be back in half an hour."

  "The food smells divine, mom." Axel strutted inside with only a pair of sweatpants and Samantha choked on her pancakes. His blue eyes met her wide honey colored ones and held as she looked away with a deep blush.

  "Morning, Sam."

  "Huh... Ah... Good morning, s-sir." Samantha bit tongue and felt embarrassed at her stutter. Well, how do you expect someone to behave when a hot guy walks in flashing his sexy torso? His hair was dripping wet with a few droplets of water falling on his shoulders that trickled down his chiseled muscles.

  So much for the self-control Samantha, he's your boss for God sake.

  "What are my appointments this morning?" Axel asked, clearly amused with her unease.

  "Ah... about that... I - um..."

  "No talking business at the dining table, Axel. I taught you better than that," Sara scolded saving Samantha from further embarrassment as she winked at Axel who smirked but said nothing.

  Axel wasn’t expecting to see Samantha at his table and by the time he saw her, it was too late to back out and her expression gave him enough confidence to stay put. Her reaction seemed to amuse him and he decided to play along. They finished their food in silence. Samantha, never took her eyes off her plate the entire time. She breathed in relief when he left the table to get dressed.

  "So, what do your parents do for a living?" Sara asked casually when they waited for Axel show up.

  "My dad and brother run the family business. Mom prefers to stay at home, she loves to read and bake. I have a younger brother and a sister."

  "That sounds wonderful," Sara chimed. “I have two sisters and always wanted a big family for myself. A complication in my pregnancy almost cost my life and after that Henry was adamant that he didn’t want any more kids.”

  There was a pinch of sadness in the older woman’s voice and she also couldn’t help but notice the way her eyes twinkled when she spoke warmly about her husband.

  “Sounds just like my father,” Samantha added.

  "I'm ready," Axel announced breaking their conversation and they left his home, waving at Henry who was returning home on their way out.

  "Samantha, I want you to call Jenson and schedule a meeting sometime today."

  "Sure thing."

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  The day was busy as usual. Axel tried to finish the tasks which required his attention before his travel. It was around one in the afternoon and they scheduled to meet Jenson at two-thirty p.m.

  Closing the file he was going through, Axel quickly sifted through his email and responded to the important ones. The work seemed to drain him of energy and he longed to have a heavy meal instead of the sandwiches he usually relied on.

  Axel exited his office and smiled when he noticed his her cute frown. She was busy typing something away and hadn't noticed him yet.

  "Sam."

  "Huh!" Samantha almost jumped out of her skin at his sudden appearance next to her desk.

  Axel’s chest rumbled with laughter. Her reaction was priceless and he wondered if her eyes could go any wider than it already was.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," he commented in between the laugh that has now slowed down to soft chuckles.

  Samantha continued to look at him with wide eyes. She couldn't believe her boss was laughing out loud, he never laughed. She couldn't take her eyes off his handsome features, his smile had lit up his face and for once he didn't look grumpy.

  "Um... C-can I help you with something?"

  "Yes, we are going out for lunch. Before you ask we are going to a different restaurant this time and no fights."

  "I-I can order if you want," she offered half-heartedly, her conscious pushing her to go out with him. She also had so much work to finish before the end of the day.

  "No, I wanted to make it up to you for yesterday. Also, all this work is kind of suffocating. Come on, let's go."

  "You don't have to do that," she said softly, her eyes frozen on his face. His smile was so attractive. Why doesn't he smile often?

  "I want to," he stressed once again meeting her eyes.

  Hearing her name coming from his mouth felt so good and for some reason, her heart skipped a beat under his gaze as a soft blush crept into her cheeks. He had started calling her Sam recently and continued to call her like he has known her for ages.

  "Okay, I will just save the files and log out."

  "Sure, I'll wait."

  Samantha saved and closed the files, shutting down her system. Axel watched intently as she picked up the folders she was working on, placing it inside the cabinets before locking it and taking the keys with her.

  Once again Samantha ended up driving. "Where do you want to go for lunch?"

  "There is a nice restaurant near Jenson's office. We could eat there before the meeting," Axel replied as he made himself comfortable in the seat.

  "Okay. How is your hand?"

  "Fine, there is no pain."

  "I have rescheduled the other meetings. You just have to sign a few papers and check the -"

  "Let's not talk business, shall we?" He interrupted with a smile and Samantha cast a surprised glance at him. What was going on with him?

  Axel felt happy just thinking about his travel. It has been two years since he met his favorite grandpa and he couldn't wait. He felt like an overexcited kid. He was counting days and couldn’t wait for the next week to get over.

  "Very much excited, I see," Samantha commented and immediately bit her tongue for speaking out of turn. She remembered once a female staff, from the marketing department asked him a question out of work and Axel not only replied rudely, but also warned her not to speak to him out of turn.

  "Yes. It's been two years since I met my great-grandfather and I can't wait to see him."

  His reply took her by surprise. However, she decided to stay quiet for the rest of the drive. Just because he replied doesn't have to mean that he was being nice to her, his mood could change anytime.

  Her boss had always been an arrogant man. He had constant mood swings which were worse than that of a pregnant woman. No offense, but he just surpasses them in that department.

  She still remembered the day of her interview with him.

  "Mr. Finlayson will see you now."

  A girl in her early twenties announced. Samantha nodded as she got up and smoothed the non-existent crease in her formal shirt. She was extremely nervous, not only because this was the last chance she had for a job, but also she had heard a lot about the CEO of Finlayson Group of companies.

  Her roommate extended her condolences the moment she found out about her s
cheduled interview for the post as his secretary. None of the women before her seemed to last long in the company, mostly because of his arrogant nature.

  However, she had no option but to go. It was this or her going back to work with her father and brother. She knocked the door to his office and her knees shook when she heard his stern voice calling her in.

  "Come in."

  The man who sat behind the desk wore a tailored suit with a steely expression. Axel Joaquin Finlayson indeed was an attractive man, an epitome of masculinity. If she thought he was cold-hearted upon seeing his photograph in the business magazine, he was more intimidating in person.

  "Sit."

  Samantha scooted to the nearest chair as she ticked against 'Arrogant' in her mental checkbox.

  "Thank -"

  "What's your name?"

  Samantha added another tick against 'Impatient'.

  "It's Samantha D -"

  "Do you have any experience?" He asked as his boring eyes sized her up.

  "No Sir. I'm a -"

  "I don't like to beat around the bushes, Samantha. I want you here exactly at eight-thirty a.m. every morning, you can leave at five p.m. You might be asked to stay late if needed. I do not tolerate flirting or gossiping in my organization. You can join tomorrow and I will send the remaining details to your email. You may leave now," he said, dismissing her.

  Samantha ticked another box 'Rude'.

  "Thank -"

  "Close the door behind you, Samantha," he ordered going back to the file he was working on.

  "Um... Okay."

  She got up and left his office without a second look as she ticked another box 'Jerk'.

  Axel didn't bother to ask what her last name was, until now. In a way, it worked to her advantage. No one wanted to hire her for the job when they learned who she was. Her father was a force to reckon with.

  There were several times she just wanted to quit because of his rudeness, but she held back as she didn't want to go back to her father as a failure. Every time Axel spat a crude remark, she let it slide and continued to work harder.

  The man carried a scorpion in his tongue. Though his venomous words stung at times she didn't let them bother her as he never made his comments, personal or never once treated her with less respect.