Perfect Revenge (Revenge Series Book 1)

by Catherine Edward

  "Porsche 718 Boxter S, just for you. I know you don’t like expensive cars. Anyway, this is something I thought you would like.” Eric grinned.

  It was her favorite blue color and somehow Axel’s blue eyes flashed in her memory. She squealed and ran towards Eric, engulfing him in a bone-crushing hug.

  “Thank you," she mumbled into his chest. The car was just something she liked, simple yet classy. Perfect.

  "You're welcome," Eric grinned.

  By the end of dinner, Samantha leaned back in her chair, pushing the empty plate aside, unable to take anymore bite of the food.

  "That was delicious," she hummed, patting her stomach.

  "Stop it. You act as if you're pregnant," Amelia giggled, swatting Samantha's arms off her tummy.

  "I am pregnant with food," Samantha pouted in response, making everyone laugh.

  Everyone at the table knows of her love for food. Samantha used to be conscious about her body during her teenage years. She subjected herself to severe dieting and exercises, which never worked out and she only continued to get curvier as the days went. It was her mom who made her see everything in a different light.

  She grew up seeing things on a positive note and as her father once said, a man who is attracted only to your outer beauty is not worthy of your love. Choose a man who sees and wants you for you, and not for how you look.

  Somehow she found herself zoning out after that. Her mind going back to Axel and the recent development in their professional relationship.

  Call me Axel...

  Many more happy returns of the day...

  He looked so beautiful when he smiled.

  Why doesn't he smile often?

  "So Sam... who is that lucky man?" Amelia asked, dragging Samantha out of her thoughts.

  "Huh!" Samantha's eyes widened as she shook her head. "What are you talking about? There is no man,” she tried to mask her surprise.

  "Says the one who is laughing all by herself," Amelia countered.

  "If it's the boy who defended you the other day, then you have our blessings," Gregory announced, completely taking her off guard.

  "W-what? No, you've got it all wrong," Samantha denied, though her expression said otherwise.

  "I know what I saw, Sam. That boy clearly likes you. I have done my research on him and he doesn't date, or seen with any girls. Axel has a reputation for being ruthless and arrogant, but he doesn't have a single bad habit. He doesn't smoke, drink or engage with girls," Gregory explained.

  "But, Dad..."

  "Dad, speaks the truth. Axel likes you," Eric supplied.

  "He does?" Samantha frowned. She couldn’t help the small flicker of her hope in her heart. A small smile spread across her face at the thought and his recent change in behavior seemed to prove her father’s claim.

  Did she like him the same way?

  Chapter – 9

  Samantha processed the information and everything seemed to make more sense now. “How can you even say that?” She still asked. Axel never gave her any hint that he liked her. There were a few moments between them, but they were all due to the circumstances, or so she thought.

  “We saw your photos. You and him eating lunch in a fine restaurant, somewhere downtown and you both were laughing the entire time,” Sasha waved her iPad before her.

  “What’s this?” Samantha wondered as she browsed through the gossip published in an online site. The writer of the news seemed to gush how cute the couple looked together and wondered who was the woman, who managed to tame the arrogant billionaire.

  “We went to grab some lunch before meeting our business partner, Jenson. His office was just a block away from the restaurant,” she explained.

  “It doesn’t look that way though,” Amelia quipped as the others snickered in agreement.

  Narmadha turned to look at her husband with a serious expression. "So, is this the same boy you told me about, darling?"

  "Yes. He is also her boss," Gregory answered with a coy smile.

  "Dad –"

  "Do you think I will allow you to work with someone else without doing proper background checks? The boy does have a bad past, but it was during his school days and he has come a long way from then."

  "You know about his past?"

  Gregory glanced at Narmadha as if asking her suggestion.

  "Tell her. If she likes him, then she needs to know," Narmadha urged.

  Samantha watched as her father sigh and compose himself. One thing about her family was, they always got each other's back and there were no secrets between them.

  "Axel was in love with a girl named Alicia McKenna during his school days. As it turned out, that girl was clearly using him and when they broke up, he tried to commit suicide."

  Samantha gasped as shock coated her features. Though she kind of assumed that a girl was a reason behind his grumpiness, she realized that she didn't know how painful his past was.

  "It took him some time before he even started talking to his parents. His maternal grandfather is a billionaire and Axel started his business using some of the money his grandfather has given him."

  "So that was why he doesn't date," Samantha concluded.

  Her father nodded in response.

  "You know that we are not against love, Samantha. If you really like him then we would support you. But be careful because men like him are too scared of a commitment and I don't want my daughter to end up with a broken heart," Narmadha advised.

  "Mom, he is my boss. That's all. There is nothing between us."

  "Yet," her younger brother Ryan added with a wink and Sasha nodded enthusiastically.

  "Enough making fun Ryan. Don't plant any ideas in your sister's mind if she doesn't have them already," Narmadhascolded, effectively shutting everyone off.

  Samantha mentally thanked her mother for the timely save. She relaxed and concentrated on the desserts in front of her, contemplating if she wanted to go for a second round.

  After dinner, she decided to stay as she didn't feel like moving her ass anytime soon. Especially, now that she was fully loaded with food, she found it hard to even walk.

  Reaching her room, she stripped out of her formal attire and changed into a pair of comfortable pajamas. Falling into a sleep filled with dreams as soon as her head hit the pillow.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  "Bye, dad!" Samantha chirped as she exited her dad's car.

  When she didn't see an enthusiastic Sara on the driveway, she went in.

  "Sara?" She called.

  "In here!" Axel's voice came from the kitchen.

  Samantha composed herself and smoothed her knee-length skirt which her sister made her wear before walking towards the kitchen. As expected, once again, Axel greeted her. Shirtless and displaying his perfect torso. He sure did it on.

  Why? Does he really like her? She trusted her parent's judgment. Her father was very good in judging men.

  She swallowed nervously as she greeted him. "Good morning, sir."

  "I told you yesterday, it's Axel." He turned, fixing his blue eyes on hers.

  "Ah, okay. Where is Sara?" She asked, looking around as Sara was nowhere to be seen. It was also an excuse to not look at him directly.

  "She went for a walk with my dad. Sit down, I've made us some breakfast."

  "Oh, I already ate breakfast. At my parent’s place," she offered as if having a breakfast bar in the morning count as breakfast. She woke up late and grabbed a granola on her way out.

  Axel tilted his head, "Why do I feel like you are denying because you don't want to test how my cooking is?"

  "Ah... No. Nothing like that."

  "Sit, Samantha. We both know that you love food." He said, pushing a plate filled with mouth-watering food before her.

  "I made strawberry pancakes, hash browns and scrambled eggs sunny side up," he added.

  How did he know that she liked it? Wait, she remembered talking to Sara on her first day while eating breakfast here. So, he not only has listened, but he al
so prepared it for her.

  Without further argument she sat down and dug in, she didn't miss to notice the victory grin playing on his lips. He took his time not only eating the food, but also flaunted his toned body while washing the dishes.

  Samantha didn't avert her gaze this time. He was a handsome piece of work and when he flaunted like that, she too got a good pair of eyes.

  His actions only proved that her father's words were true. However, the question was does she like him that way? She didn't know the answer yet, but she knew she cared for him. She wanted to see him laugh and she liked talking to him.

  She wouldn't mind if he wanted to take it to a serious level. She would be a fool to turn him down. He had a clean record on women and that was something she gladly held on. He would never cheat behind her back if they were to get close.

  Samantha grinned. She had to keep quiet for a while, just look for the signs and she would act only and only if he likes her.

  Until then she will act dumb.

  Axel put the dishes aside after finishing his breakfast and went out of the kitchen, much to her dismay. She quickly finished her breakfast and washed the plate when he came back into the kitchen, still shirtless.

  "Belated birthday wishes, Sam." His husky voice had her body shiver slightly. “Sorry, I didn’t get you a present yesterday.”

  Well, that's a first.

  "Thank you," she whispered and their fingers brushed when she took the box from his hand, but he made no attempt to pull back.

  "Open it," he suggested.

  He was too close and his smooth chest was really distracting. The light brown hair on his chest seemed to glisten in the sunlight that streamed through the kitchen window. It was harder to concentrate than she actually thought.

  Samantha willed her mind to concentrate and opened the wrapper slowly, wondering what was inside. Her fingers trembled slightly when she held the square-shaped jewelry box in her hand. Axel likes you, her dad's voice rang in her mind.

  Her eyes met his expectant ones before opening the lid to show a pair of beautiful earrings. "They are beautiful,” she whispered in awe.

  The platinum earrings had a floral stone on top with many thin chains of various sizes ending with a white crystal in the shape of raindrops.

  "I saw this yesterday on the display and couldn't help but think about you. You often opt out for white color clothes and thought it would look good on you," he admitted softly, a small smile dancing on his lips the entire time.

  Samantha looked up to see he was closer to her than before, only a breath apart and the heat radiated from his bare skin heated her up. She was sure her face was burning red and there was nothing she could do at the moment.

  Axel looked transfixed at her beauty unable to avert his eyes. She wore a Dark red formal skirt, which hugged her round hip and a tight fitting blouse highlighting her round globes.

  She bit her lower lip unsure of her actions as he closed the distance between them further, his hand raising up caressing the faint blush that has formed in her cheek. Her body heated up further in that simple gesture, her response to his touch scaring her to no extent.

  Was he going to kiss her?

  Axel swallowed, he wanted nothing more than to close the distance and taste that plump lips of hers. Her intoxicating cologne drew him in. However, the uncertainty in her eyes stopped him. He never felt this way about a woman in a long time.

  Controlling his emotions he reached for her pearl stud, removing it from her ears. He took his time, allowing his touch to linger a bit longer than it required. His fingers traced the skin behind her ears, making her shiver and close her eyes.

  He couldn't kiss her. Not now.

  He took the new earring from the box and put it in her ears, securing the screw as he battled his need to kiss her. He repeated the same process on her other ear. "You look beautiful," he whispered, his breath fanning her cheeks.

  Samantha couldn't believe what she was hearing. He called her beautiful. She opened her eyes, his intense gaze seemed to bore down her soul and this time she couldn't avert her eyes. His gaze darkened as he released her hair from the band, she used to secure it in a ponytail.

  "I like it open," he whispered again, inhaling her scent that drove him insane.

  Axel felt confused by his actions. However, he knew that he had already overstepped the boundaries and there was no going back now. He thought about her the entire night before coming to a conclusion. He liked her. He finally believed that the life had presented him an opportunity to find love again.

  When he told his parents this morning, they encouraged him to go for it. He was not planning to get this close to her. He was thinking of several ways to talk to her and ask her out. However, when he saw her in her new attire, his control snapped and before he knew he was caressing her cheek.

  "I like you, Samantha," Axel revealed and watched as her eyes widening for a moment. "My past made me stay away from women. Hell, I couldn't even bear to stay within half a mile radius of any women, until you. You changed it for me. I found that I was comfortable with you."

  "When I beat that bastard for talking ill of you, I realized that you mattered to me. That, I cared for you. I know it was not right for me to approach you like this, but I couldn't help my actions towards you."

  "No, let me talk." He stopped her when she tried to speak. "I started having these indecent thoughts about you recently and I can't seem to control them. Yesterday, I didn't realize I was running my hands through your hair until it was late. Now, I can't seem to keep my hands off you."

  "Finally, after all these years I feel like I have a chance for happiness in my life. That, I may be able to find love again. I know I sound selfish, but would you consider my proposal? It's okay if you don't like me. I-I will stay away. I-I," Axel swallowed, unable to continue, his eyes radiated pain.

  Here goes her plan to act dumb. She thought he would keep playing this game for a while. Instead, he just stopped beating around the bush and confessed that he liked her. What was she supposed to tell him?

  She was really touched by his confession, but did she like him? She was just getting used to his other side. Nonetheless, he was different from the other men who had pursued her before. She knew him for over a year now and he was always honest with his opinions.

  Was it worth it? What’s wrong in giving it a try?

  The forlorn expression that was starting to form on his face froze her. Does he think she was going to reject him?

  Just then she remembered what her father said to her about his past. Though he looked so tough on the outside, he was so sensitive that he couldn’t handle the break up with his girlfriend. It took him several years to even think of a woman that way.

  "I like you too," she blurted out and when she realized what she said it was too late.

  Axel was grinning from ear to ear and backed off from her. "That's... that's great. I'll go change before I do something foolish."

  He was bouncing back to the stairs and Samantha couldn't believe what just happened. He said he liked her.

  A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, remembering what her parents said. She pulled her phone out and typed a message to her mother. Her mother's response came almost immediately.

  I am happy for you. Always keep your guards up.

  Samantha very well knew what that meant. Her mother didn't want her to lose her heart to him. Anyhow, she wanted to see if he was really worth it and she would take the chance.

  Chapter – 10

  Axel was once again back to his robotic-self at the office and Samantha was perfectly fine with that. After all, she was not someone who mixed personal and professional life. The distance was necessary at this point.

  Hell, she was definitely not okay with this. She almost pulled her hair at his change of demeanor. She did think about the future, what if they really liked each other and got closer? Will he act the same or will he act differently?

  Axel was really busy the entire day and
didn’t bother to have lunch. Though she felt bad, she let him be. He was just getting into another relationship and she decided to give him some space to work out things on his own.

  As the new General Manager of the company, she had an office space of her own, which was next to Axel’s and pretty comfortable. Samantha loved the view of the New York City through the huge windows. From here, she could watch the beautiful skyscrapers kissing the clouds.

  If one thing she loved about New York, it was always busy. It lived up to the famous quote, the city that never sleeps. The streets were always busy with people. At times, she could just pass the time by looking at them.

  She had finished her lunch and was admiring the view of the city when Axel entered her office with a knock.

  “Hi,” she greeted with a small smile which was purely professional.

  “Hey, I hope you liked your new office,” he smiled nervously, running a hand through his short hair.

  “Yes. It’s perfect, thank you.”

  “Um… I was wondering if you had a dress to wear tonight. It totally slipped my mind,” he said as he searched his wallet for his card. “Here, take this. Buy something you are comfortable with,” he offered.

  “Oh, no. That won’t be necessary. I have enough dresses to choose from.”

  “Oh… Are you sure, you don’t want a new one?” He asked doubtfully.

  “I’m sure.”

  “Okay then. When do you want me to pick you up?”

  “The party starts at eight p.m. I'll be ready by seven.”

  “All right then. You can leave a bit early today so that you will have enough time to get ready. Message me your address.”

  “Axel, it will be better if I come to your home and then we can go together for the party. My dresses are in my parent’s home and ah…” She bit her lip wondering how to tell him. If he came home, then her family would make sure to put him through their awful interrogation as they call it, to see if he was really the right man for her.

  “Oh, I totally get it.”

  Samantha felt alarmed when his expression fell. “No, I didn’t mean it that way. My family is a bit protective of me, and they kind of know about you. I don’t want to put you through their drilling session this early,” she quickly explained.