Perfect Revenge
By Catherine Edward
Perfect Revenge © 2017 by Catherine Edward. All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Cover image from Pixabay.com
Cover design by Catherine Edward
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Catherine Edward
Visit my profile at Wattpad.com - @Catherine_Edward
Catherine Edward is a lawyer turned author, wife, based in South India. Since early childhood, she dreamt of writing stories, but put her dream on hold to focus on her family and her career. She started writing on Wattpad when she finally plucked up courage to pen her imagination. The encouragement and motivation she received from her family, friends and readers led her to publish her work.
Catherine Edward is currently working on Shadow Crawlers series, a Mystery/Thriller with a supernatural twist and several Werewolf/Vampire cross-genre romance.
In the loving memory of my father Mr. Edward. He loved to read and introduced me to books. Love you, Dad!
To my husband and my mom, who always supports me in everything I did. They never complained about my late nights typing away, or thought I am wasting my time. When I told them I was going to write, they encourage me to go for it and finally, after sixteen years, I am following my passion. I wrote my first book in the year 2000, which I never completed.
I started writing again in December 2016 and have come a long way since then. This is also to all my kind readers on Wattpad, who encouraged and supported me every day. I’d also like to thank my wonderful friends and authors Brett Hicks, Daniel McNeill, Viorra Thompson, Mama Maggie, Rachelle & everyone at #InternationalWildflowerPack for motivating and inspiring me in a lot of ways.
DESCRIPTION
Ruthless, arrogant, and a cold-hearted monster he is called by many, but in reality, Axel Joaquin Finlayson is a broken-hearted soul. Falling in love for the wrong girl has left him broken and destroyed. Everything he ever cared for has gone in a flash. He believes there is nothing in this world that can mend his heart and has lost all belief in love and marriage.
Alicia McKenna is a beautiful and self-centered temptress. All she cares about in life is money and the power that comes with it. She is like a butterfly that hops from one flower to the next, sucking them dry until there is nothing left. Butterflies are beautiful creatures created by nature to help pollination, instead, Alicia destroys the men she is with and leaves empty shells behind.
Samantha Danica Sinclair is an ambitious twenty-three-year-old. She works hard towards her goal in becoming an independent woman with a good career. There is no place in her mind for love or lust, at least not until she achieves her goal. She has never let anything get in her way of doing the best and becoming the best- and she won't allow anything to change that.
What happens when an innocent Samantha is caught in the crossfire between two ex-lovers? Will she walk away unscathed or will the life she is creating for herself fall apart? Axel is like a predator waiting for the right moment to strike his prey. If Alicia thinks she is safe, then she is wrong. For he is coming for her... and there is no escaping him.
Prologue
Her laughter got louder along with the waves that crashed into the pier as Axel stood there with bloodshot eyes, filled with desperation. The laughter he once admired will now forever haunt his dreams.
“Alicia, please don’t do this. I have done nothing but love you with my whole heart,” he begged for what seemed like an umpteenth time.
He was over the moon and stars when she gave him the good news. He was going to be a father, his own blood, and flesh growing inside her. But, what followed had crushed his heart like no other.
“I already did, Axel. It’s over!”
Axel’s knees weakened and he fell on the wooden floor, unable to withstand the horror of her words that was unsettling his nerves.
“I just thought you should know before we parted our ways.”
Her voice or face held no remorse as she talked about their child as if it wasn’t a living being at all.
“Alicia! That’s our child, you are talking about!” Axel hissed when he finally found his voice. His heart constricted as the realization that he lost his child settled down – a child he would never see, a child he would never get to hold.
“Child! I hate this thing, Axel. I hate you for doing this to me. How dare you? I told you over and over that I hated children.”
“And, I didn’t do it on purpose. It must have been an accident, but you can’t kill an innocent child just because you don’t like him,” he argued as he got up to his feet once again.
Even now she looked beautiful and serene with the evening rays of the setting sun casting a golden glow on her flawless skin. Her shiny golden blonde hair cascaded around her heart-shaped face with a few tendrils dancing with the soft rhythm of the evening breeze.
If it was some other time, he would have considered this a romantic evening and made sweet love to her under the sky. This was the worst day of his life. Alicia served the news of her pregnancy and abortion to him on the same plate.
“Let me get this straight one last time, Axel. You better listen carefully if you don’t want to lose anything else. I have met someone and I don’t want this child to spoil that for me.”
“What?” His voice was barely audible as he took a few staggering steps backward. He couldn’t believe his ears. Axel felt someone squeezed his heart with their strong fist.
What does she mean by she met someone?
Was she cheating on me all this time?
“How can you do this to me, to us?” He asked, unable to believe what he just heard. At first, he’d thought that she killed the child because she didn’t want to become a mother, but this was too much to take in.
How can a woman be so emotionless and horrible?
How can a mother do that to her own child?
The corner of her lips curled upwards as she narrowed her green slits at him.
“We were never an item, Axel. You were nothing more than a fling. If it was not for that stupid bet, I wouldn’t have even looked at you twice. But, I must agree – you were convenient, you did all my projects, all my chores, and as for the sex I won’t say it was bad, but it wasn’t good either, you may want to hone your skills in bed if you want to keep a lover.”
The mockery in her voice cut him deep, and his shoulders hunched just at the thought of even being close to her that way.
"Oh, and you are sloppy kisser, do you know that? I have seen bigger Dicks than yours,” she added, her eyes held no remorse as she continued to utter more words that dug deeper than he thought. He’d come to think of her as his one and only ever since she first kissed him.
“You said you loved me?” He whispered, his heart beating rapidly, blood rushed to his head as his hands shook. She told him that every time they made love or was it love at all.
“Several people say things when they have sex. Who wouldn’t when you use your tongue on a girl like that? I got to give that to you Axel. I never had a boyfriend who could lick me like that.”
Disgusting.
That was how he felt. What he thought was an act of intimate love was nothing more than an experience for her. Hi
s breath heaved as he tried to suppress nausea that was threatening to empty his guts in front of her. A huge lump formed in his throat, making it harder to swallow.
Hot tears rolled down his cheek, making him vulnerable to her as she continued to stab his heart with her venomous words. It struck deeper than any sharp knife would have.
“You have to understand this Axel. Get this through your thick skull that you are not a boyfriend material. I mean, look at you. You are skinny, tall and lanky. You have nothing that attracts a woman, and you are fortunate that I even continued to keep you after I won the bet.”
“What bet?”
She had mentioned it twice already, and he had no idea about it. At this point, he could only blame himself for being so blind about her love. His parents and friends tried to warn him. He’d even stopped talking to his friends just because they claimed that she cheated on him with a football jock.
“Well, you know my girls said that I wouldn’t be able to play you like I did with the other boys. They claimed that you were different. But, you were so easy to manipulate. I had you in less than a week, thereby winning the bet.”
Was that all he meant for her?
A fucking bet.
“Look, you don’t have money, and your poor reason of a father works as a janitor in our school. As for André, his father is a millionaire. He is the quarterback and has a bright future. It would be wise for you to keep your mouth shut and forget that this incident ever happened. You don’t want your father to lose his job now, do you?”
The threat was real, he knew her enough to know that from her facial expression. She wouldn’t hesitate to follow through her threat. After all, her father was the principal of their school. His parents had suffered enough over the years, and losing a job would make them homeless.
“I want an answer, Axel. Keep mum or face the consequences!” Her harsh tone threatened again.
Axel met her gaze one last time with so much difficulty. His blue eyes searched to find even a hint of emotion somewhere in those green depths that reminded him of sea moss. When he saw none, he turned around unable to hold her gaze any longer. His resolve shattered as realization dawned on him. The love of his life never loved him back and he’d lost his child.
“I will keep quiet,” he said without facing her. He couldn’t and didn’t want to look at her mocking green eyes that he once captivated his heart to see the disgust in there.
“We’re good then.”
No! We will never be good.
Her heels clicked away on the wooden pier, each click feeling as if she dug it deep into his heart. That was what she did, she took his heart stepped over it, crushed it and gave it back to him.
He was a stupid to even think that a diva like her would even look at him like that. His friends tried to warn him about her when they started seeing each other. He shrugged it off thinking they were jealous. He even ignored to his friends when she told him that she did not like them, and they were not good enough for him.
Six months. That was the time he spent with her, and she’d ruined everything that was there about him. She took away his love, his child, and his friends. She was his first and though at that time he knew she was not a virgin he didn’t bother.
Gone was the happy-go-lucky guy, who wouldn’t stop smiling and cracking jokes. The one who remained was only a shell which felt disgusted to even touch her. Before he knew what he was doing his legs carried him further, his body plummeting into the dark water, and he didn’t struggle as the salt water filled his lungs.
Chapter - 1
Ten years later…
"Your two p.m. appointment is here, sir."
"I will be there in two minutes," Axel replied without taking his eyes of the report he was going through.
"Samantha!"
"Yes, Mr. Finlayson.
“Keep my coffee ready after the meeting," he ordered, getting up from his chair and locking his computer before pulling the blazer and buttoning it.
"Sure," she replied, opening the door for him to exit before following him to the conference room with the required files.
"Hello Axel, it’s good to see you again," Jenson, his partner greeted him with a wide grin that reached his eyes. Jenson was a man in his late fifties with a bald head and a brown beard. He was also his business partner for past eight years and a trustworthy companion. His company offered a lot of profitable deals and he was too valuable to let go.
"It's good to see you too, Jenson," Axel reciprocated his grin and extended his hand. The two men shared a one-armed hugged before taking their seats.
Samantha set the files next to him and left the room with a nod towards Jenson.
"Hmm... You still have the girl, I see."
"She is talented and a hard worker," Axel smiled at the thought of his secretary. She was the best at what she did even though she was a fresher when she joined his company. She was very efficient and made his professional life easier.
He was now training her with a motive to assign more of his works to her in the future. She had a master's degree in business administration and a strategic mind. He didn't think that he would find any other suitable candidate for the post.
That also meant that he trusted her. The only female he trusted apart from his parents and a few others he let in. She doesn't have to know that, but she earned it through her hard work.
"And the only one that made it to one year. She must have a lot of patience if she is putting up with you," Jenson commented again bringing Axel out of his thoughts.
Axel chuckled darkly, "Enough about me Jenson. Why don't we talk about business?"
"There he goes again, always about this boring charts and graphs," Jenson grumbled under his breath before turning back to the screen where he had his presentation ready.
Though Axel did not like Jenson's comment about Samantha he let it slide and concentrated on the screen for the next one hour. It was always the same, new business ideas, new plans, market demographics etcetera.
Once the meeting was over he returned to his office knowing Samantha would follow him with his usual coffee. The door opened with a slight knock, and the calming aroma of coffee teased his nostrils first.
Samantha was in her usual work slacks with a full sleeved button down shirt, leaving everything about her skin side to the imagination. The small smile she always sported was absent with a worry-filled crease now occupying her forehead, making him wonder what was bothering her.
"Do you need anything else, sir?"
"No." She’d always addressed him as Mr. Finlayson or sir and he never bothered to correct her. He didn't want to, it was best this way and she would know her boundaries or so he thought. A sudden thought had him, wonder how it would feel to have her call him by his first name.
She shifted uncomfortably on her legs, making him look at her with a raised eyebrow. Few tendrils of her chocolate-brown hair had escaped from the neat bun, framing her round cheeks.
"You haven't had anything to eat since the morning," she stated softly.
Axel bit back the cruel retort that was ready to escape his lips. She was nothing but professional he reminded himself. Then, he looked at her eyes and forgot he ever wanted to snap at her. Her innocent honey brown eyes held his cold blue ones as she held her hands together in front of her nervously.
"Get me something light," he sighed, watching a small smile stretching across her lips as she nodded eagerly before strutting out of his office. He shook his head, shaking away the small sense of relief he felt.
He leaned back comfortably in his chair, taking a moment to relax the sore muscles in his neck. Jenson's words kept playing in his mind. None of his secretaries before Samantha made it past the six months’ probation period.
They always tried to impress him in one way or the other, some left unable to put up with his arrogant behavior. However, Samantha was different. She never dressed to impress him, she worked hard, and a shy smile with a thank you was all he got when he rarely apprecia
ted her for her good work.
The door opened again with a small knock. Samantha walked in with a plate filled with two homemade sandwiches and chips in one hand, and a freshly squeezed orange juice in another.
Placing the plate and juice carefully at his table, she looked at him expectantly before he got the hint and took a bite from his sandwich. The delicious flavor of Turkey, cheese, and mustard exploded on his taste buds, just the way he liked it, no mayonnaise or tomatoes. He hated tomatoes on his sandwich.
His stomach rumbled hungrily as he took quick bites of his sandwich finishing it in a few hungry bites, and washed it down with the cold orange juice which tasted like heaven. He didn't even realize how famished he was before he started eating.
Samantha was still waiting for him patiently, and her eyes twinkled when he emptied the contents of the plate. Taking the empty plate, and cup with a broad smile she left without another word, leaving him to his devices.
Axel felt refreshed after the small lunch. He smiled internally before resuming to work, occasionally sipping the cold coffee that tasted bitter.
Samantha knocked at his door around five p.m. again, "I finished all my reports for the day. Is there anything you want me to do today?"
"No. That's all, just email the reports before you leave."
"Do you want another coffee?" asked Samantha, eying the empty cup that sat beside him.
"No, I'm calling it a day."
"Okay," she replied, taking the empty cup before turning to leave.
Axel rubbed the back of his neck as the pain burned through his spine starting from his neck and ending in his tailbone. His doctor advised not to sit straight for hours, and taught him some mild exercises to do while he was in office, but the list of tasks he had to do in a day was making it harder for him to breathe, let alone get up from his seat.
Perfect Revenge (Revenge Series Book 1) Page 1