Perfect Revenge (Revenge Series Book 1)

by Catherine Edward

  “How am I being the general manager going to grow his business?”

  “Sam, you don’t realize your talent, honey. When you joined Axel’s company he was struggling to get into the list of top thousand companies in the market. How do you think he got all those new deals in just one year?” Eric questioned.

  “Dad?”

  “Guilty,” Eric chuckled. “We barely sent a few small deals your way. The rest started coming in when your company met their demand on time. Everyone appreciates that Finlayson Corp never compromises with their product quality and with Axel’s hard work, he did not only get into the top thousand list but also climbing the charts real fast.”

  “You know, he didn’t have to do that,” Samantha spoke softly.

  “It’s nothing, Sam. You know, how dad likes to help small businesses. He does that all the time and the financials of the Finlayson Corp was pretty impressive. Axel earned it,” Eric shrugged as if it didn’t matter.

  Samantha chewed her lower lip. Their girls' night was turning into something serious and she didn’t know what to make of the new information.

  Samantha sighed in defeat. “All right. Can we go back to what we were doing earlier? This is getting too serious for my liking.”

  “Yeah… but one quick question. Does Axel know who you are?” Amelia piped in.

  “I think he does, or considering that he didn’t know my last name until this Friday. I don’t think he has figured it out yet and I didn’t see how my status as a Sinclair was important in our relationship,” Samantha shook her head.

  “What do you think he will do when he finds out?” Sasha asked with a huge grin.

  “As I said, I don’t think my status is relevant. He said he liked me and wanted to give it a chance. We’re taking it slow and it's really too early to say anything else."

  “Girl, you know each other for a year and you say it’s too early?” Amelia exclaimed.

  “Well, I know him as my boss, not as a boyfriend,” Samantha reasoned.

  “Understandable. Is he a good kisser?”

  “Ami!,” Samantha whined. “Can we please stop this and go back to our usual night? There are kids in this room,” Samantha begged.

  “We are not kids!” Sasha and Ryan huffed in unison and the others chose to ignore their protests with a chuckle.

  “Okay, now take that pout off your face. You look ridiculous,” Amelia grumbled.

  “What? I look as cute as a panda.”

  “Only for Eric.”

  “Eric!”

  “Hey, my sister does look as cute as a panda,” Eric supported.

  “He’s calling you fat,” Ryan quipped.

  “No, he’s not. Eric, are you calling me fat again?”

  “No, absolutely not. Mom will burn my ass if I did that,” Eric reasoned and Samantha believed him.

  “Liar!” Ryan called.

  “Shut up, Skinny,” the group said in unison as Sasha threw a pillow at Ryan.

  “No, you didn’t,” Ryan smiled wickedly before picking up two pillows for himself. And that was how they started their epic pillow fight that would ruin their room.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Axel once again lay on the comfortable bed in the guest room assigned to him. His mind wandering back to the times he spent with Samantha. He missed her so much and they had a lot to talk about.

  When Andrea asked more about his new girlfriend he didn’t have any answers to many of her questions. In the end, his cousin gave him a stern look, saying he should be ashamed for not knowing anything about his girlfriend.

  He decided that from now on, he was going to spend more time with Samantha. He really wanted to speak to Samantha, but looking at the time he decided against it and just left her a Goodnight message. She had work tomorrow and she needed her rest.

  He hoped that she was able to handle everything alone. He felt bad for leaving her to her own devices. Maybe he should’ve hired someone to aid her in his absence. However, Samantha has assured him that she will take care of everything in the office and asked him not to worry.

  That night again, he went to sleep with a huge smile on his lips.

  Chapter – 15

  Alicia arched her back and clutched the sheets as an exquisite pleasure shot through her core.

  "Mhmm… Faster... Oh, Brody… Yes!" She moaned louder.

  Her new boy toy was better than she initially thought. He brought her over the edge twice already with his sinful mouth. She let go with a scream for the third time when she couldn't hold anymore.

  "You did well than I thought," she smirked and got up from the bed, straightening her clothes.

  "Are you sure you don't want more," he asked suggestively as he stroked his hardness.

  "Not today, Brody. Alexander and I are going out for dinner," she muttered as she zipped her dress and corrected her make up.

  "Call me," he winked as she closed the door behind her.

  Her heels clicked on the marble as a permanent smirk danced across her lips. She pulled her Porsche from the driveway and steered it towards the road. She loved her new car and the smell of leather was heaven. She bought it last week after moving in with Alexander, and the media did the rest of the work for her, claiming that Alexander bought an expensive car for his girlfriend.

  Turning to a random radio station, she bobbed her head and sang out loud along with the song. She didn’t care if she sounded like a monkey. Alicia grinned and waved when she noticed a few paparazzi clicking her stills as she stopped at the signal.

  This is life.

  Money... Too much for your own good, popularity, and lots of sex.

  Nothing could compensate what she had. Her manicured nails tapped on the steering wheel as the signal turned green. She stepped on the gas and whizzed past several cars. Alicia scanned the road lazily as she tuned the device to a different station.

  Alexander lived in West Village, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Manhattan. There were a group of reporters in front of Alexander's mansion. She ignored them and drove past the gates, the grand mansion always took her breath away.

  Alicia stopped the car in the driveway and didn't bother to lock the door behind her as she tossed the keys to the servant who opened the door for her. Her hips swayed seductively as she went in search of Alexander.

  The elegant white and gray marble were spotless, expensive oil paintings decorated the walls, and the faint aroma of some floral room freshener still lingered in the air.

  Alicia scrunched her nose in disgust when she found him in the gym. He had a killer body and he was definitely an eye candy, but gosh... He was sweating profusely, yuck.

  "Alex! Baby, I missed you," she crooned as she lunged at him and placed a wet kiss on his lips.

  "You just saw me this morning," Xander commented with a raise of his eyebrow as he released her and went back to his routine.

  Alicia chewed her lips as she shamelessly ogled his sculpted body. "Alex, why do I get the feeling that you are not into me? Do you not like me?"

  He met her gaze as if contemplating her question. "I like you, Alicia."

  Alicia wasn't satisfied with his answer. He was playing hard to get and it irritated her. Most men would kiss the ground she walked on merely after the second date and here he was, completely unfazed by her beauty. Was there any other woman in his life?

  "I'm sorry, I forced you to pose as my fiancée. But, I really like you and we have a good chemistry. Can't we make this real?"

  "Alicia, we don't even know each other that well. But, I'm willing to give us a try." Alexander gave her that dashing smile that always made her panties wet. But, all that sweat was throwing her off.

  Alicia willed her lips to form a seductive smile. "All right, I am going to go and get ready for the evening," she announced.

  "Sure," Alexander replied in a dismissive tone, that shot her down.

  Alicia turned abruptly and walked gingerly towards her room. She sniffed her dress, cursing silently. Why does she have t
o pretend as if she liked hugging him when he was all sweaty. His response wasn't what she expected and it didn't sit well with her.

  She stripped and got in the shower as quickly as possible. Alexander wasn’t like the other men, and he was the first man she initiated a relationship with. It was like she literally threw herself at him and yet he didn’t fall for her charms.

  It took a lot of convincing and persuading to make him act like her fiancée before her father. She could tell that he wasn’t pleased. She’d leaked the news to the press and Alexander maintained his silence on the matter. She’d bought a ring for herself and told him that her father wouldn’t believe if she didn’t have a ring.

  Her mind wandered to Alexander as she took her time lathering the soap on her body. He was not fit for Hollywood. Alexander was an old school, and she wondered how he went on to become a star. The guy wouldn't even kiss her until their fourth date and it took several weeks to get him to use the tongue while kissing.

  Fool! His place as an A-lister, the fame and the money that came with it was the only reason she chose him.

  Then the call from Seemus changed the game for her. It forced her to pursue a relationship with Xander, even though he wasn’t an active participant. If she didn’t play her cards right, she would lose any chance she had for inheriting her grandfather’s fortune, considering that Seemus wasn’t even her biological father.

  Though Alexander was smitten with her, he wasn’t ready to move further and she knew she needed to take their relationship to the next level. She had moved in when he was away on a shoot and when he came home to see her, he wasn’t pleased.

  He told her that he liked her, but she was moving too fast for his liking. She’d told him that she did it to make her father believe and she would stay away from him until he was ready. Her anger at Xander grew as he resisted her every attempt to seduce him.

  The last time she’d planned a dinner, he’d called and informed that he was going away. Now that he was back, she wanted to use this situation to her advantage. Tonight, after the dinner, she would seduce him and there won’t be any going back for him.

  She would make this engagement true and after the marriage, she would conveniently ask for a divorce and will part with a huge alimony. She couldn’t fathom being tied up to a single man for the rest of her life. Her body shuddered at the thought.

  One hour later, she was ready for their high-profile dinner date. She took extra care in makeup as there would be many reporters and she had to look good. How would they know about Alexander's secret date you may ask. Well, she may or may not have leaked the information.

  Alicia smirked as she pouted her dark red lips in the mirror, I am the best. Noticing the time, she realized that she was early and decided to wait for Alex. She played with her mobile as she sat comfortably on a love seat, her mind mulling about the life she could have because of Alexander.

  He was a good kisser, which had her wondering how good he was in the bed. Maybe she would stay longer if he managed to blow her brains in bed. She tapped her slim fingers thoughtfully as she browsed through the gossip column, looking for any news about her and Alexander.

  Her fingers stopped when her eyes glued to the page which read, Millionaire in love.

  The magazine had posted a photo of Axel kissing a girl. He was smiling at something the girl said and his smile looked so natural, carefree. It was like seeing the teenage Axel once again. Alicia read the article which portrayed the girl as a social climber though she didn’t look like one.

  She was beautiful indeed, had a good dressing sense and her eyes zeroed in on the girl’s shoes. Alicia was curious to know more about the girl.

  Jimmy Choo?

  The girl looked so ordinary, but there were things that stood out. Her shoes, clothes, her watch. Who is she? Alicia knew that Axel was now a millionaire and he never dated anyone after their break up. She looked at the girl once again, she looked like a middle-class girl, but her attire said otherwise.

  There was no way Axel would have bought her all these. Alicia tapped her feet anxiously as she searched the net for the girl’s details and groaned in frustration as she came up with zero. She was not on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or any other social media, not even on LinkedIn. The news said that she worked for Axel.

  She was distracted when Alexander came knocking at her door, with a frustrated sigh Alicia got up and walked to the door for their dinner.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  "Dani!"

  Samantha almost immediately woke up from her deep slumber if she was not while she answered the phone when the brunette's excited voice pierced her eardrums in the middle of the night. She also almost fell out of the bed in the process.

  "Not again, Andy," she groaned.

  "Wake up you, panda ass."

  "The sun is not even up Andy. It's freaking two in the morning."

  "Oops..."

  Samantha rolled her eyes behind her closed eyelids at her best friend's antics. Most of the time her friend conveniently forgot the time difference between their countries.

  "How is your handsome fiancée?"

  "Oh, he is fine. Nervous around our family, you know how they are. Now that my cousin's family from the USA is visiting us and we thought this would be the perfect time to host our engagement party."

  "What? Did you just say engagement party?"

  "Yep..."

  "Stop popping the 'p'. And you are informing this to me now? I should have known about this earlier."

  "We just decided, Dani. Besides, I scheduled it on a Saturday, so you could attend."

  "Saturday? This Saturday?"

  "Yep..."

  "Andy!"

  "Oh, shut it, Dani. Just get your fat ass into that jet of your dad, I'll be there to pick you up from the airport."

  "I don't even have a dress," Samantha whined.

  "Huh... The Sinclair heiress doesn't have a dress for my engagement? Puh-lease... I am not asking you, Dani. You are my maid of honor and you should be here."

  Samantha sighed as a warm smile crept on her soft lips. "I wouldn't miss it for anything else in the world, Andy. I'll see you on Saturday with the dress I promised."

  She shook her head as her friend squealed in happiness. Samantha relaxed on the bed once again and willed the sleep to claim her once again. She had an entire week to worry about her itinerary and she would have to tell Axel about her trip to Spain, maybe they could meet up and travel back together.

  Chapter – 16

  Axel internally groaned as Andrea talked about her best friend Dani for the umpteenth time. Sebastián, her fiancée rolled his eyes and chuckled silently as he caught Axel's eyes. Sebastián worked at his grandfather’s company and eventually met Andrea when she started working for grandfather Rodriguez eight months ago.

  Sebastián was twenty-eight-years-old with a calm and gentle personality, unlike his cousin who was the extreme opposite of calm. His lovely cousin liked to talk and now she talked his ears off. He had four cousins from his mother’s siblings, all girls. With him being the only brotherly figure, they all looked up to him and he too acted like a protective brother.

  His mom Sara was the eldest followed by his Aunt’s Juana and Gabriela. Andrea and Luciana were Aunt Juana’s daughters. Aunt Gabriela had two teenage daughters Marina and Silvia.

  Axel concentrated on his cousin’s rant. Andrea met her American friend Dani when she went to the university in New York. Axel never met her friend, but they were like conjoined twins.

  "She pushed our engagement party to Saturday, just because she wanted Dani to attend," Sebastián explained.

  "Yeah, she works for the world's number one grumpiest boss and can't afford to travel on the other days," Andrea said with a roll of her eyes.

  "So, she is coming all the way to Spain just to attend your engagement party?" Axel asked in surprise.

  "Duh! And she is my maid of honor."

  "Okay."

  Axel gave a puzzled look as Andrea whispered som
ething to Sebastián and he looked at Axel uncomfortable look.

  "Ask him now," she whispered again to Sebastián.

  "Ask me what?"

  "Ah...it's-" Sebastián stammered.

  "Axel, you know that Sebastián doesn't have anyone else to call family except us. He is not good at making friends either. So, we were wondering if you would be his best man," Andrea blurted out and Sebastián shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

  Axel smiled warmly as he responded, "Of course, I would be honored to."

  "Thank you," Sebastián replied and looked relieved.

  "See, I told you he would be happy," Andrea smiled.

  "Yes, you did," Sebastián said pecking her lips.

  "Axel, I need a favor. Dani will be arriving here on Saturday morning and I want you to drive me to the airport. Sebastián has a meeting in the morning. So, he will be joining us directly at the party."

  "Sure."

  Axel sipped his iced tea once Andrea and her fiancée left. His mind wandered back to Samantha. After she started working for him, this was the first time they were staying apart and surprisingly, he missed her more than he thought he would be. She became his first thought when he woke up and the last when he went to bed.

  His mobile beeped, indicating an incoming message.

  "Hey, how's the trip?"

  Axel smiled, looking at Samantha's text. A feeling of warmth spread through his chest just on seeing her name on his mobile display.

  "It's good. Just chilling out, sipping the ice tea. What about you? How was your day?"

  "Good. Tried to have a girl’s night this Sunday. It was going well until the boys decided to crash and turn it into something much more."

  "I am just realizing that I knew nothing about your family. Tell me about them."

  "At least you asked now. Well, I have two brothers and a sister. My elder brother Eric manages dad's business along with him, younger brother Ryan is in college, my younger sister Sasha will graduate from high school this year. Then there is my mom and my sister-in-law Amelia, they pretty much rule the house."