Axel came out of the building and breathed out deeply. He bent forward putting his hand on his knees. Tears dropped down to the ground as he tried to suppress the hurt, the tears.

"I hate you for making me this way, Chloe" he whispered to himself.

He pulled out his cellphone and dialed his father's number. He picked up after a single ring. "Axel?"

"Dad, where are you?" He asked

"I'm staying at a hotel" he answered

"It means you're still here?" Axel asked

Dominic smiled. "I told you I won't leave without my son"

"Tell me the name of the hotel and I'll be there"

"Send me your location and I'll send the driver"

"Okay..."

A few moments later, a car stopped before Axel. The driver stepped out and opened the door for Axel. "Mr. King" he smiled, seeing Axel after so many days.

"Richard, how are you?" Axel asked

"I'm well, sir" he gestured Axel to sit in.

Axel looked between the car and him. Now, all of this luxury and ease felt like a distant dream. He settled in and the driver closed the door. Axel mindlessly stared out of the window.

The car halted outside of the hotel. Axel walked in and saw his father's men already waiting for him. Axel nodded at them in acknowledgment.

"Follow us, sir"

Axel followed the guards and approached his father's suit. Dominic opened the door with a wide smile. He face-timed his daughter immediately.

"There he is, your brother" he grinned

Axel smiled looking at his sister after so many days. "Charlotte"

"Axel!" She cried. "How can you do this to me? How can you leave me like that? I hate you. I was so worried that something bad has happened to you. I blamed myself for being a horrible sister" she cried

Axel laughed. "Well, you are a horrible sister"

"Don't you dare pretend everything is fine between us because it's not! Don't pretend like you love me when you left your family for some girl!" She wiped her tears.

Axel sighed. "I'm sorry, charlie. I'm so sorry... If it makes you feel better I missed you the most."

Dominic interjected. "He's lying, he missed his father the most"

Someone snatched the phone out of charlotte's hand. "And he didn't miss me at all" Vanessa cried, wiping her tears with her long manicured nails.

"How can I not miss you?" Axel whispered

"You didn't... When you were young, you used to leave all the time whenever you were angry... And then you'd come back an hour later and you used to pretend you never left. But this time... You didn't come back, Axel. I waited by the door for days and you didn't come back. If I knew that you wouldn't come back... I never would've let you leave..." Vanessa mumbled, trying to keep her tears at bay.

"Well, this is the only time I ever sympathized with your mother" Dominic joked, trying to lighten his mood.

Axel looked down and sighed. "I made a huge mistake, didn't I?"

"Well, as you are my rebellious teenage son, I'll let it slide" he laughed

Axel talked to his sister and mother for an hour more before Dominic forcefully cut off the call.

"So, what brought you to your father in the middle of the night?" Dominic asked

"Chloe was pregnant..." Axel mumbled

"Excuse me?" Dominic's voice got an octave higher.

"Chloe was pregnant?" Axel said clearly this time.

"Was? You mean she isn't anymore..."

"I made her abort it... And she..." Tears rolled down his cheek. "And she doesn't love me anymore... She isn't the same..."

Dominic clenched his fists. A King coming from a lowlife girl made his blood boil. "What you did was right. You are just seventeen. You are in no way ready to become a father"

"That's what I said... But she doesn't understand and now she wants nothing to do with me... She was acting so weird, dad. She called me a murderer" he whispered the last part.

"Are you sure?" Dominic asked

Axel frowned. "About what?"

"That she wants nothing to do with you?"

"I don't know... Maybe when she'll cool down, everything will be fine---"

"No... This is good" Dominic said

Axel exhaled deeply. "Dad, I can't leave her..."

"Why? Why not?"

"I just can't!"

"You don't owe her anything!" Dominic sneered

"I owe her her life, I ruined everything for her..." Axel almost cried. "She was dead set on being something, she worked hard for everything. I came in her life and ruined it..."

Dominic thought for a while. "If I support her. If I make sure she completes her education and is set for life financially, would you come back?"

Axel's eyes lit up. "You would do that for me?"

"Yes... But on one condition"

"What?" Axel asked dreading his father's answer.

"If you promise me something..." Dominic made a smug face.

"What?" A helpless whisper.

"If I do this for her, you will leave her. It's either her career or you. I can only give her one thing, my son or my wealth." Dominic explained calmly.

"But dad... I--- I don't think I can live without her..." Axel sniffled.

"Yes, you can..." He smiled. "You can do everything you set your mind to"

"Not Chloe..." He shook his head.

"You challenged me. You left Richmonte and then you came here. You've never worked a single day in your life. Look at yourself now." Dominic explained proudly. "You worked for the people who didn't even deserve to sit near you. You rented out an apartment, you build a whole new life, you convinced that girl to get an abortion. You did all that, Axel. If you can do all that then you can forget about this girl too"

Axel looked down. "She has a name, dad"

"For me, she's just a girl. The girl who stole my son from me. She'll never have my respect"

To Axel's surprise, he didn't defend Chloe. It was the first time, he didn't defend Chloe in front of his father.

"Think about it, Axel. I promise you, I'll take care of her"

"I know her, she won't take your money... Ever"

"I'll figure out a way... I'll make up a scheme just for her and make her think that she won it. But you have to promise me that you'll never talk about that girl again."

"Dad..." He hesitated

"Axel, she will be fine... I promise. Don't you want to see her as a successful woman you believe she will be one day or do you want to stay here forever and be a miserable mechanic and a waitress together?"

"Of course, I want the best for her"

"Then you need to leave with me..."

Axel frowned. "How do you know that she's a waitress?"

"Uh... You told me"

"I did?"

"Yeah, this morning when we had lunch"

Axel nodded and tried to keep his tears in. "What happens now?"

"It depends on what you choose..." Dominic sighed. "And if you choose to stay then this will be last you'll ever see your father, mother, and sister. I would never bother you again"

"Dad..."

"I have made up my mind, Axel. You know your father better than anyone"

Axel stared up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. "You will take care of her?"

"Till the day, she has some stability in her life, yes I will support her anonymously."

"You promise? She wants to be a lawyer, dad"

"And a lawyer she will be, you have my word"

Axel stood up and paced back and forth a little. "Okay..."

A successful smirk graced Dominic's lips, it changed into a heartwarming smile when Axel glanced at him.

"Let me show the building where we live. You have to pay the rent every month in advance and for grocery and other bills, fuck everything"

Dominic stood up as well and placed both of his hands on Axel's shoulders. "And everything it will be. You just have to trust your father"

Axel nodded happily. "Let's go"

Axel took Dominic to the building where they lived, he stepped out and looked up. He eyed their apartment window for a few minutes. He realized it may be the last time he is this close to Chloe but it's for her own good. He ruined everything for her. She deserved a chance at happiness. She deserved to go to a good college. She deserves the world and after what he did to her, she won't ever love him like before.

Tears made their way to his eyes again but he smiled. Chloe will be a very successful lawyer one day and she gonna get married and have a child and she will live happily with her husband but it won't be Axel.

It won't be Axel.

"Axel" Dominic's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Axel glanced at his father with tear-filled eyes. "Can I at least say goodbye?"

Dominic shook his head. "That will ruin everything. She deserves a chance at a better life"

"She needs to hear it from me or she will hate me forever" He reasoned in a broken voice

"You said so yourself that she won't accept my money. Do you think telling her is a good idea?"

Axel meekly shook his head. "No..."

"I know this is hard but I need my son too. I told you not to fall in love, didn't I? It hurts like a bitch"

Axel's phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out to see Chloe's name flashing on it. His heartbeat accelerated and he almost picked it up when Dominic snatched it out of his hands.

"No more of her. It's done! I will keep my end of the bargain until you keep yours. The day I find out that you contacted this girl, I will ruin her, Axel" Dominic's tone was icy, almost bone-chilling. He threw Axel's phone in the trashcan outside of the building.

Axel blinked away his tears. "I need proof" he mumbled

Dominic sighed annoyedly. He pulled out his cellphone and called his assistant. "Gabriel, I want you to step up an account under our company's name for charity. Every month I want you to transfer ten thousand dollars into it and also make up a California-based high school scholarship anonymously for a certain Chloe Jones" saying that he hung up and faced Axel. "Have I ever broken a promise I made to you?"

Axel shook his head. He stepped forward and engulfed his father in a hug. "Thank you, dad" he mumbled in his chest.

Axel vowed to his father he'd never say her name ever again. They left for Richmonte the same night. Axel was trying his best to forget about the last two months of his life. They reached Richmonte, the next morning.

Smiling widely, Dominic walked into his mansion. "Charlotte, my love, look who I just brought home" he called his daughter.

Charlotte ran out of her room and jumped into Axel's arms. After hearing the commotion outside, Vanessa also came and wrapped her arms around both of her children.

Dominic watched the scene with a sincere smile on his face. His phone ringed and he saw his secretary calling him.

"Yes, Gabriel?" He asked

"Sir, I called you because I needed Chloe Jones personal information"

Dominic smiled with satisfaction. "Fuck that bitch" he mumbled into his phone and hung up. He walked over to his family and joined them.