Dominic looked everywhere for Axel. Vanessa called him again and again but he was nowhere to be found. Dominic's phone rang and he immediately picked it up.

"Mr. King, sir Axel just entered through the gates."

Dominic sighed in relief. "I'll be there make sure he doesn't leave,"

Dominic, Charlotte, and Vanessa got into their car and he drove home carelessly. Upon reaching, Dominic stepped out, and without paying attention to anything he strode to Axel's room.

He took a deep breath and knocked. "Axel?" The door opened a little as it wasn't locked. "Axel?"

Axel sat on the ground, with his head hung low. Dominic assessed him before he sat down beside him.

"I really do love her, dad. I know that you think that I'm just a kid" he laughingly scoffed. "And I don't know what love is but I do..." He looked up, his eyes bloodshot burning with tears. "She's my soulmate"

"Axel..." Dominic breathed out.

Axel smiled a miserable smile. "Dad, she is amazing. If you tried to get to know her, you'll know." He explained slowly. "She is smart, creative, and kind, she's everything you want me to be. You will love her, please, give her a chance, please" He pleaded with tears shining in his eyes. "I don't know where she is right now, if I did I wouldn't be here. I'd be with her..." He shook his head. "I shouldn't have come back with you..."

Dominic's eyes fell on the picture resting on his lap. He picked it up and saw Chloe grinning at the camera with a certificate of some competition that she had won. He sighed, she was just a child, much like Axel and Charlotte. He was too tough on her. The rage that has built up inside of him when Axel ran away, he took that rage out on Chloe. Her only fault was she loved his son.

A feeling of dread crept up in his stomach. She was nowhere to be found. He left a child alone in the world to fend for herself. What if something bad had happened to her. How will he forgive himself then? How will Axel forgive him?

He gently placed the picture back on Axel's lap and stood up. He dusted his clothes and walked out of his room.

When Dominic left, Axel broke down completely. Dominic's silence meant one thing, he'd never let him see Chloe ever again.

If only he knew where she was...

Dominic called Gabriel. It has been two months since he has been trying to find Chloe but still, they had no clue as to where she was.

Gabriel picked up. "Gabriel, please tell me you have something on that girl, please"

"Sir, I do have some good news" came his voice.

"What is it?"

"We found her, sir. She is working in a small cafe as a waitress. She started working there a few days ago"

Dominic breathed out in relief. "Is she okay?"

"Yes, sir. She seems fine."

Dominic nodded. "Do not approach her right now. I'll come to California city in a few days. Just keep an eye on her till then, okay!"

"Yes, sir"

Dominic hung up and smiled. "Finally..."

Dominic went back to Axel's room and called Charlotte.

"Get up" He offered Axel a hand.

Axel sighed and took it. He stood up and hope glimmered in his eyes as he saw a smile on Dominic's face.

"What?" He asked

Charlotte entered the room and Dominic gestured for her to come closer. "Fine" he smiled

"Fine, what?" Axel asked

"You can date your Chloe and I think It's time to call the dean of Harvard for Chloe's last-minute acceptance"

"You're kidding," Axel said, stunned

"Oh my god!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"I'll still cover her tuition, don't worry about it," Dominic said. He didn't even know if Chloe graduated high school or not but he was willing to pull some more strings for the sake of Axel's happiness.

"No, it's too good to be true... You're serious, right?"

"Axel, I have always put you and Charlotte before anything else in my life. I have always wanted the best damn thing for you both. But I realized I can't change your feelings for someone. There are some decisions that you'll take for yourself without my help or advice and I'm okay with that as long as you both are happy" Dominic sighed. "I'm sorry, Axel for what I put you through... And if you want to be with Chloe then I won't interfere in your love life anymore."

Axel stepped forward and hugged Dominic. "Thank you, dad" he mumbled. "So, I can go meet Chloe now, right?"

"No, I'll go to California next week and I'll bring her here. What you're gonna do is wait here and do not do anything stupid"

"Next week? Why next week?"

"I have some important work to take care of before."

"But---"

"One week, Axel, one week" Dominic smiled and left the siblings alone. "Don't do anything stupid" he yelled as he walked out.

Axel couldn't wait for this week to end but the more he waited for the slower time seemed to get. He started to go out again, met up with his friends, did everything so, that this hellish week would pass by.

He also went drinking with Ace, where he told him that Ella never sent that text. It was Ace all along. He lost Ella and Chloe because of him. He felt nothing but guilt as he thought about what did to Ella, he wanted to apologize but Ella was out of the country. She went to Paris with her boyfriend, Hunter Grey. He was happy for her but he knew nothing will ever be the same for Ella and him. They used to be so close and now they were worse than strangers. And Ace, Axel wanted nothing to do with him. Ace ruined his whole life, a guy who has been his friend since the first day of kindergarten, the guy he considered his brother, he not only ruined his life but also lied to him and ruined Chloe and Ella's life as well.

The only thought that kept him happy and upbeat the whole week was that Chloe was coming back. He redecorated the guestroom just for her. He frantically paced back and forth waiting for Dominic to come out of his room.

The bedroom door opened and Dominic stepped out. He smiled as he saw Axel.

"Can I come with you?"

"No" Dominic shook his head. He didn't know under what conditions he'll find Chloe. He had lied so much to his son that it was impossible to keep with all the lies. He needed a high school diploma for her and also to promise her that she'll never tell Axel anything. He didn't even know if Chloe will agree to it.

"Okay, you're right. I should stay here and wait." He nodded his head. "Yeah, and I also need a plan. I need to tell her why I left without saying goodbye... I should prepare for that. Fuck, she'll get so angry, I need a story" he rambled mindlessly. "You have no idea, how scary she is when she's angry" he laughed

"You do that and I'm late for my flight"

"Call me when you land" Axel voiced from behind as Dominic walked out.

"Oh my god! You're crazy!" The woman yelled out.

"You call this crazy? This is crazy!" Saying that Dahlia spat in her food and on her face.

"Oh my god!" The woman wiped her face immediately.

"What the hell is happening here?" The manager came

"This waitress spat on me and my food because I told her that I found a hair in it" the woman explained

"She is lying, I saw her putting that hair on her plate." Dahlia shrieked

"Why would I do that?" The woman cried out

"I don't know, to get a free meal, you con artist."

"Mr. Dubois, I'm a regular here. Do you really think I'd stoop this low for a free meal?!"

The manager shook his head. "No, Mrs. James, the problem here is this waitress!" He snapped and glared at Dahlia.

Dahlia pursed her lips. "You think I'm a problem? She snapped and kicked right in the balls. "Fuck you!"

The manager dropped to his knees, holding his crotch. His face reddened with anger and pain. "CHLOE JONES! YOU ARE FIRED! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FUCKING RESTAURANT!" The grumpy old man yelled out.

"Fine! I don't need this shitty job anyway!" Dahlia took off her waitressing uniform right in the middle of the restaurant and threw it on the manager's face. She picked up a plate full of spaghetti that a customer had ordered and threw it on the manager's face as well.

All the customers stared at her with their eyes bugging out of their sockets as Dahlia walked to the employee's room half-naked. She frustratedly opened her locker and pulled out her clothes.

She wore her clothes and stepped out of the restaurant. She frustratedly adjusted her bag over her shoulder and muttered lowly in resentment.

"Stupid job! Stupid boss! Stupid Chloe jones! Ugh!"

It was late at night, Dahlia worked night shifts. It was difficult for her as she had never worked a day in her life before.

She walked into the dark alley as it was in the way of her apartment. Out of nowhere, a car came racing towards her. She didn’t have any time to react as the car slammed into her slim figure and she was thrown forward violently, her body slammed against the wall and banged into the ground. Her face felt warm and sticky as it was covered with blood and tears. She tried to open her eyes, everything was white, blurry, and indistinct.

She breathed out heavily and black boots came into her view. Someone crouched down beside her and slapped her face as hard as they could.

"You think you can steal from me and get away with it, you bitch!"

A painful cry escaped Dahlia as she saw her ex-husband's face. He gripped her shirt and tore it apart from the middle. Next, he took off her shorts, ripping apart her underwear, he opened her legs. A sharp pain filled her body and radiating through her foot as he moved her broken leg. She screamed but choked on her own blood that filled her throat.

He entered her without any lubrication or warning. No sound came out of her but the tears sliding down the sides of her face told the story of the pain she was going through.

He thrust into her in an animalistic manner. "You thought that you can get away from me?"

He kept pounding into her without caring what she was going through. Her whole body was drenched in blood. But he didn't care, the thirst for revenge took over every cell of his body.

"You think you can change your name and your hair and I'll never find you?" He asked, punched on her face. "This is what happens when you try to cross me!" Like a maniac, he kept punching her stomach, her chest.

After he was done with her, he stood up and buttoned his pants. He laughed and kicked in her face. He pulled out a gun and loaded it. "Any last words?" He asked mockingly.

"M--- Ma..." She breathed out lowly. Never in her entire life had she ever experienced such intense agony, crushing every nerve in her body.

He nastily chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll send your Ma to you soon" saying that, he shot her in the face six times.

He heard multiple footsteps approaching. Giving her naked body one last disgusted look, he ran from the scene.