bChapter /bb62 /b

Nivera closed her bedroom door beh

behind her and leaned heavily against it.

Her legs shook from pain. She had conveniently left out the fact that that hitch had kicked her, as there was no need to add that detail,

However, as she felt the sharp pain, the came to the conclusion that maybe death wasn’t too much of a punishment.

From the corner of her eyes, she finally noticed someone in her room, which was no one else but Alejandro, who was lying on her bed, one arm draped over a pillow, the other idly undoing his te

His bjacket /bwas tossed casually across the bed. A few shirt buttons were undone, exposing a distracting glimpse of his corbone and chest, and he looked ridiculously good.

Unreasonably good.

Dark hair tousled, sleeves rolled up just enough to hint at strong forearms. He was rxed, confident, and powerful

For a moment, bNivera’s /bbreath went missing. Her mind betrayed her with thoughts that were entirely unholy

caught herself thinking of what those as could do to her. Thoughts of that shirtpletely gone, with her under him

Even this messy, post function version of him was hot.

God really took his time in creating Alejandro because why did everything he did just make him look hot?

Her pulse jabbed in her ears as the dirty thoughts continued to pop into her mind what would it feel like to be with him this close…

bNat /b

Nivera jerked her gaze baway/b, bas /bit wasn’t helping her. Ridiculous, she chastised herself silently. She had more important things to do than stare at him Like some lovestruck lool.

She blinked and shook her head bas /bif that would knock the heat away. “What bare /byou doing here?” she asked, folding her arms tightly over her chest, trying to keep her face neutral.

If Alejandro knew the things that went through her mind, she would kill herself, as he’d never let her hear the end of it.

He sat up, slipping his hand through his loosened tieb, /band looked at her with that hall–smirk of hisb, /band she felt him take a litle piece with her

It would be a lie if she said she didn’t miss seeing him in her bed. bWait/b, no, that came out wrong.

“A little birdie told me someone spent hundreds of thousands from my ount today,” he stated, sounding amused, and she noticed there was no coldness in his voice.

Her mouth dropped open. Not because she was surprised–okay, maybe a little but because she hadpletely, utterly forgotten about it. Between the drive, the boutique bchaos/b, and Alejandro nursing her bruised check like he almost cared, it had slipped her mind.

“Oh wow, that’s…so sad,” she managed to say, biting her lip and looking innocently away.

“Did you lose your card? Why not go to the bank and make aint?” She remarked, ying along,

Her words bmade /bAlejandro chuckle softly. “We get back to that”

He then tossed something at her. She reflexively bcaught /bit, and when she saw what it bwas/bb, /bshe saw it was the tablet he bhad /btold her to use.

He nodded, pointing to the ss of water on her nightstand. “Use it before you forget,” he instructed. And she did.

When bshe /bset the ss down, he was already watching her, leaning forward. “Now we can continue.”

She swallowed, bracing herself “Okay.”

He tilted his head, the loose to sliding across his corbone. “I wanted to report the charges to the bank,” he started, meeting her eyes. remembered I gave somebody my card.”

“Hmmm. Is that so!” She continued to y along again, twirling a lock of hair,

“Yes, I gave ba /bparticr pawn.”

Before she could think of a wittyeback, there was a knock at the door. Alejandro’s gaze slid toward it, his voice calm andmanding “Come in

Two helpers entered the room, arms full of elegant shopping bags–luxurious, branded, shiny Nivera’s stomach dropped a little at the sheer bvolume/b,

She had really bought a lot of things. How the hell was she able to carry the bags round the mull?

“Put them down,” Alejandro said.

They obeyed, cing the bags gently on the floor near bthe /bbed before giving a small bow and slipping out of the room.

The moment the door clicked shut behind them, Alejandro leaned bback /bbagainst /bbthe /bheadboard and looked at her.

She wasn’t worried anymore, as she could tell she wasn’t in trouble. bShe /bhad really gotten better at reading Alejandropared to when she bfirst /bmet him.

Hmm, that seemed like ba /blong time ago, and they hade ba /blong way

“Well? What bare /byou waiting for?”

She blinked, “bWhat/bb?/b”

“I have to see what costs so much.” His tone was yful but edged with that steel beneath the surface. “After all, someone thought it would be fun to drop a chunk of change from my ount.”

Her arms bcrossed /bagain. “You make it sound like the person robbed byou/bb./bb” /b

“Cute,” he said wryly. “Someone spent the moneyb, /band thought I wouldn’t notice.”

“You don’t seem too affected, even though it was a lot of money!

He leaned back on the pillows, lounging like a cat. “They’d bhave /bto spend a whole lot more to move me. Trying to put a dent in my fortune by spending hundreds of thousands? What ba /bfool.”

She scoffed. “Obviously not. You’re a billionaire, remember?” she bsaid /bsarcastically.

“So you admit it was you.” Alejandro capitalized on bher /bslip–up, which made Nivers prin

“In my defence, I got things you would have chosen, and you know your choices are expensive,” she said defensively.

He sat up, eyes narrowing in mock judgment. “Well see if they’re more your style or mine.” He paused, gaze softening ever so slightly. “Now, what are you waiting for? Put them on.”

Nivera looked at her mountain of bags which had been brought to her room. “Are you…going to make me model all of them?”

He nodded in affirmation. “The sooner you do, the sooner you can start getting ready for the function,” he said with a shrug “Big night, remember

“bThey /bare a lot,” she pointed out

RU 46 Wedb, /b23 Jul

“know. Do you perhaps need help putting them on?” He raised an eyebrow? I have no problem helping”

He adjusted the pillows behind him the bhe /bwas settling in for a movie.

She squinted at him. “Don’t you have anything better to do? Like rest?

tam resting. Right now.” His smile turned reguish. “So get to bdressing/b”

She proaned. “You’re unbelievable.”

“And you’re wasting time. And it wouldn’t be nice if everyone saw that swelling on your cheek tonight,” he added with a smirk that made her want to throw a pillow at him. Or her shor

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Instead of, however, giving h

ing him an answer, she sighed and stepped toward the closet with the bags in her hands.

He smiled and leaned back against the headboard. “Don’t take too long, he called bas /bshe disappeared behind the door. “Because then have toe get you in whatever you’re in.b” /b

“You’re a jerk!” Nivera yelled as she understood the meaning behind his words

“Only for you, Cabezot

A momentter, the door clicked shut.

Alejandro’s grin faded almost instantly.

The warmth drained from his eyes, reced with a cold, calcting sharpness as he picked up his phone and opened his messages to send a message to his head of security.

“Two women caused trouble for Nivera at Mnda boutique. Find out the names of the women and their details”

His fingers bhovered /bfor ba /bsecond before he typed again.

*Also, confirm if Aria was present in any other ce other than the boutique prior to and after the incident. “Check the footage and timestamp prior to

everything

He hit send and tossed the phone beside him.

Contrary to what most people thought, Alejandro didn’t sleep baround/b. He never had the interest, not in the way rumours suggested. The image was cultivated–intentionally.

Letting people think ho was reckless with women kept the ones he didn’t want at arm’s length… or so he thought.

Unfortunately, women seemed to treat him like a challenge, as they wanted to be the ones to make him fall and settle down.

Idicts

But that meant any woman who touched Niwera that way today wasn’t linked to him,

Which meant…they were inly foolish.

And they were going to learn bjust /bhow costly that foolishness would be

His gaze darkened further bas /bbhis /bthoughts drifted to Aria

She hadn’t even tried to hide the fact that she was there, and worse still, she actually stood up for her daughter, something Nivera sald had happenedb. /b

She just happened to show up at a convenient time. He bwasn’t /bbuying it

20:46 Wed, 23 bJul /b

Alejandro’s jaw clenched as he hummed. What are you really, Aria, and what is your game n?

Her family had always annoyed him even before he met them, but like the others, they were not important, and so he didn’t pay any attention to the

From the initial report he had read on Aria, she appeared to be a scheming person.

She yed the part of the pampered rich girl with no bbrain /bwho married into wealth and became a force to be reckoned with

If she was ying a game, it wasn’t one Martin could uncover with a background check.

He would have to watch, Observe. Wait.

And then strike, and he would strike hard if her n involved tricking Nivera to go back to them.

A noise from the closet snapped him out of his thoughts.

the one ev

everyone!

bwone /bknew and admired. The mask that lied better than

He leaned his head back, face schooled into that smooth, charming mask again, the

words.

“Still balive /bin there?” Alejandro called, voice teasing

Behind the closet door, Nivera cursed under her breath as a hanger slipped and nearly smacked her in the face.

“Yes!” she yelled,

“Are you sure you don’t need me to help youb?/b”

“Go away,” Nivera replied, and heughed softly.

And as soon as the interaction was over, his gaze went back to being bsharp/b.

It had been some time bsince /bhe had caused havocb, /band he was itching to do so.

Thankfully, with the little chaos that happened with Nivera, he had just where to channel his anger to.

E