<b>Chapter </b>36
“Hmm,” Nevera mumbled sheepishly as she snuggled into her
her soft pillow
Wait, her thoughts came alive after some time had passed. She was sure she hadn’t slept on a bed, so where was….
Nivwole with a jolt.
However, warmth enveloped her, a solid weight pinning her against the bed, preventing her <b>from </b>sitting <b>up </b>
It took <b>a </b>second for her foggy mind to realize she wasn’t alone.
She had fallen asleep in Alejandro’s room, which meant….
A slow, suffocating awareness crept over her as she tilted her head slightly and
There he was. Alejandro
His arm <b>was </b>draped possessively around her waist, his breathing deep and steady against the nape of her neck. She stiffened instantly, heart hammering against her ribs.
How had she gotten here?
She remembered sitting on the floor… refusing to look <b>at </b>him… the exhaustion. the bone–deep ache that had lulled her to sleep despite the fact that she was on the floor.
So how had she ended up in his bed and in his arms?
Her cheeks burned <b>as </b>she couldn’t believe she had slept in his arms.
Moving with painstaking <b>care</b>, she slid from under his hold and inched her body toward the edge of the bed, wincing when the sheets rustled softly
Thankfully, he didn’t wake up.
Slowly, she swung one leg over the side, then the other, the coldness of the marble floor a sharp shock against her bare feet.
She was almost there. All the needed was just to take a few more steps, and she would be out of the n
room.
<b>“</b>Doing the exact thing that got you cuffed in the first ce,” Alejandro’s voice rumbled low and amused behind her.
Nivera froze, every muscle locking in ce.
She hadn’t even heard him wake.
“Tiptoeing like a thief,” he continuedzily, the bed creaking slightly as he shifted. “You really don’t learn, do yo
do you<b>!</b>”
She turned her head, ring at him over her shoulder. He was awake, propped on one elbow, tousled hair falling over his forehead, an infuriating smirk. curving his <b>lips</b>…
You carried me to your bed,” she stated with uncertainty, wanting him to confirm it.
He shrugged, utterly unbothered. “You fell asleep like a stray kitten on the floor. I had two choices: leave you there to freeze or bring you somewhere warm. You should be thanking me.”
<b>Nivera </b>stared at him, stunned at the audacity.
“And before you even think about bolting he added, <b>voice </b>sharpening <b>just </b>a <b>fraction</b>, “understand something, Nivera
You’re not leaving. Not unless I say sn
Hatred surged in her chest, hot and wild. But she mped her lips shut, not trusting herself to speak.
“Good girl,” he murmured mockingly, as if he could read her thoughts.
“Now, get out of my room, it has had enough of your presence,” he dismissed sharply, and Hlivera didn’t waste a single second in getting out of them.
What <b>was </b>the point of stopping her from leaving if he was just going to send her away?!
Of course, it was all about control and him having the power.
She reached her room in no time, as it was the closest to Alejandro’s room, and as soon as she was in, she stood motionless for a long moment.
Then, slowly, she approached the mirror above the vanity,
Her reflection startled her.
The marks from the cuffs were angry and red against her delicate wrists.
Her hair <b>was </b>a tangled mess. Her lips were chapped<b>, </b><b>and </b>her mascara had smeared, leaving behind <b>a </b>mess.
Swallowing the lump in her thr
throat, she turned toward the bathroom
The hot shower was bliss, stinging against raw skin but washing away at least a little of the grime and the shame that clung to her.
She stood under the shower far longer than necessary, eyes closed, letting the water scald her clean.
When she finally emerged, skin pink and tender, she froze as a fresh set of clothes was neatly folded on the edge of the bed. Simple andfortable.
When had he brought them?
How hadn’t she heard him?
A shiver ran down her spine–not from cold, but from the chilling realization:
Alejandro could move like a shadow when he wanted to,
<b>And </b>she was utterly at his mercy.
She had no choice but to get dressed. The clothes felt strange against her <b>freshly </b>cleaned skin, but at least she no longer felt <b>like </b><b>a </b>caged animal.
She then proceeded to dry her hair and mentally prepare herself to deal with Alejandro.
When she finally mustered the courage to leave the room, she <b>found </b>herself on the way down.
Alejandro was already there, standing near the grand staircase, dressed immactely in a <b>tailored </b>dark grey suit.
He looked powerful, Untouchable, Like a man who caned everything–and <b>everyone</b>–around him. He did<b>. </b>
The moment he saw her, his expression shifted.
He smiled, but it wasn’t <b>kind</b>. It <b>was </b>a razor’s edge–sharp and cutting-
Wordlessly, he stretched out his hand toward her.
Nivera hesitated, every instinct screaming at her not to give in to whatever game he was <b>ying </b>
But pride wouldn’t feed her, and it didn’t save her the previous night.
<b>So</b>, with slow, careful steps, she approached and ced her hand in hik.
His fingers closed around hers immediately and firmly
Without a word, he pulled a small container from his pocket–ointinent, she realized–and unscrewed the lid.
Nivera tried to bug
gher hand back instinctively, but his grip tightened, not enough to hurt, but enough to remind her who was in control.
“You can barely look after yoursell Alejandro muttered, voice low. “Someone has to do it.”
Was he really ming her for his actions
He dipped two fingers into the ointment and <b>began </b>applying it to the raw skin around her wrists.
The touch was almost… gentle. Almost.
A confusing warmth spread up her arm, and she hated the way her body betrayed her, leaning slightly into the contact even as her mind screamed to pull
Alejandro’s face was unreadable as he worked, his thumb brushing lightly against her pulse point, sending a shiver skittering up her spine.
It was infuriating this sudden tenderness, this fleeting softness in a man who had shackled her like a <b>criminal</b>.
Just when she thought she couldn’t take the thick silence stretching between them any longer, his phone buzzed sharply in his pocket.
Alejandro exhaled through his nose in irritation but fished it out, ncing at the screen.
His mouth curled into something that almost looked like amusement.
“Well, well” he <b>said</b>. “It seems we have a visitor
He looked up at her, dark eyes gleaming
“Your father’s at the gate,”
Nivera’s heart mmed into her ribs, and her eyes widened in horror
ing to see <b>Alejandro </b>didn’t in any way mean good news.
Matthew Eltoning to see.
“Don’t let him in,” she said pleadingly to Alejandro, as she didn’t want to have to find out why he was there. Alejandro pocketed the phone and spoke into a nearby inte without missing a beat: “Let him in.”
Nivera’s mouth dropped open, and she red at him, wanting to rip that smirk off his face
Fuck you! She cursed in her head, and she looked at the stairs, wondering if she could make a run for it
However, when she looked back at Alejandro, he had this mad look in his eyes as if praying for her to run.
“<b>Not </b>running?” His lips curled in disappointment as he began to walk. “Shall we, Caberota?”
<b>Nivera </b>didn’t respond
She simply squared her shoulders and followed him, praying–desperately–that somehow some way, her father would change his mind and leave
But deep down… she knew it was like asking for a superpower.
When she got out, they waited for about a minute before she saw a car approaching them.
20:41 Wed, <b>23 </b>Jul
Run! The voice in her head said and it didn’t sound like a bad idea anymore.
E