<b>hapter </b><b>40 </b>
Nivera stood foren, the sound of the front door echoing in her ears long sher Mejandro disappeared the heart was pounding–not something far more maddening,
The nerve of him and the nerve of her to think about him kissing her and then to actually get disappointed that he didn’t
She clenched her fists
“Arrogant bastard,” she muttered, backing away from the talile.
The quiet buzz of his confidence still rang in her ears like a taunt “Say please”
Like hell, she would.
She paced the room once, twice. Her p
pare dated toward the hallway. She knew he was hiding her things. He hard to be
th fear, but
If he had her passport, her cash, or any
my means of escape, they wouldn’t be in in sight.
Alejandro was a man who e
enjoyed control–so wherever he kept them, it wasn’t random.
She didn’t know how much time she had. He said a few hours, but with Alejandro, nothing was predictable. Her fingers twitched with nervousness
She sighed and made her way to the stairs with soft steps. There was a high chance he kept what she was looking for in his room.
She turned the knob, and to her relief, it was unlocked.
She hadn’t had the chance to observe it the previous time she was in there, but now she took it in,
The room was sleek, dark, almost minimalist, but expensive in the way only the truly wealthy could manage. Clean lines. A king–sized bed made with ruthless precision,
A firece built into the wall. Art that didn’t belong to galleries <b>but </b>private collections.
And the scent.
It was him.
She hated how her body reacted–chest tightening, throat catching, it was like her skin recognized him even when he wasn’t there.
Shaking it off, she got to work.
She searched drawers first. Cufflinks, leather watches nothing. She then made her way to the walk in closet, but only clothes and shoes filled the
She tugged openpartments, checked behind picture frames, even lifted the rug in frustration
Then her eyesnded on a narrow door, half–concealed in the wall. Were her eyes deceiving her?
She immediately moved toward it. The door creaked open without resistance,
Inside, The Sighting shifted from soft to clinical sleek desk. Bookshelves. A bar cart. One long cab against the back wall.
She made a beeline for the drawers. Locked.
Of course, he <b>wouldn’t </b>leave it unlocked.
<b>Growling</b>, she checked under the desk and behind the shelves. Her fingers brushed against a ck panel embedded into the wall. Smooth <b>and </b>cold.
Chapter <b>408 </b>
It <b>was </b>a safe.
<b>This </b>has to be it,” she whispered as she knelt to inspect it. It wasn’t fingerprint coded, just digital.
Four digits.
Her first thought was his birthday<b>. </b>Nothing-
What else could it be? She wondered. Running her finger through her hair, she stared at the screen, something nagging at her.
It was impossible, but it wouldn’t hurt to try, and so she typed in her own birthday.
A soft click echoed in the still room, and her pulse spiked
Slowly, she opened the safe and there it was. Her passport. A thick stack of cash. And a small velvet bor
She didn’t have time to question it.
She grabbed the passport first, thumbing through the pages to make sure it was real. It was. Her heart mmed with hope and disbelief.
Then she picked up the box, as she <b>couldn’t </b>help her curiosity.
Inside was <b>a </b>ring–simple, gold<b>, </b>and elegant. No diamond. Just a smooth band. With an engraving on the inner curve.
She squinted to read it: “Mia“. That had to be in hisnguage, as she didn’t understand it.
“Looking for something?” she heard a familiar voice and she froze.
Alejandro stood in the doorway. He hadn’t made <b>a </b>sound when he entered. His eyes dropped to the items in her hand–then <b>returned </b>to her face.
“You know,” he started, voice almost amused, “I was wondering when you’d finally grow the guts to <b>try</b><b>.</b><b>” </b>
Nivera didn’t speak
He took a step forward. “Do you want to run, Nivera?”
She said nothing.
Then he stopped inside and closed the door behind him.
“Curious little thing, aren’t you?” His voice was low, dangerous. But oddly calm.
“I thought you were leaving for hours,” was <b>all </b>Nivera managed to say.
“I forgot a document,” he told her and tilted his wrist as a smile appeared on his face. “Looks like I returned just in time.”
She straightened. “You locked these away. You had no right. She was trying to put on a brave front, but inwardly she <b>was </b>trembling at the fact that she had been caught.
“I had every right,” he replied, advancing slowly “You were going to run.”
“You kidnapped me<b>.</b>”
His mouth quirked. “You broke into my secret bom.”
“I had no choice!” she hissed. “I want my life back. I want out of this–whatever twisted power game this is.”
She looked down, and her grip tightened
“Alright<b>“</b>, <b>he </b>responded
Take <b>your </b><b>passport</b>. Take the cash. Leave, if you want,”
Nivera squinted her eyes at Alejandro, as his offer was too good to be true,
“But…..” he started, and there it was! She thought to herself
“if catch you, the consequences will be dire.”
“You aren’t giving me any options,” Nivera muttered in a low voice.
“All this talk about running away. I finally decided to give you your passport back, and now you’re saying I’m not giving you any option?” He dicked <b>his </b>
tongue.
His words made here to a realization. He had purposely led her there. “You tricked me
“I knew you’d try eventually, so I decided to make things <b>easier </b>for you.”
She stared at him. Her heart was a tangle of fury and confusion and something she didn’t dare name.
“I could <b>leave </b>right now,” she whispered.
“You could.”
“You wouldn’t stop me?”
“I might,” he said, voice dropping. “If I catch you
The air between them was too tight. The room too still. She stepped forward.
He didn’t move.
Their eyes locked. She <b>was </b>close enough to smell him–leather and dark spice, intoxicating.
Then his hand came up–slowly, reverently–and brushed <b>a </b>strand of <b>hair </b>behind her ear.
He leaned in, lips barely grazing her temple, and whispered, “You’re free to go, Nivera.”
“No, I don’t ept your
roffer<b>,</b>” she refused, stepping back. Taking his <b>hand</b>, she ced her ticket to freedom in them
It killed her as she gave him her passport and the cash, but she would try another day.
Even a blind person would see that his offer was a trap, and he was already making her go through hell, she wasn’t about to make it worse.
E