<b>Chapter </b><b>56 </b>
The afternoon sun filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a soft glow over the bedroom, but it did little to lift tilvera’s mood
Shey sprawled on the bed, fingers swiping aimlessly through her phone screen.
Her social media, although still blowing up with notifications, wasn’t helping either.
What was the point of having her name cleared if there were no brand emails, no coboration offers
Her two years was almost up, and if she didn’t fulfill her part of the deal, then she would be signing her life away to her father to do as he pleased with
Her chest rose and fell in a quiet sigh, the silence in the room pressing down on her like <b>an </b>invisible weight.
“I should get an agent,” she muttered under her breath, tossing her phone beside her on the bed and staring up at the ceiling
But no sooner had the thought taken shape <b>than </b>the memory of thest one she had flooding back in.
The lies, the stolen opportunities, the leaked texts to blogs, the career sabotage in the name of “image control. Her jaw clenched.
“Yeah, no,” she muttered, dragging a hand down her face. “We’re not doing that again”
She sat up, folding her legs underneath her, then groaned in frustration as she roughly ran her fingers through her hair.
One day she would go bald from the way she kept on pulling it.
“Shouldn’t the brand deals being in by now?” She snapped aloud, like the universe owed her a response.
“The Nathaniel thing is over. The truth is out. I should be getting interviews. Headlines. Something”
But there was only quiet and the sound of her own bitterness settling in her throat,
And speaking of bitterness…
Her mind betrayed her yet again by dritting back to the one other thing that had been irritating her in a different way Alejandro.
Her chest tightened involuntarily at the thought. The things they Had done yesterday. The kiss. The closeness. The electric moment of surrender
between <b>them </b>
Gone. Like it never happened.
He had already left before she woke up, and not once had he sent a message. No text. No check in. He was usually beside her, waiting for her to wake up,
but none of that happened today.
Was kissing her that bad to him that he made him have a reset?
In theory, it should <b>have </b>made her happy, but for some reason, it didn’t.
Instead, it made her more frustrated.
More <b>confused </b><b>and </b>more unsettled.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” she reminded herself aloud, <b>arms </b>crossed tightly over her chest. “He’s not interested in love, so none of it means anything to
him
<b>So </b>why the hell did his silence annoy her this <b>much</b><b>? </b>
She threw herself back onto the bed, groaning into a pillow. I wasn’t like she wanted a bouquet of roses or a love letter.
But maybe <b>a </b>simple “Good morning” wouldn’t have killed him?
Hock, she would have taken the annoying way he always made her wake up.
She was mid–eye roll, Uying to mentally erase him from her system, when her phone buzzed beside her.
Her heart did something stupid–it leapt as she hoped it was a text from him.
She sat up, snatched the phone, and blinked at the name on the screen: Alejandro,
Her fingers hovered, unsure of what to expect. Was he finally reaching out about yesterday? An apology? An exnation?
There was no logical reason to expect any of the three, but that didn’t stop her from thinking about it.
<b>But </b>the moment she tapped the notification and read the message, whatever <b>stupid </b>smile had begun to creep across her face died <b>an </b>immediate and painless death,
Alejandro: We have a function tonight. Get ready. You’re apanying me as my girlfriend.
Nivera blinked as she read it again.
That was it. No “hey“, no “how are <b>you</b>?” No context. Just a coldmand, like she was another item in his wardrobe that <b>he </b>needed to essorise his
She scoffed out loud, tossing the phone back onto the bed.
“<b>Are </b>you serious right now?” She muttered, staring at the screen like it might apologize for him.
The tone. The gall. The straight–to–the–point coldness of it. She could feel his arrogance bleeding through the damn text.
Back
e one
to square one.
She picked the phone back up nheless and typed a short response.
<b>Nivera</b>: I don’t have anything to wear.
Short. Direct. Not that it would change anything. Arguing with hint about not wanting to go was <b>a </b>waste of time.
He didn’t care whether she wanted to attend or not. It was a directive, not <b>a </b>request.
She waited for his response, and the seconds dragged into a minute and then two before his reply came through:
Alejandro: Get ready and go outside the mansion. A driver will pick you up, <b>and </b>you’ll be taken to get a dress <b>and </b>anything else you’ll need. You’re <b>going </b>to be following me through a series of functions.
Nivera sighed heavily.
“Oh, that didn’t work,” she muttered to herself, dropping the phone again. Not that she thought it would, anyway!
Without wasting time, <b>5 </b>she swung her legs off the bed and padded into the bathroom.
After a quick rinse, she threw on a pair of jeans and <b>a </b>long–sleeved <b>ck </b>top, not bothering with makeup.
if she was going shopping for <b>a </b>dress, she’d be dolled upter anyway, so there was no need to waste effort now.
By the time she walked out the front door, <b>a </b>sleek ck car was already waiting in the driveway. The driver stepped out as soon as he saw her.
“Miss Elton“, he greeted with a polite nod. “We’ll be heading to the shopping mall.”
She didn’t respond but just gave a silent nod and slipped into the back seat.
Authe can began to more, her fingers itched for her phone again. She stared at it a testet, batting,
Meta: How am I supposed to pay for anything?
The response came faster this time
Alejandro: My card will be brought to you. I know you’ve lived in poverty
by after texaingt your family, but by not to let it show and ge
<b>dresses</b>. Don Lembarrass me.
And that was hisst text before he went offline, signalling the conversation was over. Histore in texts was even more
“God, you’re so annoying,” she whispered, hugging her arms across her ched and leaning her head
The ride continued in silence until they pulled up outside the massive, upscale shoppingplex
sconi gas andow
Just as they parked, another car slid into the space beside them. A woman in a sleek grey salt stepped out–lejandro’s employee,
The woman walked around and handed a small envelope through the window to the driver, who then passed it to Nivera,
Inside was Alejandro’s ck Amex
Of course
Because, of course, he would own a card that probably had no limit.
who
She was reminded of the time she used to have one. <b>More </b>like stole one from her parents, but regardless, it was in her possessio
“Show–off,” she stated with a dryugh as she stepped out of the car
Her
r phone dinged, and when she checked it, she saw he had sent the <b>PIN</b>.
The mall’s automatic <b>doors </b>opened, and Nivera paused for a moment, taking in the scent of polished tiles, designer perfumes, and overpriced pretentiousness.
As she walked in, she couldn’t help but remember thest time she and Alejandro had gone shopping together.
The memory was sharp, full of friction–him criticizing everything she tried on, her snapping at him in return, and the underlying tension between them
A small wave of loneliness crept up her spine. As frustrating as he’d been<b>, </b>at least he’d been there,
Plus, his constant nagging had paid off, as the dress they had ended up picking was the perfect choice.
Now she was alone, but he was still managing i
annoy her from r
She looked down at the ck card, then up at the rows of boutiques.
Alejandro was a <b>billionaire</b>, No doubt about that. His house, <b>his </b>clothes, and his <b>cars</b>–all screamed generational wealth.
So… spending a few hundred thousand of his money wouldn’t exactly dent his bank ount, right!
Her lips curled slightly as she tapped the card against her palm.
“Well, let’s find out”
She walked into the first boutique–an legant, <b>clean </b>space with only four dresses disyed like museum pieces. A personal shopper greeted her
Instantly.
“Wee! Can I help you?”
“Yes,” Nivera nodded with a solile on her face. “I need something hold. Dramatic. For a fentral function
The shopper smiled. “We’ve got just what you’re looking for,
Soon after, dress after dress was pulled for her.
She tried on long velvet gowns, shimmering sequin pieces, and satins in every jewel tone imaginable. Some like a doll.
And as she tried them on, she couldn’t help but miss thements of a certain man she wasn’t going to think about.
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