<b>Chapter </b><b>139 </b>
The night had grown thick and heavy outside the mansion; it had stilled, and all that could be heard were the sounds of nocturnal life.
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Nivera paced the length of the living room, arms folded tightly across her chest, her bare feet moving against the polished marble.
Her phone was in her hand, the screen lighting up every few minutes as she <i>checked </i>it again, and again, and again.
There was still nothing.
Thest time she’d seen Alejandro was in the afternoon–no, morning–as when she had <i>woken</i>, she did so to an empty bed.
Hours had passed since then. She had showered, eaten something small, and lingered around the house waiting
for him to return.
She had convinced herself he was buried in work, as he always imed. It was his nature, after all. A man who lived and breathed control, who didn’t bother with the mundane habit of checking his phone when he was busy.
But it was past midnight now.
Twelve hours without a single word. Twelve hours of her mind spinning, wing at possibilities she didn’t want to
consider.
She stared at her phone again, thumb hovering over his contact. She had already sent multiple messages.
The first was light–hearted, teasing him. The second, more direct. The third clipped with irritation, and more followed after that. None had received so much as a “read” mark.
Her phone buzzed suddenly, and she pounced on it, heart thudding–only to see a reminder notification from a modeling agency she had long since abandoned hope of working with again. Her chest deted, frustration pressing hot against her ribs.
“Goddammit,” she cursed.
“Pick up,” she muttered under her breath, dialing his number once more. She pressed the phone to her ear, pacing tighter circles as the call rang.
Ring, ring, <b>ring</b><b>. </b>
Her heart pounded harder with each unanswered sound until the voicemail cut in. She hung up, dragging a hand through her hair.
This wasn’t unusual<b>, </b>she reminded herself. Alejandro worked like a man possessed. He had told her more than once that when he was buried in something important, he didn’t hear the phone, didn’t look at messages, and didn’t think of anything outside his office. He expected people to adapt to that about him.
12:28 Thu, 21 Augo
And she wanted to. She wanted to trust that exnation.
But intrusive thoughts were cruel.
What if something happened to him?
Her thoughts began to turn darker. What if something had happened to him?
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What if his enemies–the ones he pretended not to have, though she knew better–had finally caught him off guard? What if he was lying somewhere bleeding while she wasted time wringing her hands?
She bit her lip hard, almost punishing herself. No, no. Alejandro wasn’t the type to <i>be </i>caught unaware. He was too careful, too calcting, and too ruthless. He wasn’t a man who would fall easily.
And yet her mind betrayed her–what if?
She bit her lip, anxiety curdling her stomach. She hated this restless feeling, hated that she cared enough for it to
unravel her like this.
Her thumb hovered over the keyboard before she finally typed another message:
“Alejandro, it’ste. Please answer me. Just let me know you’re okay.”
She pressed send, staring at the screen as if sheer willpower could force a response.
Silence engulfed the room once again, and she sank onto the sofa, elbows on her knees, phone dangling in one hand while the other pressed against her temple.
The longer the silence stretched, the more she felt like she was losing her grip.
Her stomach turned, cold panic licking up her spine.
‘Stop it,‘ she told herself fiercely. He’s fine–he’s working, that’s all. He’ll walk through that door any second, probably annoyed you’ve been calling like a lovesick fool.
Still, she sent another message.
If you don’t answer soon, I’ll–She paused, deleting the words. She didn’t even know what she would do. Call Antonio? Pound on the guards‘ doors? Raise hell until someone told her where he was?
She chewed her lip raw, pacing harder, unable to stop the restless energy wing through her. Her intrusive thoughts would not let go.
What if he’s with someone else?
The idea dropped into her like a stone into water, rippling outward.
Her heart skipped a beat. Of course, he could be. Alejandro was Alejandro–he neverckedpany, and women seemed to fling themselves at his feet.
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Thu, 21 AU
What if he had simply grown bored of her already? What if she was the fool who thought she mattered?
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Her vision blurred, fury and panic tangling until she thought she might scream and buried her head in her knees
and did just that.
Time blurred. Minutes, maybe another hour, passed. The clock in the corner chimed softly, reminding her that the night was edging deeper into ck.
And then–finally–the sound of the front door unlocking shattered the stillness.
Nivera bolted upright, relief crashing into her like a wave. She hurried toward the entrance just as Alejandro
stepped inside.
He looked as he always did–calm, immacte, dark suit perfectly pressed despite thete hour.
His hair was slightly tousled, his expression unreadable, but he carried himself with the same effortless dominance
that always surrounded him.
He looked infuriatinglyposed for a man who had just vanished for more than half the day.
Nivera rushed to him, words tumbling before she could rein them in.
“Where have you been? Do you have any idea what time it is? I’ve been calling, texting–you didn’t answer
anything. I was starting to lose my mind thinking something happened to you!”
She stopped to catch her breath, and as she did, she noticed something: Alejandro’s expression didn’t soften.
He didn’t smile and didn’t offer the faintest apology. Instead, his gaze flicked over her–impatient, cold.
“I don’t owe you exnations for where I go or what I do,” he said tly, brushing past her as if her concern were
nothing more than an irritating echo.
Nivera froze, staring at his back. His tone was so dismissive, so unlike the man who had covered her with a nket
that morning, the one who had been gentle with her.
Her heart twisted as she wondered if he had had a bad day. Stupid her, she had scolded him instead of asking for
the reason why he waste.
“That’s not what I–Alejandro, I was worried. You didn’t answer a single call, not even a message. Can’t you understand why”
He snapped around suddenly, eyes shing. “What part of ‘I don’t check my phone when I’m working‘ do you not understand? Do I need to repeat myself again and again like you’re a child?”
The words hit her like a p.
Nivera swallowed hard, stunned by the bite in his tone. She had seen his temper before, but never directed at her in quite this way.
Her mouth opened, but no words came. She searched his face for some crack, some sign this was a cruel joke. There was nothing.
“–” she stammered, “I wasn’t trying to nag you. I was just-”
“Then stop acting like it.” His voice was a whip, sharp and cutting. “I don’t answer to you, Nivera. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you have that right.”
Her pulse pounded in her ears. She wanted to fight back and wanted to demand why he was being like this, but the words caught in her throat. The shift was too sudden, too jarring.
Just this morning, he had touched her with tenderness–he had left her in bliss. And now… now he was looking at her like she was nothing but a nuisance.
Alejandro turned away, shrugging out of his jacket and tossing it carelessly <i>over </i>his arm.
“You’re wasting your energy worrying about things that don’t concern you. I don’t <i>need you </i>acting like some… anxious wife waiting for her husband toe home,” he said without looking at her. “Next time, try to remember your ce.”
Her ce.
The words lodged deep, cutting deeper than she wanted them to.
What was her ce in his life?
Nivera stood frozen in the living room, her hands trembling at her sides as confusion warred with hurt. She didn’t
understand.
What had changed? What had she done to deserve this sudden coldness?
“Alejandro…” Her voice cracked despite her best effort to steady it. “Why are you talking to me like this? Did I do something wrong?”
For the briefest moment, he hesitated. His shoulders stilled, and his jaw tightened, But then he forced himself to move, to climb the staircase with deliberate calm, shutting her question out like a locked door.
“You think too much,” he said over his shoulder, tone sharp and final. “Go to bed.”
“Alejandro!” she called after him, desperation sharpening her voice.
He didn’t look back–not once.
He disappeared towards the stairs, leaving her standing in the dim light of the living room, phone clutched in her hand, and her heart breaking under the weight of his words.
The echo of his footsteps faded, reced by the suffocating silence of the house.
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<b>+5 </b>
Nivera stared at the spot where he had just been long after he was gone, her thoughts a storm of questions without
answers.
What had happened to him? Why had he turned so cold?
She didn’t know it, but upstairs, Alejandro shut his bedroom door with unnecessary force, leaning against it for a moment as he battled the gnawing unease in his chest.
He told himself it was necessary. That distance was survival. That if he allowed her closeness, he’d fall into the
same trap Antonio had.
Better she hate him now than make him weakter.
But the silence that followed carried its own punishment.