Chapter 19

Alejandro’s POV

The sun slipped in quietly, spilling light across Mira’s sleepy face, and all I could do was stare. Stare at a woman I was slowly realizing I couldn’t breathe properly without when she wasn’t close to me. And I couldn’t stand seeing her anywhere near another man, especially not Ace.

Maybe I’m selfish. I know I am. But I don’t think I’m the first man to want someone and still be unable to admit it, or worse, to tear down his entire life just to keep her.

I was Alejandro fucking Montenegro, billionaire playboy of this generation. Women loved me and I enjoyed them just as much, so how exactly was I supposed to explain what I felt for Mira?

I didn’t do love. I fucked and left. That was my routine. Yet yesterday, I couldn’t even bring myself to sleep with her.

She thought I was drunk, but I wasn’t. I wanted her badly. I wanted to show her everything she was missing with me, but if I had done that, it would have meant I won the bet. And I had never dreaded winning anything so much in my life.

Don’t get me wrong, I still want to win that bet. I just don’t understand why all that suddenly matters to me is keeping Mira close.

She stirred in her sleep, a soft snore escaping her lips, and I chuckled.

“I think I like you better when you’re asleep,” I whispered, pulling her closer against my chest.

I wrapped my arms around her, and before long, I drifted back to sleep.

Hours later, the constant buzzing of my phone dragged me out of it. Annoyed, I grabbed it and pressed it to my ear without even glancing at the screen.

“What the fuck do you want?”

A low chuckle came through. “Is that how you speak to your father?”

I rolled my eyes as soon as I recognized the voice, and somehow that only irritated me more. I didn’t hate my father, but I didn’t particularly like him either.

“Good morning, Dad,” I muttered.

“It’s almost evening, Alejandro. Not morning.”

I frowned and looked toward the window. The sun was already gone. When I turned back to the bed, I realized Mira wasn’t there.

Damn. I hadn’t slept that long in years. Was I drugged or something?

And where the hell was she?

“Are you still listening to me, son?” my father’s voice cut through my thoughts.

“Yes, sir. I heard you loud and clear.”

“Good. Pack up and come back with the ones you’ve gathered. That will be enough. I have a different job for you and Miss Martinez.” He ended the call without another word.

I exhaled slowly. “Great. Now how do I explain to this man we’ve managed to secure only a dancer and a singer?”

I got out of bed and went looking for Mira. The hotel wasn’t large, so it didn’t take long to find her. She stood in the small kitchen, back turned to me, chopping carrots.

“Hey,” I said as I walked in.

She turned slightly, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Hey.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. I had never felt this tense around a woman before. Now I could barely form a sentence, and the silence between us felt thick.

“Why are you doing that?” I asked, stepping closer until I was only inches away.

“Doing what, Mr. Montenegro?”

Why was she still so formal with me? Maybe I was reading too much into everything. I had never wanted to ask a woman “what are we?” before. They usually asked me, and my answer was always the same. Nothing.

“I meant cooking,” I clarified, nodding toward the pot on the stove.

She smiled again, flashing those perfect white teeth that caught the light. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, and she wore one of her black, dangerously tempting lingerie sets.

“I felt like it,” she replied lightly. “I asked the receptionist to get me some ingredients. I decided to make dinner myself. You were knocked out after drinking so much, I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Hmm.” I rubbed my neck again. “Did we?” I asked, pretending not to remember.

Mira let out a soft laugh. “No, we didn’t.”

“Did you wish we did?” I teased.

She paused and turned to face me fully. “Of course not, Mr. Montenegro. Especially not after what almost happened last time. We have to be professional.”

I frowned. “Oh really?”

Professional? There wasn’t a single ounce of professionalism left between us.

“Besides, you’ve always been a jerk, and you probably still are. So let’s call it a truce and pretend yesterday didn’t happen. Then we go back to acting like we normally do.” Her expression was far more serious than I expected.

So that was it. One night didn’t erase everything.

“You’re right,” I said evenly. “By the way, we’re heading back tomorrow. Dad has another job for me.”

“Cool. Just relax. I’ll let you know when dinner is ready,” she replied casually.

I opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and stepped aside.

What the hell just happened?

She had made me promise not to forget our heated moment yesterday. Now she was acting like it had never existed.

“What are you trying to do, Mira?” I muttered under my breath as I dropped onto the couch.

The doorbell rang, and I went to answer it.

A man stood there holding a bouquet of roses and a gift bag.

“A package for Miss Martinez from Mr. Ace,” he announced.

My blood boiled instantly.

“Kindly return it. Miss Martinez said she doesn’t want it,” I replied sharply.

“But sir—”

I shot him a cold look, and he quickly walked away.

Mira appeared behind me. “Who was that?”

“No one. Just the cleaning lady,” I said quickly. “I told her to come back later.”

She nodded and turned to walk away, but the doorbell rang again, stopping her mid-step.

“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered as I headed back to the door.

When I opened it, I froze.

“Good evening, Mr. Montenegro.”

“Yes?” I asked, my mind scrambling as I took in the sight of two police officers standing in front of me.

“I am Detective Alvarez. This is Officer Grant. We need to speak with you regarding a woman you were seen with yesterday evening.”

My fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the door. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

“Miss Rina.”

I glanced back and saw Mira standing there, still holding the napkins she had been using.

“What about her?” I asked calmly.

The detective studied my face, watching for a crack.

“She was found dead this morning.”