Chapter 24

Mira’s POV

Alejandro had been staring at me for the last five minutes since we stepped into the hotel’s garden. Not just looking, but studying me, like he was trying to peel something out of my head without actually asking.

The night was chilly. Not a single star dotted the sky. The moon still shone bright though, spilling pale silver light across the rows of maize planted along the garden paths. The stalks swayed gently whenever the wind passed through them, their leaves brushing together with a soft rustling sound.

“Are you going to say something,” I finally asked, my patience thinning, “or did we come here for a staring contest?”

Alejandro smiled lazily, like he had all the time in the world.

“If there’s one thing I learned in prison,” he replied calmly, “it’s patience.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Oh please. You were there for just a day. Don’t try to act wise.”

“Try?” He burst out laughing, the sound loud in the quiet garden. “I’m not trying, Mira. I am the wisest man you’ll ever meet.”

Such a stuck up guy.

Honestly, he should have spent maybe another day in that place. Then we would see whether he would still be this comfortable running his mouth.

“For the second time,” I said flatly, “why are we here?”

Alejandro glanced around before spotting a long wooden bench tucked into a quiet corner of the garden. He gestured toward it, inviting me to sit.

Once we were seated, he turned toward me.

“Are you really quitting?”

“Yes, I am.” I answered immediately, without hesitation. “You are too much trouble for me. First thing when we get back, I’ll send in my resignation letter to your dad.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, releasing a frustrated sigh.

“I’m sorry Mira, but you can’t.”

For a second I just stared at him.

Then I burst out laughing.

The audacity.

Such an arrogant bastard to tell me what I could or could not do.

“No,” he added quickly, shifting in his seat and fidgeting with the bracelet around his wrist, “that didn’t come out right.”

He looked away for a moment before speaking again.

“What I meant was… please stay.”

Something inside me softened unexpectedly the moment he said the word please.

That wasn’t good.

“Why?”

I watched him closely and he turned toward me again, this time with an expression that almost looked… sincere.

“Look,” he began, “I know I’m not the easiest person to deal with. And I have no right asking this from you. But I’ll pay double what my dad is paying you if you just stay until my image is cleaned up.”

My eyes widened slightly.

What had gotten into him all of a sudden?

“I thought you hated me.” My brows creased as I studied his unreadable face. “So why would you want me to stay and even offer me double the money?”

Alejandro rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, like he was searching for the right explanation.

“My dad will never look at me twice if you leave,” he admitted quietly. “He’ll assume I’m beyond repair. And it will cost us a relationship we barely have.”

He paused before finishing.

“And my inheritance too.”

My shoulders sank a little as I listened to him.

And here I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, there was a small possibility he liked me.

Not that I cared.

Or that it mattered.

But still.

“So will you?”

His voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Is that the only reason you don’t want me to leave?” I asked carefully.

“Yeah Mira,” he replied. “That’s it.”

I nodded slowly. “Fine. As long as you learn to behave more like a human being toward me.”

He raised his hands slightly in surrender. “You have my word.”

I stood up, ready to head back inside. The only thing I had on was a thin sleeveless blouse and shorts, and the cold night air was beginning to creep into my skin, making me shiver.

“If that’s all,” I said, “I’ll be going inside. I’m not supposed to stay out in the cold.”

Alejandro stood quickly and reached for my hand.

“Can we sit for a bit?” he asked. “I’ll give you my jacket.”

Without thinking, I rolled my eyes but sank back onto the bench anyway.

If you asked me, this whole thing felt strange. Why was I being so obedient? Almost like I was his pet and he was the master.

My chest had already begun to ache slightly, a dull pressure that made it uncomfortable to breathe deeply. But I ignored it. I was too curious about this sudden transformation of Mr. Montenegro.

Immediately, he slipped off his brown jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

The warmth settled around me.

Still, something felt off about him tonight. I just couldn’t figure out what it was.

Do they teach courtesy in jail now?

Alejandro reached for my hand again, holding it gently between his palms.

“That’s not the only reason why I brought you out here.”

I straightened a little, bracing myself for whatever he was about to say. A small, foolish part of me hoped it might be something I secretly wanted to hear.

“I wanted to thank you, Mira,” he said quietly. “For going out of your way to make sure I didn’t spend more than a day in that cell. For investigating my own friend even though you felt it was wrong.”

Once again, my shoulders fell slightly.

But I let out a small laugh.

“Did you just say thank you?”

He pressed his lips together while his hands rubbed lightly over mine, like he was nervous.

“Yes, I did, Mira,” he replied. “Now don’t make a big fuss about it.”

“There’s definitely something different about you tonight,” I said, laughing softly. “First you beg me not to leave, then you offer me your jacket, and now you’re saying thank you.”

He released my hands and did that familiar thing where he rubbed the back of his neck when he felt uncomfortable.

I noticed he had been doing it all night.

“Is there something wrong, Mr. Montenegro?” I asked curiously.

Before he could answer, a sharp pain sliced through my chest.

It was sudden and brutal, sending a shock through my entire body.

My breath caught, but I forced myself to stay still.

“There’s something else I want to tell you,” Alejandro continued, his voice slightly unsteady. “Something I should have told you a long time ago.”

The pain struck again. Stronger this time.

It felt like something inside my chest had twisted violently. My heart pounded in an uneven rhythm, each beat harder than the last.

I pressed a hand against my chest and shut my eyes for a moment.

Alejandro noticed immediately and leaned closer.

“Are you okay, Mira?”

I forced a faint smile.

“Yes I…”

Before I could finish the sentence, the pain crashed into me again, sharper and deeper than before.

A cry tore from my throat. “Ahhh!”

My fingers clenched tightly over my chest as my vision blurred. The garden lights stretched into strange shapes and dark spots began to fill the edges of my sight.

The cold air suddenly felt too thin to breathe.

Alejandro’s voice reached me again, filled with panic.

“Mira? What’s wrong? Mira!”

But his words were already beginning to fade, growing distant and muffled like he was standing very far away.

The pressure in my chest grew unbearable.

My knees gave out beneath me.

The last thing I felt was Alejandro’s arms catching me before I could hit the ground, his voice calling my name over and over as the darkness closed in.