Chapter 36

Alejandro’s POV

I fucked up, I know that much. But it wasn’t Ace’s place to tell Mira anything.

What if he had gone further and started ranting to her about the bet? What then? She would hate me for life?

I had managed to apologize and convince her to forgive me for what I’d done, but what if I hadn’t? What if the rain hadn’t stopped her from leaving? What if she wasn’t scared of the dark?

The universe had clearly decided to be on my side this time. Maybe it pitied me. But luck like that didn’t come twice, and I couldn’t afford to lose the one reason I woke up smiling every day. If the guys started seeing me differently because of it, then honestly, I didn’t care.

Mira had followed me back to my room after finally forgiving me. I held her close and cuddled her until she fell asleep in my arms. When morning came, I quietly got out of bed, prepared her breakfast, set it on the table, and left the house.

There were certain matters that needed ironing out, and I couldn’t go another day pretending nothing had happened.

After the board meeting I had at the office, I drove straight over to Ace’s house, my temper still simmering from what he had done.

“Welcome, Mr. Montenegro,” Julia, their house help, greeted me the moment I stepped inside.

“Thank you, Julia.” I flashed her a polite smile. “Can I see Ace?”

“Of course,” she replied quickly. “He’s in his study.”

I already knew where the study was, so I headed there like I owned the place.

Ace and I had been friends for as long as I could remember. I knew every corner of his home just as well as he knew mine.

Weekends had always been my favorite when we were kids. Either I came over to spend them with him and his parents, or he came to stay with me and my dad. Most of the time though, I ended up here. Dad was always busy, always flying off on one business trip or another.

After walking up the stairs and down the long corridor, I found the study. The door was open. The room was dimly lit while Ace sat behind his desk, squinting hard at a stack of files that clearly demanded his full attention.

I leaned against the doorway, watching him for a moment. I tried to understand why a man I respected so much would try to ruin the one good thing happening in my life.

“That looks important,” I said finally, breaking the silence.

He looked up in surprise. “Dro, you’re here.”

A slow smile spread across my lips as I walked inside.

“Yes. I am.”

He blinked a few times. “But why? It’s been a while since you just showed up out of nowhere. Mum always asks about you. I keep telling her you’re busy. Same old excuse.”

I pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down, my expression turning serious.

“Why are we pretending this is a friendly visit when you already know why I’m here?” I scoffed.

Ace shifted slightly in his seat, raising a brow.

“You’ll have to help me out here, brother. Because I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I let out a small chuckle, then asked the first thing that came to mind.

“Do you love Mira?”

He froze.

His eyes locked with mine like I had just asked the most ridiculous question in the world.

The air in the room suddenly felt thick and heavy with tension.

“Ace, it’s a simple question,” I said calmly. “Do you, or do you not?”

He frowned. “No, I don’t. But I do find her attractive.”

I smiled slowly. “Yeah, right.”

“Look, Dro, if this is about what I said to her yesterday, I swear I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought…”

“You almost destroyed my relationship, Ace,” I cut in, pouring myself a glass of wine from the bottle on his table.

He stood up and ran a hand through his hair before turning back to face me.

“Relationship? I thought you said there was nothing going on between you two.”

“Well,” I replied calmly, “I lied.”

“I’m sorry, man. I had no idea.”

I stood up after finishing the last of the wine.

“The truth is, I love Mira Martinez. A lot. And she’s my girlfriend.” I looked him straight in the eye. “I hope that clears up any doubts you had.”

“Sure, bro. I get it,” Ace said, though he still looked confused. “But why her? She’s out of your league.”

A soft laugh escaped me.

“You’re right. I don’t deserve someone as pure as her.”

“You know that’s not what I meant,” he sighed. “I meant you’re above her in… well, everything.”

“Yet you still found her attractive?” I asked with a smirk.

“That was then,” he replied quickly.

“Goodnight, Ace,” I said, heading toward the door. “I only came to let you know she’s mine.”

Halfway out, I stopped and glanced back at him.

“Oh, and she’s coming with us on our yearly trip this weekend.”

He hissed under his breath. “That’s a guy trip, Dro. It’s only for us.”

“Consider her one of the guys now,” I said with a laugh.

My laughter followed me all the way out of the house and into my car.

When I got back home, the smell of something amazing filled the air before I even reached the kitchen.

Mira was standing by the stove, cooking. She wore one of my shirts, the sleeves slightly too long for her, and her hair was tied up in a messy bun.

I walked up quietly and wrapped my arms around her from behind, burying my face near her neck to breathe in her soft scent.

“You’re back,” she whispered.

“You look delicious,” I said automatically.

Then I paused and laughed. “I mean what you’re cooking smells delicious.”

Mira laughed softly as she turned around to face me.

“We’re going on a trip this weekend,” I told her, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Her eyes widened and she squealed with excitement.

“Really? Where?”

“The Bahamas,” I answered.

Her face lit up instantly.

“You can bring Zara along too,” I added. “The guys will be there anyway.”

“She’s going to be so thrilled when I tell her,” Mira said with a bright smile before placing a soft kiss on my lips.

I smiled back at her.

“It’s going to be a wonderful weekend.”