The Billionaire's Dangerous Obsession (Nivera) novel Chapter 125

Chapter 125

Nivera’s heart thudded against her ribcage like a trapped bird as she stepped quietly into the bedroom. This time felt different.

Unlike the other nights they’d spent in the same room, there was no wall of anger, no fog of confusion, and no recent argument lingering in the air

She was painfully aware of Alejandro’s presence, of his bare chest, of the softness in his voice, and of the small gestures that were beginning to mean too much.

She watched as Alejandro made his way to the bedside table, his movements deliberate yet casual. He picked up a glass, filled it from the decanter of water, and turned to her.

“Have it,” he said simply, offering the glass to her.

His voice was soft but steady–calm in a way that anchored her.

His fingers brushed hers as she accepted it. The touch was fleeting, but it jolted her. With slightly trembling hands, she nodded her thanks as she brought it to her lips.

She drank slowly, trying to center herself, to quiet her racing thoughts. When she was done, he took the glass from her fingers and returned it to the table.

“You have your first shoot tomorrow,” he reminded her, glancing at the time. “You should be asleep.”

She blinked. The shoot. Of course.

How had she forgotten something so important? A few weeks ago, this would’ve consumed her thoughts. But tonight, it had completely slipped her mind. Her mind had been too clouded… by everything that had happened… by him.

The fact that Alejandro remembered made her chest warm. He wouldn’t unless it mattered to him.

“I should be,” she murmured.

Her voice sounded breathless even to her own ears—and it hitched a little more when Alejandro moved toward the bed and slipped under the covers, bare–chested, as though it were the most normal thing in the world.

Was he oblivious to the fact that he was shirtless?

Not that she was complaining.

His skin gleamed faintly under the dim bedside lamp, the muscles in his arms and chest shifting as he adjusted his position.

“Unless you want to sleep on the sofa, get in,” she heard him say. Oh shit, he was really asking her to sleep with him. Well, not sleep with him, although she wouldn’t mind.

She hesitated, then climbed in on the other side. Alejandro reached for the lamp switch, and the room was plunged into darkness.

“You weren’t asleep either,” she pointed out after a beat.

“I have trouble sleeping most nights.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.” His voice was distant now, almost thoughtful. “It’s always been like that since I was a kid. Even when I was exhausted, my

mind just… wouldn’t rest.”

She didn’t say it out loud, but she understood. There was something about the way he said it that spoke volumes–of a childhood filled with too much responsibility and not enough warmth, of a father who properly demanded more than he ever gave. She could hear it in the quiet. beneath his words.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, her fingers curling into the blanket. “That must’ve been hard.”

He chuckled lightly, the sound warm and surprising in the dark. “Why are you apologizing? It wasn’t your fault.”

Still, Nivera felt the weight of it. His sleepless nights, his quiet suffering. She loved moments like this, as she got to see the side of Alejandro no one else got to see–the one without the charm, without the sharp tongue or calculated cruelty.

The one who, in moments like this, felt heartbreakingly human.

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable. It was serene.

“What were you like as a child?” Nivera asked out of the blue.

Alejandro turned his head to look at her, and even though the room was dark, she could still make out his expression, which was one of

sadness.

“Stubborn, annoying, and handsome.”

“That checks out.” She shook her head. “Do you have to be so cocky?”

“It’s part of who I am.” He grinned. “What about you?”

“I was a whirlwind,” she replied with a faint smile. “Restless, loud, and maybe… lonely.”

He looked at her more closely now. “Lonely?”

“Being the youngest in a powerful family means a lot of things. Mostly, being overlooked unless you’re useful. Or causing a scandal,” she added with a dry laugh.

“Fun fact, I became rebellious because it was the only way to get my father’s attention,” she confessed. “My older siblings had it all. They were much smarter and business–oriented, so there was nothing I could do to stand out.”

“What about your mom? Did she pay you attention?” Alejandro inquired. It would have been weird if he asked randomly, but Nivera herself had initiated the conversation, and so it wouldn’t be.

“Getting her attention wasn’t hard. She gave it to me.”

He hummed in thought, then said, “You don’t seem lonely now.”

“That’s because !I’m with you.”

The words slipped out before she could stop them. Nivera froze, eyes wide, but Alejandro didn’t react harshly. He only looked at her, something unreadable in his eyes, before his lips curled into a triumphant smirk.

“Not a word!” She cautioned him when he opened his mouth to speak, and he chuckled.

“Can I ask you something?” Nivera whispered.

“Hmm?”

“What was your favorite thing about today?”

There was a pause. “You’re asking me to pick?”

She smiled. “Yes.”

Alejandro was quiet again for a moment, and then he said, “Watching you laugh with the old couple. You looked… really happy.”

Nivera’s breath caught, as that hadn’t been the answer she was expecting.

“I liked that too,” she admitted, surprised at how easily the words came. “It was… peaceful.”

“They reminded me of something,” he said. “Of what it means to live quietly and be content. I don’t think I’ve ever really known what that feels like.”

Nivera rolled onto her side, facing him in the dark. “Do you want that?”

There was a longer pause this time, and when he finally spoke, his voice was quiet, raw. “I think I do.”

The way he said it made something crack open inside her as all the walls she’d built around herself, all the rationalizations she’d used to distance herself from him–they were already crumbling.

“I used to think you didn’t care about anything,” she whispered.

Alejandro turned to her, even in the dark she could feel the weight of his gaze. “And now?”

“Now I think… maybe you just care just a little.”

He didn’t respond immediately. Then, to her surprise, he said, “You’re right. I care just a little.”

Nivera bit her bottom lip as she felt her heart squeeze. The silence returned, stretching gently between them again–but this time, it wasn’t filled with unspoken doubts. It was filled with everything they were beginning to understand.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify