The Billionaire's Dangerous Obsession - Chapter 47: Chapter 47

“Nivera…” he croaked. His voice was rough, hoarse as he slowly came back to reality.
“I’m here,” she said, softer now. “You’re okay. We’re okay. Just breathe with me.”
She placed one of his hands on her chest. “Feel that?” Nivera whispered. “Breathe with me. Match me. In… out…”
Alejandro stared at her hand. The steady rhythm and her presence were grounding as he followed suit.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was better.
In. Out.
In.
Out.
His vision cleared more with every breath.
“Alejandro, are you feeling better now?”
Alejandro couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked. Even in panic. Especially in panic.
Nivera’s lashes fluttered, and her cheeks flushed as her lips slightly parted.
She guided him through each breath while her brows were drawn together in deep, raw concern.
“You helped,” he whispered. “Why?”
He would have thought she would make fun of him, as this was a chance to get back at him, but she hadn't.
Instead, she had dragged him out of the panic attack. No one had ever been able to pull him out of his panic attack, not even himself, as it always ended up with him losing consciousness. Always.
Nivera looked momentarily surprised at his words. “Just because you'd gloat if the roles were reversed doesn't mean everyone would do the same,” she responded as she helped him push a strand of his hair away.
His heart thundered in his chest—not from panic, this time. Something else.
Something dangerous.
Something tender.
Her fingers were still resting on his shirt, and he was more than aware of her presence.
“Are you okay, Alejandro?” She inquired once again, seriousness filling her voice.
The way he asked him made something go off in him. Maybe it was the tenderness in her voice, or maybe it was the first time in a while someone other than his mother had asked such a question genuinely.
“I’m fine,” he murmured, voice low.
“You’re not,” she argued. “This isn't the first time it's happening, is it?”
“No. It's been a while since I have had one,” he answered.
There was a pause. Thick. Electric.
Alejandro looked at Nivera's lips. Just for a second. Then her eyes, the same ones that had caught his attention the first time they met.
Her warm, careful, curious eyes.
He wasn't supposed to be having such soft thoughts towards Nivera, but he couldn't help it.
His hand lifted on its own, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face.
Her breath hitched, and she bit her lips, which made him squint his eyes in return.
“You getting this close just proves how attracted you are to me even though you say you hate me,” he grinned cockily.
“I’m not,” she whispered, though her voice lacked conviction.
“Liar,” he whispered back as he stroked her cheeks.
“I think it's the other way round,” Nivera asserted. “Are you doing all this just to get my attention?”
He chuckled—dry, humourless. “I don't do love, Nivera.”
“Such a sad way to live. Who broke your heart?” He heard her ask him, and he chuckled once more.
Unlike the other times, she was looking at him like he wasn’t the villain she painted him to be.
Like maybe, just maybe, he was human underneath all the layers. She was wrong. He was a devil just like he had been taught to be, and he would always be.
“No one, now don't deflect,” he stated as he leaned closer.
His breath brushed against hers, and he waited for her to reject him, but she didn’t move.
Would you look at that? He was right.
Kissing her would cause problems in his plans, but then again, he didn't care.
Fuck it! The voice in his head said just as he moved in.
Ding!
The elevator lights flickered back to full strength just as the doors slid open, and this broke them apart.
The hallway was flooded with light and noise.
Voices. Movement.
The world came rushing back.
Alejandro blinked against it.
Nivera sat back slightly; her lips parted in silent disappointment—or relief. Maybe both; he couldn't tell.
A man in a suit peeked into the elevator. “Oh my goodness, Mr Garcia! Ma’am! We’re so sorry about that. There was an electrical problem, but everything’s up and running again.”
Alejandro’s jaw clenched as he slowly stood, brushing off his pants and tugging his jacket off the floor. He didn’t look at the man. Didn’t look at the hallway.
His eyes were still on her.
Only her.
“Are you alright, sir?” the man asked again cautiously as he wiped off the beads of sweat that had come to settle on his forehead.
Alejandro didn’t answer.
Instead, he reached down, offering Nivera his hand.
She hesitated, then took it, and he pulled her up.
“You and I are going to have a very long talk about the ‘electrical problem’ later,” he said to the man, who gulped in fear as he knew the talk wasn't going to be good.
Without wasting further time, he led Nivera out of the elevator, eager to get the hell out of there.
As soon as they got outside, the world buzzed back with normalcy—people walking on sidewalks, neon signs flickering, city life carrying on.
“Come on, let's go!” Alejandro said as he continued to lead her to the car.
Just as they made their way down the stairs, she felt her phone vibrate in her bag and she would have ignored it had another vibration followed by another and another not happened.
Against her better judgment which was screaming it wouldn't be good, she reached deep and brought out her phone to check while she allowed Alejandro lead her away.
The first thing that greeted her was a screaming headline.
“Nivera Elton exonerated. Nathaniel Blackwell confesses to sexually harassing her!”
It was followed by another header but she didn't read it as excitement shot through her veins.
No, it couldn't be! She said to herself as she opened another news source.
“Nivera didn't do anything wrong. I misbehaved with her- Nathaniel Blackwell!”
Oh goodness, it was true, it was actually true. Nathaniel had finally confessed about what happened that day.