The Billionaire's Dangerous Obsession - Chapter 59: Chapter 59

“You have hands,” Aria said, her voice calm but firm. “And a mouth. You should’ve used them. You think someone’s going to come save you every time someone throws an insult? You want to survive in this world, Nivera? You don’t cry. You don’t walk away. You make them regret trying you.”
Nivera lowered her gaze for a moment. She wasn’t sure if she felt chastised or inspired. Maybe both.
Her mother was complicated. Sometimes, she felt like the world’s worst mother, and other times, she felt like a normal mother.
Aria stepped forward and tapped gently under her chin. “Oh, and… you should put some ice on your face. It’s swelling up.”
That was the first time she felt her mother's touch in over a year, and just like that, it was gone. A sudden emptiness hit her, which made her sigh.
Then, turning on her heel, she added casually over her shoulder, “See you at the function tonight.”
Nivera blinked. “Wait. What function?”
But Aria was already walking away, the sound of her heels, confident and unbothered.
“Wait—wait!” Nivera called after her, rushing forward. But by the time she reached the corridor, Aria had vanished into the polished marble maze of the mall.
She stood there for a moment, stunned and her heart racing.
The function.
If her mother was going to be there… then there was a high probability that her father would be as well.
And if both of them were showing up, then it was a high-profile event, as her parents didn't bother with small functions.
Remembering what had happened the last time she and her father met, made Nivera groan, and she buried her face in her hands.
Just her luck. She couldn’t win today. Not with the boutique drama. Not with her mother’s surprise appearance.
And definitely not with the prospect of standing in the same room as her father under Alejandro’s command.
Pretending to be sick to get out of going to the function was out of the question, as Alejandro would still drag her there, in sickness or in health.
Nivera let out another sigh and muttered under her breath, “I need a nap. Or a gun to shoot myself.”
Nivera exhaled sharply, and she moved to carry the bags she had brought into the store, after which she left.
As the boutique doors swung closed behind her, the chill of the mall’s air-conditioning brushed against her still-stinging cheek.
She was exhausted.
Between being slapped, humiliated, shocked by her mother’s sudden appearance, and then served a potential reunion with her father like a rotten cherry on top… she was done.
Mentally, emotionally, and physically—just done, and all she wanted to do was to climb a bed.
Without wasting time, she exited the mall, and upon getting to the parking lot, she froze, and her steps faltered mid-stride as her eyes landed on a familiar figure leaning against the side of a sleek black car parked right beside her car.
He hadn’t seen her yet—his face was angled slightly away, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a phone to his ear.
Alejandro.
She hadn't been expecting to see him. Just how long has he been waiting for her?
Her heart thudded in her chest, and her stomach twisted itself into a thousand tight knots. For a moment, she just stood there, her hand tightening around the handles of her bag.
He looked like he had been waiting. Watching. And somehow, that unsettled her even more than if he had stormed inside.
She swallowed hard and forced herself to move forward.
As if sensing her presence, he turned.
His head tilted first, then his full body followed in a smooth pivot—and the moment his eyes landed on her, the easy, unreadable mask he wore shattered.
Gone was the aloof smirk or the mocking glint in his eye. In its place became something darker and sharper as his eyes zeroed in on her cheek.
The exact spot where that woman’s slap had left a mark.
Nivera watched it happen—the way his gaze hardened, the way his jaw locked tight, the way the temperature between them seemed to drop ten degrees in a breath.
He said something into the phone—something clipped and quick—and then, “I’ll call you back.”
The device disappeared into his pocket as he took a step toward her, slow and deliberate.
For a moment, Nivera thought he might start yelling—she braced for it, prepared herself for another lashing, another accusation.
But instead, Alejandro lifted his hand and reached for her face.
Gently.
Like his fingers weren’t usually used for violence or threats but for careful, almost reverent touches, and it made her heart cry.
His thumb brushed the edge of the swollen skin.
“Who”, he said, voice low and controlled, but burning with fury, “did this to you?”
Each word was punctuated with such cold rage, it made her flinch.
“Nivera. Who. Did. This. To. You?” He asked again when she didn't say anything.
Nivera opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She was too stunned—by his reaction, by his nearness, by the unexpected heat curling in her chest. Not attraction. Not exactly.
But something else.
She hadn’t planned on seeing him. She definitely hadn’t planned on him caring.
And now she wasn’t sure what scared her more.
The fact that he did…
Or the fact that he was becoming more and more unpredictable