The Billionaire's Dangerous Obsession - Chapter 74: Chapter 74

The afternoon sunlight filtered lazily through the curtains as Nivera sat cross-legged on the couch, mindlessly scrolling through her phone.
Her juice sat untouched on the table beside her, condensation dripping down the glass.
She was still buzzing from the excitement of the job offer earlier that morning, the memory of Alejandro’s quiet pride and his kiss to her hair making her cheeks flush without permission.
Why did he have to do something like that, as she was unable to get it out of her head?
No. She shook the thought away, shifting deeper into the couch cushions. That was when her phone buzzed again.
A message, and it was from an unknown number. Apart from Alejandro and, well, her family, no one had this number. So who the hell texted?
Her brow furrowed as she clicked it open.
Unknown number: Hi. It's your brother. Let's meet up for lunch.
Her breath caught in her throat and for a moment, her mind blanked out, as her heart took off like a drum.
Her brother?
It had been months—no, almost a year—since she'd heard anything from her brother. Not a call. Not a message. Nothing. When they threw her out, it was as if he'd decided she didn’t exist.
She blinked rapidly, her heart stuttering.
And now, just like that, he reached out?
Her fingers trembled as she stared at the message. What were the chances that this happened now?
"Why now?" she whispered aloud.
Of course. She didn’t need to wonder.
Everything led back to one man.
Alejandro.
After everything that had gone wrong, and just when her life was finally starting to feel like it had some direction again?
She was ready to ignore it, to toss her phone away and pretend she hadn't seen anything when another message came through.
“I know you probably don’t want to hear from me. But I’m hoping you’ll meet me. One hour. Mistral Lounge.”
A part of her wanted to block the number. Ignore the message. Pretend she never saw it. But the more she tried to convince herself not to go, the stronger the ache grew.
She closed her eyes, allowing herself to picture him. Her brother was quiet by nature, private like the rest of their family.
You wouldn't see his name in the press, nor wouldn't you catch him posting pictures online.
They existed behind layers. Controlled and silent. And that silence had swallowed her whole when she was thrown out.
“Fine. I'll meet you there.” She sent a response back to him.
She stared into nothing for a long moment before setting her phone down and standing.
She headed toward her room to change, mind still clouded with thoughts.
When she emerged some minutes later in a sage green wrap dress and a pair of heels because she had to look ‘presentable’ before her family, her phone buzzed with the restaurant’s location.
She made it outside, heart already pounding, only to stop short at the realization that froze her.
Alejandro.
He controlled the drivers. They wouldn't take her anywhere unless he gave the go-ahead.
Every single one of them reported to him. Which meant if she tried to leave, he'd be alerted immediately.
Maybe she could order a ride. But even that would feel... wrong. Dangerous.
However, she wasn't running away; this should be different, right?
She sighed. He'd probably have questions, or worse—he'd try to stop her.
As she stared at the clouds, trying to figure out her options, she spotted a familiar face approaching her.
The same driver who had taken her to the mall.
"Miss Elton," he greeted with a slight nod. "Do you need to go somewhere?"
She blinked in surprise. "Uh, yes. Actually."
"Alright, ma’am. I’ll have the car ready in two minutes."
She opened her mouth to question it—surely he was supposed to call Alejandro first. But she stopped. Maybe Alejandro had said something in advance. Or maybe… maybe he was testing her.
Nah, she highly doubted that. What was there to test her on?
Exactly two minutes later, the car pulled up, and she stepped in, only to find a second man already in the front seat.
He turned slightly, offering her a polite nod. "I’m Darren, your security detail, and I was assigned by Mr. Garcia."
She nodded, her stomach twisting. Of course, he’d assign someone.
Whether it was to protect her or to send a message that he would always have eyes on her, she wasn't sure, and she'd think about that later.
She then gave them the address of the restaurant her brother had sent to her. The drive was quiet, smooth, and filled with questions she didn’t have answers to.
The restaurant was just as private as she expected. Elegant. Discreet. A place where secrets could breathe without fear of being exposed.
Her heels clicked softly against the marble as she walked in, eyes scanning until they found him.
He was already seated. His expression was unreadable, posture stiff in a navy blazer, a glass of untouched water in front of him.
He looked up and saw her. His brows lifted slightly, the closest thing to a smile he would allow.
She approached and took her seat opposite him.
"Nivera," he said quietly, and she offered him a curt nod.
"Let's skip the greetings, shall we? Why did you call me here, Liam?" She got straight down to the point.
"What do you want to eat?"
"How about you just get to the point?" She repeated.
He didn’t argue, but that didn't stop him from ignoring her and ordering two dishes, and to her surprise, the dish he chose for her was one of her favourites.
Coincidence?
No way he remembered what she liked. He never noticed her growing up. Not enough to know that.
He was about to speak when he paused, as he seemed to have noticed something.
His eyes shifted to her cheek, and he leaned forward slightly.
"Did Alejandro do that to you?" He hissed in annoyance, and if Nivera didn't know better, she'd think he was actually upset.
Her brows drew together until she realized what he meant. Her hand went up, brushing the faint discolouration from the slap days ago.
"It was some woman at a store, and no, it was not Alejandro. You can ask Mom; she was there."
He pondered upon her words for a few moments before he leaned back, his eyes still watching her.
"How have you been?" Liam then asked.
She raised a brow. "You care now?"
"I always cared, Nivera."
"Could’ve fooled me."
“You look happier,” he commented. "I mean recently. You seem… better."
"Because I finally have one person who didn’t treat me like garbage? Shocker.”
Liam exhaled slowly, as if her words had hurt him. Well, he deserved it.
"I saw you online. With Alejandro."
Ah. There it was.
She didn’t say anything but just stared at him, waiting for him to finally get to the goddamn reason he had called her.
"Why him?" he finally asked. "Why Alejandro Garcia?"
"Is that why you called me here?"
"Nivera… he's not someone you get involved with."
"Oh?"
"He changes women like shoes. You think you’re different? You think he won’t get bored?"
"Maybe he will," she said coldly. "But being thrown out by your family without a cent to your name, made to rot in silence while the world thinks you’re a liar and a slut—that already tops anything he could do."
Liam flinched once again.
"At least he stood by me when no one else did. You want to talk about being tossed out? At least Alejandro helped clear my name. Made Nathaniel confess, got me my career back. What did you do? What did anyone in our perfect family do?"
She waited for a response and when he didn't give on, she continued. “That's right, you didn't do shit!”
"You don’t understand—"
"No. You don’t understand. You all left me. You all treated me like an embarrassment. So don’t come here pretending to care now."
A long silence stretched between them.
Then she stood.
"I appreciate the lunch. But I don’t need advice from someone who looked the other way when I was drowning."
She turned to leave, but the moment she did, she froze.
Walking into the restaurant was none other than the devil himself.
However, he wasn't alone. Beside him was a woman—tall, elegant, beautiful. She wore confidence like a second skin, and her smile gleamed.
Another man trailed them, talking business, but Nivera barely registered him. All she could see was her.
Her heart twisted violently.
Was this the important business Alejandro needed to take care of?
The woman reached to adjust something on Alejandro’s shirt, laughing lightly. Too comfortably.
She hated the emotion that surged inside her. Her eyes dropped to her plain wrap dress and her unstyled curls. She looked… small.
Alejandro looked up then. He hadn’t seen her yet. But when he did, his face lit up in a way that made her heart twist.
"Nivera," he said, making his way over. His presence swallowed the space between them in seconds.
And then, without warning, he leaned in and kissed her. Softly. On the lips, which made her freeze.
Her heart slammed into her chest.
He pulled back and placed a light hand on her back, after which he turned to the people with him.
“Cabezota, these are some investors from work.” He then turned to them and said, "This is Nivera. My girlfriend."
She caught the moment the other woman’s smile faltered. Only for a second. But it was enough.
Victory immediately coursed through her veins. It was a stupid thing to feel happy about, but she had no regrets.
Alejandro then turned back to her. "What are you doing here?"
She found her voice. "I had a meeting."
He followed her glance and immediately spotted her brother. His expression darkened, as he didn't have to be a genius to figure out what their little meeting was all about.
Her brother stood. "It was nice seeing you again, Nivera. Think about what I said."
And just like that, he walked away without sparing Alejandro even a nod.
Nivera turned to leave, but Alejandro caught her wrist, keeping her rooted in her place.
"Stay, Cabezota. The meeting won’t take long."
It was worded like a request, but she knew it was an order.
And with the way his hand rested lightly on her lower back, guiding her to the table, she knew better than to argue, especially not when there were people watching.