Novel-novel oleh Grace Alegria

The air between them was different now. After the boardroom showdown, after Valeria had exposed Lucía and stood by Alejandro when he needed it most, the lines they had drawn in their fake marriage blurred dangerously. They didn’t speak on the ride home. Words weren’t enough. Their bodies hummed with a tension that had nowhere else to go but forward. Alejandro opened the door to the penthouse and let her walk in first. She didn’t stop. Didn’t hesitate. She went straight to the bedroom, then turned to him, waiting. It was a dare. An invitation. A challenge. He followed her, his heart thundering. For weeks, they’d played the part of husband and wife for the press, for his family, for the company. But tonight, they weren’t acting. Not anymore. He closed the door behind him. Slowly. “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice hoarse, betraying how much he needed her answer to be yes. She nodded. “I don’t want to think. Not tonight.” He crossed the room in three strides and pull

The luxury office of Herrera Designs had never been colder. Alejandro sat behind his desk, unmoving, eyes locked on the email from legal confirming Lucía’s new authority. The woman had played the long game, and she played it well. Twenty-one percent wasn’t enough to oust him outright—but it was enough to cause chaos. He didn’t have time for chaos. Not when he was still fighting to win Valeria back. “Sir,” his assistant said quietly over the intercom. “You have someone waiting in the lobby.” “If it’s Lucía again, tell her I’m busy choking on my pride.” “It’s not her. It’s... Valeria.” Alejandro’s breath caught. He was up and out of the chair before he could think. The elevator ride down felt like a century. When the doors opened, she was there—cool, collected, breathtaking. Her hair was tied back

Lucía’s heels clicked against the marble floor of Herrera Designs headquarters like a warning bell. She strode past the receptionist without a word, her presence as chilling as it was commanding. Today, she wore crimson—a power suit that seemed to bleed authority with every step.The executive boardroom was already buzzing when she entered. Conversations halted. Eyes turned.Alejandro stood at the head of the long table, jaw tight, knuckles white around the edge of the chair. “Lucía.”She smiled sweetly, sliding into a vacant seat. “Good morning, gentlemen.”He narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing here?”“Exercising my rights,” she said, tossing a thick stack of documents onto the table. “As the new owner of twenty-one percent of Herrera Designs.”Gasps echoed.“You’re bluffing,” Alejandro growled.She chuckled, leaning back in her chair. “Check the signatures. I bought your cousin Emiliano’s shares. He needed the cash. I needed leverage. Win-win.”Alejandro’s pulse pounded in his e

The city lights of the City of Monterrey twinkled beneath them as Alejandro and Valeria stood side by side on the rooftop terrace. The air was cool, a slight breeze tugging at their clothes as they leaned against the low stone wall, looking out at the skyline. For a moment, everything was silent—just the hum of the city below and the soft rustle of leaves in the wind.But silence, like everything else between them, had become charged with something more.Valeria could feel the weight of Alejandro’s presence beside her. His broad shoulders, his strong scent, the subtle tension in the air whenever their gazes met. She couldn’t ignore it anymore. She couldn’t pretend that the flutter in her chest when their hands brushed was just coincidence, that the warmth that spread through her veins when he smiled was something she could easily shake off.They were supposed to be pretending.This was just a business arrangement. A contract.But why did it feel like everything was slowly unraveling?

Valeria sat on the floor of her room, photos spread out in front of her like shrapnel. Alejandro holding Lucía’s hand. Lucía wearing a wedding band. Lucía… in a hospital gown. Seven months ago. That was the part that wouldn't stop echoing in her head. Seven months ago, Alejandro had stood in a hospital room with a woman he claimed to have “lost years ago.” And now he was married again? She didn’t know what was worse — the lies, or the way her heart still ached for him anyway. The knock came like thunder. She didn’t answer. The door opened anyway. Alejandro stepped in, hair tousled, breath sharp. He must’ve run here. “You got it,” he said quietly, eyes darting to the envelope in her lap. Valeria looked up slowly, her expression blank. “What was she doing in a hospital, Alejandro?” He didn’t speak. Not right away. Then, voice low: “She was pregnant.” Valeria’s stomach flipped. “I didn’t know,” he said quickly. “I hadn’t seen her in years. She showed

Valeria didn’t sleep that night.She sat frozen at the edge of her bed, the laptop screen still glowing.Alejandro had been married before.And somehow, he had never mentioned it.She read the article three times. The details were scarce — intentionally buried, maybe. The woman’s name was Lucía Marín. A journalist from Guadalajara. The marriage had lasted all of six months before it imploded in a media blackout.The final sentence was what stuck with her:Neither party commented. The bride disappeared from the public eye.Valeria’s skin prickled.How do you marry someone, erase them from your life, and then pretend they never existed?She slammed the laptop shut, heart pounding, and marched straight down the hallway.Alejandro’s RoomShe didn’t knock.He was shirtless, standing near his window with a glass of whiskey in hand, bathed in city light and shadows.When he turned, his eyes darkened. “Valeria—?”“You were married before.”No hesitation. No warm-up. Just the truth.His face s