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Chapter Eight: The Ghost of His Past
Last Updated:
2025-04-05 00:30:36
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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
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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?
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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
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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
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Valeria stood outside Alejandro’s penthouse door, wine bottle in one hand, nerves twisting her stomach like ribbon. She was dressed in a fitted emerald green dress — conservative enough for a family dinner, but flattering enough to make Alejandro stare. Which she definitely wasn’t hoping for. At all.She exhaled.You can do this. Pretend. Smile. Eat. Lie. Leave.She rang the bell.The door opened instantly, revealing Alejandro — barefoot, in a black button-down rolled up at the sleeves and charcoal trousers. Casual. Sinfully casual.Valeria’s brain took a second to reboot.“You’re late,” he said, voice flat.“You’re not wearing shoes.”His mouth twitched. “You brought wine?”“You said to look convincing. Nothing screams loving fiancée like a good Malbec.”He took the bottle, their fingers brushing briefly. “You look—”Valeria raised a brow. “What?”His eyes lingered a second too long. “Convincing.”She hated how smug it made her feel.Inside the PenthouseThe place was too clean. Mode
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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
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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
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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
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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?
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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
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Valeria paced her apartment like a caged animal, the marriage certificate clutched in one trembling hand.Her mind kept looping the same impossible question:How the hell was she legally married to Alejandro Herrera?The paper wasn’t fake. It was stamped, signed, and government-issued.And worst of all?She remembered none of it.A sharp knock at the door jolted her out of the spiral.She didn’t need to check who it was.Alejandro never waited.She yanked the door open. “What the hell did you do?”He didn’t flinch at her fury. “Can I come in?”She shoved the paper against his chest. “You can come in when you explain this.”He stepped inside anyway.The door slammed behind him.Inside Her ApartmentAlejandro took one look at the document, then looked at her.His voice was low. Controlled. “Where did you get this?”“It was on my kitchen counter.”“Who else has a key to your place?”“Don’t play the security game, Alejandro. Explain.”He ran a hand through his hair — and for the first tim
