Jamila couldn't move even if she wanted to. The air in the bedroom felt thick, heated, and dangerously thin as Alejandro closed the distance between them.
His piercing green eyes roved slowly over her, traveling from the tips of her shoes, up the tight tailoring of her dark new uniform, past her neatly cinched waist, and finally resting on her face. The outfit set her apart from every other servant in the mansion, molding to her curves in a way that made Alejandro's jaw tighten slightly.
He stopped directly in front of her. The steam radiating off his glistening skin carried the rich scents of cedarwood and dark amber, wrapping around Jamila's senses. Without breaking eye contact, Alejandro raised a hand. His long, calloused fingers reached behind her head, gently pulling the elastic tie from her hair.
Her thick, dark curls spilled free instantly, cascading around her shoulders in a wild halo.
The unexpected intimacy hit Jamila like an electric shock. Her breath caught in her throat, her chest heaving as she fought the sudden, intense pull between them. Breaking the spell before her knees gave out, she brushed past him with a quick step, striding over to the bedside table to set the heavy silver tray down.
Taking a steadying breath, she turned around, her fingers working fast to gather her curls back into a tight, severe bun.
"You shouldn't have done that," Jamila said, her voice trembling slightly before she forced it steady. "People around this mansion are talking, Mr. Garcia. The kitchens are full of it. They are saying I slept with Ferdinand, and now I'm sleeping with you—that you claimed me after we slept together."
Alejandro didn't answer immediately. He stood in the center of the room, completely unbothered by his bare chest or the white towel hanging low off his hips. His eyes briefly tracked her quick hands pulling her hair back before he turned and walked into his massive walk-in closet.
A couple of minutes later, he stepped back out. He had dressed in a simple, fitted charcoal t-shirt and dark trousers, but on his tall, broad frame, even casual clothes looked effortlessly expensive and dangerously handsome.
Jamila didn't shrink away. She took two steps forward, standing face-to-face with him in the middle of the room.
The proximity was suffocating. Up close, Alejandro was an imposing wall of muscle and authority. Between the lingering scent of his skin and the raw energy humming between them, an undeniable heat flared low in his belly, pressing against the waist of his trousers. His body reacted to her defiance, going hard and taut, but his expression remained an impenetrable mask of cool marble. He ignored the physical pull, his green eyes staring down at her with unyielding intensity.
"I need you to go out there and tell them the truth," Jamila demanded, looking him dead in the eye, her dark eyes flashing with fierce pride. "Tell the staff that you're just using me to get under your brother's skin. I won't have my name dragged through the dirt while you play your family games."
Alejandro leaned down slightly, stepping so close his chest nearly brushed hers.
"Why are you even complaining?" he murmured, his voice dipping into a low, silky thread that sent a shiver straight down her spine. "Don't act naïve. You know you're benefiting from this little arrangement of ours."
Jamila's jaw set hard. "I never asked for this."
Alejandro countered smoothly, his gaze locking onto hers with suffocating authority.
"Without my name shielding you, Ferdinand would have thrown you on the street without a passport by noon yesterday. I gave you protection, private quarters, and a standing in this house where no one can lay a hand on you. If it wasn't for me, you'd be in serious trouble."
Jamila opened her mouth to shoot back a sharp reply, but before the words could leave her lips, Alejandro reached out. His fingers hooked firmly beneath her chin, tilting her head up until she was forced to look directly into his burning green eyes.
"The way I see it," Alejandro whispered, his thumb brushing lightly over the edge of her jaw, a subtle, electric touch that made her heart hammer violently against her ribs, "you actually owe me."
Before Jamila could pull away or respond, the heavy double doors of the master suite were yanked open, crashing against the interior wall with a sharp bang.
"So it's true?"
Catalina Garcia stood on the threshold, her arms folded across her chest, her sharp eyes darting from Alejandro's hand resting on Jamila's chin to Jamila's wild, dark curls framing her face. Her expression was cold, sharp, and dripping with disbelief.
"I heard the rumors flying through this house," Catalina spat, stepping into the room and closing the door hard behind her.
Jamila stuttered, "It's.. it's not like that-"
"Get lost." Catalina spoke to her with disdain.
"I want to speak to my brother."
She scrambled off, leaving the room instantly and letting the heavy doors shut behind her.
As soon as the latch clicked, Catalina turned on Alejandro, her expression tight with disappointment and anger. "I expect this kind of trashy behavior from Ferdinand, Alejandro, but you? Are you seriously sleeping with the maids now too? Is every man in this family completely incapable of keeping it in his pants?"
"I'm not sleeping with her, Catalina," Alejandro answered smoothly, his voice flat and unbothered as he adjusted the cuffs of his shirt.
"Then what was that?" Catalina demanded, throwing her hands up. "The whole mansion is buzzing! They're saying Ferdinand brought her in and you snatched her right out of his bed? Have you both completely lost your minds?"
She stepped closer, her voice dropping into a razor-sharp whisper. "You know what time it is. Father is arriving soon. We all know he's retiring, Alejandro! This is the moment he decides who gets to run Garcia Enterprises and step into the CEO seat. If he walks in here and sees his two sons squabbling over a servant girl, he'll think you're both too reckless to lead!"
"I hear you, Catalina," Alejandro replied smoothly, his tone entirely unbothered. "I'm not sleeping with her. She's just a tool to get under Ferdinand's skin. You know I can never resist a chance to rile him up, and she happens to be the first maid who actually turned him down. Once the game gets old and we both lose interest, I'll throw her off the property. You have my word. With that attitude of hers, she doesn't even belong here."
"I don't care about your little psychological games!" Catalina snapped, glaring at him. "You need to be on the lookout too, Alejandro. Father is looking for any excuse to test you two. But both of you seriously need to stop sleeping with the help! It's embarrassing!"
Alejandro didn't argue. He gave her a single, silent nod, brushing past her without another word as he exited his private suite.
Meanwhile, Jamila had hurried back toward the kitchen area, her heart pounding in her chest from the encounter with Catalina. She kept her head down, just wanting to gather the rest of the morning trays and retreat to her quarters.
But as she pushed through the kitchen doors, a hand shoved her hard from behind.
Jamila lost her balance on the polished, slick tile floor, falling to her knees with a sharp gasp. A stack of linen napkins and silver spoons tumbled beside her, clattering loudly across the floor.
Standing over her was one of the senior maids, her arms crossed, looking down at Jamila with a cruel, mocking sneer. "Look at the high-and-mighty personal maid on her knees," the woman taunted, while two other cooks chuckled in the background. "Think you're special because you moved wings? You're still just a dirty—"
The kitchen doors burst open with a heavy, thunderous thud.
Alejandro stepped through the frame, his tall, imposing figure casting a long shadow across the room. The laughter died instantly. The air in the kitchen turned icy, suffocatingly quiet.
Alejandro's green eyes swept over the scene—Jamila on the floor, the silver scattered around her, and the maid standing over her with her mouth frozen mid-insult.
He didn't ask what happened. He didn't waste a single breath asking questions.
Alejandro marched straight across the room, his long strides terrifyingly calm. He reached down, grabbed Jamila firmly by the hand, and pulled her effortlessly back onto her feet. He didn't release her grip. His fingers remained tightly intertwined with hers, keeping her anchored right beside him.
Turning his cold, deadly gaze on the maid and the rest of the kitchen staff, Alejandro spoke in a low, dangerous rumble that sent chills down everyone's spine.
"If any of you so much as touch her, bully her, or speak to her out of line again, you will have me to answer to. And I promise you, you won't like the outcome. Is that understood?"
The staff shrank back, nodding frantically in terrified silence.
Without waiting for a response, Alejandro turned and dragged Jamila out of the kitchen by her hand. Jamila had to take quick, hurried steps to keep up with his long stride, her skin burning where his warm, powerful hand held onto hers.
They turned the corner into the grand hallway, only to run directly into Ferdinand.
Ferdinand stood near the library entrance, a bitter, twisted scorn plastered across his face. His eyes instantly dropped down to their joined hands, his bloodshot eyes flaring with pure, unadulterated venom.
Alejandro didn't slow down. He didn't dodge or yield.
As they passed, Alejandro intentionally slammed his broad shoulder hard into Ferdinand's, intentionally jostling his younger brother back a step.
Ferdinand stumbled slightly, a dark gasp of fury ripping from his throat, but Alejandro kept walking smoothly, dragging Jamila along with him without giving Ferdinand a second glance.
Behind them, Ferdinand stood frozen in the hallway, his chest heaving with burning hatred. His gaze remained fixated entirely on Jamila's back as she disappeared down the corridor with his brother, his mind twisting with a dangerous, vengeful obsession.