Ruined By My Brother's Best Friend (by Silverwriter) novel Chapter 10

With Him

Alvise,” I breathed nervously, my palms growing sweaty as I stared up at his striking face. I couldn’t believe he was here.

If Alvise noticed my discomfort, he gave no indication of it. “I’ll take you home,” he said firmly.

I let out an awkward laugh and pointed toward Sierra and her friend. “Um… they’re going to take me home.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I’ll take you home, Arabella.”

I turned to Sierra, who was watching us with such intense focus that it looked like she’d forgotten how to breathe. The moment she noticed my gaze, she cleared her throat and pinched my arm. I already knew what she was trying to say.

Go with him.

Sierra’s friend, Dave, if I remembered correctly, stepped closer. “Is everything okay?” he asked, looking between Alvise and me. “Do you know him?”

I sent him an apologetic smile. He was trying to sound confident, but it was obvious Alvise intimidated him. I nodded hesitantly before turning back to Alvise.

He was already watching me. “You… you don’t have to…”

“Follow me, Arabella,” he cut in. Then, without another word, he turned and started walking toward his car, which I only just noticed was parked near the office complex.

The moment he was a reasonable distance away, Sierra grabbed my shoulders. “Girl, are you crazy? Follow him, damn it!” She shook me dramatically.

I pried her hands off. “You didn’t even try to help,” I snapped. “I don’t want to be in a car with him.”

She nodded sarcastically. “Yeah, sure. Say that a few more times and you might actually believe it.” Then she shoved me lightly in his direction. “I want all the tea ASAP.”

I shot her a glare as I started walking away. “You just want me gone so you can make out in the car.”

She gasped loudly at my statement before laughing. “Well, thanks for the idea.”

Despite myself, I giggled, warmth creeping into my cheeks. But every trace of amusement vanished when I noticed Alvise leaning against his car, watching me.

I swallowed hard and stopped a few feet away from him. “I thought you went back to Russia,” I said, wondering where I’d suddenly found the courage to start a conversation.

He stroked his chin but said nothing. He simply stared at me with an intensity that made me squirm, as though he were trying to figure out exactly what was going through my mind. Considering how much of a nervous wreck I was being, I I doubted it was difficult.

“Why… why are you here?” I asked, glancing around. I didn’t even know he knew where I worked. Though a small part of me suspected he wasn’t here by coincidence. That would be impossible… right? Once again, he didn’t answer.

Instead, he pulled out his keys and unlocked the car. I hurried to the back door and tried opening it, but it was locked.

I turned to ask him to unlock it but immediately shut my mouth when I caught the hard look on his face. Without a word, he rounded the car, opened the passenger–side door, and slid into the driver’s seat.

I stood there awkwardly for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh and climbing into the passenger seat. The second I buckled my seatbelt, he started the car and pulled onto the road.

We sat in silence for a few minutes but the silence quickly became unbearable. To distract myself. I pulled out my phone and started scrolling through social media.

I was halfway through a makeup tutorial when I suddenly remembered that my fridge was practically empty. I’d planned to stop for groceries and pick up dinner on the way home.

I locked my phone and looked out the window, trying to figure out where we were. Relief flooded me when I realized we hadn’t gone too far.

I turned toward him. “Can you stop somewhere nearby?”

“I thought you’d left already,” I said quietly as I began unloading my groceries onto the counter.

The insult was delivered so calmly that if the cashier hadn’t burst into laughter, I might have questioned whether I’d heard him correctly. I glared at him and shoved the last piece of grocery from my cart on the counter a little harder than necessary.

I folded my arms. “Is laughing like a hyena part of your job description?” Her laughter died instantly. I continued, “because if it is, I can see why you got hired. You’re exceptionally qualified.”

Her face paled and she immediately looked toward Alvise as though silently hoping he’d insult me again.

I didn’t even bother looking at him. “What’s the total?” I asked sharply.

The cashier looked like she wanted to cuss me out, but she grit her teeth instead. After scanning everything and packing the items into bags, she cleared her throat. “Eight hundred dollars.”

“He’ll pay.” I pointed toward Alvise.

When I turned to him, I caught the dark flicker of amusement in his eyes. Without complaint, he pulled out his wallet, retrieved his Amex card, and handed it to the cashier, who was still staring at him like he’d descended from heaven.

Once the payment was complete, I grumpily reached for the bags, but Alvise snatched them before I could. Then he turned and walked toward the exit.

Í stoffed and followed behind him, biting my lip. I didn’t like his earlier comment at all. He’d been going out of his way to annoy me, and I wasn’t in the mood for it today.

When we stepped outside, he moved toward the car, clearly intending to place the bags in the back seat.

I stopped him. “I’ll go home on my own,” I snapped, yanking the bags from his hands.

To my surprise, he let me take them, then he simply slipped his hands into his pockets and watched me.

For a few seconds, neither of us moved, but later, I pulled out my phone and began booking a ride. Then, apparently running out of patience, he finally snapped.

“Arabella, get in the fucking car.”