Ruined By My Brother's Best Friend (by Silverwriter) novel Chapter 19

Danger

I was sure it was his car, the same one that had been picking me up throughout the past week. But I tore my gaze away from the approaching vehicle and turned back to Jude, who was waiting patiently for me to get in.

I slid into the passenger seat, and the moment I gave him my address, he pulled onto the road and accelerated at an alarming speed.

I refused to dwell on why Alvise had pulled up outside my workplace. It definitely wasn’t for me. He’d stopped picking me up. He was fed up with me.

“So… what’s your personal life like?” Jude asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

I offered him a weak smile. “My personal life isn’t anything interesting. Work is my only focus.” It was mostly true, but I intentionally kept my answer vague. I didn’t know him well enough to tell him anything about my life.

Jude hummed. “I can see that. You’re very good at what you do.”

His tone was lighthearted, but something about it felt… off. It made me glance at him. An uneasy feeling settled in my ches though I couldn’t quite figure out why. I mostly found it strange that he’d suddenly decided to talk to me again today, let alone offer me a ride home. “When did you start working here?” I asked, doing my best to keep my voice steady.

He shrugged. “About two weeks ago. I’m still learning the ropes.”

My breathing faltered. That was a lie. He’d started working at the company nearly a month ago. I knew there was a new intern named Jude, but I’d never actually run into him until yesterday, when he introduced himself. And now, he didn’t even know when he’d started his internship.

My stomach twisted uneasily as fear slowly crept into my chest. I didn’t want him to realize I was onto him, so I forced myself myself to sound casual. “What time do you usually clock out?”

He raised a brow and turned to look at me. My fingers tightened around the edge of my seat. His eyes… They looked empty. There wasn’t a trace of emotion in them. I let out a nervous chuckle. “So… what time?”

He looked back at the road. “The same time as you, of course.”

My blood ran cold. He wasn’t an intern. All interns at our company clocked out two hours before everyone else during their first two months. Bile rose in my throat, but I swallowed it back. I didn’t know who this man was, but he was lying to me. Suddenly, everything made sense. He’d approached me yesterday, then again today. Always when I was alone.

I was being kidnapped. “I… I want…” I stammered. “I want to stop by the grocery store.”

His grip on the steering wheel tightened. “We’ve already passed all the grocery stores.”

I shook my head frantically. “Then just drop me off here. I’ll walk back.”

Then suddenly, panic surged through me. I opened my mouth to scream. But before a sound escaped, my eyes fluttered open. I’d been asleep. I blinked in confusion and looked around. I was in my bedroom.

Furrowing my brows, I slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. A blanket was draped over me. With an irritated huff, I threw it onto the floor. That explained why I’d been so hot.

Just as I was about to climb out of bed, memories of leaving work with the intern came rushing back. The intern… Jude. He kidnapped me… And… I clutched my chest. No… I’d been crying… There’d been an accident…

Was it all just a nightmare? I looked around my room before pressing my trembling hands against the bedsheets. How did I get back to my apartment? Tears gathered in my eyes so I covered my mouth with my hand and began rocking back and forth.

Suddenly, the bedroom door flew open and a loud scream escaped my throat. My head snapped up, but I froze the instant my eyes met a pair of striking blue ones. Without thinking, I ran straight into his arms.

I wrapped my arms around him desperately, my voice trembling as I choked out, “A–Alvise… I…” The words dissolved into sobs. “I… I was kidnapped and…”

He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t push me away either. I buried my face in his chest, crying uncontrollably. “There was a crash… I… I don’t remember…”

“Shh…” he murmured softly. He wrapped his arms around my waist before lifting me effortlessly until my legs instinctively wrapped around his torso.