Ruined By My Brother's Best Friend (by Silverwriter) novel Chapter 194

10:42 Wed, Sep 9 MJO.

Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

She’s Everywhere

ARABELLA’S POV

Of course, she had to show up now.

I hadn’t seen her since the horrible stunt she pulled at the restaurant, and I had no intention of seeing her again.

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I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, then pulled my suitcases upright and, without turning in her direction walked toward the exit.

“Arabella,” Alvise called, his tone full of warning.

I ignored him and walked out through the large glass doors. The cool air hit my skin as I stopped in the parking lot and pulled out my phone.

I was in the middle of booking a ride when my phone rang, and William’s name flashed across the screen.

I gasped, surprised to see his call.

The last time I’d seen him was when he’d gotten into an altercation with Alvise over who was going to take me home. After that, he’d travelled for work, and we’d barely spoken since then.

I swiped to answer the call. “William, how are you?” I asked, placing the phone to my ear.

“Arabella,” he breathed, his voice deep and rough. “I should be asking you that. How are you doing?”

My stomach dipped.

He’d probably seen the news. That meant everything had gone wild.

“I’m fine,” I assured him, even though the words felt like a lie. “How’s work?”

“Enough of talking about me,” William said. “I’m back in London. I wrapped up work and rushed back to see you.”

Surprised, my eyes widened. “Are you serious? I…”

“You heard me call your name, so why didn’t you answer?”

Alvise’s cold voice filled the air from behind me.

I bit my bottom lip, my mind swirling with several thoughts as a shiver ran down my spine. “I have to go now, William. I’ll call you back as soon as I can, okay?”

“I’ll be waiting,” he mumbled before ending the call.

I turned around, my eyes clashing with a pair of angry blue ones. “I’ll have a cab drop me off. You can go.”

Alvise raised a brow. “That would have made some sense if you got to tell me what to do. But you don’t,” he retorted. “Go to

the car.”

“I don’t want you to take me home anymore, so no.” I grabbed my suitcases and walked away.

I suddenly felt him behind me, but I noticed a second too late because his hands grabbed my elbow and spun me around.

“Alvise, just leave me…”

He swept me off my feet, the shock making me release the bags until they crashed onto the ground. Alvise draped one arm

TO:42 Wed, Sep 9 MJE.

Rumed By My Brother’s Best Friend

beneath my legs and another around my shoulders before walking towards his car with me in his arms.

door:

shocked to speak, I could only watch as he unlocked the car and lowered me into the passenger seat before locking the

He went back for my bags and put them in the back of the car.

The shock finally wore off, and I looked around. Where was Tatiana?

I definitely heard her voice and had seen her from the corner of my eye.

As Alvise unlocked the driver’s door and stepped inside, I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “Where did your fiancée go

He didn’t respond to me.

A few seconds later, I finally understood why as Tatiana walked out of the building and approached us.

My eyes drifted to the leather bag she clutched tightly against her chest and I furrowed my brows.

Why was she here? And what was she here for?

A wave of discomfort washed over me. I’d been running into her far too often recently, and I didn’t like the thought of her getting woven any deeper into my life.

Seeing her face reminded me of how she’d ridiculed me in front of all those people, and now, all I wanted to do was smash her face against something.

“I sit in the front,” Tatiana snapped, her hard eyes fixed on me.

I shrugged and reached for the door handle, ready to leave, but when I tried to push it open, it wouldn’t budge.

I turned to Alvise. “I’m not in the mood for any drama right now, so please, let me out.”

Ignoring me, Alvise rolled the window down. “Get in the back seat, Tatiana.”

“What? Baby, no!” she argued. “Why would she get to sit in the front and I don’t?”

“Back seat, Tatjana,” Alvise warned. “Now.”

A retort sat on the tip of her tongue, one she looked desperate to let out, but she pressed her lips together and grudgingly moved to the back seat after Alvise unlocked the door.

I fidgeted with my hands, my heart thumping in my chest. What was going on?

Why had he asked her to stay in the back seat instead of me?

“Where are you going?” Tatiana asked, her voice now softer.

My eyes clashed with hers through the rearview mirror, and she raised her hand, deliberately showing off the diamond on her ring finger.

I looked away.

“I’m going to drop Arabella off,” Alvise replied after some time.

“But we’re supposed to go on a date in ten minutes,” she said, sounding disappointed. “Why can’t she order a cab?”

“I’m sitting right here,” I chimed in, turning to look at her. “You can direct your questions at me.”

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Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

She smiled. It was fake and obnoxious. “Why are you trying to ruin our date when you can just order a cab?”

returned her fake smile. “Because your fiancée insisted on dropping me off.”

Her smile disappeared, and she glanced at Alvise. “Is she telling the truth?”

“She is,” Alvise said, sounding disinterested, his eyes fixed on the road.

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to,” he remarked. “And if the both of you don’t mind, I’m trying to drive. So the conversation can continue when you’re alone.”

Tatiana snorted. “I don’t run in the same social circles as her.” Her gray eyes, full of spite, clashed with mine again in the rearview mirror. “She’s the last person I would want to speak to.”

I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the seat. “And the world kept spinning.”

No one said a word after that, and the drive to my apartment was filled with unsaid words and an uncomfortable tension simmering between us.

The car slowed in front of my apartment building, and I sat up, waiting for Alvise to park. When he did, I got out at the same time he did.

He helped me take my bags from the back seat and attempted to carry them to the building, but I stopped him.

“No, it’s fine. I can carry them from here,” I said, taking the suitcases from him. “You have a date to attend.”

Alvise hesitated for a moment before returning to his car. He got in, started the engine, and drove off.

I released a tense breath and was about to head into my apartment when a chilling realization dawned on me.

A horrible feeling settled in my gut.

I knew what Tatiana was capable of, especially when she considered you a threat. If she hated me before, she probably now despised me.

And now, she knew where I lived.

10:42 Wed, Sep 9 MJO.

Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

Strange Men

ARABELLA’S POV

“Where have you been for the last couple of weeks? I thought you moved.”

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I smiled, though it didn’t reach my eyes as I glanced at my neighbor. Her apartment was right next to mine, and we saw each other in passing most times, though we never really spoke.

“I went to visit a friend.” I muttered, my gaze drifting toward the sky.

“Oh. So that’s why. When I heard movement outside here, I legit got scared and almost called security.”

I wasn’t surprised. We shared a balcony, and I only ever came out here when I was drowning in my thoughts and needed to clear my head.

“I can imagine.” I said. “I only got back recently.” I informed her.

“Welcome back.” She grinned. There was a long pause, her eyes meeting mine before she continued. “I must say, I got worried about you a little. For the first few days after you left, there were strange men coming to knock on your door.”

I tensed.

A cold wave of fear washed over me, leaving my entire body trembling. I hoped I hadn’t heard her right.

“What?” I asked, my palm suddenly sweaty. “Strange men?”

“Yes.” She took a sip from her mug and shook her head. “I was scared, really. They would come at night. Very late. I would peek through the peephole to check. They’d all be dressed in different clothes, all normal.”

Goosebumps rose across my skin. What was she talking about?

“Did you speak to security?” I asked, panic creeping into my voice.

“I did. But then they would check the CCTV footage to confirm my claims, and there’d be nothing to back them up.” My neighbor leaned back in her chair, her mouth falling open in disbelief. “Everything would be wiped clean.”

“Wait… so, like, no one believed you?”

She chuckled lightly. “Not a single soul. At some point, I started to believe I was hallucinating. But I know what I saw. It stopped after some time, though. They suddenly never came back.”

I shot to my feet, panicking. “Uhmm… thank you… I’m feeling sleepy now.” I lied.

I needed to lock myself in my apartment now.

What was going on? What if they came back? Why would anyone want to come looking for me in groups?

“Wait!” She stopped me, standing up too. “I think I saw you on the news too…”

I rushed into my apartment and bolted the door behind me. I didn’t want to stick around long enough to hear her talk about my possible involvement in Henry and Theo’s deaths.

Her words about the men coming to knock on my door flooded my brain, making me pace around the room, my fingers tangling together anxiously.

Should I call Archie and tell him about it?

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Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

No. He would be too worried.