Ruined By My Brother's Best Friend (by Silverwriter) novel Chapter 197

Summary for Chapter 197: Ruined By My Brother's Best Friend (by Silverwriter)

Read Arabella and Alvise novel Chapter 197

Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

Risky Daisy Dukes

ARABELLA’S POV

Alvise’s cold eyes watched me, narrowing slightly, and it snapped me back to reality.

What was I thinking? He would never stay with me. And why did I want him to stay with me?

Embarrassed, I moved back, creating some distance between us, and flashed him a little smile. “I’m sorry for that,” I apologized. “Thank you for bringing me here. You can leave now. Thank you.”

I turned around without waiting for a reply and headed for the front door, the keys in my palm rolling between my fingers as I fidgeted with them to calm my nerves.

Alvise was still watching me, but I didn’t turn back. I didn’t have the heart to. Not after wearing my Keart on my sleeve just now and getting nothing but a cold look from him.

I unlocked the door and shut it behind me before taking in the interior of the cottage. It had already looked beautiful from the outside, but inside was even better.

It had a warm, elegant interior with exposed wooden beams, polished floors, and soft golden lighting that made the cottage feel cosy and inviting. I was even more drawn to the stone fireplace. It looked warm and inviting, like the perfect place to curl up and forget the rest of the world existed.

The nervous knot in my stomach loosened a little. Perhaps this wouldn’t be as depressing as I’d imagined.

After going through everything downstairs, I was about to do the same upstairs when I heard a car start and drive away.

I stilled, my heart hammering in my chest.

He left.

The realization made everything seem more complicated. How was I going to survive here alone?

A gasp escaped my lips. I didn’t have a phone with me, and I needed to inform Archie about my whereabouts.

He would be upset if I didn’t tell him early on, and though I had a feeling Alvise might sneak a message to him about it, there was also every possibility that he wouldn’t.

How was I going to relay this to Archie?

With my shoulders sagging, I continued my self-guided four upstairs, and when I was done, I chose to stay in one of the rooms there. It already had clothes stocked in the closet that were my size, so I took a long shower and changed into a pair of daisy dukes and a white tank top.

I had no idea what time it was or how long I’d spent in the police station, so it made it hard to know what day it was.

“I guess I’m really stuck here alone,” I mumbled to myself as I climbed onto the bed and lay down, pulling the covers over myself.

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10:58 Mon, Sep 14

Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

I could confirm that being alone sucked.

55 voucher

I woke up hungry and tired and in desperate need of fresh air.

That need sent me downstairs, my feet hurrying with each step as I couldn’t get to the kitchen fast enough.

I browsed through the pantry and fridge and decided to make ramen noodles because I was too tired to do anything else.

Once they were done, I took my bowl of ramen and a bottle of water to the living room. With my legs crossed on the couch, I started eating, savouring the taste of the noodles I’d made.

Suddenly, a weird feeling prickled at my skin. The room felt smaller, the sensation of being watched becoming more and more pronounced.

The hairs on my arms rose, and a shiver trailed up my neck to my ear. I shivered, pausing with the chopsticks halfway to my mouth.

I wasn’t alone.

My chest heaved up and down, fear settling heavily in my stomach.

No… not right now. Not today.

I couldn’t handle being a hostage again. I just couldn’t.

I turned around, my heart skipping its next beat. A soft gasp escaped my lips as I took in the sight before

Alvise stood, leaning against the stairwell, both hands tucked into his pockets and his eyes fixed on me.

Shock flitted through me. When did he come?

“Alvise,” I breathed. “You’re here?”

He pushed off the wall and walked closer until the only distance between us was the couch. “As you can see.”

I smiled. I tried to hold it back, but I couldn’t, flashing him a grin. “Thank you,” I said, craning my head back to get a proper view of his handsome face.

“I’m not here for you.”

I nodded. “Whatever your reasons are, thank you.”

He didn’t respond, so I turned around and focused on eating.

He didn’t leave my back.

My hands shook as I handled the chopsticks, hyper-aware of his presence. His scent wafted to my nose at the same time his warm gaze seemed to heat the skin on my back.

10:58 Mon, Sep 14

Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

I was overwhelmed.

verwhelmed and shocked.

He was really here. Why did I find it so hard to believe it?

He could just be here to pick something up, but his presence alone lightened my mood.

55 voucher

I stood up and turned to look at him. “I had no idea you were coming, so I didn’t make any for you. Should I make one now?”

Alvise’s eyes travelled to my shorts, or the lack of much coverage from them, his heavy gaze lingering over my exposed legs before his stare, lazy and unreadable, dragged back to my face.

I suddenly felt naked.

I’d put on the shorts with the belief that I was going to be here alone all day, but that decision was already coming back to bite me.

“Is this what you plan on wearing around my security team?” His hard voice filled the room.

I stared down at my exposed legs and then back up at his face. “I don’t think I’ll run into them. They’re outside, are they not?”

Alvise nodded. “They are.” He poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue, seemingly absentmindedly. “And what if you go outside?”

“I don’t plan on stepping out. At least not today.”

“And what about me?” Alvise asked, his voice dropping low.

I blinked, wondering if I’d heard him correctly. “What about you?”

“You’re wearing this in front of me,” he said, his jaw hardening. “And you’re going to be running into me, are you not?”

I only paid attention to the last sentence. “You’re staying?” I asked, my eyes lighting up.

“Yes. Now, answer the question.”

I recalled what he’d just said and shrugged. “I’m a little bit more comfortable around you than your men. I don’t even know them,” I said, grabbing my plate and heading for the kitchen.

Alvise’s next words made me stop dead in my tracks.

“I’m also a full-grown man, Arabella.” I heard his retreating footsteps as he walked up the stairs. “One with eyes.”

T58 Mon, Sep 14

Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

With Him Now

ARABELLA’S POV

I stood in the kitchen for a long time after that.

55 vouchere

I couldn’t bear the thought of running into him again after what he’d said. Heat crept up my cheeks, and I buried my face in my palms.

The thought of how stupid I’d looked, acting like a sixteen-year-old with a crush, made my face fall. I straightened up and finally did the dishes before walking out of the kitchen.

I needed to get it together.

I walked up the stairs, considering going to change into something else, when I spotted a door half-open I glanced inside, and my heart rate picked up.

Alvise sat behind a desk in what looked like a study, his hands rubbing his jaw as he fixed his eyes on the stack of files in front of him.

What caught my attention were the round frames sitting on the bridge of his nose. The glasses made him look considerably hotter, especially with his intense eyes narrowing whenever he turned to a new page.

I couldn’t pull my eyes away.

Needing to get a grip, I tried to walk away, but I missed a step while turning around. I gasped, clutching my chest as I lost my footing and crashed into the door.

I fell on my ass with a loud bang, but the sharp sting wasn’t what made me jerk and squeeze my eyes shut.

I was now in Alvise’s study.

Why did things like this happen to me?

“You should watch where you’re going.”

I opened my eyes and looked up. Alvise was now typing intently on his computer, his eyes not straying from the screen.

I released a relieved breath. At least that meant my fall hadn’t been as brutal as I’d imagined.

I stood up. “I should. I’ll keep that in mind,” I said dryly, looking around the study.

“Do you come here often?” I asked. He dragged his gaze to me, and I clarified, “I mean, the house.”

“Occasionally.”

I raised a brow. Somehow, I didn’t believe that. Alvise Valerio frequenting a cottage?

“How many times have you been here?”

With his eyes back on the screen, Alvise said, “Thrice.”

1

TO:58 Mon, Sep 14

Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

56 vouchers

I choked on my own spit. “What?” I forced out, clutching my chest. “You call three times occasionally!”

After studying his stoic face and disinterested voice, I concluded that I was disturbing him.

“I know I’m being a bother right now, but… I don’t have a phone,” I told him. “Can I… get one?”

He stopped typing and leaned back in his chair, giving me his full attention..

“I don’t want you having a phone yet. You might contact someone who could trace your location here.

My face fell.

It made sense, but I hardly contacted anyone. I tried again. “I… won’t call many people. I just want

it to communicate with a few…”

“You won’t have a phone yet, Arabella,” Alvise commanded. “If you want to contact your brother, you can

use mine.”

I walked closer to his desk and rounded it until I stood beside him. “Can I talk to him now?”

Alvise’s eyes travelled to my legs again, his gaze harder than last time, before he pulled his phone out of his pocket, unlocked it, and handed it to me.

I located Archie’s contact and called him, tapping my foot against the floor nervously.

The call rang for a while before he finally picked up.

“What’s up, man?” he said, his voice cool.

I chuckled lightly. “Archie,” I called, my eyes softening even though he couldn’t see me. “How are you?”

“Arabella?” He sounded surprised. “What are you doing with Alvise’s phone?”

I bit my lip, holding back the giggle that threatened to escape at the seriousness in his voice.

Tired of standing, I sat on the edge of Alvise’s desk. “I’m with him.”

His gaze warmed the side of my face immediately after the words left my mouth.

My eyes widened when I realized why.

My words could suggest that we were together intimately. I cleared my throat and corrected myself. “I’m with him now.” That sounded even worse. I glanced at Alvise, only to find him watching me, rubbing a hand over his jaw.

Archie chuckled. “At his apartment?”

“No… that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I’m not with my phone, that’s why it took this long to speak to you. There was a security breach at my apartment, and so Alvise brought me to his cottage so I can stay here until things get better,” I said, conveniently leaving out Francesca and Tatiana’s plot and how I ended up in prison.

10:58 Mon, Sep 14

Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

55 voucher

“What the hell?” Archie exclaimed. “Are you okay? Damn, I had no idea. When I didn’t hear from you, I assumed you just decided to turn your phone off.” The worry was evident in his voice. “What do you need? What’s the address so I can come over. Do you have food?”

I laughed. “Yes, I do. I have everything here except a phone.”

Archie and I talked for over five minutes, and after he promised to come see me soon, I ended the call

“Thank you,” I said, holding out the phone to Alvise.

He stared from my legs to my hands and then my face, but didn’t reach out to collect the phone.

Suddenly hot under the intensity of his gaze, I was in desperate need of fresh air… or simply to leave his presence, so I reached down and grabbed his hand.

I tried to pry his palm open so I could drop the phone into it, but he didn’t budge. After struggling for a while and making no progress, except for the jolts of electricity that shot through my body whenever my skin touched his, I gave up and paused.

What was I doing?

I could just drop it on the table.

Turning around, I placed the phone on the table and made a move to walk away.

Alvise placed his hands on both sides of my waist and pulled me down until I was sitting on his lap.

His warm, rough breath fanned against my ear, sending tingles racing across my skin. “This is what you wanted, right?”

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