Ruined By My Brother's Best Friend (by Silverwriter) novel Chapter 241

ARABELLA’S POV

Alvise paused and turned to look at me, his eyes searching my face. “Who?”

“Tattoo Lord.”

Alvise raised a brow. “Who the fuck is that?”

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I sighed. “That’s the name I coined for him because he was covered in tattoos, and I found it strange.”

I flicked my eyes toward the man again, but frowned when I found his chair empty. “I saw him just now breathed, shocked. “I swear I did.”

Alvise walked closer, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. “And I’m asking who it is.”

“I don’t know.” I said, my chest tight with confusion. “I’d seen him at the club once… the day you threw your phone at William’s hand?” I prompted him, hoping he remembered.

“What happened that day?”

“The man came to speak to me at the club, and he seemed to know you.” I explained, studying his face for any sign of recognition.

Alvise scraped his tongue over his teeth. “Know me? Why do you think he knew me?”

“He called you by your last name, and when you caught him speaking to me, he called himself a ‘dead man.” I said, extremely confident that I wasn’t hallucinating.

I remembered the conversation so well because I’d thought about it a lot afterward, and it had always unnerved me.

“You might be mistaken.” Alvise muttered.

For some reason, I didn’t believe him. I looked into his eyes, but though they gave nothing away, I was sure he knew exactly what I was talking about.

I turned back to the empty chair, and unease settled heavily in my stomach.

Why had he suddenly disappeared?

I didn’t have time to think about it because Alvise left me standing there and walked ahead, only to stop in front of one of the booths.

I hurried after him, wary of the armed men throwing suspicious looks my way.

I stopped beside the booth and shifted uncomfortably on my feet as I took in the sight in front of me.

There were two other men sitting there, and they both had a woman beside them, practically sticking to them like a second skin as they played a card game.

Alvise stood quietly, watching them, and the moment one of them raised his head and spotted him, he

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Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

choked on his drink, spilling it from his mouth as he shot to his feet.

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akhan.” He lowered his head, his eyes flashing with fear. “I had no idea you were coming today.”

The second man dropped his glass on the floor, causing it to shatter as he rose too. “Pakhan.” He nodded. “We weren’t expecting you…”

“You weren’t supposed to.” Alvise cut him off, his eyes darting toward the women. “Leave.”

They scurried off without another word, throwing curious glances at him and giggling as they hurried

away.

“Please, sit down, Pakhan.” The taller man who’d choked on his drink said, beckoning for a staff member to come clean the mess on the floor.

The two men acted like I was invisible, not even raising their heads to look at me, and it made me curious.

Did they act this way toward all women, or was it just the ones who were seen with him?

Alvise stood, waiting for the female staff who showed up with brooms and wet towels to clean the floor

before he took a seat.

I stood still, not joining him and contemplating running away.

His eyes clashed with mine, and he nodded toward the empty space beside him.

Now aware of the multiple eyes burning into my back from behind me, I sat beside him quietly.

The two men sitting opposite us couldn’t have been more nervous, shifting in their seats every once in a while and trying desperately to act normal.

It wasn’t working.

“I didn’t get your call, Paul.” Alvise mused. “I wonder why.”

His words were casual, almost harmless, but his voice and tone weren’t.

The men noticed it too.

“I’m sorry, Pakhan.” The man I assumed to be Paul said. “I… wanted to be sure before I spoke to you.”

Alvise tapped a finger against the table. “Ah, sure. Take your time.”

Silence fell over the table, the kind that made your skin prickle and left an uncomfortable knot forming in my stomach.

I watched the men, then Alvise, trying to make sense of what was going on, but I came up with nothing.

“And what are you waiting for?” Alvise demanded, his voice hard at the edges.

The taller man pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through it. “We haven’t been able to find them, sir.”

“Is that your reply for me?”

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Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

Paul shook his head. “No, sir… Yes… we tried, but…”

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don’t pay you to try.” Alvise interrupted, tapping another finger against the desk. “It’s been more than two days since I gave you the task. What were you doing within that time?”

Paul sighed. “We were working…”

“I just walked in on you two lazing around when you have an unfinished task.” He snapped. “I fail to see where the work part is.”

I held my breath as I watched the exchange, my fingers pressing against each other beneath the table.

Neither of the men replied to Alvise. Their gazes stayed lowered, and he chuckled darkly;

“Nikolai.” Alvise called, making the taller man raise his head. “Seventy-two hours. It should be done in seventy-two hours.”

Nikolai breathed in relief and shot to his feet, clasping his hands together. “Thank you, Pakhan, thank you

so…”

Two gunshots cracked through the air.

I jumped in fear, instinctively scooting closer to Alvise and burying my head in the crook of his neck because of how close the shots had been.

I stayed there for less than a second before I heard groans of pain coming from our booth and sharp

intakes of breath.

Slowly, I turned my head toward the source of the noise, and gasped when I saw Nikolai and Paul clutching their legs.

My eyes dropped to their feet, and my breath hitched.

They were bleeding.

Hesitantly and cautiously, I turned toward Alvise, my eyes narrowing at his complete lack of expression.

He wasn’t shocked or startled… He wasn’t even looking at the men.

Then, my eyes dropped to his hand beneath the table and my mouth hung open as I shot to my

feet.

He was holding a gun.

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