Ruined By My Brother's Best Friend (by Silverwriter) novel Chapter 25

Shocking Clash

It was weird. Undeniably weird.

It was possible he’d used a different number to call me. But the strange part was that when I went through my phone the next morning, the entire call log from the previous day had been wiped clean. Every single entry.

I made a mental note to ask him about that night again before turning to Sierra. “I think we should let Cassie/know we’re here,” I said.

Her eyes widened. “Oh shoot! I completely forgot about her birthday.” She bit her lip. “This has definitely given her another reason to hate me.”

“No, don’t say that.” I stood and pulled her to her feet. “If she hated you, she wouldn’t have invited you to her birthday party right?”

Sierra bit her lip. “Hmm… I guess so?”

I nodded and led her back to Cassie’s section. We looked around, but she was nowhere in sight, so we walked over to a woman I’d seen dancing with her earlier.

“Um… do you know where Cassie is, please?” I asked.

The woman sighed. “I’m not really sure, but I think I heard her say she wanted to use the restroom.”

“Okay, thank you!” Sierra said. Hand in hand, we headed toward the women’s restroom. I wanted to speak to Cassie before leaving because I was already getting tired and desperately wanted to get home and rest.

As we approached the restroom, I spotted Francesca walking out. I furfowed my brows as she hurried past us with a startled expression on her face. Normally, Francesca would have lingered just to throw a jab at me or do something equally annoying. The fact that she looked like we’d caught her stealing was surprising.

Before we could get any closer, Cassie stepped out of the restroom too. She froze the moment she saw us.

I raised a brow. “You look pale,” I said, taking a step closer.

She shook her head quickly. “Oh, no. I just have an upset stomach. Nothing else.”

I exchanged a glance with Sierra before looking back at her. “Um… okay. Feeling any better?”

She nodded just as Sierra stepped forward. “Not you getting an upset stomach on your birthday. I’m sorry about that.”

Cassie still looked flustered as she pouted. “Girl, don’t even get me started. It makes me want to scream.”

I laughed softly. “Oh, we actually came to apologise for leaving so abruptly. My brother invited us over to his booth earlier. I wanted to let you know, but when I saw you dancing, I figured I’d let you enjoy your moment.”

Cassie waved dismissively. “Oh, come on. It’s fine. I understand.” She sidestepped us. “If it makes you both feel any better, I didn’t even notice.” Forcing a smile, she turned on her heel and walked away.

The moment she was gone, Sierra looked at me, her face scrunched up in confusion. “What the hell was that about?”

“I’d like to know too,” I muttered.

The shade had been as clear as day. Before I could dwell on it any longer, I grabbed Sierra’s hand.

Leah cleared her throat. “And the retained interns as well.”

Ah. There it was.

I knew this ridiculous new rule was just another excuse to get under my skin. Sitting opposite me, Sierra pushed back her chair and stood. “Don’t have to tell me twice.” I stood too, and together we walked out of the conference room.

“I’m so fucking tired of that bitch,” Sierra muttered as we made our way down the hallway.

I let out a tired sigh. “She’s exhausting. Why didn’t she tell us this earlier?”

“Because she wanted to embarrass us first.” Sierra shrugged. “You know… that’s her kink.”

I groaned in annoyance and quickened my pace, eager to get back to my office and calm down.

I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going when I suddenly walked straight into something solid.

I stumbled and instinctively grabbed onto whatever was in front of me to steady myself. My eyes widened as a familiar rich, woody scent filled my senses.

With furrowed brows, I looked down at my hands. They were clutching the front of someone’s dress shirt beneath an expensive suit jacket. Slowly… I lifted my gaze.

The moment those piercing blue eyes met mine, I froze. My breath caught in my throat as I whispered, more to myself than anyone else, “Al… Alvise?”