Ruined By My Brother's Best Friend (by Silverwriter) novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3
I felt my breathing slow at the mention of his name and, even worse, my brother's words unsettled me. “What–what do you mean?”
Archie chuckled. “Exactly what I said. He’s going to attend the engagement party, Arabella.”
My stomach dropped. “I know. I heard that part, but why and how?” I asked hesitantly.
I couldn't believe it, and I didn't want it to be true. Alvise hadn’t returned to London in four years. Not for holidays, birthdays or reunions. And when Archie tried travelling to Russia to see him, Alvise declined.
“I told him it wasn't fair that I'd found out about his engagement on the news,” Archie answered, sounding quite upset.
I wasn't surprised. Alvise had always been closed off and mysterious in a way, and nothing about him ever made sense to people like us. His parents were influential socialites who held powerful positions in the Russian government, and even while he was in London, people paid attention to everything he did. After he left, I realised he was an even bigger deal in Russia.
“And,” my brother added, “he said he also had some work stuff to do here.”
There it was. Of course it was only because he had things to do.
“Oh… Umm… Okay then,” I mumbled, ignoring Sierra’s questioning gaze.
“I have to go now, Bella. Take care,” Archie announced. “And remember to let me know if you need anything. Okay?” 
I sighed. “Yeah, I will. Don't overwork yourself Archie. Be safe!” I said before ending the call.
“Why did you suddenly go pale?” Sierra asked immediately after I dropped my phone on the desk.
Sinking into my chair, I huffed, ignoring the hole in my heart. “He’ll be at Archie’s engagement party.”
Sierra understood immediately and gasped. I could tell she had a lot to say, but as if she remembered my words earlier, she turned her attention back to her computer and muttered, “We’ll talk about this later.”
Heaven knew I wasn't looking forward to that conversation.
°°°°°°°°
“Little one! I missed you!” Archie said as he wrapped his arms around me in the tightest hug I’d had in a long time.
I scrunched up my nose and pulled back to look at him properly. Even in heels, I still had to tilt my head up. Archie was almost 6 '3. He was growing a beard and had dark circles under his eyes, but not even the obvious stress could take away the gleam in his green eyes or the boyish attractiveness he had always possessed.
“You haven’t been resting,” I said, my tone accusatory. Work had been eating him alive for years, and somehow he still smiled through it.
“I've been resting just fine, Arabella. And we need to have a talk after the night is over,” he said before grabbing my hand and leading me towards the VIP suite in the club.
Unease settled in my stomach immediately because I knew what he meant. This was the after-party. The engagement celebration had been held in the afternoon, but I had skipped it to avoid my parents and Alvise. I naturally assumed he would only attend the party, and it seemed like I had been right because there was currently no sign of him.
The week passed too quickly. Every morning, I woke up remembering the same thing. He was coming back. And every night, I convinced myself I was overreacting before lying awake thinking about him anyway. It felt like torture.
“Arabella! You made it!” Francesca shrieked and ran over to me, pulling me into a fake hug.
I immediately went still and zoned out, mumbling a fake hello and forcing a smile. She hit my shoulder playfully and twirled her short, wavy black hair. “Girl, stop being so formal. I’ll be your sister-in-law soon.”
And I hated the thought of it. I forced myself to look at her. She was dressed in a white strapless silk corset mini dress and wore milky three-inch heels that made her appear slightly taller. Francesca was 5'4, and next to my brother, she looked even shorter.
“Congratulations!” I announced, then handed her the gift box I had brought before walking past her.
Her presence still unsettled me. Four years later, and I still couldn’t think about that night without wanting to crawl out of my own skin.
Archie gave me a questioning look, but I ignored him and sat on the comfortable club sofa, picking up a champagne flute. My brother’s friends and some of the other guests immediately noticed my presence. Apparently, they had been playing a game.
“Arabella! You’re even more gorgeous than I remember,” Kelvin, the annoyingly charming blonde from Archie's friend group said with a grin, drawing everyone’s attention to me.
A blush crept onto my face, and I sighed. “And you are as charming as ever.”
“Now you're cheating on me,” Theodore, who was seated right next to Kelvin, joined in, sounding offended. “I thought we had a thing.”
I chuckled and casually engaged with the other guys who joined in the familiar flirting I had grown used to. Archie's friends always teased me this way to annoy him. Well, all except one. Alvise.
I exchanged greetings with the familiar faces and the guests I didn’t recognise before busying myself with my phone. Sierra arrived a few minutes later, and we chatted and joined everyone else in the silly conversations.
I was in the middle of answering a question about my job when a strange sense of discomfort suddenly overwhelmed me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and every part of my body became painfully aware.
Sierra gasped and looked at something behind me in shock before muttering under her breath so only I could hear, “I still can’t believe he ghosted you.”
My breathing turned irregular, and I tried to compose myself because I never prepared to see him again.
And I didn’t know how to tell Sierra that I had ghosted him first.