Ruined By My Brother's Best Friend (by Silverwriter) novel Chapter 50

meeting started shortly afterward, and I made sure to jot down everything important so I wouldn’t forget anything gong forward.

It lasted a solid two hours, and not once during those two hours did the man beside me even glance in my direction. I didn’t look at him either.

Once the meeting ended, Alvise was the first to stand, his guards following behind after collecting his files.

Just before he walked out, he stopped and turned around. “All direct communication regarding this project from your team to me will go through Miss Whitmore,” he said, his eyes fixed on Leah.

Her face fell, though she quickly forced a smile, as if the weight of his attention made her nervous.

Alvise continued, his tone firm. “I don’t want any more emails or text messages from anyone else.” Then he turned on his heel and walked out, one hand tucked into his pocket.

My breath almost caught in my throat, my mind a maze of confusion as his words sank in after he’d left.

Did… did he just make it clear that all communication had to go through me?

I couldn’t believe it. Whether it was shock, fear, or both, I felt it all.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d dropped to her knees and begged him to say that,” The comment from beside me snapped me out of my daze.

I flinched. “Excuse me?”

“I’ve seen the way you look at him,” the girl I recognized as Mara said as she stood. “You’re way below his class. Don’t even dream about it.”

I scoffed. “And you would know because…?”

She gritted her teeth. “I just know! He’s basically Russian royalty and…”

“Enough!” Leah’s sharp voice cut her off, reminding me she was still in the room. “Everyone, leave.”

They all complied, leaving me alone with her. She stood and stalked toward me, her hands clenched into fists.

“Tread carefully, Whitmore. Tread carefully.”

I furrowed my brows. “And why’s that?”

“Don’t ask me stupid questions,” she snapped, her voice hard. “You know exactly what you were doing when you came to sit beside him.”

As my brain finally processed her words and what she was implying. I sank back into the chair and rubbed my temples.

She liked him.

She was now another woman who was going to make my life a living hell because she liked him.

My suspicion was confirmed when she folded her arms and glared at me. “Stay away from him.”

10:22 Wed, Sep 9 M J

Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

Working Together

ARABELLA’S POV

32

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1

If Leah’s words were anything to go by, I was supposed to be staying away from Alvise.

That would mean I wasn’t supposed to be in an elevator heading for the first floor, where his office was located. But here I was, doing just that.

“Hi, I haven’t seen you around before.”

I turned to my side to see a tall young man who looked to be in his late twenties smiling at me. We’d entered the elevator at the same time, but I’d been too lost in my thoughts to even glance his way.

I smiled back. “That would be correct,” I said. “I don’t work here.”

He chuckled. “That much was obvious. I would’ve known if you did.”

“Oh, does that mean you work in HR?” I joked, tilting my head to the side.

He nodded. “Actually, I do.”

“Tell me you’re joking,” I said dryly.

“I’m actually not.” He smiled again. “I really do work there.”

“That’s crazy,” I said, puffing out a breath. “I don’t like people in HR too much.”

He groaned. “I get that every day.”

I smiled just as the elevator doors opened and stepped out, with him trailing behind me.

“It was nice to meet you,” he said.

I turned and gave a small wave. “Same here.” Then I walked ahead, only stopping in front of the secretary’s desk.

“Hi,” I greeted.

She looked up with a smile on her face, but it disappeared the moment she saw it was me. “You again.”

“Me again,” I confirmed. “I’m here to see Mr. Valerio, please.”

“Do you have an appointment?” she asked, turning her attention back to her computer.

“Actually, he sent for me himself,” I said, pulling out my phone to show her the email sent to my work address. “I’m here as my team’s representative.”

She narrowed her eyes, taking her time to read the email before grudgingly grabbing her phone and calling him.

“Sir, there’s someone from…” She paused, covering the speaker and giving me an impatient look. “What’s your name?”

“Arabella Whitmore.”

“Sorry, sir,” she said, pressing the phone back to her ear. “There’s someone named Arabella Whitmore from CIOS here to see you.”

She hung up immediately after that and pointed toward his office. “You can go in.”

10:22 Wed, Sep 9 MJ

Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

“Thank you,” I mumbled before walking to the office and knocking on the door.

Come in,” he said after a moment.

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I pushed the door open, keeping my eyes anywhere but on him before walking toward his desk and stopping when I was close enough.

“Hi,” I greeted.

Alvise didn’t reply, but I heard the shuffling of files, so I finally glanced at him. His suit was as dark as his thick hair, and his long, calloused fingers were busy sorting through the files in front of him.

“Sit down,” he said after a moment.

I complied before pulling my phone out of my purse and scanning the notes in my Notes app.

“Have you gone through the project now?” Alvise asked, his deep, cool voice breaking the tense silence.

I nodded. “Yes, I have. I also sent over the PR contacts you requested.”

He paused and glanced at me, his blue eyes piercing into mine.

“You did all this after yesterday?”

“Yes,” I said, furrowing my brows. “Is there a problem?”

He tilted his head to the side. “No, there isn’t.”

“Okay,” I said absentmindedly as I glanced back at my notes. “Before the merger, your new company wanted to focus more on fashion and PR, but now you want to diversify into the entertainment industry as well?”

Alvise closed the documents and leaned back in his chair. “Yes.”

“Why’s that?” I asked, curious.

His eyes searched my face for a moment before he replied, “We have companies in different sectors, and we’ve touched almost every market there is.” He stroked his chin. “Business, for us, is less about making money and more about seeing just how far we can go while doing well at the same time.” There was a hint of passion in his voice.

“By ‘we’… do you mean… your family?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

“Yes,” Alvise said, still looking at me.

I wanted to ask more, and I could tell he knew it from the way he kept his attention fixed on me, like he was daring me to say what was on my mind.

I decided to change the topic instead. “So, how has London been so far?”.

He shrugged, tapping his desk twice. “Okay.”

Tired of the short replies, I turned back to my notes. “Oh, I also sent the updated plan my team has been working on. It was sent to me this morning, and I made sure to forward it to you for approval.”

“I already went through it,” Alvise said.

I pursed my lips. “Oh, you did? What do you think?”

“I don’t like it,” he informed me. “The plan isn’t foolproof, and I don’t like how disorganized it is.”

10:22 wea, Sep 9 MJU.

Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

My face fell. “Um… but I… I had no idea.”

now you just got back to the team yesterday,” he said, cutting me off. “This is just a general observation.”

My heart thundered in my chest, the possibility of him rejecting the plan making my palms sweat.