Lahat ng Kabanata ng No Strings Attached: My Brother’s Best Friend : Kabanata 131 - Kabanata 140

Reuben’s POVI sat back in my chair, the low hum of conversation around me barely registering. The noise was just background, an unimportant blur compared to what had just unfolded. I picked up my phone, staring at the screen, watching the text from Emily disappear into the void. She’d blocked me. The nerve of her. The audacity.I chuckled to myself, a dark laugh that bubbled up from deep within my chest. I tossed the phone onto the table with an air of disdain, watching it slide across the polished wood before coming to a stop. The small group of men I’d been associating with—my usual thugs, loyal and predictable—looked at me expectantly, as though waiting for some order to come next.“Seems like my sweet, obedient Emily has finally grown a bit of resistance,” I said, letting the words roll off my tongue. “She blocked me. Imagine that. She actually had the gall to reject me like that.”The men exchanged a few quiet glances, their faces unreadable. I could feel their eyes on me, but

Ethan’s POVCaden’s firm grip on my arm was the only thing keeping me moving as he and Peru escorted me back to my room. The tension between us was suffocating, and the silence stretched uncomfortably. I could feel Caden’s frustration radiating off him in waves. It wasn’t just annoyance; it was concern, mixed with that authoritative tone he always used when he thought I was losing my mind.The door to my room creaked open, and they ushered me inside like I was some volatile bomb they had to contain. Peru leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his piercing gaze fixed on me. Caden, on the other hand, wasted no time. He slammed the door shut behind us and turned to face me.“What the hell is wrong with you, Ethan?” His voice was sharp, cutting through the lingering haze of my emotions. “Do you have a death wish, or are you just trying to give Reuben exactly what he wants?”I sank into the chair by the window, rubbing my temples. The faint glow of city lights filtered through the blinds,

Emily’s POVThe office was alive with its usual rhythm: the clicking of keyboards, the hum of muted conversations, and the occasional ringing phone cutting through the air. I stepped through the main entrance, offering polite smiles and nods to a few colleagues. My mind, however, was preoccupied, tangled up in the events of the morning.Reuben’s words still echoed in my head, a puzzle I couldn’t quite piece together. Ask Ethan. And if he doesn’t tell you, come to me. What did he mean by that? The idea that there might be something Ethan was keeping from me—it made my stomach twist uncomfortably.Still, I knew I couldn’t let it consume me. Not here, not at work. I needed to focus.My first instinct was to go straight to Ethan’s office. If he’d been calling me so persistently last night, he must’ve had something important to say. I made my way through the hallways, my heels clicking softly against the polished floors, until I reached his door.“Is Ethan in?” I asked his secretary, a

Reuben’s POVI leaned back on the old leather couch in my apartment, which I preferred to call my "crib." The smell of coffee lingered in the air, though the mug on the table had gone cold hours ago. The muted city noises outside gave my space an eerie kind of stillness, just the way I liked it. I picked up my phone from the side table and absentmindedly scrolled through the messages I hadn’t cared to read.It buzzed in my hand. Miriam’s name flashed on the screen. Right on time.I swiped to answer, pressing the phone to my ear. “What’s the update?” I asked, skipping pleasantries.Her voice came through, smooth and confident as always. “Lila trusts me now,” she said. “It took some time, but I’ve been very helpful around her. She appreciates that. But Caden…” She let out a breath. “Caden dismisses me every single time. He doesn’t trust me.”I let out a dry laugh, shaking my head. “Of course he doesn’t. That idiot always thought he was the smartest in the room. Let him play his little

Ethan’s POVOf all the places in the city, why the hell did he have to be here?The soft, ambient glow of the restaurant lights did little to soothe my rising anger. My jaw clenched as I spotted Reuben sitting at a table across the room, looking as smug as ever. Emily stiffened beside me the moment her eyes landed on him, her surprise evident. That reaction alone confirmed one thing for me: she hadn’t known he would be here.But I wasn’t buying the coincidence.“What the hell is he doing here?” I muttered under my breath, my voice low but filled with venom.Emily didn’t respond. Her wide-eyed stare said enough.I couldn’t stand it—seeing her frozen like that, seeing him. This wasn’t the first time Reuben had managed to pop up where either of us were and it felt deliberate. Like he was following us, shadowing us, trying to get under my skin.“Come on,” I said, grabbing Emily gently by the shoulder. “We’re leaving. I’m not dealing with his shit tonight.”“No,” she said firmly, shruggin