All Chapters of Off-Limits Puck: Daddy's Best Friend is my Ruin: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

MELANIEThe drive back to Eva’s house was filled with total silence. It had been fifteen minutes of suffocating tension between us, with the only sound in the car coming from the low hum of the engine and the occasional tap of my heel nervously hitting the floor mat. Eva sat in the passenger seat with her arms crossed tightly over her chest, staring out the window like she wanted to punch a hole through the glass.Getting us out of the club had been surprisingly easy. Returning from the restroom, I found Eva straddling Silvio in the VIP booth, their lips locked in a messy kiss.I stood there for a second, shocked to my bones. They hadn’t even noticed me standing there at first. Then I quickly clutched my stomach and let out a loud, dramatic groan. Silvio looked genuinely concerned, but Eva just shot me an icy glare that could have melted a snowman. I guess she saw right through my fake cramp, but couldn't do shit about it.As we left, she kept shooting daggers at me the entire way, c

MELANIESilvio?I sat up so fast the room spun, all thoughts of being horny vanishing in a heartbeat as a chilling wave of adrenaline shot straight into my veins.How did he get my number? No, scratch that… Why was he calling me in the middle of the night?“Melanie?” he repeated my name.“Hello, Silvio.” I tried to sound normal, but my grip on the phone was so tight I thought the screen would crack.“I guess you must have been expecting someone else.” He sounded amused, almost playful, but there was an edge to his voice that gave me the creeps.“Uhm… not really,” I lied, trying to keep my voice steady, though my heart was about to burst out of my chest from how fast it was beating.“I’m sorry I’m calling so late. I didn’t know if you were already in bed. I was a bit worried about you… your stomach aches.”I squinted into the darkness of my room. “Stomach ache?”There was a brief silence on the line.“You had a stomach ache and had to urgently leave the club, remember?”“Oh fuck,” I mo

GAVINThe shrill sound of the alarm cut through the room as I opened my eyes, blinking into the darkness.Shit! Why did I set that meeting so early? I hadn't slept a bit. I pressed my palms into my temples, wincing as a jackhammer throbbed behind my eyes, worse than last night. Stretching my hands over my head, I forced my stiff shoulders to roll until they popped. Just as the reality of Cassandra, asleep just down the hall, hit me. I had to get her out of the house before I left for work, and I needed the locks changed immediately.I kicked the tangled sheets around my legs away and padded across the cold tiles to the bathroom, splashing icy water on my face until my skin burned awake. I was reaching for a towel when a familiar ringtone drifted from the living room, Cassandra’s phone.At least she was up.I stepped into the hallway and flicked on the light.The scene before me stopped me cold.Cassandra was splayed awkwardly, half-off the cushions, her head dangling toward the rug a

MELANIEI cursed under my breath as I flicked my wrist, the glowing hands of my watch confirming my absolute worst fear: 8:14 a.m.First-period Dramatic Lit class started in exactly four minutes, and I was already imagining Professor Gillard's disappointed sigh when I walked in late again. I bolted down the stairs like my life depended on it, my heels slamming against the marble steps, my bag bouncing against my hip, as I fought to keep my balance.“Gosh, I’m so late for class,” I muttered under my breath, clutching my bag tighter.“Mel, slow down before you break your neck!” Vivian called from the foyer, hands on her hips like a disappointed mother hen.I was almost at the bottom of the stairs when the front door swung open, and my father’s voice drifted in. “Vivian, is the guest room ready?”"Yes, Mr. Wealth. Just as you asked.”Guest room? For who?I hit the last step, my heart nearly flying out of my throat.What the actual hell?“What is she doing here?” I asked, more to myself t

GAVINFuck! Director Flint.I left the office without looking back at Melanie, my grip crushing the phone as it kept ringing. I felt like the biggest asshole alive for leaving her spread out on my desk, with her dress hiked up and frustration evident on her face.Shutting the door behind me, I swiped the screen and answered.“Director Flint.”“Thorne, where the hell have you been?” His voice was sharp enough to cut glass.I cleared my throat, forcing the lie out smoothly. “Sorry, Director. I stepped away for a moment.”“Forty-eight hours, Thorne,” he snapped. “The clock is ticking down to the event. What do you have for me?”“I’m close to getting a full ID on one of the Rossis. I already have his name.”“You have a name? Good. Secure the rest of his identity before Saturday. We cannot afford to walk into that event blind.”“Yes, sir.”“Excellent work, Thorne.”The line went dead.I stared down at the dark screen of my phone, letting out a rough breath. My reflection in the glass looke