My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 132 I Am Never Going To Be Yours

Evelyn

My hands trembled as I dialed his number, the early morning light casting a dim glow through the curtains. Jacob lay asleep, unknown of the turmoil raging inside me, cocooned beneath the duvet. I had tucked him in just moments ago, my heart heavy with the weight of what I was about to do.

I didn't know what the fuck I was doing. All I knew was that it had to be done, and it had to be done right.

The phone rang for what felt like an eternity before he finally answered, his voice thick with sleep. "Hello?"

So, the bastard was indeed sleeping. Probably in some other woman's bed, given his notorious reputation. I was sure he had different women depending on the days.

"Hello, this is Evelyn," I forced out, trying to keep my voice steady despite the storm of emotions raging inside me.

"Evelyn?" There was a note of surprise in his groggy voice.

"Yes, it's me. Though it's a wonder you don't recognize my voice, considering your apparent obsession with the idea of sleeping with me." "Well, it's not that I don't recognize your voice, Bella Donna. It's just that I didn't expect you to call me at this ungodly hour, especially before I've had the chance to send the bigger bombs your way," he chuckled, his cockiness oozing through the phone line, making my skin crawl. "But, pray tell, what has prompted this early morning call?"

"I don't have time to answer your questions right now. Just give me your address," I demanded, my grip on the railing tightening until my knuckles turned white. I couldn't believe I was actually going through with this. The mere thought of it made me sick to my stomach.

"Anything for you, my love," he replied smoothly. "Take note: Via del Corso, 123, 00186 Roma."

"I'll be there this evening."

"I'll be waiting," he said, his voice dripping with anticipation, a sickening smirk evident even over the phone.

***

Donning the scarlet elegance of Jacob's chosen dress, I found myself in a paradoxical situation, wearing something intended for moments far removed from this one. Yet, necessity demanded it, pushing me into the arms of a man I abhorred from the depths of my being. I still couldn't believe that I was doing this.

Why was I doing this? Well, I guess it was no secret-I needed to save Jacob from more pain.

With each swipe of crimson lipstick and the soft click of pearls settling around my neck, I grappled with the weight of my actions. Betraying Jacob's trust gnawed at my conscience, a bitter pill swallowed in the face of an unforgiving reality.

Jacob wasn't at home. He had gone out, presumably for a meeting with his business associates, likely in search of the last remaining pieces of evidence that could help him navigate out of this perilous situation. However, I doubted Tyler Ricci would let that happen. From what I had gathered about him, he wasn't the type to yield easily. At any cost, if he desired something, he would go to great lengths to attain it even if it meant destroying someone's whole world—that's what he did to us-he destroyed us. With just a snap of his fingers.

Unfortunately, my misfortune lay in

the fact that Tyler Ricci wanted me, and in his pursuit, he was

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systematically dismantling the life of the most precious person to me-Jacob. Whether it was a cruel twist of fate or simply Tyler's malevolent nature, the fact remained that out of all the women in the world, he had fixated his gaze upon me. I couldn't attribute it solely to my own allure; I knew that another reason for his obsession lay in his perverse desire to strip everything away from Jacob. He derived pleasure from witnessing Jacob's destruction, and piece by piece, that's precisely what he was achieving.

If I didn't intervene, he would soon erode the very foundation of the relationship between Jacob and me until there was nothing left. Tyler possessed formidable power-I was acutely aware of that. To wrest that power from him, I would need to offer him something in return, or perhaps....play yet another game, akin to his own.

Taking a deep breath, steeling myself for what lay ahead, I stepped out of the apartment, rode the elevator down, hailed a cab, and directed the driver to Tyler's estate. As the cab pulled up to the property, I couldn't help but notice the ostentatious display of wealth-a manifestation of his wickedness both in its décor and its owner-meticulously arranged and eerily perfect.

However, I had little interest in the grandeur surrounding me; my mind was consumed by a whirlwind of thoughts and anxieties. I didn't want to embark on this path, but I saw no other recourse I had to save Jacob.

I stepped out of the cab, and as I stood before the entrance, the guard promptly demanded my identity.

This bastard was a simple businessman yet his security measures rivaled those of a mafia boss. Shitty little bastard.

After disclosing my name, his eyebrows shot up in surprise before he reluctantly granted me entry. One of the guards escorted me inside, summoning a maid to guide me through the sprawling mansion. As we ascended the grand staircase, a looming figure of a master bedroom emerged at the convergence of both staircases, its door tightly shut.

"Mr. Tyler is waiting for you, Miss," the maid announced with practiced politeness. "Please proceed."

I emitted a sharp breath, steeling my

net

My

nerves as my hands clenched tightly around my purse. I fought to suppress the rising tide of nervousness threatening to overwhelm me. But despite my efforts, it was consuming me. mind raced, unable to focus on anything other than Jacob's potential reaction if he were to discover my current predicament. I knew he would sacrifice everything, even his own safety, to spare me from such a situation. And that's precisely why I couldn't bring myself to tell him about this-he would never allow me to proceed. Content

belongs to

Adjusting my dress to conceal everything, I knocked twice on the door. His voice, beckoned me inside, "Come in."

I slowly pushed the door open and

stepped inside. The room greeted me with dim lighting, the windows tightly shut, and an atmosphere permeated with the mingling scents of cigarettes and liquor. The

furnishing's boasted a beige hu

e

while the floors gleamed with. pristine white marble. Above the ceiling soared to heights unlike any I had ever seen before, adorned with intricate decorations that graced every corner. Paintings adorned one side of the room, adding a touch of sophistication to the space. And at the far end, a small bar

beckoned-of course, he had to have a bar set up in his room. How

convenient.

And then, his voice shattered the silence, causing my eyes to snap up and meet his gaze.

"Well, I've been waiting for you. So, tell me, what's the reason for the honor of having the lady herself come to my apartment?" He asked, a strange familiar glint in his eyes as he eyed me up and down, noticing everything as he raised his glass to his mouth taking a sip of the whiskey-the same one Jacob always had.

"You asked for one night, right?"I cut straight to the point, "If I spend the night with you, will you return everything you have unfairly taken from him through your false reports in the media?"

"Yes, Bella Dona," he replied, rising from his seat with a sly grin, coming closer to me. So close that I could feel his breath on my skin, "I'll return everything to him," his cold rings grazed my skin as he traced my shoulder down to my finger, where he noticed my ring with Jacob's initials.

"However, there's one thing I can't return to him," he fixed his gaze on my face. "You."

"It's just for one night, Tyler. I'll never be yours."

He leaned closer to my ear, I felt his lips curve into a smirk, "Fine, then let's just get started."