I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 245

Arianna just stood there, stunned for a few seconds.

“You know about Steven and me?” she asked, tossing the question right back at him.

She could see why Isabella might have picked up on it—women’s intuition was usually spot on about these things. But Bruce asking so directly? That meant he already knew Steven was her boyfriend. How did he find that out?

Bruce realized he’d been a little too blunt. He’d forgotten Arianna still didn’t know what had gone down at the resort.

So he laid it all out for her, every detail about what happened at the resort and the video Natalie Watson had taken.

“Natalie didn’t mean to hide it from you,” he said. “My sister… she gets really possessive, and honestly, she’s jealous by nature. Plus, knowing you and Natalie are close, if Isabella ever found out you were dating Steven, she’d make your life hell. She wouldn’t stop until she got what she wanted.”

As Arianna listened, she realized Steven hadn’t just been seeing Isabella—there was another woman, too. The shock only lasted a moment before she forced a half-smile.

“I get it. You were just trying to protect me. I’m not upset. And as for Steven, trust me, I’m not about to lose sleep over a guy like him.”

The truth was, she hadn’t been all that invested anyway. At this point, she felt like she and Steven were even. No one owed anyone anything.

Suddenly, Bruce’s phone started ringing, the sound sharp and insistent.

“I need to take this,” he said.

Arianna nodded and stepped aside.

“…What do you mean she’s missing? How did you lose her?…Call in every favor you’ve got. If anything happens, how am I supposed to answer to Mr. Ramirez?”

Bruce’s voice was tight with anger.

Arianna hadn’t been paying much attention, at least not until she caught those last words. Something felt off.

“Who’s missing?” she asked as soon as he hung up. “Don’t tell me it’s Natalie?”

After leaving the restaurant, Natalie headed straight for Arianna’s apartment complex. She knocked for ages, but nobody answered. Clearly, Arianna wasn’t home.

Natalie turned back to the elevator, thinking Arianna was probably out somewhere, trying to forget her troubles with a drink or two. She pulled out her phone to call her, but right then, the screen went black—her phone was dead.

Annoyed, she figured she’d just go back to her car and charge it, but when she checked her bag, she realized she’d forgotten her charging cable. There was a coffee shop nearby that rented out chargers, so she hurried over.

After plugging her phone in, she decided to use the restroom. She was washing her hands, head down, when she suddenly sensed someone behind her. She looked up and saw a tall man in dark clothes standing right there.

“You—”

Before she could say anything else, the man pressed a handkerchief over her mouth and nose.

Within seconds, Natalie slumped against his shoulder, unconscious. Her phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor.