STORY 44: TIED BY MY DAD'S FRIEND (I)

Chapter 1 Elena's Pov "Elena, make sure you get those old blueprints from Victor. Your dad said they're in his study, and he needs them for the renovation project tomorrow," Mom said over the phone, her voice hurried as she moved around the kitchen back home. I gripped the steering wheel tighter, pulling into Victor's long driveway, the gravel crunching under my tires as the house came into view. It was a big place, set back from the road with tall trees shielding it from neighbors, the kind of spot that felt private and a little isolated. Victor had been Dad's closest friend for as long as I could remember, always showing up at family events with that steady presence, but lately, at twenty-three, I noticed things about him that made my skin tingle, his broad shoulders, the way his voice carried authority without raising it. "Yeah, Mom, I'm here now. I'll grab them and head back," I replied, trying to sound casual, but my stomach twisted with a mix of nerves and something else I couldn