As they walked side by side, Aliana casually cleared her throat before quietly asking in a voice meant only for Cillian to hear, "I see your chairman decided not to show up today."

A sly smile instantly played across Cillian’s lips.

"Ah, yes. For some reason, I haven’t been able to reach him all morning." He paused briefly before adding teasingly, "Maybe he had a long night?"

The playful look he gave her immediately caused a faint blush to spread across Aliana’s cheeks.

She quickly looked away, murmuring a simple, "Maybe."

But now, Aliana found herself wondering where exactly Gavriel was.

She had not seen even a glimpse of him that morning while leaving his mansion, making her wonder whether the devil simply preferred sleeping through half the day after keeping other people awake all night with chaos.

"Ahem." The slight sound pulled her out of her thoughts as she turned her attention back to Cillian.

"So," he asked casually, "did the address I gave you yesterday come in handy?"

Aliana blinked once before quickly understanding what he meant.

"Yes," she replied smoothly, though a faint awkwardness still lingered within her. "It was very... helpful. Thank you, Mister Pierce."

"Please," Cillian corrected with an easy smile, "call me Cillian, Miss Vanderbilt. I’m sure we’ve at least progressed from business rivals to close acquaintances by now, haven’t we?"

A small smile finally tugged at Aliana’s lips. "Then you’ll have to call me Aliana instead."

Cillian’s charming smile deepened instantly. "Done."

By then, they had already reached the grand entrance of the building, where countless media personnel had been waiting impatiently outside since the meeting had begun earlier that morning.

Cameras flashed wildly the moment the two stepped out together.

The media managed to capture the exact moment Aliana and Cillian exchanged smiles while walking side by side.

Within minutes, those photos and videos spread online like wildfire, breaking the internet once again.

Every media channel continued broadcasting the historic partnership between the two most powerful companies in Astoria.

Far away from the flashing cameras and endless headlines, another man watched everything unfold in complete silence.

Gavriel sat alone in the dimness of his room, his icy blue eyes fixed unblinkingly on the golden-haired woman displayed across the television screen.

The very same woman who had been trembling in his arms just the previous night.

Since yesterday, his thoughts had remained completely consumed by her.

But there was also something else stirring dangerously inside him now... something dark. Like a restless beast slowly losing its patience inside a cage, as waiting for evening to arrive had become almost unbearable.

Gavriel never thought there would come a day when someone could affect him to this extent. So deeply that he had spent the entire night restraining himself from marching straight into her room, forcing an answer out of her right then and there, and claiming her completely before she could even think of running away.

He knew exactly how dangerous it had been for him to remain near her yesterday.

Which was why he had vanished into the night hunt instead.

But no matter how many damned souls he consumed, the darkness inside him refused to settle. Nothing was enough.

When he finally returned at dawn... she was already gone. That alone filled him with an ugly sense of displeasure.

He could have attended the meeting at Van Empire today if he truly wanted to.

But in this current state, it was better that he stayed away...better for her.

Because if he remained too close to her right now, even he did not trust what he might do next.

At least this distance still gave her time.

Time to carefully consider every possible future where she could still walk away from him and never return to the monster he truly was.

Perhaps this was the last shred of mercy he could offer her before everything changed forever.

His cold gaze remained fixed on the screen as his fingers slowly tightened against the armrest beneath him.

"Think carefully, little rose..." he murmured darkly. "The clock is ticking."

.....

As the day passed quickly, Aliana’s anxiety continued to grow.

She had delegated most of the work to Nigel today so that she would not be disturbed by anything and could just think about it.... about him.

She did not even realise how long she had remained sitting motionless in her chair, her distant eyes fixed blankly on the crystal chandelier hanging high above her office.

But this time, she was not thinking about another way to get away from him.

Instead, she was thinking about all the different scenarios where she would never be able to contact Gavriel Valentine ever again.

A scenario where she would never be able to interact with him as freely as she did now. And somehow, that thought filled her with a strange emptiness she had never known before.

The man was an absolute menace whenever he spoke to her. At times, he was rude, arrogant, and so unbelievably cocky that it felt as though the entire world belonged to him alone.

Yet somehow, despite all of that, he managed to bring out a side of her she never thought possible.

She realised that she never had to pretend with him. Never had to force politeness or wear the perfect mask she showed everyone else.

It was always the two of them clashing headfirst against each other, sparks flying with every exchange, or drowning in that strange tension whenever they stood too close.

It was dangerous in a way she had never allowed herself to experience with another man before.

But she also knew Gavriel was in a completely different league altogether.

She barely even knew the man... yet somehow, he made her feel comfortable in her own skin in a way no one else ever had. That terrifyingly refreshing feeling was beginning to consume her far more than she wanted to admit.

"Marriage..." she whispered softly before her gaze drifted towards the stack of portfolios of men placed neatly on her desk.