As Gavriel pressed play again, Aliana watched the screen carefully this time. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

She then noticed that the moment Jacob stepped out of her office, he immediately began adjusting his attire, even though his clothes already looked perfectly fine. Then he casually fixed his already perfectly styled hair before glancing left and right like someone wary of prying eyes... like a thief who had just committed a crime before quickly walking away.

The crease between Aliana’s brows deepened.

’Why would he act like that right after stepping out of my office?’ she thought uneasily.

’If he had simply walked away normally without reacting like this, the video wouldn’t have looked nearly as damning as it does now.’

Using her finger, she replayed that specific section.

When the clip ended, she pursed her lips in thought before meeting Gavriel’s eyes.

"You think because he adjusted his clothes in front of my office door, he is responsible for this entire thing?"

"The question you should be asking," Gavriel retorted, "is why he chose to do that specifically the moment he stepped out of your office?"

Aliana considered his words before shrugging. "He was about to receive the delegates from the Archon Group. Maybe he was simply adjusting his attire so he would look presentable for them?"

"Then why look in every direction before leaving, as if he were hiding something?" Gavriel challenged.

"I don’t know. But this isn’t nearly enough to start pointing fingers at him, Gavriel," Aliana replied.

"So you don’t find it the least bit suspicious?"

"Although these actions are questionable, I would like to be fair by looking at all the facts before passing judgment," Aliana said firmly.

"I have known Jacob for a long time and he has never given me a reason to doubt him. He has been incredibly loyal to the company and to my father. If you truly believe he is involved in this scandal, then I have to ask what he could possibly achieve by doing this."

She looked at the frozen screen again. "I mean, the man dated my best friend, and he was devastated when she broke up with him. I cannot find a single reason for what he would gain by orchestrating such a thing, especially when he knows it might damage his standing with Jade."

As Gavriel listened to her quietly, he understood exactly where she was coming from.

Aliana’s perspective was that of a normal human... someone who relied on logic, evidence, and reason before condemning another person.

But he was no human. He could sense things Aliana could not.

The darkness clinging to Jacob Grant was far too foul for Gavriel to ignore. Yet he could not simply tell her that. Not when he had no concrete proof to place before her.

Aliana wanted hard evidence before making judgement, and Gavriel would give her exactly that in time.

Until then, he wanted her to at least be wary of him, so Gavriel began, "What could he possibly gain by doing this, you say?" He repeated her words slowly before a sardonic smile curved across his lips.

"You are Aliana Vanderbilt, the heiress of a multi-billion-dollar business empire. The position you are destined to take over is currently being held by the man in question."

His voice turned sharp and sarcastic as he continued.

"I wonder what one could possibly gain by allowing the media to spread rumours about the heiress of the Van Empire secretly being involved with them." He let out a faint humourless chuckle before continuing, "Perhaps when the scandal grows too large to suppress, that same man could step forward as the devoted, loyal solution to the problem."

The atmosphere in the room grew heavier with every word leaving his mouth.

"After all, he has spent years earning your father’s trust. Years proving his loyalty to the Vanderbilt family without question. So tell me, Aliana..." Gavriel’s gaze locked onto hers. "If public pressure continues mounting and your reputation becomes increasingly entangled with his, wouldn’t marriage eventually begin sounding like the most convenient solution?"

Nigel and Aliana’s eyes widened slightly. Meanwhile, Gavriel’s smile only deepened, though there was nothing warm about it.

"How perfect would that ending be for him? The Vanderbilt family gains a loyal son-in-law they already trust completely... while that same man gains the right to stand beside the woman destined to inherit everything and rule the empire at her side."

As soon as Gavriel finished speaking, the room fell into utter silence. Not a single word left either of their stunned mouths as they continued staring at the man before them in disbelief.

After what felt like forever, Aliana finally asked, "So... what do we do now?"

At her question, a devious yet beautiful smile slowly spread across Gavriel’s face.

.....

Far away from Valentine Residence, inside a luxurious apartment drowned in dark interiors, Jacob sat motionless in the dimly lit room as he stared at the phone clenched tightly in his hand.

When he had called Aliana earlier, he had already planned out every single word he intended to say to make her comply with his request.

He knew she would not be easy to convince, so he had rehearsed countless responses in his head over and over again, determined to make her cooperate until he could make his next move.

But what he had never expected... was for another man to answer her phone.

And worse, that man had been none other than Gavriel Valentine!

Jacob could already feel his blood beginning to boil as Gavriel’s cold, cutting words continued to echo mercilessly through his mind.

The fact that the man was right next to Aliana so late at night caused ugly scenarios to build in his head. He couldn’t stop imagining what they might be doing right now.

As if those thoughts were not enough to drive him insane already, the image of Aliana proudly wrapping her seductive arms around that infuriating man back in Spain suddenly flashed across his mind once more.

The memory hit him like gasoline thrown onto an open flame.

His jaw clenched so tightly that the muscles along his face twitched violently while the veins along his neck slowly protruded beneath his skin.

Rage. Jealousy. Possessiveness.

Every ugly emotion twisted viciously inside him until it felt as though something dark and unstable was beginning to claw its way out from within him.

Just then, he snapped. He threw his phone against the grey wall with such force that the device shattered upon impact.

Panting heavily, his voice came out like a ragged snarl. "I will kill you! I will kill you for touching what is mine! She is mine, you bastard! I will fucking kill you!"

Jacob screamed at the top of his lungs like a maniac as he continued to glare at the shattered remains of the phone as if Gavriel could still hear him through the wreckage.

His dull yellow eyes filled with madness, drifted toward the large flat screen in front of him where the video and images of him and Aliana embracing continued to play on the news. The headlines of their affair flashed across the screen in bold, highlighting every lie he had carefully manufactured.

As he watched the footage, a different kind of hunger began to build within him.

Soon, he felt the familiar tightness in his pants and hurriedly unbuckled his belt. Breathing heavily as soon as he gripped himself, a deep groan escaped him. He then began to murmur while staring at Aliana on the screen.

"Yes....yes, my girl, that’s how you hold on to daddy." he muttered hoarsely while beginning to stroke himself.

"Ah! Aliana, do not look at me like that. Do you want to be a good girl? Why don’t you take this cock in that sexy mouth of yours? Hm?" As he uttered the filthy words, he let his imagination run wild and his movements grew harder and faster.

"Ah, yes! Yes! Just like that! Come to me! Make me cum! Yes! Oh yes, my filthy little girl. Suck on me like that!"

But just as he felt himself reaching his climax, the segment on the television suddenly changed.

The screen shifted to a new discussion about the city’s most eligible bachelors, and the very first image that appeared was Gavriel Valentine.

It was a sharp side profile shot of him, his icy blue eyes staring ahead with an almost inhuman coldness.

The moment Jacob saw those eyes, his entire expression twisted violently.

"Fuck! No!" He erupted in fury as his movements abruptly stopped and his erection died just as quickly.

In a fit of rage, he suddenly grabbed the ashtray from the table and hurled it straight at the screen. It struck with a violent crack, lodging itself directly over Gavriel’s face.

Yet somehow, it still failed to cover those icy blue eyes that continued staring back at him as though they could see straight into his soul and uncover every one of his darkest secrets.