As the evening pushed on with drinks, dancing, and lively chatter, the atmosphere in the ballroom remained vibrant.

Although Gavriel truly detested large gatherings, he found himself entirely content sitting right beside Aliana, sipping his wine while watching her eat and converse eloquently with the guests at their table.

On multiple occasions, ambitious guests attempted to stir up a conversation with Gavriel, eager to forge a connection with the elusive chairman of the Archon Group, who had been a constant fixture in the news since his public reveal.

However, his answers were brief and cold, effectively cutting off any attempts at networking before they could even begin. Realising he was a stone wall, the guests pivoted to Aliana instead.

They assumed that since she was his future wife, she would be a far easier route to charm, hoping to eventually gain access to Gavriel through her.

The situation was much the same for Cillian, who was drawing immense attention from every direction.... especially from the high-society women who had been eyeing him since the moment he walked in.

Knowing that Cillian was single, at least according to public knowledge, they viewed the handsome CEO of the Archon Group as the ultimate prize to pursue.

Yet, for the most part, Cillian remained completely unbothered, fielding their flirtatious inquiries with a charming, practised smile. Behaving like a man who had been navigating these shallow waters for a very long time.

At the same table, one of Aliana’s relatives leaned forward and asked curiously, "So Aliana, now that you are getting married, should we be expecting a massive merger between your family’s company and the Archon Group?"

All eyes instantly turned to her, the table waiting in hushed anticipation for her response.

Aliana took an elegant sip of her wine and opened her mouth to reply, but before she could utter a single word, she noticed everyone’s gaze suddenly shift to the space right next to her.

Curious as to what had stolen their attention, she slowly turned her head to the left, only to find a perfectly cut piece of steak hovering right in front of her face. Her eyes tracked down the silver fork to the hand holding it, meeting Gavriel’s intense, unblinking gaze.

"You weren’t eating," he stated simply.

A fierce blush colored her cheeks at the realisation that he was openly trying to feed her in front of a table full of people.

Clearing her throat discreetly, she reached out her own hand to take the fork from him, replying softly, "I can eat on my-"

She trailed off when Gavriel effortlessly bypassed her hand, bringing the fork directly to her lips.

"Eat," he commanded in a low, tantalising murmur that sent a shiver down her spine. "You will need your energy for-"

Aliana’s eyes widened in sudden panic as she realised exactly what scandalous thing he was about to voice out loud. Before he could dare complete the sentence, she quickly parted her lips and clamped down on the piece of steak, successfully cutting him off in his tracks.

The corner of Gavriel’s mouth twitched with deep amusement as he watched her chew rapidly like a cute, flustered squirrel.

Around them, the surrounding guests exchanged delighted glances, finding the domestic display between the feared chairman and his fiancée highly entertaining.

Especially Cillian and Jade, who had identical sly grins plastered across their faces.

"My, my, isn’t that adorable. You know, normal people flirt with words," Cillian commented.

Jade chuckled into her glass and quipped, "He’s clearly an overachiever."

The others at the table joined in with soft laughter. While Gavriel looked completely unbothered by the attention, Aliana flushed like a tomato, suddenly finding her dinner plate to be the most fascinating thing in the entire room.

Thinking Gavriel would stop after that, Aliana reached for her own fork. However, before she could pick up anything, another bite-sized piece of meat appeared before her lips.

And her hand froze.

Slowly, she lifted her gaze to Gavriel, only to find amusement glimmering in those striking blue eyes.

’Just look at him. He’s enjoying every second of this.’ The thought should have annoyed her. Instead, warmth unfurled quietly inside her chest.

Meeting his mesmerising gaze, she parted her lips and leaned in to accept the next bite he was holding out for her.

But before she could take it, a sudden shadow fell over the table, catching both of their attention from the corner of their eyes.

Slowly, she turned her head to see who stood next to her, and surprise flickered in her eyes to see Jacob smiling warmly at her.

Gavriel, on the other hand, had his brows creased at the interruption and turned sharply to look at who dared to interrupt his time with his woman.

Irritation flared in his eyes the moment he saw the corrupt human daring to show in front of him again.

"Jacob," Aliana murmured, genuine surprise colouring her voice. "You’re here. I didn’t see you around earlier."

Jacob’s smile softened. "Well, I arrived shortly before you did," he replied smoothly. "You seemed occupied that time and I didn’t want to interrupt."

Before Aliana could even think of a polite response, the soft clink of silver against porcelain broke the silence. Gavriel had slowly lowered his fork, leaning back in his chair as his icy, unblinking gaze locked onto Jacob. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"So you watched from afar," Gavriel murmured, his deep baritone completely devoid of warmth. "And concluded that interrupting my fiancée while I am feeding her constitutes being less occupied?"

A pin-drop silence settled over the table as eyes widened in collective shock.

The icy chill behind the subtle jab Gavriel had just thrown at the acting CEO of the Van Empire did not escape anyone. Instead of turning away, the surrounding guests subconsciously leaned forward, eagerly anticipating the unfolding drama.

Their minds were already racing back to the recent scandals, wondering if there was any truth to the rumours.

Aliana sighed inwardly, easily predicting the chaotic thoughts running through everyone’s heads. Across the table, Jade and Cillian raised their eyebrows in amusement as they watched the scene.

Alester and Portia exchanged concerned glances, silently debating whether they should intervene before the situation spiralled out of hand.

But to everyone’s utter surprise, Jacob simply let out a light chuckle, looking completely unbothered by the sharp dismissal.

"Ah, you are right. My apologies for the interruption," Jacob replied smoothly, his polite smile remaining flawlessly in place. "Since the atmosphere here seemed so lighthearted, I mistakenly thought it would be the best time to extend my personal congratulations before making my exit."

Aliana recovered her composure quickly, offering a polite nod. "Oh. Are you leaving?"

"Yes, unfortunately. I have an exceptionally early morning tomorrow," Jacob replied with practised ease.

"I see," Aliana murmured softly.

Jacob’s eyes lingered on Aliana’s beautiful face for a moment longer than necessary, noticing the elegant sharpness of her features before he quickly caught himself and shifted his attention to Gavriel, who continued to pin him with an icy stare.

He shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and added, "Actually, I wanted to introduce you to someone. A friend of mine, Diaz, accompanied me today as my plus one. I was only waiting for her to return since she stepped away to use the powder room."

This revelation caught several guests at the table by surprise, none of them expecting Jacob to have brought a woman with him tonight.