Later that morning at Van Empire, Jacob stepped out of his car.

His dull yellow eyes scanned the surroundings, only to find people throwing discreet side glances his way before disappearing into corners to whisper amongst themselves about the news that had broken out the previous night.

He had purposely arrived at the office earlier today so he could release yet another misleading statement to the horde of reporters he had expected to find waiting outside the building.

But to his surprise, and great disappointment, there were absolutely none.

A faint crease appeared between his brows as suspicion crept into his mind.

Had he simply arrived too early? Or was there another reason behind their strange absence?

Because there was no way news of this magnitude would not have the media swarming around both his apartment building and the company like vultures hungry for blood.

Yet this morning, the atmosphere felt eerily quiet.

Lost in thought, Jacob finally strode into the building, only to find his secretary, Carol, already waiting for him in a tight skirt and fitted blazer that hugged her figure provocatively.

But none of it interested him in the slightest.

Because she was not blonde, she was a brunette.

Unable to suppress his growing curiosity, Jacob leaned closer to Carol and asked in a hushed voice, "Why is it so quiet down here, Carol? Did the reporters simply not arrive yet?"

Carol, who had been responsible for secretly recording the video of Jacob and Aliana, instinctively glanced around cautiously before lowering her voice even further.

"I’m not so sure, Mr. Grant. I arrived not too long ago, expecting to see them too. But there hasn’t been a single person from any news channel in sight. I couldn’t exactly ask around without drawing suspicion to myself."

Jacob’s expression immediately darkened at her response. He gritted his teeth in frustration as Gavriel’s warning from the previous night echoed ominously inside his mind.

’Since I’ll be handling this, it would be best if you stayed put for the time being.’

Could that man really have suppressed everything overnight?

The more Jacob thought about it, the more unsettled he became. Because there was simply no way a scandal of this magnitude would suddenly vanish into silence unless someone incredibly powerful had intervened behind the scenes.

And truthfully, he was not far from the mark.

But Jacob was not far off in his assessment, because it was true that Gavriel was responsible for redirecting the media.

Just not away from the Van Empire, as Jacob believed.

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[Music recommendation: reed wonder - A Good Man (feat. Aurora Olivas)]

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His thoughts came to an abrupt halt when the commotion around the office lobby suddenly grew louder as two luxury cars smoothly rolled into the driveway one after another.

Employees began whispering amongst themselves, wondering if the chairman had purchased a new car or if some other business giant had unexpectedly arrived at Van Empire.

Almost immediately, every pair of eyes in the lobby locked onto the entrance in anticipation.

The chauffeur soon stepped forward and opened the door of the first car, revealing Nigel as he climbed out.

But he was not alone.

To everyone’s surprise, Cillian Pierce also emerged from the vehicle in a crisp black tailored suit, offering the onlookers a charming smile as he casually adjusted the buttons of his coat.

The sight alone caused Jacob’s brows to furrow deeply in confusion. He had not expected Cillian Pierce to return to their office again so soon, making him wonder exactly what the man was doing here.

Almost unconsciously, Jacob began walking towards him, with his assistant Carol quickly trailing behind.

"Mr. Pierce, I didn’t know you were coming here today..." Jacob began cautiously, only to trail off when Cillian merely flashed him his signature smile before replying cryptically,

"You’ll find out soon."

With that, Cillian slowly shifted his gaze towards the second car, which had just glided to a smooth stop directly in front of the entrance after his own car moved aside.

The moment the car door opened, a collective gasp swept through the entire lobby.

A polished black shoe touched the ground first before the man himself finally emerged, instantly stealing the very air from everyone’s lungs.

Silence fell for a brief second because the man standing before them was, quite possibly, the most breathtakingly gorgeous man they had ever laid eyes on.

The women in particular looked completely shaken, some staring with their mouths hanging open, while others clutched their chests as though their hearts were about to leap out of their chests.

Suddenly, the silence exploded into chaos.

"Oh my God! Isn’t he... the chairman of Archon Group?!"

"Oh God... oh God, he’s literally the most eligible bachelor in the entire country right now!"

"Just look at him! There’s no way that man is real!"

"Oh God, I think I just got pregnant from just looking at him!"

"What is he doing here?! Along with Cillian Pierce?!"

The entire lobby instantly spiralled into frenzy.

And it was not just the women who stared at Gavriel as though he were some divine being descending from the heavens. Even the men found themselves frozen in awe, unable to look away from the overwhelming presence radiating from him.

Dressed in a perfectly tailored navy-blue suit that looked as though it had been crafted exclusively for him, Gavriel carried himself with terrifying elegance and authority.

Every step he took exuded power, wealth, and danger wrapped into one devastatingly handsome package.

Soon enough, phones were being pulled out from every direction, cameras switching on rapidly as employees began recording him like a once-in-a-lifetime celebrity sighting.

As for their questions about what exactly he was doing here, they did not have to wait long for an answer.

Under countless curious stares, Gavriel calmly walked towards the other side of the car before opening the door himself.

Then, without hesitation, he extended his hand forward.

A delicate, manicured hand slowly reached out from inside the car before slipping perfectly into his larger one. The very next second, the goddess of the Van Empire emerged from the vehicle in her breathtaking ivory ensemble.

The moment Aliana stepped out beside Gavriel, the two of them looked so devastatingly beautiful together that the entire atmosphere seemed to freeze around them.

Her light grey eyes met his icy blue ones, and for a few seconds, neither of them looked away, as though the rest of the world had completely ceased to exist.

It was almost unreal, like watching two celestial beings standing side by side.

"Oh my God!!"

"Are they together?!"

"What is happening right now?! Wasn’t she in the news with Jacob Grant last night?!"

"Somebody please pinch me because there’s no way this can be real!"

The lobby instantly erupted into complete chaos as people began whispering, gasping, and recording furiously with their phones.

Because no one could deny what they were witnessing.

Together, Gavriel and Aliana looked utterly untouchable.

And amidst all the madness surrounding them, Gavriel merely gave Aliana a faint smile, one so subtle that it made her heart somersault inside her chest.

He stepped back slightly to allow her to move forward, though not once did he release her hand.

Instead, he smoothly offered her his arm before leaning closer towards her ear, his warm breath brushing lightly against her skin as he murmured softly, "Are you ready, little rose?"

Aliana’s cheeks instantly flushed upon hearing his husky voice so close to her in public, and all she could do was take a deep breath before softly replying, "Mhm."

But Gavriel was not done yet.

He continued leaning closer, thoroughly enjoying the sight of her growing flustered because of him, before whispering teasingly, "Are you sure? You look a little flushed there."

Aliana’s eyes widened instantly at his teasing words.

Panicking slightly under the countless curious stares surrounding them, she quickly wrapped her hand around his arm before leaning closer towards him and whispering back through gritted teeth, "Stop riling me up."

With that, she discreetly dug her nails into his arm under everyone’s watchful eyes, causing a low chuckle to escape his lips. A sound so ridiculously sexy that several women nearby looked moments away from suffering a nosebleed.

Before he could say anything else to further fluster her, Aliana quickly looked up at him and asked softly, "Shall we?"

A heart-stopping smile slowly appeared on Gavriel’s face, and with it came the appearance of that damned dimple that seemed capable of stealing souls on sight.

Finally, he gave her a small nod before the two of them strode forward together towards the utterly shocked crowd.