The Devil's obsession with the Heiress

[Music recommendation: Sophie Hutchings - Scattered On The Wind (Pt. 1)]

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Some time back in Valentine Residence....

In a quiet living room, a tall figure lay with his eyes shut, shirt buttons undone as he lazily sprawled on the sofa. An empty bottle of whiskey sat on the coffee table beside a glass, a telltale sign of someone who had been drowning his thoughts in alcohol.

Perhaps it was his way of dulling the persistent sting caused by the gnawing absence of the only person whose presence lit up his dark world.

Gavriel knew Aliana had been avoiding him since yesterday.

As he lay there after finishing an entire bottle of alcohol crafted specifically for demons, he could not help but have second thoughts.

He wondered if he had made a mistake by allowing Aliana to venture into his study, where she read things he had meant to hide from her for as long as possible.

Yet, knowing how sharp she was, he knew she would have figured it out sooner or later. With the number of enemies growing around them, it would be far worse if she learned his truth from someone else.

Still, he dreaded whatever consequences might follow, which was why he chose to give her space, even as he struggled to drown out the growing unrest within him.

After a while, Winston approached and spoke hesitantly. "Master? I brought you some cake."

The butler eyed the empty bottle of alcohol with concern before looking at Gavriel. Winston had only ever seen his master like this after the agonising nights of the full moon, but even then, Gavriel had never finished an entire bottle in one sitting.

Whatever was troubling his master, Winston knew it had to be serious to have reduced him to such a state.

He knew it was not a good idea to disturb his master right now, but the old man could not help but worry.

Gavriel did not move or open his eyes. He simply replied, "Leave, Winston."

Winston pressed his lips together, troubled by the fact that Gavriel had rejected the one thing that always managed to pull him out of his dark gloom, even if no one understood why the dessert worked such magic on him.

Seeing that even a sweet treat failed to lift his mood, the old butler released a helpless sigh and bowed. "Yes, Master."

Before turning to leave, Winston paused, set the plate gently on the coffee table, and added softly, "Madam would be terribly worried if she knew you haven’t eaten anything since yesterday."

With that, Winston turned and left Gavriel alone.

Once the door closed, Gavriel finally opened his eyes and looked at the covered plate his butler had defiantly left behind.

"I wonder... if she would even care, given the way she has been avoiding me," he whispered, a faint frown touching his lips at his own bitter words.

Ignoring the plate, he closed his eyes once more. But just as he tried to sink back into quiet solitude, faint, distant chants began to echo in his ears.

Gavriel knew it was just another bunch of humans calling out to him for a favour, willing to sign their souls away for eternity just for some fleeting earthly desire. Completely blind to the fact that they were damning themselves forever.

And, as always, he ignored their summons.

After all, it was always Gavriel’s choice whether he wanted to reveal himself.

Humans could offer whatever rituals and sacrifices they found in ancient texts, but whether he answered their prayers or showed up was entirely up to him.

Occasionally, he would accept their offerings, grant their foolish wishes, and only manifest when their souls had become thoroughly tainted. He derived a cold pleasure from watching the life drain from their eyes, enjoying the sheer terror he inflicted upon corrupt mortals before claiming what was his.

Over the centuries, countless humans had reached out to him. He had likely brushed past many of them in the mortal world without a second thought, never caring to know their names or origins until it was time to collect.

Already in a foul mood, he had no intention of answering this summons.

But then, a sudden sensation made the blood thrum violently in his veins.

His brows drew together as he sensed the immense power contained within the offering. His eyes, which had remained closed until then, snapped open, glowing blood red as the darkness within him stirred in response to the blood being offered.

’Who... who is it?’ he thought, sitting upright on the sofa.

A moment later, the familiar signature of that power poured through the connection, and he instinctively recognised it.

The realisation that this blood belonged to the only person he had ever cared for sent a surge of pure fury roaring through his chest.

Rising to his full height, Gavriel answered the call without hesitation, letting his darkness swallow him whole as it dragged him toward the source.

He did not care about exposure, consequences, or secrets.

The only thing that mattered was that his person was safe. Otherwise, the world had better be prepared to burn beneath his wrath.

And so, he manifested.

The moment he emerged, his blood-red eyes immediately locked onto the only woman who could make his heart race in a way no one else ever had.

But when he saw the unmistakable shock written across her face, a cold realisation settled over him... this was it.

Aliana’s wide, light-grey eyes remained fixed on the man before her, and for a moment, she could no longer comprehend what or who she was looking at.

Though she knew that face all too well, those godly features that had always made her heart race, his eyes were different. Those eyes staring back at her burned with an otherworldly crimson glow that was completely foreign to her.

Slowly, her shocked gaze drifted down, taking in his all-black attire and the long black coat draped over him, while overwhelming dark power radiated from his form. His aura was so commanding that it seemed to demand total submission, making her legs shake beneath the crushing weight of it.

Silence stretched between them like a thin string until Aliana’s trembling lips finally parted, and a whisper escaped them.

"G-Gavriel?"

He neither moved nor replied.

He simply continued staring at her with an emotionless, detached expression, as if he did not know her at all.

To Aliana, his action gave off pure arrogance, as if she were a mere mortal beneath his notice. But in truth, Gavriel was simply frozen. Paralysed by the dread of seeing her reject him.

So he remained still, uncertain of how to handle the dilemma standing before him... his own wife.

When he still didn’t respond, Aliana slowly felt a pricking pain pierce her heart. Tears were already brimming in her eyes as countless emotions battled within her.

Confusion. Disbelief. Pain. Betrayal.

Somewhere beneath the weight of his power and the revelation of his true identity, fear took a far deeper root.

The image of her husband with icy-blue eyes seemed to crack before her, shattering completely and giving way to the reality that she was not merely married to someone who was not human... but to the Devil himself.

Her trembling legs could no longer support her. She slowly shook her head as her knees gave way, her body beginning to sink towards the floor.

But before she could touch the ground, Gavriel materialised in the blink of an eye and caught her.

Unlike all the times before when she would have instinctively melted into his embrace, Aliana recoiled from his touch. She shoved herself away from him and stumbled backwards, shaking violently in pure terror, shocking Gavriel to the core.

"N-no... y-you... you cannot be my husband..." she whispered, a heartbreaking sob escaping her as she stumbled backwards on trembling legs.

Gavriel could only stare at her in stunned silence. His greatest fear of her being afraid of him, of her rejecting him, was coming to life before his very eyes.

Her words struck him like a devastating blow, leaving him utterly rooted to the spot.