Chapter 227: The Uninvited
After dancing back-to-back with Aliana for three songs straight, Gavriel finally stepped off the floor when Alester approached to request a dance with his daughter. It was a gesture he could not refuse, knowing how deeply Aliana cherished her parents.
He had never been much of a dancer in the first place, but seeing how much Aliana was enjoying herself, he couldn’t help but indulge her and simply go with the flow.
Taking a seat at his table, he picked up his glass of wine while his eyes remained fixed on his wife for a moment longer, watching her laugh brightly at something her father said as they moved to the music.
But the second he shifted his eyes away from her, the warmth in them vanished.
A cold, calculating stillness settled over his features as his gaze swept across the room, inspecting every face to ensure no hidden danger was aimed at Aliana.
He had already secured the venue behind a powerful barrier, one that no demon could ever hope to breach, save for Cillian and Reve.
Every guest in attendance was human, as was every staff member moving through the hall. It was his wedding day, and with so many strange occurrences looming around them, he refused to allow even a single misstep.
Aliana’s peace of mind was his priority.
He had seen her broken once, and he was determined never to let her fall into that dark place again, especially not today.
Finding nothing out of place, his attention drifted back to the floor just as the music faded. The instant the dance ended, Aliana rose onto her tiptoes to press an affectionate kiss to her father’s cheek, and together they began walking back toward him.
Not knowing that the individual who had been watching Jade had already slipped out of the reception hall before he could fall under Gavriel’s radar.
Even while breathless from the dance, Aliana’s eyes sparkled with pure joy.
"I will see you around, honey. I need to greet a few guests," Alester murmured, giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder before stepping away to join the group of men waiting to speak with him.
Aliana took her seat beside Gavriel, who looked down at her with a quiet gaze. "Had fun?"
"Mhm!" She beamed up at him, and the usual coldness in his eyes softened ever so slightly at the sight of her radiance.
"And thirsty," she quipped, reaching for a glass of water to quench her throat.
But before the rim could even touch her lips, Gavriel smoothly intercepted it, sliding the glass from her grip.
"Hey!" she protested softly.
He lifted the glass, took a small sip, and handed it right back to her.
She raised a brow, studying his impassive expression. "Still being careful? Why?"
His calm blue eyes met hers. "You never know."
Aliana watched her husband for a moment longer, a fond smile breaking across her face as she shook her head, thoroughly amused by his vigilance before finishing the water.
Feeling the weight of Gavriel’s gaze on her, she turned, meeting his eyes with a curious query. "What?"
"I like your dress," he said, his intense look holding her captive.
A rich blush bloomed across her cheeks. "T-thank you."
"Don’t get too attached to it," he added smoothly. Before her brow could furrow in confusion, he leaned as he murmured, "I’d love to rip it off you later."
A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she turned to meet his gaze, only to find wicked amusement dancing within those mesmerising blue eyes.
"Don’t you dare," she hissed, trying to glare at him. "You do know there’s a perfectly normal way to undress someone, don’t you?"
"Where’s the fun in that?" he countered effortlessly before his lips ghosted against the shell of her ear. "I know you like it, wife."
Aliana’s heart hammered against her ribs as she met his eyes that saw straight through her defence. He knew all too well that his wild, untamed nature thrilled her. Heat pooled low in her belly, prompting an instinctive clenching of her thighs as a sinful smirk curled his lips.
"Absolutely not," she uttered in a futile attempt to deny it.
His smile only deepened, clearly enjoying every second of her flustered state.
Before he could continue tormenting his newlywed wife, a familiar voice interrupted them.
"Ah, if it isn’t the lovely couple."
Both turned toward the sound, discovering a familiar middle-aged man standing nearby.
"Mr. Finn," Aliana greeted, immediately recognising the man who had brought Van Empire and Archon Group together for The Atlas Gateway Port Project during the World Business Conference.
Mr. Finn offered them a warm smile. "Forgive me for interrupting the two of you. I simply wanted to congratulate you both and offer my best wishes before I take my leave."
"You’re leaving so soon?" Aliana asked.
"Yes, I am afraid I need to be somewhere urgent at the moment. Otherwise, I would have stayed longer. But I wish to congratulate you both on your union. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of it."
Aliana smiled at him. "Thank you for coming."
"Yes, I will see you both once we begin work on the project," Mr. Finn said.
"You certainly will," Aliana replied with a bright smile, while Gavriel simply gave the man a small nod.
Before Mr. Finn could take his leave, a dry, intruding voice cut through the air.
"Well, that is quite a surprise to hear. I certainly thought you would concentrate on building your family now that you are married, Aliana."
The three of them instinctively turned towards the speaker.
Standing a short distance away was a sharp-eyed man with neatly combed silver hair and a thick grey moustache, his calculating gaze fixed squarely on Aliana.
The warmth that had lingered on her face only moments ago disappeared without a trace the instant her eyes landed on him.
"Uncle Rufus," she greeted evenly. "I didn’t know you’d be showing up today, considering you skipped the last two family events."
A calculating smirk touched Rufus’s lips as he met her gaze. "Funny you say that, when I don’t recall receiving an invitation for either of those occasions."
"Oh, did you not?" Aliana blinked with exaggerated innocence, lifting her glass to take a slow sip.
She held his stare over the rim, masking the cold smile threatening to curl her lips. "My apologies. It must have been lost in the chaotic preparations."
Gavriel, on the other hand, did not miss the way they threw subtle jabs at each other and found himself intrigued by the story behind them.
Rufus let out a dry, humourless chuckle, "Ah, glad to see my niece still has her wits intact."
"Were you hoping they would disappear?" Aliana returned his fake smile.
"Well, to be honest, after what happened to Jacob, I thought I would be seeing less of them," Rufus replied.
The instant Jacob’s name left his lips, something inside Aliana seemed to freeze and became icy calm.