Chapter 244: A Radiant Haste
With both of them consumed by work, their nights became their only sanctuary. More often than not, Aliana would fall asleep the moment she curled into his embrace, utterly exhausted from the day.
What she never knew was that once she drifted into a deep sleep, Gavriel would quietly slip away into the night to collect the souls that had long been promised to him.
Four days passed in much the same way.
On the fifth day, Aliana sat behind the large desk in her office, carefully reviewing a stack of documents.
After signing the final page with her elegant signature, she closed the folder and set it aside.
Just then, a knock echoed through the office.
Aliana lifted her gaze from the desk. "Come in."
Nigel stepped into the office with a phone in his hand. Before he could say anything, his eyes fell on the towering stack of documents neatly piled on the desk.
Surprise flashed across his face as he walked over. "Are these all done already?"
Aliana leaned back in her chair and raised a brow at him. "What do you think?"
"Wow! These approvals were supposed to take three days. You finished them all in a single day!" His eyes sparkled with admiration as they settled on Aliana, looking at her as though she were nothing short of his idol.
A slight smile curved her lips. "Well, I needed them off my plate because of the trip I mentioned to you. Remember?"
"Oh, right!" Nigel exclaimed. "You’re leaving tomorrow, aren’t you?"
"Yes." The smile on Aliana’s face faded, replaced by a more serious expression. "And while I’m gone..."
She met his eyes, her voice taking on a warning edge. "I need you to stay extra vigilant. There are far too many vipers waiting for an opportunity to strike. The moment they know I’m not here, I’m certain they’ll try something."
"I’m already on it, Boss." Nigel nodded, determination shining in his eyes before a sly grin spread across his face. "I’ve already assigned my team to start digging up every bit of dirt they can find on that Ru... ahem... I mean, your uncle’s faction."
Aliana waved her hand, dismissing the formality. "No need to show him respect in front of me. He has always coveted the seat I occupy today. You should call him exactly what he is... a scumbag."
Nigel grinned. "Will do, Boss!"
"And good work getting a head start on investigating them," Aliana continued. "I know they won’t stay quiet for long. The only reason they’re keeping their heads down right now is because Dad ruthlessly shut them down when they openly objected to me becoming CEO."
Nigel immediately blushed like an excited child receiving praise. Raising a hand to scratch the back of his neck, he gave her a sheepish smile.
"Thanks, Boss! Always happy to help!"
A soft chuckle escaped Aliana’s lips. It was hard to believe someone so competent could still react so adorably to a simple compliment.
Nigel then suddenly recalled the purpose of his visit.
"Oh, right. I came in to ask you when you plan to head home. It is already eleven-thirty at night, and Mr. Valentine called asking about you."
"He did?" It caught her off guard.
Gavriel rarely ever called while she was at work.
She figured that such a late hour must have prompted his call.
Normally, she maintained a habit of leaving the office by nine when managing heavy workloads. On these occasions, she had a habit of handing her phone to Nigel so he could manage her calls, instructing him to disturb her only if an emergency arose.
Today, she had only stayed later than usual to clear everything off her plate so she could relax during her friend’s upcoming wedding.
However, she had gotten so absorbed in her work that the hours had just slipped by, and she had forgotten to inform Gavriel.
"Yes," Nigel replied. Just then, the phone in his hand vibrated once more. "Ah... he’s calling again."
"Ah, I’m really late today!" Aliana quickly got up from her seat, and Nigel hurried to hand her the phone.
As soon as she took it and held it to her ear, she was met with silence on the other end before she spoke. "Hello?"
A deep masculine voice came through the line. "Busy?"
At the sound of his voice, her heart fluttered ticklishly in her chest while Nigel swiftly packed up everything for her.
"I was... I just got done," she answered, her voice softening as she added, "I’ll be on my way home right away."
She reached for her handbag, accepting it with a grateful nod from Nigel before turning to make her way toward the door.
But she stopped in her tracks the moment Gavriel spoke again. "Alright. Come down."
"Down?" Her brows furrowed slightly before her brain caught up. "Don’t tell me you’re here right now?"
"I’m waiting," he replied.
Aliana’s cheeks flushed a little before she turned to look at Nigel with a bewildered expression. In return, Nigel looked as if he was silently squealing with joy while cheering for his favourite ship.
"I’ll be right there," was all Aliana said before her heels picked up pace as a sudden rush of excitement bubbled in her chest.
Gavriel had never come to pick her up before, and just the thought of him waiting downstairs for her made a nest of butterflies erupt in her stomach.
Upon reaching the lobby, the employees working the night shift could not help but stare at their new CEO. Seeing her rushing with a warm smile on her face made more than a few hearts skip a beat at how radiant she appeared.
She didn’t run, yet she walked much faster than usual, leaving the staff wondering what could have prompted such a change.
"Is it just me, or is Madam rushing?" a woman murmured to her colleague.
"No, I have never seen her move like this even when it’s late," another whispered back. "I wonder if something happened."
"Ah, she is just so stunning," one of the men commented with a sigh.
"That she is," another agreed, their eyes following her departure.
The moment she reached the grand glass entrance, the reason for her haste became crystal clear to everyone in the lobby.
Parked outside was a sleek black luxury car.
A tall, drop-dead gorgeous man stepped out of the driver’s seat in a crisp black suit, stealing the breath from every woman who laid eyes on him.
"Ah... that explains it," one of the women sighed
"Mhm. If a man like that were waiting for me, I would have thrown myself out the second-floor window just to get downstairs faster," another woman admitted, earning several silent nods as they all shamelessly ogled their boss’s husband.