Chapter 288: The Study
Vanderbilt Estate....
Inside a sprawling room adorned with opulent decor where every centrepiece was worth millions, a middle-aged couple sat before a large television, watching the news broadcast details of the island tragedy and the death of Cedric Wilson.
Alester slowly swirled the whiskey in his glass before taking a sip, his dark grey eyes fixed on the screen with an unreadable glint. His wife, Portia, sat not far from him, her brows drawn into a deep frown as the reports continued to replay the horrifying events.
Unable to bear another second of it, she snatched up the remote and switched off the television, making her husband glance at her.
"I am sick of watching the same news over and over again," she muttered, tossing the remote onto the carpet before releasing an exasperated sigh.
"What’s troubling you, my dear?" Alester asked quietly.
"What else?" Portia turned towards him, her expression troubled. "My daughter had to go through all of that right before we..."
She abruptly stopped herself, swallowing the rest of her words before meeting her husband’s eyes. "Are you not worried, Alester? Something like this is bound to leave a mark on her."
Alester remained silent.
Portia’s fingers tightened around the fabric of her dress as she continued, "I heard from Nina that even Jade is traumatised by what happened. Those girls... we raised them with such an open mindset, and now this..." She shook her head, her voice faltering. "This certainly won’t help."
She reached across and gently took her husband’s hand.
"Don’t you think we’re rushing this?" she asked softly. "We still have time to cancel tomorrow’s plan."
Alester released a slow, inaudible sigh before placing his glass on the table. He reached for Portia and pulled her into his arms, allowing her to rest against his shoulder.
"To be honest..." he murmured, his gaze drifting towards the darkened television screen. "At this rate, I don’t think there will ever be a good time to do this."
He paused. "But you know we have to. Sooner or later."
"Alester, you’re forgetting something. Aliana is one person to think about... but what about her husband?" Portia’s voice lowered. "Gavriel is not just anyone. He is a very powerful man. I’ve seen how protective he is of our daughter."
She hesitated before asking, "What if he becomes a problem?"
Alester’s expression hardened. He pressed his lips into a thin line before slowly exhaling. "Then we will have to help our daughter understand the situation so she can reason with him."
Silence fell over the room as both parents pondered what the coming day would bring, offering silent prayers that everything would proceed smoothly.
.....
Valentine Residence....
After her call with her husband and her unfortunate tumble onto the floor, Aliana finally managed to make her way to the second floor after reassuring Winston for the millionth time that she hadn’t broken any bones from such a little fall.
"I swear, he looks so deceptively composed that no one would ever imagine Winston could make such a frightened expression," she mumbled to herself as she walked towards Gavriel’s study.
She let out a small chuckle. "I hope Gavriel hasn’t been torturing the poor old man for him to react like that."
Aliana shook her head lightly before finally coming to a stop in front of a pair of large double doors. Carved into the rich dark wood was the same symbol she had seen on the stone fountain outside... a dragon coiled tightly around a sword.
She admired the symbol for a moment before raising her hand and running her fingers over the exquisite woodwork.
Suddenly, a voice whispered inside her mind, ’Remember... this is you...’
The moment Aliana heard it, she pulled her hand away and took two startled steps back. Her eyes darted around the long, lonely corridor, only to find nothing but pin-drop silence.
Swallowing hard, she slowly looked back at the sigil and wondered, ’Did I just imagine that?’
Shaking her head lightly, she tried to dismiss the strange voice before gripping the door handle and pushing it open.
As soon as she stepped inside, the first thing that greeted her was Gavriel’s rich scent.
His expensive cologne lingered in the air, fresh and minty with an undertone reminiscent of cold rain, making her close her eyes and take a deep breath.
How much she loved his scent, only she knew.
A faint smile touched her lips before she quietly stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
Slowly, her eyes travelled across the room, taking in the interiors that screamed Gavriel.
It wasn’t as large as she had expected, but neither was it small.
Everything was made of dark, polished wood. To her right stood a grand, intricately carved fireplace, flanked by towering bookshelves beneath a beautifully coffered ceiling.
On her left, another wall was lined with books, between which hung a large painting.
Unlike the other abstract art scattered around the house, this piece clearly formed the shape of a large tree. Its branches seemed to spread out into brown vines, with red splashes of paint that instantly made her think of a giant rose tree.
A familiar feeling rose within her chest the longer she stared at it, until an image of herself standing beneath a majestic rose tree by the lake suddenly flashed through her mind.
Her eyes widened as she finally recalled her dream. She had seen this exact tree when she had fallen unconscious after the billboard accident right before her engagement.
"How... how is the same image from my dream depicted in this painting?" she whispered in disbelief.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her eyes, making her squeeze them shut before quickly turning away from the painting.
The pain disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving her momentarily confused. Her heart raced a little.
Unsettled, she decided not to look at the painting again and turned her attention towards the rest of the room.
At the centre stood a large, beautifully crafted wooden desk with a majestic chair behind it. Its back faced the tall, floor-to-ceiling window that offered a view of the garden outside.
A set of rich burgundy leather armchairs and sofas was arranged in front of the fireplace. The set rested atop a dark Persian rug that gave the room a classic appearance.
This was the first time she had stepped into Gavriel’s study, and she took slow, quiet steps as she soaked it all in.
Soon she stopped beside the leather chair and gently brushed her hand over it, knowing this was where her husband often sat. As her fingers felt the smooth surface, a feeling of longing settled deep within her heart, making her yearn to see him again.
Her heart raced again at the thought of him, and she closed her eyes.
"What is... happening to me? Why... am I feeling this way?" she whispered to herself.
After taking another deep breath of his scent, Aliana opened her eyes and turned her attention towards the bookshelf, as if trying to remind herself of the reason she had come there in the first place.
With one more light caress over the top of the chair, she finally made her way towards the neatly arranged books and spotted a vast section of business-related books.
Raising her hand, she let her fingers brush along the spines as she searched for what she was looking for before picking up one titled Company Law.
After selecting two more books, she turned toward the sofa to read. But as soon as she set the heavy stack on the coffee table, her eyes drifted to a different shelf.
Curious, she walked over to take a closer look and realised the entire section was filled with history books.
Aliana marvelled at the sheer scale of the collection, which seemed to cover every era of human existence. She was certain even top museums did not possess books like these. To a historian, this library would be an absolute goldmine.
More than that, she was surprised by Gavriel’s interest in such a field.
"Guess I have a lot left to learn about him," she murmured to herself, until her eyes caught sight of a thick red leather book that stood out among the green ones.
Her eyes narrowed as she read the title.
"Hellborn?"