Chapter 212: The Truth She Owed Him
Alester simply gave her a warm, reassuring smile.
"She just wants to celebrate with you, dear. After all, after tomorrow, you will be beginning a new Chapter of your life and building a family with the man you chose for yourself."
The words family and the man you chose hit Aliana like a truck.
Alester continued, placing a warm hand over hers.
"You have always been my bright little angel. You have never needed to be told things twice to understand them, and I cannot tell you how proud I am of the woman you have grown up to be."
Guilt clawed at her heart as a dark whisper echoed through her mind.
’I’m a disappointment, Father... a murderer.’
She lowered her eyes in shame, but Alester kept speaking.
"And now you are beginning this new journey. As your father, I wish with all my heart that this new beginning will be smooth sailing throughout your life. But..."
His smile softened. "I also have a duty to be honest with you. It will not always be easy, Ali. Things will happen. Life will continue to throw curveballs at both of you... but always remember to be honest with yourself and with the man by your side."
That was when Aliana lifted her eyes to meet her father’s dark grey ones and saw him smiling at her with nothing but warmth and love.
"After all, we only have that one person by our side whom we can truly bare our souls to," he said gently.
"To achieve that, you need to have a strong, unshakable bond that nothing from the outside world can ever touch. Honesty and loyalty go hand in hand, my dear, to form that bond. Only then... can your connection with your life partner remain untouched."
"Dad..." Aliana whispered.
She hadn’t even realised when her eyes had filled with tears until her vision blurred.
Alester moved his hand from her knuckles to her cheek, letting his thumb gently brush away the teardrops spilling from her eyes.
His voice dropped to a soft, protective murmur. "Do not cry, my dear. I hate to see tears in your eyes, you know that. I have faith in you to always do the right thing, and I know that you will. Remember, nobody is perfect. Cherish him as he would cherish you. Gavriel seems like a man who keeps his word. Otherwise... I always have my licensed gun."
At his words, a genuine chuckle escaped Aliana for the first time in what felt like an eternity. "Oh, Dad."
She rose from her seat, threw her arms around his neck, and held him tight. Alester chuckled warmly, returning the embrace with a comforting squeeze.
Hearing her quiet sob, he stroked her hair. "Now, now, do not cry, princess. Happy days are ahead for you."
Aliana squeezed her eyes shut as more tears escaped, whispering, "I love you, Dad."
"I love you too, my beloved daughter," Alester replied, his own voice thick with the emotions rising within him.
Alester’s advice was the timeless wisdom of a father parting with his daughter before her wedding day, but he had no idea his words had just hardened Aliana’s fraying resolve.
It gave her the strength to finally come clean to Gavriel about everything.
Honesty.
That was exactly what she had been running away from.
She silently vowed to tell him everything tomorrow, not just to relieve the crushing burden of her guilt, but because it was simply the right thing to do. It was an honesty that Gavriel truly deserved from her.
If he wished to walk away from her after learning the truth... she would accept his choice and never cross his path again.
.....
As the night descended, a lone, tall figure stood in the garden, surrounded by roses. The mansion was pin-drop silent for once. One might think peace had returned to the Valentine Residence, but on the contrary, the silence was suffocating to Gavriel, stirring the restless beast within him.
Cillian and Reve stood a short distance behind him, their expressions grave as they listened to everything Gavriel had revealed about what had transpired in Aria.
"What a mess," Cillian murmured to himself, still reeling from the information regarding the dimensional rift.
"One thing is clear... Mord is behind this. But he is not acting alone. Someone else is pulling the strings," Gavriel’s icy voice echoed as the wind churned in the sky above.
Cillian’s brows knit together. "Do we have any information about who he might have been connected to in the past?" He turned to look at Reve for answers.
"No, he has always been careful to keep his connections hidden, even when his brutal killings of humans have been as loud as they could get," Reve replied. "The evil spirits who serve him have no answers for us."
"But he left traces of his power in Sofia’s place for Gavriel to recognise. This... it almost seems like he is taunting us. Or, I should say, taunting the devil himself," Cillian sneered.
"He will not show himself easily. We will need to set up a trap to lure him out," Reve responded.
Cillian hummed before looking toward the silent man. "What do you think we should do, Gavriel?"
Gavriel continued to stare at the roses with hollow eyes. "If we set up a trap for him now, it will not work. He would expect us to do exactly that."
"So what do you suggest? We do nothing?" Cillian asked.
"Yes. Let us make him think our focus is elsewhere. A demon like him will not take it well if he thinks we are not falling for his tricks anymore. He will grow frustrated and make mistakes. When he does, we strike."
It made perfect sense. Mord loved playing games. If he felt like his targets were not reacting to every taunt he sent their way, he was bound to get reckless... which was exactly what they needed him to be.
"Until then, stay alert. Keep a watch on everyone close to us. Especially those close to Aliana," Gavriel’s voice cut through Cillian’s thoughts.
With that instruction, Cillian instantly thought of Jade.
"Gavriel, there is something else. When Jade walked into the office today, she had a demon mark on her," Cillian informed him.
Gavriel finally looked over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing. "I am assuming you took care of it?"
Cillian gave him a firm nod. "I did. After everything you have told me, I have no reason to doubt that Mord must be behind that as well."
He said that because demons did not leave their mark like that unless they were deeply attached to a soul, or had targeted them to be slowly hunted down.
"He very well could be," Gavriel muttered, his gaze drifting back to the dark garden. "My instructions remain the same. Just stay alert. Take action only when necessary. And Cillian... I do not think I need to tell you what to do."
"I hear you," Cillian replied with a sharp grin. Even if Gavriel did not spell it out, he was already keeping a hyper-vigilant eye on Jade.