Chapter 354: Tangled Webs
Where the crisp morning air carried the scent of salt and damp earth, accompanied by the rhythmic clang of steel and the deep rumble of heavy machinery, two people stood on an elevated platform. They overlooked the vast iron frameworks being erected as the foundation of what would soon become the country’s largest commercial port.
The Atlas Gateway.
Aliana tugged her beige coat tighter around her shoulders to shield herself from the chilly air. Beside her, Cillian held an iPad displaying real-time construction schematics, his dark hair ruffled by the damp sea breeze.
"The dredging for the main shipping lane is currently three days ahead of schedule," Cillian murmured as he read through the report. "Once the retaining walls are reinforced, it will be ready for the foundation pour."
Aliana’s grey eyes tracked a massive crane hoisting steel beams into position over the muddy shoreline. "What about the environmental runoff reports for the estuary?"
"Clean," Cillian replied smoothly, sliding a digital file across his screen. "Kevin cross-checked the marine safety logs this morning. No red flags. The local authorities have given us full clearance."
Aliana gave a small nod before her eyes drifted toward the group standing a short distance away. Owen, with his distinct red hair, was reviewing a file alongside Nigel and several senior members of the on-site team.
Ever since her conversation with Owen, where he had agreed to every single term she demanded, she still felt like there was something she was missing.
It was like a piece of the puzzle that had yet to fall into place.
She had discussed it with Gavriel, Cillian, and Jade yesterday after returning home.
Just like her, all of them felt the same odd sense of things going too smoothly because a man like Owen did not simply agree to things so easily.
Then again, it was not as if he had much choice. He could have rejected her demands, but doing so would have burned any chance of building a bridge of trust between them.
Yet if it came down to trust, what did Owen truly have to gain by winning hers?
Was it really just to protect Jade and set them free from their parents’ control, or was there something much bigger at play?
These thoughts continued to occupy Aliana’s mind.
"You are thinking about him again," Cillian remarked quietly, his eyes remaining fixed on his tablet display.
"It’s bothering me," Aliana admitted before turning her eyes towards Cillian. "Don’t you feel anything?"
Cillian glanced up from his screen and raised an inquisitive brow.
"I mean..." Aliana lowered her voice as she leaned slightly closer. "Don’t you have any weird demon senses that could tell you what’s going on inside his head?"
An amused smirk played on Cillian’s lips. "Weird demon senses, huh? Well..." His chocolate-brown eyes shifted toward Owen. "We demons can sense the intentions behind a person, see how corrupt their souls are, and definitely slip inside weak minds."
"Really?" Aliana found her interest piqued.
"Hm, you look surprised. I thought Gavriel would have already told you about all of this," Cillian remarked.
"Well... we haven’t spoken about everything yet. Besides, have you met my husband? You know just how much he loves to talk," Aliana said sarcastically.
Cillian let out a soft chuckle. "Fair point."
He nodded, acknowledging how little Gavriel usually spoke, before returning to her question. "To answer you, we can read minds, but only the ones that are weak to begin with. Negative emotions help, but this guy..."
Cillian narrowed his eyes at Owen. "This guy’s mind is nowhere near weak. What’s more... I’m not sensing any malice from him, apart from the usual greed I sense from businessmen who need to dirty their hands once in a while to get the job done."
Aliana mulled over his words before asking, "Then does that make him... more credible?"
Cillian moved his eyes back to Aliana, and his smile faded. "It makes him unpredictable, Aliana. And... dangerous if he is up to no good."
Aliana’s brow furrowed. "That is hardly comforting, considering he is currently managing Van Empire’s finances."
"Then I’d say you made the smartest decision by binding his hands with a contract at the earliest opportunity and already putting extra eyes on him," Cillian replied.
Aliana looked into his eyes, and just as she parted her lips to respond, the sharp ring of a phone interrupted them.
Cillian fetched his phone from his coat pocket and glanced at the screen. "Ah, it seems your husband has found something." He looked around and noticed several engineers standing close by. "I’ll take this quickly. Don’t wander off, sister-in-law, or I’ll end up in the frying pan."
Aliana frowned. "I’m not a child."
Cillian only gave her a playful wink before answering the call, pressing the phone to his ear as he walked out of earshot.
Aliana watched his retreating back and wondered where exactly Gavriel was currently. As far as she knew, when she was leaving for the site visit this morning, Gavriel had stepped out of his home office to inform her that he had an important matter to attend to and would fill her in later.
With little time to spare, she had simply agreed, but she could not help feeling curious about what was significant enough to take Gavriel away so suddenly, or what he had just discovered to inform Cillian.
"Aliana?"
Another voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
She turned around and met his gaze. "Owen."
"Do you have two minutes?" Before Aliana could answer, he added, "It’s important, and it is something you will definitely want to know."
He gestured towards a quieter area where fewer people were gathered.
Aliana hesitated for a second before offering a quiet nod. "Fine."
Standing a short distance away from the rest of the team, she folded her arms across her chest. "So, what is so urgent that it couldn’t wait until we returned to the office?"
Owen slipped his hands into his pockets. "Rufus Avery approached me late yesterday evening, right as I was about to leave my office."
Surprise flickered across Aliana’s face before she narrowed her eyes slightly. "And what did my dear uncle have to say?"
"He approached me wanting to have a look at the books for the Atlas Gateway Project." When Aliana raised a brow, Owen continued, "He claimed that since it is the biggest project of the year, the board and the investors want transparency to ensure everything goes smoothly. He said he wants to help you as a gesture of goodwill because you are his niece."
Aliana let out a scoff. "Let me guess. You turned him down?"
The corner of Owen’s lips curled up slightly, and he tilted his head. "How can you be so sure?"
Aliana smirked. "Don’t you want to gain my trust? If that is the case, why would you come and tell me if you had already agreed to hand over confidential files to Rufus without my approval?"
Owen chuckled softly before nodding. "I haven’t agreed or refused to show them to him yet."
Aliana’s eyes sharpened.
"I told him that my authority doesn’t allow me to hand over those files without proper authorisation," Owen continued. "Then I asked him to come back with something of equal value if he wanted me to... reconsider."
Aliana stared at him for a moment. "So you left the door open."
"I left him an opportunity to reveal what he was willing to offer," Owen corrected calmly.
"What do you expect me to do with this information?" Aliana asked, though his strategy was glaringly obvious. He was paving a calculated path to secure her trust, piece by piece.
A slow smile touched Owen’s lips. "Whatever you deem fit, Aliana."
The way he said her name sent a subtle shiver straight down her spine.
Disliking the sensation, Aliana quickly countered, "How about you surprise me, Owen?"
His green eyes widened slightly. A rare flicker of genuine surprise broke through his otherwise composed facade.
"Since you are the one spinning this web," Aliana continued, "I want to see who you intend to catch in it."
Without offering any further explanation, Aliana turned to leave.
’Why? Why does it feel like I am supposed to remember something whenever he speaks to me?
Just as the unbidden thought entered her mind, a sharp, deafening snap rang out above the roar of the heavy machinery.
Aliana flinched, her head snapping instantly toward the sound.
A second later, a violent metallic groan tore through the air, and the massive steel beams suspended high above snapped free, plummeting toward the shore.
Aliana’s grey eyes widened in sheer horror as the heavy iron framework tumbled downward.
Then everything happened at once.
Aliana’s world tilted in a split second, sending her staggering sideways until she slammed onto the hard on the muddy surface below.
Cillian, who had just finished his call, spun around at that exact instant. His chocolate-brown eyes widened in horror as the disaster unfolded right before his eyes. He lunged forward at full speed and screamed, "Aliana!"
Right then, a deafening crash reverberated through the air, sending a dense cloud of heavy dust and flying debris everywhere.