Chapter 350: Feeling Of Dread
Aliana’s brows creased as she tried to recall her dream. "At first... it was the same woman begging someone to do something..." She paused, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Again, it’s a total blank when I try to remember what happened next. But then... the scene changed. It’s not something I’ve seen before."
She swallowed the tight lump forming in her throat, her eyes brimming with tears once more. "I remember being here... in this house. There was blood and... bodies everywhere."
She blinked away her tears, her voice cracking. "The bodies of Jade, my parents, Nigel... and when I walked into the living room, I saw... Winston. His heart was ripped out by..."
Her lips quivered, unable to finish.
Gavriel gently stroked her back to comfort her. "By whom?"
"By you..."
Gavriel’s eyes widened slightly. "Me?"
Aliana nodded slowly, her trembling fingers tracing the smooth skin over his heart. "And there was a gaping hole in your chest, too. I just... I cannot make sense of it." She shook her head, looking into his icy blue eyes. "It was horrifying."
Gavriel was stunned to hear that she had seen something like this.
He knew he carried far more darkness within him than anyone could ever imagine, but Aliana had become his sole exception.
He would never actively harm the people she loved and cared about, which was why he had always been so careful with them.
It was also the reason he had extended that same grace to Jade’s father when the man had spoken to Aliana so disrespectfully over the phone. Otherwise, he would have ripped the man’s tongue out for daring to speak to his wife that way.
But why... why would she see something like this?
The only comfort he could take was that this was the first time she had experienced this specific vision, so it was not a recurring nightmare yet.
Still, he needed to be sure. "Was there anyone else there?"
Aliana shook her head. "No. I remember this second part clearly."
"And you are positive you have never dreamed this before?" Gavriel pressed gently.
"Not that I remember. I know I would have remembered something so..." Her voice faltered as he cupped her face in his hands.
"What are you afraid of, Ana? It was only a bad dream. Do you truly believe I could ever do something like that to the people you care about?"
Aliana shook her head without hesitation. "It isn’t that, Gav." Her light grey eyes dropped back to his bare chest, her trembling fingers tracing the warm skin over his heart. "It was just unbearable seeing you... seeing all of you like that."
Aliana had never once believed that Gavriel would do something like that.
She had complete faith in him, but she couldn’t shake the ominous feeling churning in the pit of her stomach. The thought of anything happening to the people she loved, especially her husband, terrified her.
"What if... what if it means something else?" Aliana asked softly.
"Don’t overthink this, Ana. You are feeling this way because it is still fresh in your mind." Gavriel slowly sank back against the bed and tucked her beneath his chin. "Sleep on it, and you’ll feel better in the morning."
Aliana remained silent in his arms, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart beating beneath her ear.
Gavriel gently covered her eyes with his warm palm and whispered, "Nothing like that will happen. Sleep, baby."
Aliana slowly relaxed under his calming touch, taking his words to heart. ’He’s right,’ she told herself silently. ’Maybe I’m just overthinking. Everything will feel better tomorrow.’
With that final comforting thought, she was soon lulled back into a deep, dreamless sleep.
....
When morning arrived, Aliana found herself sitting in the quiet solitude of her executive suite, staring absently out the glass window.
Try as she might, she still couldn’t shake the unsettling dread twisting in her gut, as the fragments of her gruesome nightmare continued to replay in her mind.
Right then, a knock on her door made her snap out of her anxious thoughts.
Thinking it was Nigel, she called out without looking toward the entrance, "Come in."
The door clicked open, and she heard quiet footsteps closing in on her desk. When an unfamiliar cologne hit her nose, her brows creased slightly.
"Good morning, Aliana."
Aliana turned her leather chair, her gaze instantly meeting a pair of cool green eyes.
"Mr. Ross. I do not recall my calendar showing an appointment with you this morning," Aliana replied in a cool, professional tone.
A faint smile touched Owen’s lips. "You are quite right. There was no request made on my end. However..." He raised a sleek black folder in his hand and placed it gently on her desk. "Your assistant seems to be occupied elsewhere and hasn’t collected this file for the Archon Group meeting today. So, I brought it myself."
Aliana eyed the folder before lifting her gaze back to his. "Have you not been assigned an assistant of your own yet?"
"I have," Owen replied candidly. "Though... I wanted to seize this moment to speak with you privately, if you can spare a minute."
"What is this regarding?" Aliana asked calmly.
"It concerns Jade. I am unsure if she has mentioned it to you, but I spoke with her last night."
Owen’s words instantly piqued Aliana’s interest. Jade had mentioned her conversation with her brother over breakfast this morning, and to be honest, the details had been quite bizarre.
Aliana studied the man standing before her as her morning discussion with Jade came rushing back to her.
"What exactly did he tell you?" Aliana asked, setting her coffee cup down.
"He told me that Mom and Dad are being completely unreasonable and that... he supports my decision not to be a part of it," Jade answered.
Aliana’s brows rose at her words. It was the absolute last response she anticipated from Owen Ross. She had fully expected him to flex his role as the eldest sibling to drag Jade back into the family fold.
"I find that hard to digest," Aliana murmured in disbelief.
"I felt the exact same way," Jade agreed. "But he insisted he has always distanced himself from that strange cult, even though our father constantly pressures him to join. He even offered to speak to our parents on my behalf to get them off my back. And... he said staying here with you and Gavriel was the smartest move I could make."
Even Gavriel had raised an eyebrow upon hearing it, while Cillian kept his lips sealed.
"And you take him at his word?" Aliana questioned, her voice laced with skepticism. "He is a brilliant strategist, Jade. He could easily be manipulating the situation. Did he not try to coax you into meeting him?"
"Not at all," Jade had replied, shaking her head. "He specifically warned me to stay put. He kept the call short, but he made it clear that he has my back."