Chapter 351: A Double Agent?
Aliana sat on the sofa in her executive office, keeping her calm, calculating gaze fixed on Owen.
He had set a fresh cup of coffee in front of her despite her initial refusal, having insisted on preparing it himself as a gesture of peace.
In the end, she had agreed, partly because she was curious to see what game he was playing. She knew that open hostility would not serve either of them well, especially when they would need to work closely together.
Even so, her eyes had tracked his every movement, refusing to drop her guard even for a second.
Owen took a seat opposite her and smiled. "Let me know if it is to your liking."
Aliana’s gaze shifted to the steaming cup before rising back to his face.
Owen chuckled lightly. "I can assure you there is no poison in it."
She raised a single eyebrow. "And why would you need to put poison in it? It is not as though eliminating me gets you anywhere."
"No, it certainly wouldn’t," he quipped, taking a sip from his own cup. "Though with the way you have been eyeing it so suspiciously, it was not difficult to guess your thoughts."
"How observant," Aliana murmured. She reached for the handle and brought the cup to her lips. As the liquid hit her palate, a subtle flash of astonishment crossed her face. "This is..."
Owen’s smile widened slightly. "Precisely to your taste, yes? Dark roast, a touch of cream and zero sugar."
"How did you know that?" Aliana asked, placing the cup back on the saucer.
"I prefer to be thorough regarding the people I work alongside," Owen answered smoothly.
"Is that so? And what else did your search reveal?" Aliana asked.
"It revealed that, as the She-Devil of Astoria, you are not someone to be crossed lightly. As fierce as you are toward your enemies, you are remarkably generous to your friends."
Owen’s expression grew serious. "I am a practical man, Aliana. I understand business, and I know exactly where my profit and loss lie. I will always lean towards profit. That being said, I know it would be in my best interest to be your friend rather than your enemy."
Aliana listened quietly before the corner of her lips curled upward. "I knew you were sharp, but make no mistake in thinking I will blindly believe anything you say."
Her smile evaporated completely, and her light grey eyes hardened into an icy calm that mirrored her husband’s formidable aura.
"I am generous to my friends because I know just how rare loyalty is in this corrupt world. But I also know how to protect them, and the things that matter to me, from anyone who intends to harm them."
She held his gaze without wavering. "Although we have known each other since childhood, I believe we were never really friends. To me, outside the office, you are Jade’s older brother, while inside this office, you are my company’s acting CFO. Both Jade and this company are important to me, so if you think I would simply let you or your father try to harm either of them, I dare you to think again. The grace I have extended to you and your father will be given only once. I have already warned Uncle Alec, and I think it is only fair that I take this opportunity to warn you as well."
Owen was stunned for a moment to hear Aliana deliver her threat so openly and without hesitation. But then again, she wouldn’t be the woman everyone called the She-Devil of Astoria if she shied away from doing so.
He let out a breathy sigh. "I know it may be hard for you to digest, but I agree that my father was completely out of line. Unlike me, he is impatient and expects his children to blindly follow his orders. While I respect my parents, there are many things I fundamentally disagree with. In those matters, I choose to act independently.
Since you’ve known me since childhood, you must have noticed that I have always strived for excellence in everything I do. The primary reason for that drive was because I was exposed to my family’s dark secret long ago, when I was still finishing school."
A subtle flicker of surprise crossed Aliana’s features as he pressed on. "Back then, I possessed no leverage to refuse him directly. So I bought myself time. I persuaded him to let me complete my education before committing to anything. I used those years abroad to put as much distance between us as possible, building an empire of my own until I became an asset too powerful for him to simply command."
Aliana remained silent, carefully weighing his words before asking, "Is that why you were barely in town over the years?"
"Precisely," Owen admitted. "I kept myself distant so he would never have the opportunity to trap me."
"Yet you are here now." Aliana tilted her head slightly.
"Forgive me, but I don’t buy it. You say you stayed away so your parents couldn’t force you into this cult madness. Now that Jade is being backed into a corner, you suddenly appear out of nowhere and accept the position of acting CFO at my company. Doesn’t it make you wonder why you would choose to appear now, of all times, when your primary reason for staying away was to escape the cult?"
Owen gave her a slow nod. "Your doubts are completely valid. My father called me the night before the board meeting and asked me to return to help him convince Jade."
Aliana scoffed lightly, but Owen pressed on without missing a beat. "Before you jump to conclusions, I told my father I would agree to help him solely to make him believe I was on his side. In truth, I am fully aligned with Jade and intend to protect her."
"Let me guess. You are telling me you are playing a double agent?" Aliana asked with a faint, amused smile.
"For the time being, yes. Only until I can gain full control over Ross Real Estate. Once that happens, my father loses all the leverage he currently holds over Jade and me."
"A compelling story," Aliana remarked, her light grey eyes narrowing as she picked apart his claim. "Except for one glaring flaw."
"Why would Alec hand you the keys to his empire when you still refuse to join his cult? Uncle Alec may be impatient, but he is not stupid enough to simply surrender the one thing that gives him control over both his children."