[Music recommendation: Yehezkel Raz - Deep Blue Sea]

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As Aliana finished speaking, a profound silence settled over the room.

Outside, the heavy rain had finally stopped, leaving only the soft pitter-patter of lingering droplets echoing in the air.

Yet the young couple remained lost in their own world, their gazes locked onto one another.

Like gravity itself.... that strange magnetic pull between them quietly drew them closer until they found themselves slowly leaning toward one another, almost subconsciously.

And this time, Alester and Portia saw it clearly before their very eyes.

This... was not something that could be faked.

They had heard every word spoken earlier, and until now, Alester had remained convinced that perhaps his daughter had only agreed to this marriage because of the six-month deadline he had once given her.

But what he now witnessed unfolding between them looked nothing like a calculated arrangement, a business agreement, or the convenient marriage he initially feared this to be.

No.

Whatever this strange thing brewing between the two of them was... it felt far too real.

Slowly, Alester finally tore his eyes away from his daughter before turning toward his wife, only to find Portia already looking at him with a knowing smile slowly spreading across her face.

’Yes, there is definitely something more to this,’ Alester thought.

Moving his gaze back to his daughter and the man beside her, who were still completely locked in their shared stare, he mused, ’It is not quite there yet... but it is something that will definitely bloom.’

A small, rare smile spread across Alester’s own face before he lightly cleared his throat. The gentle sound made the oblivious couple snap out of their trance and turn their attention back to the table.

Aliana felt a sudden heat rise to her cheeks as she noticed her parents were actually.... smiling this time.

Her eyes widened in surprise as both Portia and Alester gave them an approving nod.

"Okay," Alester finally replied.

’Okay?’ Aliana repeated the word in her head. ’Okay means they finally agree to this, right?’

She still couldn’t quite believe it, so she echoed the word aloud. "Okay?"

Alester nodded. "Okay. You have our blessings."

The moment the words left his mouth, Aliana’s heart began to pound frantically against her ribs, simply because she could not comprehend how they had agreed so easily.

’What changed their minds so quickly?’ she wondered, staring at them in utter disbelief.

Little did she know, their sudden approval was entirely due to the raw connection her parents had just witnessed between her and Gavriel.... an unspoken bond that even the couple themselves had yet to fully realize.

"R-really?" Aliana asked, desperate for reconfirmation.

Portia chuckled warmly.

"Oh, Ali," she said with deep affection, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

But before Portia could stand up to wrap the couple in a celebratory hug, Alester cut in, his stern tone shifting the atmosphere once more. "However, there is still one more thing I would like to discuss."

"What is it?" Aliana asked in confusion, while Gavriel calmly stared at the sharp human before him.

Alester shifted his focus from his daughter to Gavriel. "I have given my blessing to this union, but... I hope you won’t have any issues with signing a prenuptial agreement beforehand?"

At that, Aliana’s eyes snapped to her father, then quickly darted to Gavriel, who met the older man’s gaze calmly. She wondered how he would react, since they hadn’t even had a chance to discuss anything related to their personal assets yet.

It was then that the silent man next to her finally spoke up. "And what are the conditions you would like to include?"

Alester’s expression grew dead serious. "I want it stated that there will be no company merger between our respective empires. Even after you two marry, Aliana will continue to be the sole successor of the Van Empire, while you will remain the chairman of the Archon Group, holding all your current rights to it, just as it is now."

Gavriel arched a brow at Alester, countering smoothly, "Wouldn’t that mean our companies will remain rivals in the long run?"

Alester considered the point before countering, "We can include a non-compete clause in the agreement, applicable for as long as you both remain married." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Aliana’s eyes widened at the proposition.

The terms of a non-compete clause of this scale were never simple, and massive conglomerates rarely signed such agreements.

It would not only restrict both companies from entering competing markets, launching rival products, or collaborating with competitors within a specific timeframe and geographic scope. But it would also include a strict no-poaching agreement for executive talent.

There were countless moving parts to this arrangement that would place both the Archon Group and the Van Empire at a severe operational disadvantage.

"Dad, I am not sure that would be beneficial to either of us," Aliana voiced her concern. "It will put both our companies at an extreme disadvantage. Not to mention, the sheer number of overlapping industries the Archon Group and the Van Empire already share would complicate things further."

"Hmm, I am well aware," Alester replied evenly. "But this clause can be customised rather than following the standard set of regulations outlined by the government. Think of it as a treaty. A corporate no-aggression treaty."

Aliana pursed her lips, her brows furrowing deeply at his suggestion. It was not that she was entirely against the truce her father was proposing, but they would still need to examine the details carefully before agreeing to anything binding.

"So, what do you say, Gavriel?" Alester asked, eyeing his future son-in-law as if assessing whether the man truly valued his daughter enough to move forward under these restrictive conditions.

Before Gavriel could respond, Aliana spoke up. "Dad, I don’t think it’s fair to expect him to simply agree to this without thoroughly reviewing the clauses first. Like me, Gavriel is a businessman, and I don’t want to take unfair advantage of him just because we have decided to get married."

Her interjection not only surprised her parents but also caught Gavriel off guard.

He looked intently at his little rose, completely surprised by her willingness to step up for him this way.

He had assumed she might view her father’s terms as a golden opportunity to secure leverage or extract benefits from his company. Yet, the more he observed her, the more she continued to surprise him.

A slow smile curved his lips as he watched how fiercely she stared down her father.

And it worked.

"It is fine, Aliana. I was only stating this so that there is no future discord between you two, at least regarding our family businesses," Alester clarified. Turning his focus back to Gavriel, he added, "You don’t have to give me an answer right now. You can take your time to think about-"

"I don’t agree," Gavriel cut in smoothly, making all three of them look at him in shock.

"What?" Alester asked, completely caught off guard.

Keeping his gaze fixed entirely on Aliana, Gavriel’s smile widened, flashing her his elusive dimple. He replied in his deep, magnetic voice, "I don’t agree because I believe that after marriage, what is mine will be hers as well."