Aliana assessed the man, tilting her head slightly. "The real question is... can you handle my blunt side, Mr. Julian?"

"Try me," Julian replied, offering a dazzling smile in return.

Aliana didn’t sense any malice from the man yet.

His track record suggested he was a typical member of the elite who liked to work hard and play hard.... a lifestyle similar to her own. Though she arguably worked much harder, she didn’t mind giving in to his request for honesty.

"Well, if you insist, Mr. Julian, I will be honest with you," she began.

Julian nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"First, the only reason I am looking for a suitor is because my parents want to see me settled. Personally, I am perfectly content with my life as it is. Second, because the people I’ve met so far all come from the same circle, I’ve had the displeasure of knowing their deeds... behind closed doors."

She paused briefly, "I don’t expect much from these meetings other than to see if someone is even remotely compatible with me. But so far, I have only been bored out of my wits by men rambling about things they think should interest me, but don’t."

Julian’s eyes widened at her blunt honesty before he shook his head in disbelief. "Wow."

"Too much?" Aliana asked nonchalantly.

"You’ve misunderstood," Julian said, a genuine, bright smile spreading across his face as he looked at her with newfound interest. "That was honestly a breath of fresh air."

"So tell me, what does interest Aliana Vanderbilt?" he asked.

Aliana simply shrugged her shoulders, taking another sip of her drink before she replied, "That is for you to find out... if you are interested in trying, that is." She met his gaze calmly, and Julian couldn’t help but feel extremely intrigued by the woman before him.

He gave her a nod in acknowledgement before glancing at her plate and the formal scene around them.

"I’ll tell you what," he said after a moment. "I’d like to suggest something, and please feel free to decline if you’re uncomfortable with it."

"Go on," Aliana replied.

"I’m guessing you’ve already been here yesterday, or at one of the many restaurants in this hotel," he said smoothly. "So how about we do something different?"

"Different?" Aliana raised a brow.

"Yes. I mean, how about a change of scenery? Instead of sitting within these hotel walls, let’s see what the real Karden has to offer. I know you know that I love to party, so how about we experience the nightlife here?" Julian suggested.

"Nightlife in Karden? Mr. Julian, I hope you are aware that this city sleeps early. I doubt there is much of a nightlife here to begin with," Aliana replied.

"Oh, there is," Julian grinned. "I have been here before, and I know just the place you would love... if you are comfortable with it, of course."

"And where might that be?" Aliana asked, interest gleaming in her eyes.

Not far from them, on an adjacent balcony, sat a man who had overheard their entire conversation. He took a slow sip of his wine while watching the moonlit sea, his expression unreadable.

Once he had heard enough, he quietly rose from his seat and made his way out of the dining hall, heading towards a place he knew was needed at this very moment.

Stopping in front of the double doors of the hotel suite, he raised his hand and knocked.

When there was no response, he was about to knock again when the door suddenly unlocked on its own and swung open.

Cillian let out a sigh before stepping inside, only to be greeted by a sight that never failed to throw him off.

Gavriel sat on the sofa, dressed in a crisp black shirt with a few buttons undone and black trousers. In his hand was a plate holding a half-eaten slice of cake, coated in pink buttercream frosting.

It was like watching a big bad wolf devour vegetables instead of meat, a complete violation of the laws of nature.

Gavriel fixed him with a blank stare, as though silently demanding a reason for the interruption.

Cillian cleared his throat as he approached. "And a good evening to you, too, Gavriel." He took a seat on the sofa opposite him. "I came to ask if you would like to step out tonight?"

Gavriel studied him before dropping his gaze back to his plate. He cut another bite-sized piece of cake with his fork and simply replied, "No."

"Are you sure? Since you didn’t show up at the conference at all today, I thought you’d like to hit the town. Maybe we could check out the nightlife?" Cillian pushed for a reaction, but Gavriel simply continued eating his cake with an elegant focus, as if he were the only person in the room.

Knowing that the town alone wouldn’t be enough to move a man like Gavriel, who valued his peace above all else, Cillian decided to try a different tactic.

It was something he had recently discovered might actually work, so he faked an expression of mild disappointment. "Oh well. That is too bad, then."

"I was just at the dining hall enjoying my evening," Cillian paused, watching the aloof man before him closely. "When I saw the beautiful Aliana Vanderbilt having a cosy dinner with a man."

When Gavriel still didn’t respond, Cillian pressed on. "I overheard them talking. The man mentioned taking her to an exclusive nightclub that is quite famous in the city. I thought you might be interested in checking it out, considering you’ve been cooped up in here all day."

When Gavriel paused mid-bite, Cillian casually added, "I heard she’s been looking for a suitor to marry, and this man seemed quite decent. I think they’d make a rather nice couple. Perhaps they’ll bond even more at the nightclub. And for once, I’d quite like to step out and enjoy some entertainment myself."

With that, Cillian pushed himself to his feet.

Just as he took a step towards the door, the faint sound of a plate being set down against wood reached his ears.

And a smirk slowly spread across his face.