Julian was stunned by the invitation.

He knew only a fool would decline a request from Cillian Pierce, yet he felt a duty to see Aliana safely back to her hotel. He hesitated, torn between professional opportunity and his role as her escort.

Seeing through his hesitation, Aliana replied, "It’s fine, Mr. Julian. You should go ahead. I have my own car and will see you tomorrow at the conference."

"Are you sure?" Julian asked.

"Yes." Aliana gave him a polite smile before giving a small nod to Cillian. Then, finally, letting her gaze settle on Gavriel, whose eyes had not left her even once.

There was so much she wanted to say, so many questions she wanted to ask, but she couldn’t find the words while the entire room watched her.

"Thank you for your help today... Mr. Valentine," she said softly. And before those icy blue eyes could pull her back into their depths, she turned and hurried out of the club.

Gavriel remained motionless, his eyes tracking her every step until she disappeared out of sight.

Ten minutes into the drive back to the hotel, Aliana was still trying to calm her racing heart. Her mind was entirely consumed by thoughts of Gavriel and the chaos at the club. She couldn’t shake the memory of his icy blue eyes peering into hers, as if silently demanding an explanation for how she could have let such a thing happen.

And the thought unsettled her.

After all, she didn’t owe him any answers, yet she could still feel the cold shiver that had run down her spine when his gaze had settled on her shoulder, right where Julian’s hand had been.

Now that she thought about it, the exact same thing had happened when Jacob touched her at the conference the day before. It was as if Gavriel were ready to chop their hands off the moment they made contact with her.

Releasing another sigh, she rested her head against the seat and closed her eyes, as though exhausted from dealing with things that made no sense, especially herself.

Why was she letting a man from a rival company affect her to this extent?

She had always been the rational one, the one who never let anyone get under her skin. If anything, it had always been the other way around.

However, around Gavriel, it always felt like he had the upper hand.

There was no denying that he possessed an incredibly commanding presence, one that surpassed any human she had ever met.

She had encountered many important figures across the globe, from world leaders to reigning monarchs, but none possessed an aura like his.

None of them had managed to ruffle her feathers so effortlessly, without even trying.

’Just what are you doing, Aliana... letting someone like him affect you like this?’ she whispered inwardly when, suddenly, her car made a strange noise and came to a screeching halt.

Her heart leapt into her throat at the sound, and she quickly sat upright. "What happened?" she demanded of the chauffeur.

The chauffeur looked baffled. He tried to restart the engine, but it made another sputtering noise before dying completely.

He met Aliana’s eyes through the rearview mirror, "I’m sorry, Miss, but I’m afraid there is some technical difficulty. Let me quickly take a look to see what the problem is." He unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out of the car to inspect the hood.

"Great," Aliana muttered, leaning back in frustration.

She looked ahead at the road, only to find it completely deserted. The streetlights were spaced at long intervals, leaving vast stretches of the road in deep shadow.

Before she knew it, the air inside the car began to feel suffocating without ventilation, so she opened the door and stepped out.

The moment she did, a cool breeze swept across her face, coaxing her eyes shut for a brief moment as she drew in the sharp, salty air. It filled her lungs, yet did little to ease the restless tension coiled within her.

When her eyes opened again, she gazed at the deserted road again before slowly lifting towards the hilltop, where the hotel stood, still twenty minutes away. Making her wonder if it is a good idea to hike up there.

Right then, a faint movement caught her attention.

Not too far ahead, at the edge of the road, she spotted a man walking aimlessly, his steps slow and almost unsteady, far too close to the cliffside for comfort.

Her breath hitched, and a chill crept down her spine as the unbidden thought formed in her mind.

Another... ghost.

Her eyes remained fixed on the figure, and she silently prayed to every god she knew not to let the ghost notice her, or turn in her direction, because frankly, she did not have any emotional stability to deal with anything more tonight.

Just then, the chauffeur stepped in front of her, startling her. "My apologies, Miss. There seems to be a problem with the engine that I cannot identify. I am afraid I will have to call for assistance. In the meantime, I can request another car from the hotel to come and collect you. You can wait inside where it is safe."

"Oh," Aliana murmured, her voice tight as unease crept deeper into her chest, and her eyes instinctively shifted past the chauffeur to check if the wandering man was still there.

He was there....and somehow, to make things worse, he was a malevolent spirit, now staring straight at her.

’Oh, for the love of God,’ she cried inwardly, because of course this was happening. Why would her night end in any normal way?

Panic surged in her chest as she watched the figure slowly raise a hand, pointing a long, accusing finger straight at her.

"Miss?" the chauffeur called again when she failed to respond.

With a Herculean amount of effort, Aliana tore her eyes away from the spirit to look at the chauffeur. The dread on her face was so visible that he took a wary step back, clearly wondering if she was alright in the head.

Her lips trembled slightly as she replied, "Go ahead."

As soon as the chauffeur heard her, he gave her a small nod and turned around to walk a little away to make a call.

Aliana barely had a second to breathe before she jumped in fright, the evil spirit now standing right before her. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

It raised its skinny, pale hands towards her, as though intent on touching her again.

But just as Aliana took a sharp step back, preparing to bolt, a bright light swept in from the direction they had just come. The sudden glare caught her from the side, momentarily blinding her as it cut through the shadows of the deserted road.