Aliana’s eyes widened slightly before she gave a small nod. "Well, then I stand corrected. Though I am curious... how did you agree so quickly to what Mr. Finn proposed? I was expecting at least some pushback from Archon Group."

Cillian’s smile widened into a grin. "I could say the same, Miss Vanderbilt. Perhaps the answer to your question lies in your own reasoning for why the Van Empire didn’t push back."

Taking a sip of her drink, she replied, "Mr. Finn is known to be a man of his word, and not one to change his mind once it’s made up. I knew that even if we resisted, there was a chance we might lose the project entirely. And I prefer to look at the bigger picture, Mr. Pierce. It’s better to have the project in hand than not at all. Wasn’t that your reasoning as well?"

"You are as sharp as ever, Miss Vanderbilt. Though I could say the same about our chairman. Perhaps he had already made up his mind, so I knew there was no point in protesting," Cillian replied.

"I see," Aliana murmured before glancing past him. "Speaking of your chairman, I don’t see him around."

"Ah, well... he had to step away for some work, so I’m afraid he won’t be able to join us," Cillian said, watching her closely.

"Work at this hour?" Aliana asked, surprised, considering they were in Karden and not Astoria.

"Well, he has a few online meetings with our international partners, so he’ll be occupied for quite some time," Cillian replied smoothly, covering for Gavriel.

"I see," Aliana said again.

Then she noticed Cillian extending his glass towards her. "Why don’t we raise a toast to this new partnership and put past grievances behind us?"

"Oh... of course," Aliana replied, slightly taken aback by the gesture. Still, she saw no harm in it, given they would now be working closely together. Raising her glass, she said, "To new beginnings."

"To new beginnings," Cillian echoed with a smile, clinking his glass against hers before taking a sip.

As she took a sip, her eyes caught a slight movement, someone approaching her.

It was Jacob.

Before he could reach her and draw her into yet another conversation about reconsidering the partnership with Archon Group, she quickly turned to Cillian.

"My apologies, but if you’ll excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

"Of course. I’ll see you around, Miss Vanderbilt," Cillian replied, stepping aside to give her space.

Aliana promptly placed her glass on the high table by the window and walked towards the exit, leaving behind a visibly confused Jacob as he approached.

Nigel and Cillian, still standing where she had been moments ago, watched him closely, noting the subtle shift in his expression.

Jacob then turned his dull yellow eyes towards them before approaching Nigel. "Where is Aliana going?"

"She needed to use the restroom," Nigel replied curtly, clearly unimpressed by how the man had been hovering around his boss lately.

"Oh, I see... perhaps I should follow her. What if she needs anything?" Jacob murmured, his gaze drifting back towards the door.

"Mr. Grant, if she needed anyone, she would have taken her assistant with her." This time, Cillian spoke to the man while eyeing him with sharp, piercing eyes.

"Well, I was only concerned, considering... her accident. I hope you remember that, don’t you?" Jacob replied, throwing subtle shade, given Cillian’s involvement that night.

Cillian’s smile only widened at the petty remark. "Of course. But when concern is inserted in an unwanted place, it starts to smell like a rather desperate attempt at clinginess. Some might even call it borderline stalker behaviour. Do look it up, Mr Grant. Enjoy your evening."

With a wide grin, Cillian walked past Jacob, whose expression had significantly darkened.

While Nigel quickly turned his face away, struggling to suppress the laughter threatening to escape at any moment.

Away from the soft music and the chatter of the crowd, Aliana moved quickly toward a secluded section of the hotel, desperate to avoid being bumped into by yet another guest. Tonight was the night of the full moon, and it hung in the sky in its full glory, casting a soft, luminous glow across the courtyard beyond the dimly lit hallway.

As her gaze drifted towards it, her steps slowed, drawn to its quiet beauty. The open courtyard was serene, adorned with lush greenery and a grand fountain at its centre, where an angelic figure poured water from a vase she held.

There was something about the full moon that had always attracted Aliana in an inexplicable way. Ever since she was a child, it had drawn her in, compelling her to gaze at it for hours. She did not know why she felt such a strong affinity toward it. Just like that, without realising, her slow steps came to a halt just a few paces from the restroom.

The corridor was empty, leaving her wrapped in the quiet she had been seeking.

She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, catching the cool night air laced with the faint scent of roses nearby.

"Ah... this is nice..." she whispered, a soft smile playing on her lips.

Just as she opened her eyes to admire the beauty of the place once again, a slight movement caught her eye at the far end of the bushes in the courtyard and she stilled.

Narrowing her eyes, she strained to get a clear picture through the darkness. Her breathing hitched when she caught sight of a figure staring directly at her.

It had the same hollowed eyes, the same pale skin, and the same grotesque smile on its face.

"No..." she whispered, shaking her head in denial.

After two days of silence, she refused to believe she was seeing another ghost.

She stepped back.

Then another step and then.... she ran.

Reaching the restroom, she shut the door behind her and leaned against it, trying to steady her ragged breathing.

Drawing in another sharp breath, her light grey eyes darted towards the sink.

She rushed forward, turned on the tap, and cupped water into her hands, splashing it onto her face once... then again... and again.

The cold helped, if only slightly.

"It’s just my imagination... just my imagination," she murmured, repeating it like a mantra as she slowly lifted her head to look into the mirror. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The moment her gaze met her reflection, her eyes widened, her lips parting as a single word slipped out, trembling, "F*ck."