Aliana immediately pulled away from him.

The very next second, Nigel stepped forward protectively and helped pull her farther away from the overly clingy man.

Jacob reluctantly loosened his hold on her, though not before letting his touch linger just long enough to make her dislike it even more.

"Jacob," Aliana greeted him, her voice tight as her already sour mood worsened by the minute. "And why exactly are you standing right where people are supposed to exit the elevator from?"

The sharp edge in her gaze made Jacob instinctively take a small step back before replying, "I was actually going to see if you had made it to the company yet, since the meeting is about to begin. You haven’t been picking up my calls, so..."

Aliana’s eyes narrowed as she assessed him. Something didn’t add up.

"And why would you come yourself when you could have sent your assistant?"

"Oh, that’s because I sent Carol out on an errand, and I wanted to discuss a few things with you personally," Jacob answered smoothly without missing a beat.

Aliana did not reply immediately.

Instead, her gaze slowly drifted towards the other side of the floor, where several employees had clearly witnessed the entire scene unfold before them.

In the middle of the crowd, she completely failed to notice one particular employee hurriedly lowering their phone after secretly recording only moments earlier.

Releasing a slow breath, Aliana finally spoke, "Alright. Let’s talk in my office."

Without sparing another glance, she turned and began walking away.

Jacob followed closely behind her with a faint smile resting on his face, a smile that did not escape Nigel’s suspicious eyes as he silently trailed after both of them all the way to Aliana’s office.

Upon reaching the door, Aliana was about to step inside when Jacob smoothly turned to Nigel. "It would be better if you waited here for a moment; I need to discuss something private with her."

Nigel frowned, his gaze shifting from the man to Aliana, seeking her lead.

"What’s so important that he can’t be here for it?" Aliana asked with a visible frown.

Because, at that moment, she badly needed the coffee that only Nigel knew how to prepare properly.

Without it, she already knew her nerves would wear thinner depending on whatever Jacob was about to say.

Jacob looked slightly offended before replying, "Aliana, please. This is important."

She remained silent for a brief moment before finally saying, "Fine. But make it quick since we have a meeting soon."

"I will," Jacob replied immediately.

Aliana entered the office after signalling Nigel with a nod to wait. He followed the order, though clearly with reluctance.

Once the office door shut, Aliana made her way to the lounge area and gestured toward the sofas. "Have a seat."

Jacob sat on the armchair adjacent to Aliana as she asked, "So, what is it that couldn’t wait until after the meeting?"

"Aliana, I’ve known you for a long time now, and I know you always make sound decisions when it comes to the company, but..." Jacob paused briefly before continuing,

"I still feel this deal with Archon Group is not going to end well for us. They’re extremely crafty when it comes to maintaining their position at the top of the business world, and I think... I think they would do everything in their power to sabotage our company’s reputation. I don’t trust them, Aliana."

Jacob voiced out his concerns seriously while Aliana maintained a straight expression as she quietly listened to him.

"It’s still not too late to reconsider before the contracts are signed today," he added carefully.

As silence reigned between them, Aliana took a moment before she finally replied.

"Jacob, I know you have the best interests of the Van Empire at heart. You have been the acting CEO for five years and have handled the company well enough to know that we use ironclad contracts. They cannot simply be broken by the other party."

"The penalty for breaching any clause is severe, not only for them but for us as well. That is why I’m not worried.... especially when Cillian and Gavriel both made it clear during our discussions that they want nothing more than to work on this project in harmony."

As soon as Aliana finished speaking, an ugly feeling twisted inside Jacob once again at the mere mention of Gavriel’s name.

There had not been a single day where he had not killed that man a hundred times over in his head for touching what he believed was his.

The image of Aliana wrapped around that half-naked man still burned vividly in his mind, festering deep within his heart and feeding thoughts dark enough to make even him uneasy.

But what could he do when the woman he had desired for so long barely even looked at him?

So he created a plan.

A plan he knew would cause serious damage to whatever relationship had formed between her and that man.

The first step had already been set into motion, and the rest were falling into place smoothly.

But before everything unfolded completely, he still wanted to see whether she could be swayed, even slightly.

So despite knowing she would not like hearing it, he finally spoke.

"Aliana, I know you have the best intentions in all of this, but as someone who cares about you... and as your friend who has helped you for so long, I would advise you not to let your personal feelings cloud your judgement."

The moment those words left Jacob’s mouth, Aliana’s brows slowly rose.

Not out of surprise.

But because of the sheer audacity behind his words.

The atmosphere inside the office instantly turned colder. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Her eyes became icy as her voice dropped dangerously low.

"What exactly do you mean by that, Jacob?"

Jacob shifted slightly in his seat, but still continued, "I mean... what are you even doing with that man, Aliana? You’re forgetting that he’s the chairman of Archon Group, the very company we’ve been rivals with since the beginning. I’m sure he’s only trying to get on your good side so he can somehow gain all this..."

His voice slowly trailed off before he could finish his sentence as he noticed the sudden change in Aliana’s expression.

Her face had become utterly calm.

The kind of calm that felt far more dangerous than someone openly lashing out in anger.

And Jacob instantly realised he had pushed too far.

"Jacob." Her voice was so cold that he had never heard her speak to him like this before.

A faint shiver crawled down his spine as she continued, "Do you honestly think I’m some fool who would get honey-trapped by a man?"

For a few long seconds, neither of them spoke before Aliana continued.

"There are certain matters that even my own parents do not interfere in, so I expect you to know where to draw the line and not cross it." Her voice remained frighteningly calm. "You and I have maintained a good relationship throughout all these years. Let’s not destroy it over something you clearly disagree with."

With that, Aliana suddenly rose from her seat.

The abrupt movement made Jacob flinch slightly despite how hard he tried to maintain his composed exterior.

Slowly, she continued, "Out of respect for all those years, I am telling you this one last time."

The atmosphere in the office turned suffocatingly cold.

"Whatever I choose to do in my personal life is nobody’s concern, and I do not mix business with pleasure."

Her icy gaze locked directly onto him, "I would appreciate it if you respected that and never brought this matter up again because, Jacob..." her voice dropped even lower, "you know just as well as I do that if it had been anyone else sitting here and speaking to me this way right now..."

She paused before finishing, "...I would have already had them thrown out of this office."