[Music recommendation: Bliss - Wish You Were Here]

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"Marriage..." she whispered softly before her gaze drifted towards the stack of portfolios of men placed neatly on her desk.

Dozens of perfect candidates on paper.

Yet she had not even bothered to pick up a single one of them to go through again. Nor had she returned the calls from any of the suitors she had met in Spain.

Her father’s words, spoken to her a couple of days ago in Spain, echoed in her mind:

"Does your heart flutter at the sight of him, or even at the mere thought of him? Can you imagine living with him, or better yet, can you imagine life without him? Remember, Ali, no one is perfect. Everyone has their flaws. We see each other beyond those flaws."

As those words, Aliana slowly closed her eyes.

But before she could sink any deeper, a soft knock suddenly echoed through her office.

Her eyes opened instantly as she tilted her head towards the door and answered, "Come in."

"Hi, Boss. I was wondering when you were planning to leave today?" Nigel asked carefully as he stepped inside.

Aliana’s brows furrowed slightly. "What do you mean? Don’t we still have more time before we leave for the day?"

"Um... it’s already evening, Boss, so I thought maybe you would like to head home and rest instead? I can drive you back."

"Evening?" Aliana blinked in confusion before her eyes darted towards the clock hanging on the wall.

The moment she saw the time, she gasped sharply before springing up from her chair.

It was already seven o’clock.

Her heart skipped violently as she turned towards the large windows of her office, only to realise that darkness had already begun swallowing the city whole.

"Nigel, why didn’t you tell me it was already seven?!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Um... I was supposed to?" Nigel asked, looking completely clueless about what exactly he had done wrong.

But Aliana did not bother explaining further. Panic had already begun crawling beneath her skin.

"Get my car ready. Quickly!"

Nigel immediately rushed to obey without another word.

The moment Aliana reached the company entrance, she practically snatched the car keys from the employee who had just brought her vehicle around before slipping into the driver’s seat.

And within seconds, the car sped away into the night.

As seconds turned into minutes, and she could hear only one sentence repeating in her head over and over again:

"Tomorrow, eight o’clock at night, will be your deadline. If you fail to give me an answer by then... I’ll take your silence as a no."

With those words haunting her mind, she drove like a maniac. Cutting through traffic and violating every traffic rule as though she were some wanted criminal desperately on the run.

"Please," she whispered shakily under her breath as she neared his residence and, with it.... her deadline.

Back in the mansion, Gavriel sat in the exact same spot he had occupied yesterday, dressed in his dark blue silken robe and pajama pants.

To anyone looking at him, his body appeared relaxed.

But upon closer inspection, one could see the stiffness in his muscles, his finger tapping slowly and rhythmically against the armrest while his icy blue eyes remained fixed on the clock as it continued to tick.

Just two more minutes... two more minutes until eight, and still.... no sign of her.

With only sixty seconds left, an array of emotions Gavriel had never known began to bloom within him.

He felt a surge of things he usually only sensed in others... disappointment, a crushing sense of loss, anger, and... bloodlust. They crashed into him all at once enough to make dark tendrils leak out of him without him even realising it.

The glass windows throughout the mansion began to rattle, along with the chandelier and every object within the house, as though an earthquake was moments away from swallowing the entire place whole.

Just as he rose to his feet, thinking he needed to leave before he destroyed the mansion in a fit of uncontrollable rage.... the main doors suddenly burst open, making him freeze.

Then came the frantic sound of heels striking against the floor, followed by uneven, breathless pants, and finally the sound of the living room doors being pushed open as one breathless word finally reached his ears.

"Yes."

Gavriel’s eyes shifted towards the clock, only to realise it had just struck eight.

Slowly, he turned to look at the woman standing before him, dressed in a beautiful burgundy outfit that made her resemble a vibrant rose in full bloom.

Yet, out of everything about her, it was the deep flush spreading across her cheeks that he found the most irresistible.

Almost as if pulled by an invisible force, his feet began moving towards her on their own while she stood there, breathing heavily as she leaned against the wall beside the door.

Their eyes remained locked on each other. Neither of them willing to look away or break the connection, as though bound together by a magnetic pull that continued drawing him closer and closer to her.

By the time Gavriel finally loomed over her, the air between them had already turned electric.

Without tearing his gaze away from her, he slowly lifted his hand and cupped her cheek. The instant his skin touched hers, Aliana’s eyes fluttered heavily, his touch awakening every nerve in her body until she unconsciously leaned further into his palm as though craving more of it.

His minty breath fanned across her parted lips, close enough to steal the air from her lungs, as he asked in a low, intoxicating voice,

"Yes... what? Say it, Aliana..."

Aliana’s throat felt unbearably dry, forcing her to lick her lips ever so slightly. That tiny, innocent action instantly dragged Gavriel’s attention away from her beautiful, grey eyes and down to her soft, rose petal-like lips.

He watched them tremble before they finally parted.

"Yes..." The word was a ragged whisper that filled the cavernous silence of the room. "I’ll marry you, Gavriel."

The moment those words left her lips, it was as if every dormant, dead desire within Gavriel suddenly clawed its way to the surface, awakened by the sound of his name on her lips.

For the first time that night, a genuine, slow smile appeared on his face. His dimple made an appearance that instantly sent Aliana’s heart pounding violently against her chest.

"Then let’s seal the promise, shall we?" he whispered in a voice so sinful it nearly stole the remaining strength from her legs.