"Did you... see the news?"

When the other side remained silent for too long, Jacob naturally assumed Aliana was simply too shocked to respond, so he continued talking.

"Look, I know this seems really bad right now, but I’m already handling it, and eventually things will calm down in a week or two."

He paused briefly before his voice dropped into a gentler, coaxing tone, "Until then... I think it might be best if we stay silent and let the heat die down first. Then maybe later we can come clean about everything?"

Completely unaware of who he was actually speaking to, Jacob continued rambling on while every single word echoed clearly throughout the suffocatingly silent room for both Aliana and Nigel to hear.

And with every passing second, they could visibly see the terrifying changes happening in Gavriel. To say he resembled a demon lord dragged straight out of hell would be an understatement.

The atmosphere around him grew colder with every word leaving Jacob’s mouth. His jaw worked subtly while the grip around the phone tightened so much so that the veins along his hand had begun protruding beneath his skin, looking as if he might crush the device at any given second.

Even the air around him felt murderous.

Neither Aliana nor Nigel dared interrupt him or take the phone away because both of them could already feel it...

Jacob Grant was unknowingly marching straight towards Gavriel’s line of fire.

And if that happened, Aliana had absolutely no intention of stopping it because everything Jacob was suggesting sounded utterly absurd to her.

She knew perfectly well that staying silent would only allow the false narrative to spread further until the media and the internet twisted the scandal beyond repair. And as much as Jacob had been kind to her, she was not remotely willing to follow his suggestion.

Especially not now... when silence was the very last thing she needed, and certainly not when Jacob was her best friend’s ex. The mere thought of how Jade would react instantly made Aliana uneasy.

Jade was currently out of the city for work, so the two of them had barely gotten the chance to properly speak after Aliana’s return.

Now, with this scandal exploding everywhere across the media, she could only pray her best friend had not already stumbled across the news. She made a mental note to call Jade and explain everything personally before she ended up hearing some twisted version of the story from somewhere else.

At that thought, just as Aliana considered stepping in and telling the same thing directly to Jacob, Gavriel finally broke his silence.

"And what exactly makes you think this will die down if you choose to remain silent, Mr. Grant?"

His voice was so cold that it physically made both Aliana and Nigel flinch.

The atmosphere in the room was already freezing, but his voice continued to drop even lower and darker, carrying a dangerous edge that sent chills crawling down their spines.

"And what makes you think I would allow the media to continue spreading this lie under my watch?"

This time, it was Jacob who fell into a complete, deafening silence.

Nearly a full minute must have passed before Jacob finally managed to speak, though this time his voice sounded far more cautious than before.

"Who is this... and why do you have Aliana’s phone?"

At that, a cold, sinister smile slowly spread across Gavriel’s handsome face as his icy blue eyes shifted towards Aliana beside him.

"Why don’t you... take a wild guess?"

The sheer darkness behind that smile alone was enough to make both Aliana and Nigel swallow hard.

Without waiting for his reply, Gavriel’s eyes slowly drifted towards the clock as he remarked quietly, "And isn’t it quite late to be calling her right now? After all, you, more than anyone else, should understand that now is the time to think carefully about the consequences of your actions before making another move..."

A brief silence followed.

"Unless, of course... you want this narrative to continue spiralling completely out of control."

It was then that Jacob’s voice came from the other side.

"...Is this Mr. Valentine?" He sounded noticeably shocked.

"Yes," Gavriel replied smoothly, though the coldness in his voice did not mellow in the slightest. "And I would advise that, next time, you be more mindful before calling her this late. It is inappropriate. This is certainly not the best moment, especially considering all the damage that has already been caused."

Then his voice carried a quiet warning beneath it.

"And before I let you go, let me advise you not to do anything irrational. Since I’ll be handling this, it would be best if you stayed put for the time being."

With that, Gavriel ended the call before calmly turning to hand the phone back to Aliana, who was staring at him as though he had suddenly grown two heads.

However, unlike Aliana, Nigel’s eyes were practically shining with excitement after witnessing what felt like a knight in shining armour stepping in to rescue the heroine in his favourite drama.

Absentmindedly taking the phone from him, Aliana continued holding his gaze. Meanwhile, Gavriel merely tilted his head slightly before raising a brow at her in silent question.

Clearing her throat awkwardly beneath the intensity of his eyes, she finally asked, "Don’t you think... that was a bit harsh? Given the situation we’re already in right now?"

"Harsh?" Gavriel echoed in faint amusement before the trace of humour completely vanished from his face. "Do you really expect me to be polite to him when he’s responsible for this entire mess in the first place?"

"How is he responsible?" Aliana immediately questioned back. "Isn’t he a victim of this just like I am?"

For a moment, Gavriel simply studied her expression carefully before asking in a low voice, "Aren’t you being a little clueless right now, Aliana?"

Her brows immediately furrowed together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Gavriel’s icy gaze darkened slightly. "Did you really not notice what I noticed in that video?"

Aliana blinked at him. "Well... what exactly did I miss?"

Nigel felt like he needed popcorn right about now as he witnessed the fresh drama unfolding while his mind raced. ’Oh my! Am I about to witness their very first lovers’ quarrel?’

Meanwhile, instead of answering Aliana directly, Gavriel calmly picked up the iPad resting on the table before looking back at her.

"Come closer."

Aliana’s heart instantly jumped at the simple command, but she still did as he asked, far too curious about why he seemed so convinced that Jacob was somehow responsible for this.

As she shifted closer to him, she could immediately feel the warmth radiating from his body while his scent wrapped around her senses, making her feel dangerously tempted to simply drown in it.

Quickly pulling herself together, she focused back on the screen as Gavriel replayed the unpleasant video before sliding his finger across the screen to fast-forward it.

Then he suddenly paused it at the exact moment Jacob stepped out of her office.

Aliana’s grey eyes fixed on the frozen frame on the screen just as she heard Gavriel say in a low voice, "Watch carefully."