Chapter 367: In Both Corners

In her opulent executive office, Aliana sat poised on the sofa, sipping her coffee. Her eyes drifted to the two men in the room. One of them wore a wicked grin, while the other remained entirely stoic, as though smiling would physically pain him.

"I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed watching you play your little games again after so long," Cillian commented, sitting opposite Aliana. He kept his amused gaze fixed on Reve, who stood near the door looking out the window... pretending to be deaf.

"Again?" Aliana’s brows rose slightly. "You mean Reve has done this before?"

"Of course he has," Cillian replied cheerfully. "You see, our Reve is a little sensitive when it comes to how people behave around Gavriel."

He leaned back nonchalantly, clearly enjoying himself.

"So, in the past, whenever he felt someone was stepping out of line with Gavriel, he made sure they never dared to do it again. What happened today was a very controlled version of those actions, of course."

Aliana tilted her head, her light grey eyes gleaming with curiosity. "How so?"

"Back in the day, people usually ended up with broken or missing limbs-"

"Ahem." Reve cleared his throat subtly, cutting Cillian off mid-sentence.

For a moment, silence filled the room.

Then Cillian broke into a wicked grin. "What is it, Reve?" he teased. "Don’t want your mistress knowing about your naughty little deeds?"

Reve slowly shifted his eyes towards Cillian without turning his head. Then his gaze moved to Aliana, who was watching the exchange with growing amusement.

He bowed his head respectfully. "I shall be outside, Madam."

Cillian immediately burst into laughter at the sight of Reve’s reddening ears.

Aliana parted her lips in surprise before biting them to suppress her own laughter. Seeing the stoic demon visibly embarrassed was far more amusing than she had expected.

"Very well," she agreed, keeping her tone light.

Reve gave another respectful bow before promptly making his escape.

Once the door closed behind him, only Cillian and Aliana remained in the office.

Dragging her eyes away from the closed door, Aliana fixed her eyes on Cillian. "So... tell me. What is the real reason you stayed behind after the press conference?"

"I simply wanted to share a cup of coffee with my sister-in-law," Cillian replied smoothly.

Aliana rolled her eyes. "Please. You may be a million-year-old demon, but I wasn’t born yesterday."

"My... you wound me, Aliana," Cillian replied dramatically, only to be met with a blank stare.

He chuckled before shaking his head. "You really are turning into a female version of your husband, you know."

Aliana’s brow furrowed. "Meaning?"

"That terrifying glare is pure Gavriel," Cillian murmured, his teasing fading into a rare, tender warmth. "I suppose that’s what happens when you truly love someone, isn’t it?"

Aliana stilled, her fingers tightening around the handle of her cup.

Cillian continued in a quiet tone. "When you love someone, you feel everything more intensely. You unknowingly adopt their habits, and every little thing in their life affects you deeply, whether it has already happened or is yet to come. Isn’t that right, Aliana?"

Aliana slowly lowered her coffee cup to the table. "Where are you... going with this?"

Cillian let out a soft sigh. "I thought I made my point fairly clear."

When Aliana merely pressed her lips together into a thin line, Cillian rolled his eyes playfully. "Come on, Aliana. You think no one noticed how wonderfully cheerful you’ve been since yesterday?"

"I’m... fine." She lowered her eyes, finally understanding exactly where he was going with this.

"Yeah, yeah, and I thoroughly enjoy throwing up my meals," Cillian replied sarcastically.

Aliana’s face twisted in disgust. "Who even says that?"

"Me," Cillian declared proudly.

Then, his expression softened, his tone growing sincere. "Now, spill it. I know you’ve been overwhelmed with questions since our last conversation. I also know they are questions you feel hesitant to ask Gavriel directly. So, I am offering to answer them for you."

"Cillian..." Aliana whispered, genuine surprise flickering across her face.

"If I haven’t said it before, let me say it now. I care for both of you, Aliana. I will always be in both of your corners. And if anything happens, you can always come to me. This brother will always help you."

Aliana was speechless at seeing the ever-playful Cillian speak to her with such sincerity.

And in her heart... all those questions that had been eating her alive, the questions she had not found the strength to let slip from her lips in front of Gavriel, suddenly felt as though they might finally have somewhere to go.

It wasn’t as though she had a mother-in-law, a sister, or anyone else from Gavriel’s side of the world to turn to.

Cillian was her only bridge.

Her heart still felt heavy.

So taking a deep breath, she finally asked, "If I ask you something... are you going to tell Gavriel?"

Cillian’s smile grew more understanding. "Like I said, I am in both of your corners. That means... I will be there for Gavriel just as much as I am here for you. I don’t usually like meddling in other people’s private affairs, but Gavriel is family to me. And so are you. You have my word... whatever you ask me stays between the two of us."

Aliana stared at him in silence for a few long seconds.

Slowly, she placed her coffee cup onto the glass table and gave him a solemn nod. "If that is true... I hope you never break my trust."

Cillian’s smile widened with gentle confidence. "Try me."

Taking another deep breath, Aliana finally voiced the question that had been haunting her. "Then tell me... what is a demon’s fated mate?"

...

Meanwhile, in the executive suite belonging to the CFO of Van Empire, Owen sat behind his desk.

He placed his signature on the final page of a document before leaning back to admire his handiwork.

His eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he looked over the financial report for the Atlas Gateway Project. His fingers lightly traced the figures on the page.

"She’ll definitely be happy to see this," he murmured.

A faint smirk curled his lips as he imagined Aliana directing one of her rare, breathtaking smiles toward him. His fingers curled into a firm fist, and he leaned his head back against the leather chair.

Closing his eyes, he let out a quiet sigh.

"Aliana..." he murmured to the empty room. "I’ll show you. I’ll prove that I am not your enemy, but someone you can truly rely on. Even when you don’t ask for it."

But the memory of her beautiful face was abruptly interrupted by a far less welcoming vision... a vision of a man with striking silver hair.