The Devil's obsession with the Heiress

As the car drove inside the property, Gavriel’s eyes shifted back to Aliana, and hers followed almost instinctively. Something unreadable flickered in his gaze, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, leaving nothing behind to grasp onto.

With the echo of his name she had whispered still lingering in his ears, he slowly and almost reluctantly released her chin. Yet the faint trace of his touch seemed to linger against her skin, prompting Aliana to move back to her seat.

Her eyes searched him, trying to dissect the exchange they had shared only seconds ago. But all she found was the same infuriatingly perfect composure, like a sculpted deity with flawless features and not a single emotion to betray his thoughts.

She could feel her cheeks burning, yet she couldn’t bring herself to hate the sensation.

’Why didn’t I pull back the moment he took hold of me?’ she asked herself.

Why did she seem to want to lean into his touch rather than sucker punch him, as she would have done to any other man who dared to try?

But she knew from the beginning that this man was different.

Was it because of his godly aura, or was it because he always carried himself as someone who stood above the rest?

No, that couldn’t just be it, right?

But the longer Aliana stared at him, the more her thoughts drifted back to what he had almost done moments ago.

Why had he suddenly grabbed her chin like that?

’Was he... into her? Did he want to...’ Her thoughts faltered as her gaze unconsciously dropped to his lips once again.

’He certainly looked like he wanted to...’ she mused.

But did that mean she wanted it too?

She didn’t get to mull over the question as the car came to a stop in the driveway.

The chauffeur and the guard opened their respective doors, forcing them to finally break their intense eye contact and step out.

Both were lost in their own heads, yet ironically, each remained the prominent figure in the other’s thoughts.

Since both of them had to enter through the same entrance, they walked together all the way to where the suites were located.

They remained silent for the entire ride up to their floor. Even after stepping into the corridor, which opened out to the courtyard on one side, neither of them spoke. Their destinations, however, lay in opposite directions.

Just as Gavriel took a step forward, Aliana called out, "Ga- Mr. Valentine."

He paused mid-step and turned to look at her over his shoulder, his voice low as he corrected her, "It’s Gavriel. You said it yourself, didn’t you?"

Aliana’s heart skipped another beat at the vivid reminder of the scene in the car. A soft blush rose to her cheeks, but her gaze did not waver.

She took a step forward, then another, until she stood directly in front of him so he wouldn’t have to turn.

"Why... why were you there today?" Aliana asked in a low voice.

Gavriel raised a brow in silent question.

Aliana took a fearless step towards him, her heels stopping just inches from his.

"It had only been ten minutes since I left the club... so... did you... did you-"

"Did I follow you?" Gavriel finished for her, making her press her lips together before giving a small nod.

His lips curled ever so slightly, but his eyes turned cold as he stepped closer to her. Aliana, however, remained rooted in place, refusing to yield to any intimidation, meeting his gaze head-on, even as it seemed capable of freezing her where she stood.

"And why would I do that? Huh, Aliana?" Gavriel asked, his voice low yet carrying a quiet weight.

"What possible reason would I have to follow you or do anything you believe I’m doing?" he continued.

Aliana suddenly found herself at a loss for words, her tongue stilled as his question lingered.

Even she could not quite understand what reason he could possibly have for doing any of it in the first place.

She had been teetering so close to the edge lately that she was desperately trying to make sense of everything happening around her. This was why she found herself clinging to the one shred of hope she had seen after weeks of struggling.

That hope just happened to be this dangerous and mysterious man named Gavriel.

Even so, the logical side of her brain screamed at her to let it go. It told her to heed the warning he had given her during their first conversation, when he told her to stay away.

Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to give up, even when she didn’t know exactly what to ask of him or what kind of solution he could possibly provide.

While she fell silent, considering his words, Gavriel was able to read the flicker of desperation and helplessness flashing across her beautiful eyes.

He could see that she was trying to piece together the things happening in her life, but she couldn’t. After all, how could she?

She was human... though a rather mysterious one, even to him. And yet, there was something about the way she stood there, composed on the surface but quietly unraveling beneath, that stirred something in him.

For a brief moment, his sharp gaze softened, as though he was actually considering whether he should help her.

But the thought was fleeting. Just as quickly as it appeared, he buried it without hesitation.

No, he could not involve himself in the affairs of humans... at least not those who were not bound to him or whose time had not yet come.

Even if he could... his world and his secrets were not something a human could know, nor something they could be allowed to step into.

Especially her, of all people, she was far too perceptive. One of the sharpest women he had ever come across.

She was not someone who would simply let things go if she caught even the faintest hint of something unusual. Something she already seemed to have, even if it was nothing more than scattered crumbs.

So, without allowing himself to dwell on it any further, he took a step back, putting distance between them, as though that alone could draw a line between her world and his.

’This is for the best.’

With that thought, and without another word, he turned and began walking in the direction of his room.

Aliana’s silent gaze followed him like a hawk as doubt began to creep into her mind. She questioned her own thoughts and conclusions about Gavriel, whether he was truly connected to the incidents or if it had all been nothing more than a coincidence.

’Maybe I really was wrong about everything,’ she thought with a quiet, dejected sigh, turning toward her own suite.

But just as she took a couple of steps towards her own room, she paused.

She did not know what compelled her to turn back for one last look, but the moment she did, something shifted.

Her eyes widened as a figure appeared out of nowhere, just a few steps away from Gavriel.

’What the hell is that?’ she exclaimed inwardly as she noticed the figure was draped in an old, rugged black robe that concealed both its face and body, its presence unnatural and deeply unsettling.

But what truly made her breath falter was what happened next.

At the exact moment the figure appeared, Gavriel stopped mid-step, his icy blue eyes lifting and settling directly on the figure, as though he could see it just as clearly as she could.

Aliana’s heart began to pound loudly in her chest, the sound echoing in her ears as her gaze flickered between Gavriel and the hooded figure.

Her eyes slowly drifted down to the figure’s hands, noting how it had long, unnaturally thin fingers tipped with sharp, claw-like nails that looked nothing like they belonged to a human.

At that moment, a glaring question slipped from her mind, ’He can see it... can’t he?’

The longer he remained frozen, the faster her thoughts spiraled into a vortex of dread and discovery.

’Have I been right all along? Noway...’ Her lips parted in a silent gasp of disbelief. But before she could find the breath to speak, Gavriel moved.

As he did, the figure vanished into the shadows, as if it had never been there at all. He continued down the hall as though that chilling encounter had been nothing but a trick of the light or a flicker of madness in her own imagination.

But Aliana was done being a spectator to his lies.

She moved before she could stop herself, her long blonde hair whipping behind her as she reached out and grabbed his arm, forcing him to halt mid-step.

The corridor fell into silence, broken only by the sound of her uneven breathing.

Gavriel turned his head slowly, looking at her over his shoulder with a gaze that could have turned blood to ice.

"What’s the meaning of this?" he demanded. His voice was a low and dangerous velvet, edged with restraint.

The sheer frost in his tone made her grip tighten instinctively, but she refused to let go.

She met his stare, her eyes burning with unwavering fire.

She had seen the truth, and she was not going back into the dark.

Parting her lips, she finally asked in a slightly shaky voice, "You can see them too... can’t you?"