The Devil's obsession with the Heiress

The question hung heavily in the air, so thick it felt almost palpable.

Aliana could feel Gavriel’s powerful muscles flex beneath his bespoke suit under her touch, and even in the midst of such tension, it still managed to send an involuntary shudder up her spine.

However, her eyes remained fixed on him, finally catching the moment his own eyes widened. It was a flicker of shock so slight that anyone else would have missed it, but Aliana managed to catch it with her close proximity.

On the other hand, Gavriel, for the first time, was genuinely thrown.

No one... and he meant no one had ever been able to see a being like Reve before.

Reve was an entity that even spirits failed to notice unless he chose to reveal himself. Only Gavriel and a few high-level beings were capable of seeing him.

So the question burned in his mind... ’Just how was this woman able to see him?’

’Had Reve... intentionally made himself visible to her?’ He found himself asking that very question as he stared at the woman before him.

But as he watched her grow more and more suspicious with every passing second of his silence.

His smooth and low voice finally cut through the silence.

"When you say you see them," he began, pausing as he raised his free hand and pointed his thumb back toward the empty corridor behind him. "Do you mean him?"

Aliana’s eyebrows creased at his answer.

Slowly, she followed the direction he pointed in, only to find an empty corridor.

She was about to turn back and accuse him of trying to mislead her, but a slight movement ahead made her pause.

Narrowing her eyes, she focused more carefully, and that was when she noticed it. A small strip of white fabric that was a part of a robe, peeked out from the corner of the corridor.

Gavriel watched the slight tilt of her head and the way confusion clouded her face as she narrowed her eyes, trying to see who was there.

And she didn’t have to wait long.

As the figure in the white robe peeked out again. The moment his curious brown eyes met Aliana’s, he flinched back in sheer panic. What followed next was the sound of total chaos. A crash of an object, followed by the heavy thud of a body hitting the floor with a pained groan escaping his lips.

Aliana blinked in shock before turning to Gavriel, whose amused expression clearly said, ’So... as you were saying.’

Ignoring his smug look, she quickly let go of his arm and ran toward the mess.

She came to an abrupt stop, only to be met with a sight that made her eyes twitch.

There were two familiar men sprawled out on the floor in a messy heap. The brown-haired man was lying with his robe half falling off, right on top of another man with dark green hair. The second man’s black robe was in an equally embarrassing state.

Seconds passed in a heavy, stunned silence until Aliana slowly raised her hands to cover her mouth, her eyes wide with utter disbelief.

Then the sound of footsteps echoed near her once more before coming to a stop right behind her.

Gavriel looked down at the two men in their unfortunate position, but he quickly ignored them. Turning his attention back to Aliana, he found himself far more entertained in the way Aliana stared at the mess, enjoying the completely baffled and adorable look on her face.

A slight twitch touched Gavriel’s lips before he leaned in close to her ear. "You certainly seem to surround yourself with an interesting bunch," he remarked, his voice low and smooth.

Aliana snapped out of her shock at the sensation of his warm breath against her skin.

She didn’t spare Gavriel a look before she found her voice and shouted, "N-Nigel! What on earth do you think you are doing?"

Nigel flinched at the sound of her voice, finally realizing exactly what kind of position he was in.

But before he could even attempt to move, a muffled, angry voice erupted from beneath him. It was the voice of the man he had conveniently turned into a human airbag.

"What are you doing?! Get off me, now!"

Nigel’s eyes widened as he looked down and found himself staring directly into the face of Jacob, who was glaring up at him with pure, murderous irritation.

But Jacob didn’t wait for an answer.

He shoved Nigel off with a grunt, sending the assistant sprawling onto the expensive marble like a flipped turtle.

Nigel scrambled to gather both his dignity and his robe at the same time, his face turning a shade of red that rivalled a ripe tomato.

"Boss! I can explain!" Nigel stammered, finally getting to his feet and nearly tripping over his own hem again.

"I-I was just returning from the spa when I spotted..." he trailed off as his brown eyes moved from Aliana to the gorgeous devil standing so close behind her. His eyes began to shine with excitement, looking as though he had just spotted his favourite ship come to life.

Meanwhile, Jacob rose to his feet with far more grace, though his dull yellow eyes still flashed with irritation. He quickly smoothed out his black robe before lifting his gaze towards the two figures before him.

And he stilled. The irritation in his eyes gave way to pure shock... followed by mortification.

"Aliana," Jacob uttered in disbelief, before his gaze shifted to Gavriel, who, in turn, shifted his icy blue gaze toward the man who had just spoken her name.

Jacob felt a cold chill run down his spine as he stared into the man’s eyes. Clearing his throat, he quickly turned back to Aliana and asked, with forced curiosity, "What are you doing here with... Mr Valentine, wasn’t it?"

Aliana shifted her attention from Nigel to Jacob before folding her arms. "We just happened to meet. But I should be asking you two... what on earth were you both doing out here in the hotel corridor?"

Jacob blinked, his cheeks turning a slight shade of red as irritation flared back in his eyes.

"I was in my room when I heard a loud crash. I stepped out to see what was happening, and that was when..." He paused, shooting a sharp look at Nigel. "He crashed into me."