Chapter 25: The Gasoline Spark
[Music recomndation: Chris Grey - ALWAYS BEEN YOU (with Josh Makazo)]
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"You..."
As soon as the word left Aliana’s lips, the striking man with icy blue eyes tilted his head ever so slightly, waiting for her to continue.
Yet Aliana felt her tongue grow heavy, refusing to move, while her gaze remained locked with his, as though he had placed her under a spell she could not break.
She could not understand what she was feeling. It was as if her mind had fallen silent at the very mont it should have been racing with questions.
Questions like... who was this man? Why did he have those sa haunting blue eyes?
She had never seen him before, never t him, and yet an overwhelming sense of familiarity washed over her, as though she was ant to know him... and yet she did not.
Those magnetic pools of blue... they felt as though they were pulling her in, swallowing her whole, while she remained rooted in place, unable to move.
But before she could react further, another man stepped up beside the stranger. His deep voice cut through the silence. "Miss Aliana Vanderbilt, so we et again."
With great difficulty, Aliana wrenched her gaze away from the stranger and looked at the man who had just spoken, recognising him instantly.
"Mr Cillian Pierce," she finally found her voice, greeting him with a small nod, though her eyes inevitably drifted back to the man standing beside him.
The mont their gazes t again, a shudder ran down her spine.
Jacob, who had been silently watching Aliana grow unusually quiet in the presence of this unknown man, decided to step forward. "Mr. Pierce, a pleasure to et you again." He extended his hand.
Cillian smiled and, with a nod, shook Jacob’s hand. "Mr. Grant."
Both n’s attention shifted back to Aliana, though the man with the blue eyes remained locked in that silent exchange with her.
Noticing this, Jacob cleared his throat lightly. "And who might this gentleman be?" he asked, unable to hide his curiosity, or his growing irritation, as the man had yet to take his eyes off Aliana.
Cillian smiled charmingly. "Yes, let
introduce you. et the Chairman of the Archon Group, Mr.-"
"Gavriel Valentine."
The na was spoken in such a deep voice, like velvet over gravel that didn’t just reach Aliana’s ears... it vibrated through her very bones.
He reached out, his hand closing the small space between them, and Aliana felt her breath hitch.
She struggled to pull herself free from the quiet spell of his gaze, the one that held her so completely, making her heart pound wildly against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Still, she lifted her hand... and placed it in his.
The mont their skin t, the world beyond them seed to fall away.
A sudden jolt of electricity shot through her entire fra, and Aliana felt as though it had sapped the strength from her limbs.
Her knees buckled, the floor seed to tilt beneath her, and for a terrifying second, she thought she would collapse at his feet.
But Gavriel didn’t let her fall.
Before anyone else could react, his free arm moved swiftly. His warm, broad palm caught her around the waist as he drew her against his sturdy fra, supporting her effortlessly. The fingers that still held hers tightened ever so slightly, refusing to let go.
A soft gasp escaped her lips as a wave of heat erupted from the points of contact and a feverish warmth spread through her veins like gasoline eting a live wire.
The scent of his expensive cologne, fresh, minty, and reminiscent of cold rain, enveloped her, and a betraying crimson flush rose to her cheeks, marking her skin for everyone in the conference room to see.
When her eyes t his again, her heart shuddered as she heard his low, magnetic voice.
"Are you alright, Miss Vanderbilt?"
And that was when Aliana finally snapped out of her daze.
The softness that had taken over her expression vanished, replaced with one of controlled displeasure.
Quickly gathering herself, she straightened, and took a step back, finally letting go of his hand.
"Yes, thank you. It must be my heel," she replied.
Though her cheeks still burned, she cleared her throat and continued, "It’s a pleasure to et you, Mr. Valentine. I’m Aliana Vanderbilt, Deputy CEO of the Van Empire."
"The pleasure is all mine," Gavriel replied, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips, one so subtle that others might have missed it, but not Aliana.
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as the thought crossed her mind.
’Is he enjoying so private joke about ?’
But she didn’t have ti to mull over it as Jacob reached out his hand and introduced himself once more. "Mr. Valentine, I’m Jacob Grant, the current acting CEO of the Van Empire. I didn’t realise I’d get to et the mysterious chairman of the Archon Group when I planned to attend this conference."
Although Jacob kept a professional smile on his face, he could barely contain the snakes slithering in his heart at the sight of this man holding Aliana so intimately in front of everyone, even if it had only been for a few seconds.
Gavriel finally tore his amused gaze from the thorny rose in front of him and shifted it to the man standing a little too close behind her.
His eyes, which had been filled with amusent a second ago, returned to a sharp, icy stare that seed to pierce Jacob... as if he could see every single sin the man had committed away from the world’s watchful gaze.
Jacob stiffened under that piercing look, and when he noticed Gavriel’s gaze drop to his extended hand, he got the distinct feeling the man would rather chop it off than take it for a handshake.
The thought sent a sliver of a shiver down his spine, but he maintained his professional facade.
Before Gavriel could show any indication of accepting the handshake, the MC’s voice rang out through the hall. "Good morning, everyone. Welco to the World Business Conference, 2026. I would kindly request all delegates to take their seats, as the conference is about to comnce."
anwhile, Cillian, who had been observing Gavriel’s interaction with the young heiress with keen interest from the sidelines, noticed that Gavriel did not extend the sa courtesy towards the acting CEO of the Van Empire.
Aware that business leaders from around the world were watching, Cillian quickly stepped in to prevent any awkwardness or unwanted controversy.
"Ah, look at that. I guess we will have to hold off on our proper introductions until later, during the et and greet. Let’s not keep the event waiting." Cillian spoke with polished ease before turning his eyes towards Gavriel. "Shall we, Mr. Chairman?"
At that, Gavriel’s eyes shifted from Jacob’s outstretched hand and returned to those beguiling light grey ones, which now held his gaze with a quiet boldness.
The corner of his lip twitched before he turned and wordlessly began walking with Cillian, followed by their entourage of n in suits.
Jacob had already lowered his hand the mont Cillian intervened, grateful to avoid further embarrassnt.
Not wanting any more attention on himself, his dull yellow eyes turned back to Aliana, who was still watching Gavriel’s broad fra move away.
"Aliana, shall we?" he called.
Slowly, Aliana tore her gaze away from Gavriel and looked back at Jacob. Giving him a brief nod, she began walking toward their designated table, which was, naturally, at the very front.
Only the top companies in the global business world held the frontmost seats at the conference. As Aliana’s group took their places at the front center, they found the Archon Group seated right next to them, occupying the sa pri position.
As Aliana settled at the table facing the stage, Jacob sat to her left while Nigel took the seat on her other side, followed by the rest of their executive team.
And the World Business Conference began.
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