Chapter 31: Ready for Another Dive?
Regardless, she was grateful that no spirits were currently in the vicinity to disrupt her peace, and she prayed they wouldn’t decide to manifest in the middle of her presentation.
With that thought, instead of dismissing every possible conclusion forming in her mind, she decided to set it aside for later.
She broke her silent staring contest with the man in question when she heard the MC announce, "I now invite the representative of the Van Empire, from Rhun country, to step onto the podium for their presentation."
’Right... ti to get your head back in the ga, Aliana,’ she told herself as she rose from her seat, once again drawing the attention of every eye in the room.
She was dressed in a sharp red satin blazer and tailored trousers, paired with nude heels and minimal platinum jewellery, exuding the confident, formidable businesswoman that she was. Her hair was styled in a sleek ponytail, accentuating her striking features as she moved.
One thing Aliana always ensured was that, no matter what situation she found herself in, she presented the best version of herself. Perhaps it was her way of shielding herself from the outside world, but it worked, and she knew fashion.
Fashion magazines were always eager to capture her effortless style wherever she went, often praising her for it. But to Aliana, none of that truly mattered. This was for herself, not for anyone else.
In fact, the more chaos she found herself surrounded by, the more she elevated her style, wearing it like armour for battle.
As her sharp heels clicked against the floor while she made her way to the stage, she could feel countless eyes on her.
Yet, there was one gaze in particular she was acutely aware of.
She knew exactly who it belonged to, and instead of letting her thoughts spiral into distractions, she promised herself that, instead of racking her brain with ridiculous theories, she was going to deal with him once and for all after today’s conference concluded.
With that resolve settling within her, she stepped up to the podium with a composed and sharp expression.
Her gaze swept across the room filled with powerful billionaires before briefly passing over Gavriel. He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly at her, but she looked right past him and began in a confident voice.
"Good morning, everyone. My na is Aliana Vanderbilt. I am the Deputy CEO of Van Empire, and it is my honour to take you through our company’s progress report along with the various projects we have invested in recently...."
As she spoke, she didn’t falter once or show any sign of hesitation.
She perford exactly as everyone expected her to, looking bloody gorgeous while doing it. She proved to the room that she wasn’t just the pretty face of the Van Empire, but a queen who had every right and ability to sit on the throne.
All the while, Jacob found himself inwardly drooling as he watched her, while Nigel sat with what looked like imaginary tears in his eyes, knowing just how important this mont was for his boss, especially after everything she had been going through.
When her presentation concluded, a round of applause erupted. Aliana dazzled them with a final smile before descending the stairs.
Among the clapping crowd, one unexpected set of hands joined in, startling Cillian.
He stared in disbelief because the aloof man sitting next to him hadn’t reacted to a single presenter since the conference began.
And yet, here he was, doing the unexpected once again.
Deciding to poke the bear, Cillian leaned over and murmured, "She did great, didn’t she?"
Gavriel’s eyes followed Aliana as she made her way back to her table. "Hm," he replied simply.
The fact that he even bothered to answer surprised Cillian even more.
A sly smile spread across his face as he turned back to Aliana. ’Well, well, well. Things are getting very interesting indeed,’ Cillian mused, shaking his head lightly.
With that, the conference continued until five in the evening.
So people began to retire to their rooms or head out for city tours, while others lingered to converse with those who had piqued their interest. Aliana’s group was no exception. Following her presentation, she was partially surrounded by intrigued delegates.
"Miss Vanderbilt, that was an excellent presentation," a man said, stepping forward. "Blackwood Industries would be pleased to explore future business opportunities with the Van Empire."
"Thank you, Mr. Blackwood. We look forward to any prospects that would be mutually beneficial for our companies," Aliana replied smoothly.
The man seed delighted by her response, and several others stepped forward to express similar interests.
Aliana handled each of them with swift, practised grace.
Yet, despite her professional tone, her mind was occupied with a single goal... catching Gavriel before he disappeared from her sight.
Her eyes moved discreetly toward the corner of the hall where the Archon Group was also being swamped by guests.
She watched Gavriel offer short, clipped replies to those around him before he leaned toward Cillian, excused himself, and began to leave the hall.
Her eyes widened as she saw him begin to leave the hall.
Without hesitation, she turned back to the group before her. "Excuse , gentlen, I’m afraid I must take my leave. There’s sothing urgent I need to attend to."
"Of course," they replied politely, stepping aside to give her way.
She exchanged a quick look with Jacob and Nigel, signalling them to take over, before she slipped out of the sa door Gavriel had just disappeared through.
As soon as she crossed the threshold of the conference room, her eyes darted down the grand corridor.
Her brows creased in confusion. "Does this man have boosters or sothing? How can he disappear so quickly?" she muttered to herself and began to move toward the hallway she knew led toward the balcony where she had been the previous evening.
Her pace quickened, her eyes scanning every corner for any sign of him.
Just as she reached the entrance to the balcony where she had almost been pushed to her death, she faltered.
A familiar dread coiled in her chest as the mory of yesterday ca rushing back. Her hands curled into tight fists at her sides as she stood there, torn between stepping forward or turning back, her mind warring over whether it was worth the risk.
After a few monts, she decided she would simply take a quick look and leave if he wasn’t there.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the door and onto the expansive balcony.
As she faced the sea once again, her eyes searched the space, only to find it... completely empty.
Releasing a resigned sigh, just as she was about to turn, she heard his deep, masculine voice.
"Ready to go for another dive?"
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