Chapter 336: Under the Same Roof

Aliana looked at her friend with genuine concern. "That is what I’m wondering. It makes me question whether this is really just about pushing you to join that cult, or if there’s something more going on behind the scenes."

Nigel, who had been quietly eating his lunch while trying to make sense of the drama, froze mid-bite as a single word registered in his brain. "Wait... I’m sorry, Boss... did you say... c-cult?"

Aliana glanced at Nigel before offering Jade a subtle nod. "Do you want to break it to him, or should I?"

"I’ll handle it," Jade sighed, fixing Nigel with a calm gaze. "Take a deep breath and don’t panic, Nigel."

Naturally, telling Nigel not to panic had the exact opposite effect. His eyes widened in horror as Jade summarised the bizarre cult her father was involved in. By the end of her explanation, Nigel had gone completely rigid. His jaw dropped so low a bird could have nested in his mouth.

Cillian looked at the stupefied man sitting across from him and clicked his tongue softly. "And there goes his brain. Out of commission again."

Aliana pursed her lips, inspecting her noticeably paler assistant before giving an indifferent shrug. "Give him five minutes, he’ll reboot." Turning back to Jade, she asked, "What’s your immediate move?"

"Firstly, I need to find a way to unfreeze my personal bank accounts."

Aliana was just about to offer Van Empire’s legal team when Cillian cut in almost too eagerly. "I can easily take care of that for you. A quick call to my contacts at the central banking authority will clear that right up."

Aliana blinked, taking in his sudden helpfulness. "That’s... very nice of you, Cillian."

Cillian flashed her a dazzling, picture-perfect smile. "My absolute pleasure."

"Which brings me to an interesting question..." Aliana added casually, resting her chin on her hand as her eyes narrowed. "Why exactly are you here on a Sunday afternoon?"

The dazzling smile on Cillian’s face froze instantly.

Gavriel, who had remained quiet throughout the conversation, picked up his wine glass and took a slow sip. His icy blue eyes remained glued to Cillian as if he was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle unfolding.

Across the table, Nigel’s brain suddenly reconnected to his nervous system. His head whipped toward Cillian so fast that a loud snap echoed through the room.

Like a lightbulb violently flashing to life, he blurted out, "That’s it! Mr. Pierce walked through the door right alongside Miss Jade!"

Both Jade and Cillian froze, their eyes widening in sudden alarm while Nigel let out a dramatic gasp, clapping both hands over his mouth as he squeaked out, "Oh, God... no way!"

Aliana reached the exact same conclusion, her head snapping between the two of them before settling her gaze on Jade. "Don’t tell me... the person you stayed with last night was..."

"No!" Jade practically yelled in panic, cutting her off immediately. "Of course not! I-it was someone else! Who in their right mind would stay with him?!"

At her fiery denial, Cillian’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as he murmured, "I beg your pardon?"

Jade met his burning gaze and stammered, "Y-you heard me."

Cillian tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes fixed on Jade with intense heat. "For your information, I am an exceptional host. I always... aim to please."

The heavy, loaded way he delivered those words made every pair of eyes at the table turn toward him in deep suspicion. Jade’s traitorous heart skipped a beat, a cold sweat breaking out across her forehead at the sheer panic of being exposed.

Desperate to do damage control, she whipped her head back to Aliana. "I-it was someone else! I have no idea why he showed up at the exact same time as me! I drove here in my own car! My friend’s name is... Daniel!"

"Daniel, huh? He sounds like an exceptionally sweet gentleman, helping out a damsel in distress so thoroughly," Cillian chimed in, pure venom dripping from his voice as his glare intensified.

"He was! He was better than the demon sitting across from me right now!" Jade retorted, glaring right back at him with equal intensity.

"Is that right? I wonder what kind of respectable gentleman hands a helpless woman a schoolgirl outfit as a peace offering?" Cillian drawled with a mocking edge in his voice.

Jade stared at him in utter disbelief.

’Is this lunatic seriously slandering his own reputation right now?!’ She genuinely began to question if a few vital screws had come loose in his head.

Still, she couldn’t resist firing back a retort. "Who knows? Must be one of his twisted kinks."

Cillian’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle ticked in his cheek. Internally, his brain was spiralling into a ridiculous storm of dark jealousy over this imaginary man named Daniel, even though he knew full well that he was Daniel.

Gavriel and Winston, who had been listening to them bicker, looked at Cillian as if he had suffered severe brain damage. Both of them were well aware that Jade was simply trying to cover her tracks.

Meanwhile, from Aliana and Nigel’s perspective, the two looked like they were seconds away from biting each other’s heads off, making the idea of any romance between them seem utterly absurd.

Realising the atmosphere was rapidly deteriorating, Aliana clapped her hands together to break the tension. "Alright... I think we’ve established enough details for one afternoon."

Pivoting the topic back to the pressing matters, Aliana turned her full attention to Jade. "I think the safest option is for you to stay here with us, Jade. Your father won’t dare set foot anywhere near this estate, especially after the warning I gave him this morning."

The sudden offer instantly broke the high-voltage tension between Cillian and Jade, pulling both of their focus straight to Aliana.

"H-here? But... I..." Jade trailed off, her eyes darting nervously toward Gavriel before settling back on her friend. "I don’t want to impose."

Aliana caught the hesitation in her eyes and turned to pin Gavriel with a meaningful look.

Gavriel set his wine glass down onto the table with a soft clink, finally joining the conversation. "You don’t need to seek my permission when my wife has already invited you. This house belongs to her every bit as much as it belongs to me."

The quiet authority in his voice left zero room for argument, reinforcing Aliana’s absolute standing in the household.

Jade’s expression softened with gratitude as she looked at Gavriel, then back to Aliana, who gave her a warm, reassuring smile.

Running completely out of safe alternatives, Jade nodded. "Then... I’ll stay. Just until I figure out a way to make my father stand down."

"That’s wonderful!" Aliana exclaimed happily.

However, the demon sitting across from them did not look pleased in the slightest.

Cillian leaned back in his chair, fixing Gavriel with a deeply wounded expression. "My, my... I’m truly hurt. I seem to recall a certain someone repeatedly throwing me out of this very house when we were younger, no matter how politely I asked."

Gavriel raised a single eyebrow at his dramatic display. "You stayed here a few weeks ago, Cillian. Has your memory failed you?"

"That was an exception," Cillian countered smoothly, resting his chin in his hand. "I was granted sanctuary purely because I was helping with your engagement party and wedding. Now I’m being cast aside. Am I to understand that I’m only allowed under your roof when I’m serving a purpose?"

Gavriel read Cillian’s hidden agenda like an open book. He knew for a fact that allowing Cillian to move into the estate alongside Jade was a recipe for absolute disaster.

Just as Gavriel was about to deliver a flat refusal, Aliana spoke up with a bright smile. "Well... I had no idea you were feeling so left out, Cillian. If you want to stay that badly, you’re more than welcome to move for a few days."

A dead silence fell over the dining room. Every single head at the table snapped toward Aliana at once, and Jade let out an involuntary, horrified screech.

"WHAT?!"