Chapter 365: Targeted Misfortune

In a large room packed with media personnel, bright lights and camera lenses trained directly on the stage, reporters fired questions rapidly following the brief statements delivered by representatives of Van Empire and Archon Group.

As the press conference went on, journalists continued searching for ways to stir up scandal out of thin air. However, the woman seated on the stage was truly in no mood for their antics today.

Curiously, a series of bizarre occurrences began happening throughout the room whenever a reporter pressed forward with a particularly ridiculous question.

The mishaps were becoming frequent enough to feel downright spooky. Coffee cups mysteriously tipped over and soaked reporters’ notes. A heavy camera tripod nearly collapsed onto a particularly pushy journalist. One reporter suddenly shivered and rubbed his arms, complaining about an inexplicable chill despite the room being perfectly warm.

The entire situation was becoming utterly absurd.

At first, Aliana assumed it was all sheer coincidence. But when a fourth reporter suddenly dropped his microphone as though he had been stung, she cast a subtle side-eye towards Cillian.

Cillian caught her eye immediately and murmured under his breath, "Don’t look at me. I’m innocent."

Only then did Aliana realise that this must be the silent handiwork of the silver-haired demon who had pledged to be her blade and shield barely an hour ago and was currently waiting backstage.

It had already been enough of a headache dealing with Nigel nearly fainting at the sight of him, while half the women in the office had practically turned into his fan club, whispering questions about his identity as he followed closely behind her.

Releasing a quiet breath, she mused, ’It seems Reve is taking his new job a little too seriously.’

Yet, far from being annoyed, Aliana found herself thoroughly entertained.

With these vultures swarming around her, she took a rather vicious delight in watching them suffer a little targeted misfortune. Given the weight of her own emotions that morning, watching the press pool panic over these "little accidents" was an absolute treat.

One of the reporters spoke up.

"Mrs. Valentine, we understand that Mr. Owen Ross protected you from being injured, and as a result, he was the one who ended up hurt. Considering Mr. Ross is Van Empire’s acting CFO, isn’t it rather unusual for someone in his position to personally intervene?"

Aliana deadpanned at the man for a quiet moment.

"He sustained a minor injury to his foot," she answered matter-of-factly. "As for your other question, I wasn’t aware executives were required to watch people fall to their deaths from a safe distance."

A few reporters struggled to suppress their laughter.

Another reporter immediately jumped in, sensing an opportunity.

"Would you classify Mr. Ross’s actions as particularly romantic or heroic?"

At that exact second, the paper cup of steaming hot coffee placed in front of him inexplicably flipped on its side, dumping its entire boiling contents right between his legs.

"Gah! Sweet mother of-" the reporter shrieked, leaping out of his seat and frantically clutching the scorched area.

Aliana’s eye twitched at the unwanted visual.

Ignoring his flustered apologies for disrupting the conference, she simply leaned towards the microphone.

"I consider Mr. Ross’s actions to be heroic," she replied smoothly. "Anything beyond that seems to exist only in your imagination."

Meanwhile, at Valentine Residence...

Gavriel sat leisurely in the living room, watching the press conference unfold on the large flat-screen television.

Even from a distance, he needed only one look at his wife’s face to know she was in a foul mood. So, whenever another unfortunate incident befell an overly curious reporter, Gavriel silently praised Reve for catching on to his new role so quickly.

Assigning him as her bodyguard was undoubtedly the right choice. After all, no one was permitted to target his wife with malicious intent and walk away unscathed.

With the growing number of threats surrounding Aliana, Gavriel knew he couldn’t protect her directly in every public setting.

They were both high-profile public figures.

As chairman of Archon Group, accompanying her into Van Empire headquarters would only spark unwanted rumours and potentially undermine her authority within the company.

To keep her absolute safety guaranteed, he saw only two options ... either surround her with constant security, or lock her inside the house completely and never allow her to step outside again.

While the possessive beast within him would gladly keep her confined entirely to himself, he knew Aliana would never accept being caged. She was meant to spread her glorious wings and soar high in the sky, and he refused to dim her light.

Entrusting her safety to someone as formidable and loyal as Reve was the ideal solution for now.

Beside him, Winston quietly poured a fresh cup of tea.

Just then, Jade walked into the room, dressed to go out.

Both men turned their eyes toward her before Gavriel shifted his focus back to the television screen.

"Miss Jade, shall I prepare some tea for you as well?" Winston inquired politely.

Jade cleared her throat, a flicker of awkwardness crossing her face. "No, thank you, Winston. I need to step out for a meeting with bank personnel regarding my accounts, followed by a few other errands." Her gaze briefly flicked from Winston to Gavriel as she added, "It seems I may be back late today."

Jade felt a bit awkward informing Gavriel of her plans before leaving.

Given his quiet, enigmatic nature, their relationship was purely cordial, rooted in the fact that he was her best friend’s husband.

However, with Aliana and Cillian both away at work, Jade felt obligated to keep him updated. After all, Gavriel and Aliana had been gracious enough to let her stay in their home while also offering her protection.

Gavriel accepted his teacup from Winston without uttering a word, allowing the silence to stretch until Jade shifted uncomfortably on her feet.

Noticing the growing tension, Winston stepped in to lighten the mood. "I see, Miss Jade. Allow me to arrange a driver for you."

"Oh, that’s quite alright," Jade replied quickly. "I can drive myself since my car is parked outside."

Just then, Gavriel finally broke his silence. "It would be wise for you to take Winston and a driver with you."

"Eh?" Jade squeaked, startled by his sudden command. "Oh, I... well..." She looked between Gavriel and Winston, waving her hands in a hurried gesture. "It’s really fine, Gavriel. I don’t want to impose."

"It’s not imposing when I am the one offering," Gavriel stated calmly, finally shifting his eyes to look at her. "You are important to my wife, and you are currently under our care. I know Aliana would not be pleased if I allowed you to step outside unprotected."

He stated it without a trace of emotion, but Jade realised that beneath his indifferent, icy demeanour, he did care... perhaps not directly about her, but because he knew how important her safety was to his wife.

A soft smile touched her lips. "Well, if you put it that way, I’ll gladly accept."

Winston’s eyes softened, and a faint, fond smile graced his features as he watched his master make an effort for Madam’s sake.

"I shall be ready in just a moment, provided you are not running late, Miss Jade?" Winston asked politely.

"Take your time, Winston. I’ll wait right here," Jade assured him.

Winston gave a sharp nod before promptly departing to prepare.

Just as he left the room, something on the flat-screen television caught both Gavriel and Jade’s attention.