The Devil's obsession with the Heiress

"Ali?"

Aliana instantly spun around to see Jade standing not far away.

"Jade..." she gasped.

Jade’s brows instantly pulled together upon seeing Aliana looking so shaken. She made her way over to her and asked softly, "What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

Jade paused, realising that in their world, seeing an actual ghost was very much a possibility, so she quickly scanned the garden shadows to see if anything was lurking nearby.

Aliana shook her head, forcing a breath. "I-it’s nothing. I was just... thinking about something. I’m fine."

Jade’s eyes drifted back to her, deep concern clouding her expression. "Are you sure?"

Aliana forced a small, reassuring smile.

Jade let out a heavy breath, her shoulders sagging. "Is it... about what happened that day? We haven’t really had a chance to talk about it, you know."

"We haven’t," Aliana admitted softly. "Everything has been an absolute whirlwind ever since."

"That’s an understatement," Jade murmured, looking up at the vast, moonlit sky. Her voice dropped to a quiet whisper. "I used to look down on those horrible people on the island, thinking we belonged to a completely different world. Who could have guessed that our own families were tangled up in the exact same darkness?"

Aliana studied Jade’s side profile, catching the raw sadness in her eyes. Her heart clenched at her friend’s broken spirit. "You know we are still nothing like them, right?"

Jade let out a bitter scoff, meeting Aliana’s gaze head-on. "Are we?"

When Aliana remained silent, Jade continued. "Your family had no choice but to carry the burden of the choices your ancestors made. For your bloodline, it was about survival. But what about mine?"

Jade’s features twisted in deep disgust. "My family chose this path, Ali. A filthy shortcut to success when they could have built everything the right way... like all the honest people who rely on hard work."

She let out a soft, self-loathing chuckle. "You know what this makes me feel like? It makes me wonder... if my parents hadn’t been rewarded by the devil like this, would I even be capable of achieving anything on my own? It makes me feel completely inferior to every honest employee working at Ross Real Estate. They rose to success through their own dedication. And me? I’m standing here... reaping the benefits of my family’s dirty deals, hiding out in my best friend’s home instead of confronting them."

Aliana’s brows pulled together at the self-deprecating way Jade spoke about herself.

Reaching out, she took both of Jade’s hands in hers. "Don’t you dare start doubting your own abilities just because of them, Jade. This is you. This is your mind, your heart, and your soul. Even if wealth is what the devil rewarded in exchange for whatever bargain your family made, it was still your intellect and brilliance that allowed you to achieve so much and become the woman you are today. I cannot tell you how proud I am of you for taking a stand against them."

Jade searched Aliana’s eyes, her voice hesitant. "But..."

"No buts, Jade. You have always been so strong. I know things are overwhelming right now, but I have zero doubt that you will rise above all of this. You already are, simply by showing them that you refuse to be bullied. Besides, you have so many people backing you up. You have me, Gavriel, Nigel, Winston... and even Cillian now."

Aliana smiled warmly, causing Jade to blink. "Cillian?"

Aliana let out a soft chuckle. "Mhm. You two might bark at each other like sworn enemies, but I know he cares. Otherwise, a man like Cillian Pierce would never stick his nose into someone else’s personal affairs."

Jade could only sigh, a small smile creeping onto her face as she wondered what must be going through that man’s mind.

"Ah, there are the ladies of the house!" a smooth, familiar voice drawled from the courtyard entrance.

They turned to find Cillian carelessly swirling a bottle of high-end red wine in one hand. "Gavriel is being a complete buzzkill, hiding away in his office, so I came looking for better company. Who’s up for a midnight drink?"

Aliana let out a cheerful laugh and nudged Jade, who offered a dramatic eye-roll in response. "See?" Aliana whispered. "He really is trying."

In her head, Jade could only groan. ’If only you knew, Ali.’

Giving in to the temptation, both women followed Cillian back inside.

As the night grew deeper inside the quiet mansion, the three of them sat chatting and drinking in the living room.

By the time Gavriel finally emerged from his study, his eyes immediately landed on his heavily flushed wife, who was laughing at a joke Jade had just cracked.

"Gav~! You’re finally here!" Aliana purred, her cheeks flushed a pretty rose-pink as she drained her wine glass. "Come sit with us. The wine Cillian brought is absolutely divine!"

Gavriel’s sharp, icy eyes immediately snapped towards Cillian, who chuckled before raising his hands in defence. "Well, don’t look at me. I had insisted on only one glass. These two continued to reach for a second... and so on."

"Liar!" Jade pointed an accusing finger at him. "He poured our second glasses without even asking! Right, Ali?"

Aliana nodded in agreement. "Right! I saw it with my own eyes!" She looked back at her husband with sultry yet innocent eyes, making his expression darken slightly as she asked sweetly, "You believe me, don’t you, dear husband?"

"Hey! Now that is completely unfair!" Cillian protested.

Ignoring him, Gavriel made his way towards Aliana.

He leaned down until he was at eye level and gently took her chin between his fingers. "How much did you drink, baby?" he asked softly.

Aliana’s smile widened into something delightfully mischievous. She held her thumb and index finger an inch apart like a child. "Just a little. Why? Are you mad at me?"

Slowly, she lifted her hand, dragging her fingertip along the sharp line of his cheekbone before giving his cheek a light, fond pinch. "Mmm, the universe really favoured you when it sculpted this face. And your skin is unfairly smooth... Jade, come feel how soft he is!"

Before a thoroughly tipsy Jade could actually lean forward and touch Gavriel, both men reacted in an instant.

Cillian yanked Jade back against his chest before she could commit something unforgivable. At the same time, Gavriel scooped his wife up from the sofa and into his arms.

Aliana instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face against his throat as she murmured, "Slowly, Gav. The world is spinning a little."

Gavriel let out a soft, helpless sigh, looking over at Cillian and Jade. "My wife needs rest."

As he carried her down the corridor, Aliana’s sweet, drunken voice carried back to the living room.

"Ooh... am I flying? God, you smell so good... I just want to bite you."

"Ana..." Gavriel’s strained, thoroughly tested voice floated through the hallway before fading completely as he carried her upstairs to their room.