The sincerity and fire blazing in her eyes were enough to douse the anger Gavriel had felt earlier when imagining her doing the same to him.

How could he ever expect this to be acceptable to her when the mere thought of her running to another man churned such violent emotions within him, making him want to tear that imaginary man apart?

For the first time, Gavriel felt as though he were getting a taste of his own bitter medicine from a woman who had begun consuming his every thought without even trying.

He was already the most damned of all beings out there, yet for the first time in his long existence, he knew he would truly be a fallen...if he ever let this woman walk away from him.

Without breaking eye contact, his voice dropped so low it was barely a breath against the quiet room. "I will not let you go."

The words were far too soft for Aliana to catch clearly.

"Huh?" Aliana blinked at him, tilting her head. "What did you say?" she asked, wondering if she had misheard him.

"I said it will not happen again," he replied smoothly, acting as though he had never whispered that vow at all.

She stared at him, questions swirling in her beautiful grey eyes.

But Gavriel simply leaned forward, placing his cup onto the saucer with a soft click. "Now, if you do not eat... is this your way of telling me you want me to feed you myself?"

"What?" Watching him suddenly lean close to her, she replied quickly, a light flush rising to her cheeks. "I can eat by myself."

With that, she quickly took another bite, pointedly moving her gaze away from him. She knew him well enough by now to know he would not hesitate to carry out his threat should she give him the slightest chance.

And just like that, the corners of Gavriel’s lips curled up ever so slightly. His gaze drifted over her attire before he asked, "So... where are you planning to head today?"

She shifted her gaze back to him and cleared her throat before answering, "I need to shop for our upcoming engagement. Do you want to join?" she added lightly, completely expecting him to decline.

...

It was twelve-thirty in the afternoon, but the sun remained hidden behind thick, dark clouds, making it look as though evening had already fallen.

West Avenue was a high-end shopping district located at the heart of the city, packed with luxury designer boutiques, fine restaurants, and a premium mall containing everything an elite could possibly need. Tasteful limestone buildings and wide, smooth roads defined the area, bustling with patrons who could easily afford the luxurious goods on display.

Inside one such boutique, Aliana stood in front of a mirror behind a heavy velvet curtain. A shop attendant, dressed in a neat professional uniform, fastened the final button of the gown before bending lower to adjust the hemline and stepping back.

"All done, Miss Vanderbilt," the assistant replied. Her tone remained professional, yet her eyes shone with genuine admiration as she stared at Aliana’s striking beauty. "This dress looks truly amazing on you, Miss. Should I open the curtain?"

The moment the attendant asked all too eagerly, Aliana felt her pulse quicken. She sighed for what felt like the tenth time, recognising the exact reason behind the girl’s excitement.

’This is happening all over again, no matter where I go,’ Aliana muttered to herself.

She knew the single person responsible for it was sitting right outside that curtain, waiting patiently to torture her with his heated gaze, as if he had made his personal mission to do just that for the day.

Knowing there was no escaping it, she finally turned around and gave a small, silent nod.

That was all the signal the attendant needed. She eagerly moved to part the curtain, revealing the private section of the boutique where a plush sofa sat at the centre, facing the changing room.

Aliana’s eyes instinctively met his icy blue orbs.

Gavriel sat in lazy grace, his gorgeous face resting against his knuckles like a bored king.

Slowly, his gaze raked over her from head to toe, the intensity of it feeling like a physical caress. Aliana felt that it was safe to say the colour red had permanently taken residence on her face whenever he was around.

Around them, the soft whispers of the boutique staff continued in hushed excitement as the women openly fawned over Gavriel, stealing glances at him every few seconds as though some heavenly being had casually decided to descend into their small boutique.

And judging by the way they stared at him, they looked one breath away from falling to their knees and offering themselves to him.

Had Aliana known that her peaceful day of retail therapy would turn into such a commotion, she would have definitely bit back her tongue during breakfast.

When she had casually asked if he wanted to join, she was certain he would turn her down. Never did she expect Gavriel to accept it right away!

Not only that, but this had to be the twentieth gown she had tried on, and nothing seemed to please the devil so far.

He had mercilessly rejected every single gown, replying with only three words each time.

"Not good enough." There he went again.

Those words she had been dreading, uttered without a shred of hesitation.

Pursing her lips, Aliana folded her arms before slowly walking towards him until only a step remained between them.

Clicking her tongue lightly, she asked, "I’m beginning to think you are doing this on purpose, aren’t you?"

Gavriel simply looked up at her for a second longer before rising to his feet. His towering figure cast a shadow over her as he replied, "Can you blame me when there is nothing here deserving enough to be worn by you?"

He said it so effortlessly that Aliana didn’t know what to make of it, while the surrounding female staff squealed quietly like fan girls.

Trying hard to ignore him, Aliana quickly turned towards the mirror and assessed the gown once more.

’Regardless of all the teasing, I have to give it to him, he does have a good eye when it comes to assessing these things,’ she mused quietly, only to notice him moving behind her through the mirror.

Before she could react, she felt the heat radiating from his body at her back and met his eyes in the mirror. Leaning over ever so slightly, he spoke in a low voice, "This colour is too pale. You know which colour would look lovely on you?"

Swallowing hard, Aliana waited.

Saw him lean closer to her ear until his breath brushed lightly against her skin.

"Red..." he whispered softly.

His eyes darkened ever so slightly, "Just like a beautiful rose."

There was something in the way he whispered those seemingly innocent words that made heat pool low in her belly.

Quickly getting hold of herself, she took a step forward to create some much-needed distance and murmured, "Ahem... I’ll go change."

Later, when they stepped out of the boutique, they began walking along the sidewalk, completely ignoring the attention their striking appearance attracted without any effort.

Gavriel turned to look at her, a casual question on his lips. "Hungry?"

Aliana paused mid-step in surprise, and just as she parted her lips to reply, Gavriel’s eyes instantly snapped upwards, his expression darkening in an instant.

Before she could even ask what was wrong, everything happened too quickly.

The next thing she heard was a deafening crash that tore through the space around them.