Chapter 5
As soon as Aliana stepped out of the dressing room, she was greeted by a well–built middle–aged man standing near the door. He wore a crisp suit with a perfectly knotted black tie. A neatly trimmed mustache adorned his face, radiating professionalism,
“Miss Aliana,” the man spoke formally, offering a respectful bow. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Victor Hanes, Mr. Andrian’s personal assistant.”
Aliana gave Victor a cold look, her eyes narrowing as she studied his every movement.
“What is it?” she asked curtly.
Victor hesitated before speaking
“Mr. Andrian asked me
deliver a message. He won’t be spending the wedding night with you. He had to leave town.”
A wave of anger surged through Aliana. Her fists clenched by her sides as she fought to control her fury.
Andrian is truly a bastard, she thought.
She wasn’t upset about not spending the night with him–no. She was furious because had Alicia been the one to marry him, he would’ve done the same thing.
And beneath the anger, there was a strange flicker of relief. At least Alicia had never made it to the altar with that man.
Victor continued.
“Mr. Andrian also instructed me to escort you directly to th
the Velor estate tonight. He won’t be able to join you at the hotel that was originally prepared, as he’s staying out of town.”
Aliana let out a soft scoff, though her expression remained composed.
“May I ask what business required him to leave the city on our wedding night”
Victor looked increasingly uneasy. His brow furrowed, and he began nervously dabbing sweat from his forehead.
“M–Mr. Andrian… went on a pilgrimage.
“A pilgrimage?” Aliana raised a brow, her tone sharp. “To where, exactly?”
Victor swallowed hard before answering.
“To the grave of his late fiancée, Miss Serena Vale.”
At the mention of that name, Aliana froze. She’d heard of Serena Vale during her research on Andrian. He had once been engaged to Serena, and they were close to marrying–until Serena was reported dead in a tragic accident.
Aliana’s heart turned colder at the realization that Andrian, who hadn’t even shown up for Alicia’s funeral, had traveled out of town today just to visit the grave of a former lover.
Victor braced himself for an outburst. He expected Aliana, newly humiliated bride of his employer, to explode in fury.
But to his surprise, Aliana simply nodded, her composure intact. Then she asked calmly.
“Did Andrian go alone?”
Victor froze. His eyes widened with worry before he shook his head.
“No, Mass. Mr. Andnan went with Miss Blapea
A small, disdainful scoff escaped Aliana’s lips
“Of course.”
Victor watched her warily, waiting for the eruption. No woman would tolerate this—a husband abandoning his bride on their wedding night to visit a dead ex with his current mistress,
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Chapter 3
But again, Aliana shocked him. There were no screa
screams, no breakdown, no visible rage, She simply stood ther
unnervingly still
“He should’ve gone with his assistant,” she said flatly, her voice laced with cutting sarcasm. “Not Bianca, I didn’t know the Vice CEO of Titan Group also doubled as a personal secretary.”
Victor said nothing. He looked pale, his composure crumbling beneath the force of Aliana’s icy words. She was much more formidable than he had imagined.
“Let’s not waste time,” Aliana said, walking past him toward the front door. “Take me to the Velor estate
Victor nodded quickly and followed her in haste. Though relieved that she hadn’t exploded in anger, a cold dread settled in his chest. There was something terrifying in Aliana’s calm–like walking on thin ice. The same feeling he experienced when facing his boss, Andrian Velor.
Inside the car speeding toward the Velor estate, Aliana sat upright, her gaze fixed on the window while her mind turned over every detail
Bianca Lorraine and Andrian Velor. Those two names had now become her primary focus. The fact that they left together on her wedding night wasn’t just an insult—it was a display of power, one Bianca clearly intended.
Aliana understood that perfectly.
Bianca’s actions were a clear message: even if Andrian married someone else, he would still choose her. She still held his loyalty, his time–even his nights.
A bitter scoff slipped from Aliana as her eyes narrowed. Bianca Lorraine was claiming dominance, flaunting that the marriage meant nothing, that her place by Andrian’s side s untouchable.
Victor, seated in the front beside the driver, stole glances at Aliana through the rearview mirror. Despite trying to maintain professional decorum, he felt unsettled by her chilling composure.
Beside Aliana, Elena sat silently, her face stiff with anger she dared not voice. Inside, she cursed Andrian for his audacity–to leave with another woman on the very night he wed. But Elena knew better than to comment.
Aliana, meanwhile, was already moving into action.
She wasn’t going to get answers through Victor, not without Andrian’s permission. He was too loyal
So, Aliana reached into her clutch, pulled out her phone, and typed a message:
“Rafe, I need everything you can find on Bianca Lorraine. Her relationship with Andrian, her background at Titan Group–everything.
Send it ASAP!
She hit send, knowing Rafe Donovan, her faithful assistant, would deliver without question.
A few minutes later, her phone buzzed. A message from Rafe lit up the screen:
thing I know,
Miss–Bianca Lorraine is an incredibly ambitious woman. Be
I’ll send you the file on Bianca within two hours. But one thin careful
Aliana read the message with her signature cold gaze, then slipped the phone back into her bag.
She had already suspected that Bianca was a serious threat, not just because of her intimate ties to Andrian, but because of her drive, her influence, and her boldness in wielding power.
The car finally stopped in front of the towering gates of the Velor family estate. Aliana gazed at the grand structure before her–a classical–style mansion surrounded by a vast garden and high wrought–iron fencing. The lights from within cast a warm glow, but to Altana, the place felt more like enemy territory than a welcoming home.
Victor stepped out first and opened the car door
“Welcome to the Velor estate, Miss Aliana”
Without a word, Aliana stepped out. Her eyes swept across the entire grounds, observing every detail carefully. The majestic mansion stood at the heart of the estate, a stone–paved path leading directly to the main entrance.
wrath that
Victor walked beside her, but instead of heading toward the main house, he veered off toward a smaller, narrower path away from the main walkway
branched
Chapter 5
“Miss Aliana,” Victor said politely, though there was a trace of unease in his tone, “you won’t be staying in the main house.”
Aliana stopped in her tracks and gave Victor a flat look.
“Then where will I be staying?”
Victor pointed toward a smaller building at the edge of the garden.
“You’ll be staying in the pavilion. It’s part of the Velor property, but separate from the main residence. Mr. Andrian thought this would
a more comfortable arrangement for you”
Aliana let out a faint, nearly imperceptible scoff. It was clearly another calculated insult from Andrian. But she didn’t object. Staying away from the main house gave her more freedom to move.
“Fine,” Aliana said. “Show me the way!
Relieved that she didn’t cause a scene, Victor led her through the garden toward the pavilion:
Despite its smaller size, the pavilion was luxurious in its own right. It matched the main mansion’s classical architecture but was more secluded–almost too conveniently so.
When they arrived at the entrance, Victor spoke again.
“If you need anything, you may call for the staff. There are attendants assigned specifically to serve you here. They’re already inside, awaiting your arrival.”
Aliana nodded without saying a word. Victor bowed.
As she stepped toward the door, Aliana paused and said quietly,
“Tell Andrian this: I hope he enjoys his time out of town–because I will not forget everything that happened today.”
Victor froze, clearly nervous and unsure of how to respond. But he nodded respectfully.
“Yes, Miss. I’ll relay the message.”
With her head held high and her gaze sharp, Aliana walked into the pavilion.
Tonight, Andrian and Bianca might think they’d won by continuing to humiliate her. But Aliana would not stay silent.
She would prove she was hot a woman to be underestimated,
And whoever had played a role in Alicia’s destruction-
would pay dearly for what they’d done.
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