Gavriel’s deep, magnetic voice instantly silenced the entire hall.

"Good morning, everyone. I’m sure many of you are wondering what I, the chairman of Archon Group, am doing here at a press conference conducted by Van Empire."

He paused briefly, "The reason is quite simple. I’m here to set certain facts straight. Yesterday evening, while spending time with my fiancée, I came across some rather disturbing news."

The moment the word fiancée left his lips, the entire conference hall erupted into loud gasps of shock and disbelief. Some reporters nearly dropped their cameras while others stared at Gavriel like they might have misheard him.

Because that revelation alone was enough to shake the entire country.

The most eligible bachelor in the nation... was already taken!

Questions instantly rose throughout the conference hall about who this mysterious, lucky woman could possibly be. But more than anything, the media could not understand why Gavriel Valentine himself was present here, addressing them.

This was, after all, the very first proper press conference the man had ever attended despite rejecting countless interview invitations ever since he revealed his identity in Spain. Even during the World Business Conference, where the media had desperately tried to get answers from him, Gavriel had barely spoken more than a few words before leaving.

And yet today... he was willingly speaking before them all.

Ignoring the stunned reactions surrounding him, Gavriel continued calmly, "Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the source responsible for leaking such malicious news was completely unverified."

His voice then dropped into a glacial tone that sent chills crawling through the hall.

"It was clearly the work of someone acting with malicious intent, someone seeking to damage Miss Vanderbilt’s reputation while taking advantage of the situation for personal gain."

His icy blue gaze slowly swept across the reporters, "I’m sure many of you are wondering why I, of all people, am addressing this matter instead of Miss Vanderbilt herself."

A brief pause followed, "That is because I intend to set the record straight once and for all on behalf of my fiancée."

The moment those words left his lips, the entire hall seemed to freeze. Several reporters stared blankly at him as though their minds had momentarily stopped functioning, unable to properly process what they had just heard.

But Gavriel was far from finished. "And the truth is," he continued coldly, "that it is not Mr. Grant who is engaged to Miss Aliana Vanderbilt....It is me. She is my fiancée, and we are set to marry within the next two weeks. Not Mr. Grant. Not anyone else."

The atmosphere became suffocatingly tense as Gavriel’s already cold voice turned even more ruthless.

"And from this moment onwards, anyone who attempts to spread false narratives regarding my future wife should prepare themselves to face the legal consequences that will follow."

His eyes sharpened dangerously, "Because I will never tolerate slander or malicious rumours regarding the woman who is about to become my wife. Thank you."

As the final words left his lips, Gavriel’s icy blue eyes locked directly onto the dull yellow orbs standing amongst the crowd.

Jacob looked as though someone had just publicly slapped him across the face.

Meanwhile, Gavriel calmly switched off the microphone before leaning back into his seat as though he had not just detonated an absolute bombshell before the entire nation.

An absolute silence settled over the room. It was so deafening that people could practically hear the ringing in their own ears. This was not just breaking news that Gavriel had dropped on them. This was the breaking news of the century!

Just like that, the media personnel exploded with questions, one after the other. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Mr. Valentine, is it true that you are actually engaged to Miss Vanderbilt?"

"How did you two meet? When did this happen?"

"What about the news regarding Mr. Grant’s engagement to Miss Vanderbilt?"

"There are videos and photographs of Mr. Grant and Miss Vanderbilt circulating all over the news right now! Are those fabricated, or did Miss Vanderbilt have an affair behind your back while you are simply covering it up?!"

At that last question, the faces of Aliana, Gavriel, and Cillian darkened simultaneously.

Before any of them could respond, Nigel immediately stepped forward and intervened in a calm but firm tone, "I would request everyone to hold their questions until all official statements have been completed. Until then, please maintain the decorum of this occasion."

With that, the media personnel reluctantly held themselves back, though barely anyone could suppress the frenzy erupting inside them after the absolute feast of information that had just been thrown their way.

While everyone struggled to bite their tongue, Jacob, on the other hand, felt as though someone had violently ripped the ground out from beneath his feet.

He could not help but stagger backwards in stunned silence.

Shock was far too weak a word to describe what he had just heard the man he had grown to despise declare before the entire nation.

It was not merely a statement.

It felt like a beast openly marking its territory while daring anyone foolish enough to challenge him and his authority.

Cold sweat slowly broke across Jacob’s back as his hands trembled uncontrollably at his sides with emotions he could no longer even identify.

His mind had gone completely blank as he stood there wide-eyed, staring towards the stage while Nigel calmly continued, "And now, I would like to request Miss Vanderbilt to give her statement."

Meanwhile, Aliana could still feel her heart pounding inside her chest after Gavriel’s bold declaration that she was his future wife.

She could still feel her entire body burn from the ruthless way he had openly threatened anyone who dared spread malicious rumours about her. That, to her own surprise... thrilled her far more than she ever thought it would.

But now was hardly the time for her to get flustered because of him when she had a serious matter to address. So, pushing those dangerous thoughts aside, Aliana turned on the microphone before her and began calmly,

"Good morning, everyone. I’m Aliana Vanderbilt, the Deputy CEO of Van Empire, and I would also like to set a couple of records straight."