"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."

Looking fearlessly across the room full of reporters with her sharp gaze, she continued, "It is public knowledge that I have been working alongside Mr. Jacob Grant, the current acting CEO of Van Empire, for the past five years so that I could eventually step up as the CEO of my family business.... established by my ancestors. Naturally, when you work closely with someone, there are bound to be regular or impromptu meetings regarding matters related to the company. That is exactly what happened yesterday."

Aliana paused briefly, her eyes sharpening further as traces of anger flickered beneath them before she continued.

"I had merely stepped out of the elevator to begin a new workday when I accidentally collided with Mr. Grant, who was also waiting nearby. Naturally, when someone trips, their instinct is to grab onto the nearest thing to steady themselves, and Mr. Grant happened to catch me before I could fall."

Her voice turned colder.

"Countless employees on that floor witnessed the exact same thing. However, someone acting with malicious intent deliberately recorded the incident and edited the footage to remove the initial part of the scene so they could twist the narrative into whatever suited them best."

A soft murmur erupted throughout the hall, but Aliana continued calmly,

"After that, Mr. Grant mentioned that he needed to discuss something important with me and, since the topic was sensitive in nature, we decided to continue the discussion in my office."

Her expression remained composed. "While I was in my office, an accident occurred, and coffee was spilled on my clothes, which forced me to change. The cleaner who was later called to clean the mess would gladly confirm the events I have just described."

Her gaze sharpened noticeably. "That is all that happened. But as both Mr. Valentine and I have already stated, someone deliberately chose to tamper with the truth and present the situation however they pleased."

Her voice dropped colder with every word, "An investigation is currently underway to determine exactly who is responsible for this. And once I find out who that person is, I can assure you that appropriate action will be taken against them. That, I can promise you."

The moment she paused, the murmurs amongst the media personnel grew even louder, but Aliana was still not finished.

"Before you go raising questions about my relationship with Mr. Grant, let me say it one last time. Mr. Jacob Grant and I have never shared a romantic relationship, and we never will. I have only one man in my life whom I am set to marry, and that is Mr. Gavriel Valentine."

The moment Aliana finished speaking, she calmly switched off her microphone before instinctively turning her head towards her right, only to find Gavriel already looking at her.

Once again, that tension instantly wrapped itself tightly around them.

Ever since the morning before leaving the mansion, something electric had continued building silently between the two of them. Every glance, every touch, every whispered word only seemed to intensify it.

Now, seated side by side beneath countless watchful eyes, restraining themselves was becoming painfully difficult.

Swallowing hard beneath the intensity of his gaze, Aliana quickly looked away before reaching for the glass of water placed before her, trying desperately to calm the heat steadily rising within her.

Unknown to them, that silent exchange had not gone unnoticed. The media personnel watched the two of them like starving vultures sensing blood in the air.

Even amidst the overwhelming shock from the bombshell revelations dropped throughout the conference, many reporters could still clearly sense the undeniable chemistry simmering between the future couple.

At this point, several journalists could already envision their television ratings skyrocketing through the roof after today.

Amidst this, as Jacob stood watching Aliana conclude her statement, one of the bodyguards approached him and spoke in a hushed voice. "Mr. Grant, you have been requested backstage."

Jacob instantly snapped out of his stunned daze, his brows furrowing deeply before he turned towards the stage once more, only to realise Nigel was no longer there.

Confusion immediately settled within him.

Wondering what this was about, Jacob quietly followed the bodyguard through the side door leading backstage. The moment he stepped inside, he found Nigel already waiting for him.

.....

Some time before Aliana’s statement at the press conference, high above the clouds inside a luxurious private jet, an imposing man with neatly combed dark blonde hair sat with his eyes closed. Faint creases rested between his brows, as though he was far from relaxed and instead deeply lost in thought.

His wife, with light blonde hair, sat across from him with her eyes closed as well, a plush blanket wrapped comfortably around her. Unlike the man, however, she was genuinely asleep, resting peacefully in her seat.

An air hostess soon approached him politely and said, "Here is the coffee you requested, Mr. Vanderbilt."

At her voice, Alester’s eyes immediately snapped open before he straightened slightly in his seat, watching as she carefully placed the cup of coffee before him on the tray.

"Thank you," he replied courteously before the air hostess quietly walked away.

As he took a sip of his coffee, the corner of his eye caught a slight movement. Turning his head, he found James, his assistant, standing nearby with a grim expression on his face.

James was a man in his early forties with light grey hair, black eyes, and a pair of glasses resting neatly on the bridge of his nose. He had worked alongside Alester for as long as anyone could remember, making him one of the few trusted men who were deeply familiar with the matters concerning the Vanderbilt family, much like Nigel. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"What is it, James?" Alester asked with a slight frown, which only deepened further when he noticed the somewhat ashen expression on his assistant’s face.

"Sir, there was some trouble with the onboard Wi-Fi earlier, but the moment the signal returned, I came across something... something you need to see immediately, sir."

Alester did not miss the urgency in James’s voice. Without saying a word, he silently extended his hand, and James instantly understood before placing the iPad carefully into his palms.

The moment the screen lit up, Alester saw his daughter, Aliana, holding a... press conference?!