While Jade and Cillian sprinted blindly into the dark after the woman they suspected to be Rose, back inside the mansion, Aliana pushed open the door of the washroom stall.
Stepping out into the quiet room, she walked over to the sink to wash her hands.
She had already removed her gloves during the ring ceremony earlier in the evening.
As she dried her skin, her eyes naturally drifted to the beautiful, clear-cut ruby ring on her finger. It glead extraordinarily even beneath the dim, ambient warm light of the washroom.
Smiling softly, she lifted her hand in front of her face, unable to help but admire its flawless beauty.
"So beautiful," she whispered to herself as a strange, profound warmth settled deep within her heart the longer she stared at her engagent ring.
"It’s very beautiful indeed," a woman’s voice suddenly spoke from behind her.
Aliana’s gaze snapped up to the mirror, only to see a stunning blonde woman standing a few paces behind her. The stranger wore an elaborate black gown, her striking violet eyes fixed on Aliana alongside an innocent, sweet smile.
Turning around to face the woman, Aliana replied politely, "Thank you."
She studied the woman with quiet curiosity, instantly jogging her mory to see if she had ever crossed paths with her before. Because this engagent event was strictly exclusive, the possibility of an uninvited guest was incredibly low. Having been born and raised in this elite social circle her entire life, Aliana knew practically every face and na by heart.
"And who might you be?" Aliana asked gently. "I don’t believe we’ve t before."
The woman’s smile widened as she took a slow step closer. "You are right. We haven’t t before," she replied, her voice smooth and lodic.
Her violet eyes swept over Aliana’s elegant form once, as if she were ntally assessing her, before locking back onto her gaze. "I actually accompanied Jacob tonight."
Aliana’s brows rose in surprise. "Oh, so you are Jacob’s friend? He ntioned you not too long ago."
The woman smiled. "And to think we would et here like this." She extended her hand, introducing herself. "I am Diaz."
Aliana looked down at her hand before accepting the gesture. "I am Aliana. It’s nice to et you, Diaz."
However, the mont their hands ca into contact, a strange tingling sensation ran across Aliana’s skin, followed by goosebumps rising along her arms.
Taken aback by her own body’s reaction, she quickly pulled her hand away.
Staring at the woman with a heightened sense of caution, she kept her voice steady and asked, "So... how do you know Jacob?"
Diaz, seemingly oblivious to anything unusual, continued to smile politely, "I am actually an old friend of his. We t back in college."
"I see," Aliana replied softly.
Diaz then took another step closer, narrowing the distance between them.
"That was a beautiful ceremony I got to witness today. If you wouldn’t mind, could I see your ring up close for a mont?"
With Diaz looking at her so expectantly, Aliana felt an intense wave of discomfort.
She naturally resisted giving in to the request of a stranger she had t barely five minutes ago.
However, rembering that this woman was here as Jacob’s plus-one, she didn’t want to cause an unnecessary scene or appear rude.
Reluctantly, Aliana raised her left hand, extending her fingers to showcase the stunning ruby ring, which continued to gleam brilliantly beneath the dim light of the chandelier.
The mont she extended her hand, Diaz reached forward and caught Aliana’s fingers in her grip. Her violet eyes locked onto the ring, staring at it with an intense, unblinking focus that deeply unsettled Aliana.
A frown began to form on Aliana’s face as she thoroughly detested being touched by strangers.
If there was anyone she had ever allowed to cross that boundary when they barely knew each other, it was Gavriel. Aside from him, she had always maintained a strict personal distance, but this woman seed a little too brazen.
While Diaz’s eyes remained fixed on the ruby, she murmured sothing that caused Aliana’s frown to deepen.
"This... looks as though he gave you a family heirloom. Perhaps he is far more attached to you than I originally thought he would be."
Aliana abruptly yanked her hand away from the woman’s grasp, her tone turning significantly sharper. "What exactly do you an by that?"
The woman slowly lifted her gaze to et Aliana’s.
The longer Aliana looked at her, the sweet smile on the woman’s face seed to grow less genuine, as if a carefully crafted mask was beginning to crack.
"Well, of course I an well. Gavriel has never been a man who stayed with a woman for long," Diaz replied, her voice carrying a sickening layer of familiarity that made Aliana’s stomach turn.
Diaz then turned toward the mirror and casually adjusted her hair, despite it already being perfectly in place. "Of course, considering how much of an appetite he has when it cos to won, the fact that he seems attached to you is surprising."
Aliana’s expression darkened imdiately as she studied the blonde woman. "Why are you talking about my fiancé as if you know him?"
Diaz shifted her gaze from her reflection, looking at Aliana through the mirror with a slow smirk. "That is because I have been with him before. Oh, I do hope you don’t mind that there is history between us. A very long history."
Her smile widened ever so slightly.
"But then, I am sure a sensible woman like you wouldn’t care, Aliana. After all, you are going to be his wife, and every wife needs to accept certain facts about her husband’s past. I am certain you will do the sa."
It was in that exact mont that Aliana caught the unmistakable glint of malice dancing in Diaz’s eyes. She clenched her teeth, a sharp irritation sparking within her at whatever absolute nonsense this woman was spouting about Gavriel.
It was true that Aliana didn’t know every single detail of Gavriel’s long past, and she certainly wasn’t one to pass judgnt on it.
But that did not an she was about to stand here and let so bitter ghost from his history talk down to her about her future husband.
Folding her arms over her chest, Aliana drew herself up to her full height and scoffed. "Let guess. You are just another jilted woman from his past, and you genuinely believe spewing nonsense like this is sohow going to deter or make think negatively of him?"
Aliana let out a dry sigh and elegantly tossed her hair back over her shoulder. "Please. I have witnessed more than enough high-society drama to know exactly how this script plays out. And you..."
She swept her sharp and cold gaze up and down the blonde woman, as though she were dissecting a minor insect. "...Are doing a terrible job of it, I must tell you."
With that, she turned sharply on her heels, fully prepared to leave the brazen woman alone in the restroom. But before she could take a step toward the door, Diaz’s voice rang out behind her, trembling with sudden rage.
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