CHAPTER 193: ABSENCE

At Ivory Towers,

Aveline balanced her phone against her shoulder as she tugged her overcoat on with one hand. "Yes, I’m close by. Just a few minutes’ walk," she assured, her voice clear as she listened to the caller.

Before she could wear the second sleeve, Alaric appeared behind her, his hands steadying the fabric. He helped her into the coat silently, then he turned her gently to face him when she ended the call. But he didn’t get to speak.

"You’ll be bored if you come," she told him, smiling faintly at his furrowed brows. "And I won’t be able to be with you properly." She would be busy with work.

She stood on her toes and pressed the lightest peck against his lips. "I’ll be back soon." She would look after the arrangements and make sure there were no issues. She had no intention of attending the event or greeting anyone unless they showed up early.

Alaric wasn’t convinced. His gaze lingered on her petite face, "Do you really have to walk alone?"

"It’s just across the street," she replied softly. "Less than five hundred meters."

He already knew that. His hand cradled her petite face, his thumb gently brushing her cheek. He kissed her once more, firmer this time. "A guard will trail you until you’re inside. Be careful on the road, don’t get snowed on. If the winds pick up, I’ll come for you."

Aveline nodded, obedient as always when he grew protective, while she waited for the last of his worries to surface.

And then it did.

"Even if your mind plays tricks... even if you think you are seeing Damien, ignore it and focus on your work." His voice was low, resolute. "It isn’t him, Sunshine."

Her lashes lowered for a moment, and she nodded again. "Yeah... Ignorance is bliss." She didn’t want to fret over her other imagination and make him worry.

He only let go of her hand once she was in the elevator. She lifted her mask, covering her face just before the doors slid shut. The moment they did, Alaric quickly grabbed his jacket and mask from the penthouse, taking a different elevator down to the parking lot to use a different exit.

....

Outside, tiny snowflakes drifted from the gray sky. The path glistened with melted snow, and tree roots were frosted white. It should have looked dreamy, but Alaric’s eyes were sharp as he looked around, like a predator searching for its prey.

Another man in black fell into step beside him. "I don’t understand how Damien Ashford could appear here when he’s in the prison," Ezra muttered in confusion.

Alaric said nothing. He didn’t want to believe Aveline was imagining Damien. If her mind was truly haunted by Damien, she would never let herself be in another relationship.

So, he would watch closely, guard her himself, and ensure nobody was deceiving her.

They trailed her discreetly. Aveline ducked into a café and exited carrying several coffee cups, balanced carefully in her hands, before heading into the club.

Ezra slipped inside the club briefly to ensure nothing was amiss, then rejoined Alaric outside.

Hours passed. They remained alert, shifting positions to avoid suspicion.

At last, well past six in the evening, Aveline appeared outside. The workers streamed out around her, yet she stood still for a moment, tilting her face upward as snowflakes kissed her skin. A quiet smile softened her lips before she drew her mask back on to cover her face.

She waved at colleagues, lifted her phone to call Alaric, but froze as an umbrella arched smoothly over her head.

A smile hid behind her mask, "How long were you..." Her words faltered as she turned.

She had assumed for a moment that it was Alaric waiting for her. Instead, Gabriel Fournier stood before her, impeccable in his suit, a leather bag in hand.

Recovering swiftly, she stepped behind, staying polite but calm. "Hello. Working on Sunday?"

Gabriel’s nod was restrained, his eyes flicking briefly toward the club she exited. "An event?" her tone measured.

"Mm." Her tone wasn’t casual.

His gaze swept the street. No car waited nearby, no driver in sight. "Where’s your car? The temperature’s too low to be walking." He reached into his pocket for his car keys.

"I stay close by," Aveline said lightly, her glance catching on the gleam of metal in his hand.

Before she could continue, a hand landed firmly on her shoulder. She turned, not startled, but almost smiling beneath her mask at the familiar possessiveness.

"Sunshine, why are you standing outside?" Alaric’s voice was deceptively calm, as if he had just arrived. His mask covered half his face, but his eyes made clear his claim.

"Alaric," Aveline said smoothly, stepping closer to him, as her hand pointed towards Gabriel. "Meet Gabriel Fournier, Red’s brother, Giselle’s associate." Then her hand held Alaric’s jacket. "And this is Alaric, my boyfriend."

The two men measured one another in silence before offering a curt handshake.

Alaric’s voice was the first to break the air, quiet but cutting through the cold. "Standing out here isn’t the place for conversation." His gaze shifted briefly to Gabriel before returning to Aveline. "We should head home."

Gabriel’s silence stretched a fraction too long before he finally inclined his head. "Alright," he said.

The word struck heavier than either of them expected, leaving Alaric and Aveline momentarily speechless. They had both anticipated his resistance, his stubborn refusal, but not this quiet acceptance.

They exchanged a glace at each other, Alaric’s steady, Aveline’s uncertain, before Alaric gestured toward the Ivory Towers without another word.

The walk to Ivory Towers was muted, the city lights flickering across the buildings’ windows like ghosts of thoughts.

...

At Ivory,

When the elevator doors closed behind them, Aveline shifted ever so slightly closer to Alaric, tilting her chin up just enough to catch his gaze. Her brows drew together, a silent question etched across her face.

’Why did you say we were heading home?’

Alaric caught the unspoken question in her eyes, and the faint press of her lips. He gave no verbal reply, only closed his eyes and brushed his thumb lightly against her knuckles, as though asking her to relax.

By the time the elevator chimed and the doors opened into the quiet expanse of the penthouse entrance.

Aveline was aware of the weight of the silence pressing between the three of them. She set her bag down and turned with the faint stiffness in her shoulders.

"Would you like to have something?" she asked, her tone polite, though laced with the awkwardness of playing hostess to her ex-boyfriend.

Gabriel didn’t respond immediately.

Alaric didn’t let the silence linger. "I’ll brew some coffee," he said evenly, already shrugging off their coat as if it were the most natural thing.

Aveline quickly added, "I’ll grab some snacks." Her tone was light, but beneath it was a hint of uneasiness. An attempt to balance the moment, to make Gabriel feel less like an intruder in their world.

For a moment, the penthouse felt different. The air carried the kind of quiet coordination that belonged only to people who had grown used to moving around each other.

Gabriel noticed it, but he said nothing. His gaze followed their exchange, the seamless way they divided the small tasks, and something unreadable flickered in his eyes.

He never had that coordination with Aveline. He was too mechanical.

Once Gabriel looked away from the kitchen, Aveline leaned closer, lowering her voice so only Alaric could hear. "He’s my ex."

Alaric didn’t even flinch. Smoothly, as if it were nothing more than a past detail, he replied, "It’s alright. He helped you with Damien’s situation when Scarlett was involved."

His tone was so calm, so detached, as though he hadn’t just rushed to her side the moment he saw her standing with her ex.

Gabriel, meanwhile, knew that he wasn’t really welcome there. Yet, watching Alaric move with quiet ease in the kitchen meant he wasn’t affected by Aveline’s past.

"Alaric?" Aveline’s voice broke Gabriel’s thought.

She was standing in front of the microwave, staring at it like it were some unfamiliar puzzle. Gabriel knew she had no idea what temperature or time to use for warming snacks.

Alaric ignored Gabriel. He went over to Aveline without a word, adjusting the settings for her. His hand brushed hers briefly before he returned to the counter, preparing coffee with unhurried precision.

Two cups of coffee for himself and Gabriel, while he made hot chocolate for Aveline.

When they finally returned to the living room, Gabriel caught the ease of it all, the way they sat beside each other naturally, without even needing to think about it.

Aveline gestured politely, "Please, help yourself."

Gabriel wasn’t sure what he felt. But watching them, so comfortable, so quietly aligned, he realized something. Alaric was good to Aveline. Better than he ever had been.

He barely took a sip before Aveline spoke again to break the awkward silence. "Red loves Giselle. Then why aren’t you referring her to Giselle & Associates?" Scarlett was still searching for a firm to join.

Gabriel’s response was curt and unbothered. "We don’t help out in careers." He took another sip as if the matter was closed and he wouldn’t entertain further questions on it.

Alaric’s lips twitched, faint amusement breaking his otherwise calm expression. It was one thing if Scarlett had refused Gabriel’s help, but this?

He understood, in that moment, why Aveline had never lasted with Gabriel. Gabriel’s EQ was nonexistent.

Not long after, Gabriel stood. "Thank you for the coffee." His voice was polite, but shortened. Neither Alaric nor Aveline made an effort to stop him.

Gabriel was almost at the door when he paused, glancing back at the couple. "Aveline... I was at the court last week. Damien Ashford’s lawyers were there, asking for his absence."

And with that, he left.