"I'm Gavriel Valentine," he countered smoothly. "It is wonderful to finally meet you... Mother."
The exact moment he uttered that word, a violent flash of lightning struck outside. In unison, all three pairs of eyes snapped to him in absolute disbelief, staring as if he had just decided to push the absolute limit to see exactly what would trigger a stroke.
Aliana was so taken aback that it took her a full minute to recover from the shock.
Slowly, she shifted her gaze from him toward her mother, who looked as though her soul had peacefully ascended to another realm. While her father, standing slightly behind Portia, had the corner of his eye twitching so hard it looked medically concerning.
'This is not good,' Aliana muttered to herself, releasing a quiet sigh as she decided to regain control of the situation.
Clearing her throat, she maintained a perfectly straight face and suggested, "Why don't we talk over some tea?"
