You know how, deep within the earth, a diamond is born under crushing weight and blistering heat. It is trapped in a place meant to destroy it, yet it does not break.
Instead, the pressure forges it into something stronger. Only when it is finally forced into the light does it reveal its brilliance, commanding the world to stop and admire it.
It was the same process Aliana was going through.
From the outside, it might have seemed that what Gavriel did was simply expose Jacob's deepest, darkest sins.
But anyone who looked closely would see that he was actually casting light on his diamond. Shaping her… smoothing away the rough edges, so that she could shine exactly as she was meant to.
In the grand ballroom, cameras were positioned throughout the room while bright studio lights illuminated the stage.
The quiet murmur of conversation gradually faded as a deep voice resonated through the hall from behind the podium.
