Having decided to get back up on her feet, Angela pushed all of her thoughts about Gael out of her head while she was out shopping for dresses with her best friend. It wasn't easy at all because the more she tried not to think about him, the more that her mind would flash images of him looking at her—his grey eyes boring into her, making her feel even more distressed.

This was getting unhealthy for her mental state. At one point while they were out, she would try looking at random men passing by or smiling at her—kinda forcing herself to find something admirable about that person in the hopes that she would be convinced that there were better men out there than Gael.

Was she successful?

Of course not. She ended up comparing them all to that one man and deciding that even if he was annoying and overly confident, she found him more preferable as he was different. He was Gael.

Too bad she was trying to get over him now. The earlier, the better. She should have started earlier.

Angela and Nina ended their spree as soon as they each got dresses to wear for the meeting. Then, they headed to a restaurant to discuss their course of action over a meal.

It was six in the evening when they finally settled at a table in The Torch restaurant and had their dinner. The Torch was a Euro Asian fusion restaurant—a place that they frequent whenever they were out. Angela usually orders her favorite: Lobster stir fry noodles. However, she didn't fully enjoy her meal and pushed it to the side after having a quarter of it.

"We need to come up with a proposal so they won't pull out their offer to work with you," Nina suggested, setting the fork next to her plate. She also didn't have that much appetite.

"You really think they still want to work with me if I tell them they can't produce the first book? I wouldn't work with me if I were them and knew the truth."

"Then, we won't tell them." Nina shrugged. They were in a sticky situation, but she was determined to push through with all they've got. "It's a long shot… and I'm sure they would ask the reason why you won't let them do it. So we have to divert their attention and propose another deal that would still benefit them."

Angela subconsciously brought her thumb to her mouth and bit the tip of it. Her breathing was steady as she tried to come up with an idea. The table was quiet for a while as they brainstormed.

A light bulb lightened up Angela's gloomy thoughts when she thought of something. "Apart from the books that they will adapt, what if I write a new novel that will be exclusively available on their app? The launching of the story will be produced by them before the written novel will be released. Users have the instinct to want to be first whenever they have the chance, so they would most likely support the interactive story knowing that it would be a privilege."

Nina stared at her friend from across the table, and she leaned forward, crossing her arms as she contemplated. "You know what? That's actually not a bad idea. From a business perspective, they have organic users that would read the story. At the same time, your fans who have been waiting for your next book's release would love this collaboration! Love Tales would definitely get new users from this."

Steepling her hands, Angela's resolve strengthened. However, she shifted in her seat when Nina probed, "How's your writing going? Do you plan to use that for this proposal? Or you are going to come up with a new plot?"

"I… I could. I'm not sure," Angela hesitated.

She hadn't written anything since she came back to Esmea. So far, she had only written one chapter when she was still on Hillberry Isle. Her brows drew together as the thought of it made her feel uneasy, but she gently shook her head to brush her negative thoughts away and regain her confidence. "You know what, I can do it!"

Angela took a deep breath and slapped her hands on the table—the plates and cutleries clattered, earning stares from the nearby tables' patrons. Nina got startled and flinched, her heart racing at the surprise.

But Angela paid them no mind as she resolutely announced, "In fact, instead of proposing one exclusive novel, I'll make it a three book series! I'll finish all of them by the end of this year!"

"Wow…" Nina arched a brow and pulled her mouth up into a lopsided grin. "I'm actually excited to see you so confident. Are you sure you can finish all three? I mean—It's already September. That would mean that you only have three months to work on three books."

"Ah…" Angela's voice slipped for a second, and then she composed herself right away. "Then, I'll write at least three thousand words for about twenty-five days for each book. That should do it!"

Nina's fingers rapped the table as she stared at her friend and saw her tenacity. This was the Angela she knew—someone who wasn't afraid—steadfast and headstrong.

"Very well, Angela Kylie Su. I will take your word, so you better not let me down." Nina extended her hand for a shake, in which the other willingly took. And then, she added, "I will create a timeline for you as a guide, and if you miss your deadlines…"

"I won't," Angela confirmed, her eye contact strong and unwavering.

…

September 8 — Four Seasons Hotel

Dressed in a white bodycon peplum dress, Angela fixed her dark sunglasses in place as she catwalked her way across the lobby and headed straight to a private meeting room. The dress had a unique and flattering square neckline, peplum waist, and midi length, making her look glamorous and sophisticated.

Her best friend, Nina, walked next to her, looking equally gorgeous in her blue pencil dress. The two entered the empty private room and waited. Because of their arrangement, no one else could go inside the room apart from the chief of Love Tales.

Angela checked the time according to her watch and confirmed that they were fifteen minutes early for their nine o'clock appointment. Her stare was focused on the door and her heart raced with each passing second.

Noticing her friend's bouncing knee, Nina patted Angela's arm and said, "We're on time. The chief should be on her way—" Her voice trailed off when the doorknob twisted, and the door swung open. Their heads snapped forward, and they were surprised to see a familiar face.

"Y-You…" Angela stuttered.

"Oh… Huh… This is a bit surprising…" said the other who just entered through the door. "I know Nina is the agent… So that means you're the author…"

"Mrs. Cho…" Angela muttered as she stood face to face with Chairman Daniel Cho's wife—Samantha, the CEO of Trident, a software development company. An inexplicable surge of emotions coursed through Angela, realizing the situation that she was in.

Crap. Crap. Crap.

Tilting her head, Samantha strode towards Angela and reached her hand out, saying, "It's nice to finally meet the face behind Galatea K.S."