Gael's words echoed in Angela's head. Because of his invitation, she couldn't help but think about going there with him—spending time just like they were on Hillberry Isle—before she knew his real identity.

Once they stepped out of the restaurant, she watched him get the car from the parking lot, and the familiar questions swam in her head. She had always asked herself why she could still be near him despite knowing the truth—knowing who and what he was.

She certainly knew what he was capable of, but why did she not avoid him? Why could she stand here, watch him, and still think that she was safe? This man was in the mafia. Had she lost her mind?

The car came around and stopped in front of her. Angela was in a trance that she just stared while Gael got out of the car and opened the passenger's side for her.

He returned her gaze and then cocked a brow in question. "Are you not getting in?"

Without answering, she took steps forward until she stood in front of him. She wore boots with heels, but he was still taller than her, so she had to look up to see his face.

Gael's grey eyes stared intensely at her as if trying to read what she was up to and why she was looking at him like that. They stood only a foot apart from each other, yet her heart remained calm. She was so intrigued by her own emotions.

"What?" he asked in a low voice.

The moment Angela heard his voice, that's when her heart started to race. It was so strange, and she wished she knew why she was feeling that way.

His hair was brushed upward in a slightly messy manner, making him look like a rebel. Seeing this, she felt the urge to tame his hair a little.

She unknowingly raised her hand towards his head, but before she could touch him, he swiftly caught her wrist with a warm hand. It was evident in the way his brows slightly knitted that he was baffled at her action. His reflex was fast, but his grip was measured as it didn't hurt her.

Still, she remained quiet, her gaze boring into his. It was as though she was under a spell—an inexplicable feeling that was brewing inside her, wanting her to know who he really was. She had seen a few sides of him, but Angela was sure that there was more to him than what he was showing her.

Gael probably realized something because he let go of her wrist. And when he did, she raised it higher, letting her fingers brush his hair lightly.

"You know…" she muttered.

He waited for her to continue what she would say, but then she dropped her hand and looked away.

"Never mind." She smiled and entered the car, closing the door after she got settled inside.

What the actual fûck? The crease between his brows got deeper. What the hell was that?

The car behind his honked loudly, so he snapped out of it and got inside his vehicle. Then he drove away from the restaurant and headed back to the city.

A few minutes later into the quiet drive, Gael was still bothered. "What were you going to say?"

He glanced at her quickly and caught her suppressed smile. She instantly changed her expression to neutral and shrugged.

"Nothing." Angela casually checked her phone in an attempt to change the subject and said, "You're heading back to the city, right? I'll need to get back to my apartment. You can drop me off at the nearest station."

He knew that she was avoiding the question, but he didn't call her out. He'll just have to ask her that next time—when she's more unguarded.

"I'll drive you back to your building," he responded.

The rest of the car ride was quiet as she laid her head back and stared outside the window, passing by so many trees and a few buildings. Her stare refocused, centering on Gael who was driving.

She didn't speak, but she thought a lot. Though she still had questions, at least one of them was answered earlier.

…

The evening came that day and Angela finished all of her tasks. Gael hadn't called her, but she received a goodnight text from him, in which she didn't respond. At first, she attempted to respond with a long text, but she decided not to send it after rereading her message.

When she woke up the next day at six, she was greeted by a morning text from him.

[ Gael: Good morning. Running today? ] —sent at 5:10 a.m.

Angela looked out the window and realized that it was raining outside. A small sigh escaped her lips as she typed her response.

[ Angela: Can't. It's raining. ]

Almost instantly, she received his reply.

[ Gael: I was just going to text you. Something came up. I'll call you later. ]

Angela arched a brow at his text. What was this 'something'?

Not that she cared what he was up to—she was only curious.

Chewing on her bottom lip, she shrugged it off and went about her morning. Vincent was supposed to pick her up for lunch later, so she decided to have a quick breakfast and write while waiting for the time.

…

At 12:09 in the afternoon...

Angela was glad that the rain stopped an hour ago. She stepped out of her building and saw Vincent Stone standing next to a dark silver Lexus F Sport. Wearing a white knitted sweater and a brown trench coat, he flashed a handsome smile as soon as he laid his eyes on her.

She couldn't help but softly chuckle at the sight of this arrogant man. He had managed to take her out for the second time, and she didn't think it was a hassle.

He came closer to her with a bouquet of red roses and said, "I don't know why, but for some reason, I thought you were going to bail on me."

"I'm impressed. Your instinct is on point this time… I actually thought about calling to cancel at the last minute," she replied with a straight face.

He froze as he stared at her. "Really?"

Trying to keep herself from smiling, she shrugged.

"You wouldn't…" He chuckled and then gave her the flowers. "These are for you."

"I thought this wasn't a date, Mr. Stone." Angela received the roses.

"It's not. But a vendor passed by and as a charitable person, and I wanted to help." Vincent led her towards the car. "Let's go. We're already late for our reservation."

Angela rolled her eyes and scoffed playfully. What he said was bullshît. The bouquet came from a flower shop nearby—the ribbon had the shop's name on it. Regardless, she got inside the car and they drove towards the restaurant.

So far, her day was going well. They chatted casually during the ride, and fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the restaurant.

They were seated at a window table. Angela heard that it was hard to get a reservation in this restaurant, so she was impressed that Vincent managed to get one. Except for the table next to theirs, the rest were occupied.

The waiter came to take their orders, and when he left, she couldn't help but softly chuckle. "I thought you already ordered for me."

Vincent shook his head and chuckled too. "I wouldn't dare, Ms. Su. Not after last time."

"What brings you back here?"

"Business. As usual…" He continued to tell her about his current project, but he kept it brief, not wanting to talk about business at the moment. Then they talked about random stuff.

The server came and placed their orders on the table. Vincent raised his glass of wine towards her and clinked it with hers. But just when she was about to drink, something from the side caught her eye.

Gael De Luca looked dashing in a black suit as he headed in her direction. And he wasn't alone—in his arm was a leggy black haired beautiful woman.