The dinner continued with Chairman Su occasionally asking Oliver, Vincent, and Angela questions. This time, he faced hisor daughter and tipped his glass of wine towards the couple.

"How did you two meet?"

Angela spared Gael a look, a genuine smile crossing her lips when she answered, "At the Chos' wedding three years ago."

Surprise filled her father's face at the revelation. His eyes moved between the two as if trying to piece the puzzle together. He also glanced at his son before looking at Angela again. "You've known each other for that long? And you know Daniel Cho?" He glanced at Gael on the last question.

Gael nodded, a small smile forming on his face as he talked about the Chos. "Yes. I know Daniel and his wife. I was at their wedding in Hillberry. Their kids are adorable. Ashton is like the mini version of his father while Sianna is Samantha's. They're the reason why I visit Mayne most of the time, actually. They're like the family I never expected to have."

Oliver decided to chime in. "I'd like to think I'm closer to Daniel than he is. But yeah, they're like...brothers." He shrugged as he glanced at the man next to his sister. Angela exchanged looks with him several times at the table, and she could tell that her brother wasn't totally psyched about her being with Gael, but Oliver didn't do or say anything. Perhaps he was tolerating it.

Chairman Su's voice became lighter, evidently happy about his finding. "That's wonderful! I didn't know you knew the Cho family. Daniel and I have had projects together for years...and he and Oliver became closer in recent years. Unfortunately, I couldn't go to their wedding, but if you were invited, that means you're important to them. I've seen some pictures of the celebration. That must be where I saw you... Daniel is a very picky man. I trust him." He nodded as if showing his appreciation.

Though he didn't say it out loud, it somewhat translated to: 'If Daniel picked you as a friend, then I can trust you too,' or something like that.

Angela's father took a sip of his wine and asked another question, "How did you end up dating?"

At some point earlier, Angela and Gael let go of each other's hands as they had to eat. She was now fiddling with the napkin on her lap, her expression and voice were natural and calm, but she was growing antsy from the questioning. "We met again on the island a few months ago. He was the one who flew me back here after the storm."

"I see." Chairman Su looked over at Gael, holding a relaxed appearance as he spoke, "Oliver only told me it was Daniel's friend but he didn't tell me who. I'm glad you're here with us tonight. This dinner is long overdue then. I should have invited you earlier to thank you for taking care of my Angela."

Warmth spread across Gael's face as he turned his head towards Angela. "It's not a big deal. Angel...Angela's special to me."

She didn't realize it, but she held her breath as the words he said stewed in her head. Tingles were running down her spine with the way he was looking at her. It felt as if he really meant what he just said.

"Is this why you didn't want to go on a date? Because you were already seeing him?" Chairman Su asked his daughter. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Angela hesitantly faced her father. "I… We…" She swallowed.

A warm hand covered hers, giving her a gentle squeeze. He didn't have to say anything for her to know what his touch meant. 'I got this,' his warmth told her.

"It's my fault, Sir," Gael responded. "Three months ago, I promised to keep in touch, but...I had an emergency that kept me away."

"What emergency?" this was from Oliver whose ears perked up.

"I was in a car accident and I had to go under surgery. I needed to be in the hospital to recuperate while doing therapy sessions to get me back on my feet. My doctor only cleared me to travel not too long ago. Meeting Angela on the island again after so many years had been perfect—to me at least—but I didn't want to trouble her with my accident."

"Did you know about his accident?" Chairman Su asked his daughter.

She shook her head. "No. I only knew when he came back a couple of weeks ago." She looked down on her empty plate, trying to avoid letting them see the vulnerability in her eyes. Obviously, the 'car accident' was just a cover story. But Gael already told her about him getting shot. Just the thought of him going under surgery made her heart sink.

One time, she even asked Riccardo about Gael's condition then. Rick didn't tell her everything due to sworn secrecy, but he did tell her that Gael nearly lost his life from bleeding too much, and also during the surgery. Heaviness in her heart settled, and she gripped his hand tight under the table as if wanting to remind herself that what happened was over and he was here with her—alive and breathing.

Gael squeezed her hand back and moved closer to her. Angela looked up at him and caught him staring, his eyes dipping down to her lips.

"Are you two serious with each other?" her father asked.

She willed herself to tear her gaze away from Gael. The emotion was too much, and she couldn't handle it here while her family and Vincent were around. She was thankful they weren't alone or she might have just begged Gael to kiss her. Turning to her father, she answered with a forced laugh. "Dad... It's too early to say that. We've just started…"

"Well, you two have known each other for a while…"

"We're just taking it slow. We're not in a hurry…"

She glanced back at Gael who gave her a reassuring smile and she had to return it with her own, pushing the longing feeling away and trying to forget about his 'accident' that put her in a gloomy mood. Tonight was a mixture of feelings that she didn't expect. What a whirlwind experience.

The rest of the dinner was smooth as they talked about random things regarding the holidays and Angela's schedule for spending a day at the orphanage where Oliver and their father would also donate their time. Vincent expressed that he wanted to be there, but he had to go back to California tomorrow.

"Where are you spending your Christmas?" Chairman Su asked Gael.

"I was supposed to go back to Italy like I usually do. But this year, I wanted to spend it with my grandmother in New York. I'd have to convince her, though, because she's been telling me she didn't want me to feel obligated. I think she plans to spend it with someone special and just doesn't want me to interrupt their lovely time." He chuckled.

"Well...you can stay with us on the eve if you aren't in New York," Chairman Su invited casually. Then he turned to Vincent. "Of course, you're welcome too, Vincent. I know you always spend it alone."

Angela and Oliver shot glances at each other. They hadn't really 'celebrated' Christmas in a really long time. Their Christmas eve was usually just dinner and drinks—only the three of them. So… What's up with their father?