At two in the afternoon, Gael and Angela, along with the others, went back to Nonna's house to eat lunch. Some men were still at the court, taking down the tent and moving them to another place where they'd repeat the feeding in the evening. Gael usually helped out in moving stuff, but he chose to stay next to her like he promised.

Angela was already warming up to his family, and she didn't feel uneasy anymore. But he still stuck around, not only because he thought she might need him, but also because he actually enjoyed watching her interact with his family.

They sat at the long table in the dining room filled with mostly the same food that they served the homeless people earlier. The table wasn't fancily set up as they were merely taking a break before tackling the afternoon preparation for tonight's dinner feeding. Angela noticed the food containers were the ones that Alice used earlier to transfer food from the pot before leaving the house. She figured that they set aside some for their lunch, and that was what they were having now.

Angela took a bite of everything, and she suppressed the urge to moan loudly—but that didn't stop her from grabbing Gael's hand and squeezing it tight as her way to express her emotion. It was that good. He looked at her and cocked a brow in question, but she only shook her head.

"How is it?" Alice wondered, seeing as the other was quiet after tasting the food.

Angela wanted to keep it together, but she just couldn't help herself. "Oh, my god. They ate this earlier? No wonder they looked like they went to heaven after taking a bite! If I'd known it was this delicious, I'd probably go homeless by choice just to eat this thing! Alice, this is so good!"

Alice laughed, a blush tainting her cheeks as she waved her hand. Nonna also complimented her and went to talk about the food they were preparing for tonight.

Gael leaned closer and whispered to Angela, "Alice was a sous-chef at a restaurant in Manhattan before she chose to stay at home for Elisa."

She nodded in understanding. No wonder the foods were delicious. Alice was a skilled chef.

Angela noticed the man, who greeted them at the door when she and Gael arrived in the morning, sat next to Alice. His name was Pete, and he was Alice's husband. According to Gael, Pete used to work in a huge financing firm before he got laid off several years ago. Now, Pete works under Gael, helping him with several of their underground businesses all over the city and the neighboring cities.

She didn't think Gael would tell her about Pete's involvement with the mafia as she was fine not knowing about it. But the knowledge put her in deep thought. She watched how the family interacted—Alice, Pete, and Elisa. The husband was also mafia, but they looked like a very normal family.

Angela watched the other women in the room, but she mostly observed Alice, seeing how she looked at her husband with deep affection. A few of the women in the room had men next to them, and Gael told her discreetly that they were also in the family business. If she didn't know that they had this dark secret, she would have thought they were a family just like any other.

But what was normal?

A heavy feeling settled in her heart, and Angela couldn't tell what it was, but she brushed it under the rug and smiled as she listened to Nonna's ramblings.

…

Gael excused themselves from Nonna's house later and told his family that he was taking Angela somewhere for a couple of hours and would see them in the next location later.

They drove up north and left Bay Ridge, passing by some iconic places like pre-Civil War warehouses at the seaside, and then entered another neighborhood—Carroll Gardens—a beautiful area that had a mix of both historic and modern architectural styles. It's easily one of the best neighborhoods in Brooklyn—including Bay Ridge. Gael said that it's the heart of "Brownstone Brooklyn."

Rows of reddish-brown buildings lined the streets, and he took turn after turn, making her wonder if she'd ever find her way if she was alone—everything looked beautiful, but the houses looked the same. There was something about brownstones that pulled Angela in. They didn't have these in Esmea, and she found them quite charming.

"Are we meeting someone?" she finally asked. She tried prying earlier, but Gael just kept telling her she'd find out soon.

"We're going to meet my grandmother. She's been waiting for us."

Angela's jaw dropped. She knew there was a possibility she'd meet Gael's maternal grandmother, but she wasn't prepared. Her heart raced with each passing second. "Why didn't you tell me? We could have stopped by at a store somewhere—"

"There's wine in the backseat. It's her favorite." He nodded his head towards the back.

She peeked, and sure enough, there was a bottle lying on the seat. "You've thought this through." She clicked her tongue and quickly checked herself on the sun visor mirror.

"You look fine. Why are you stressing?" Gael chuckled as she combed her hair with her fingers and applied a thin layer of lipstick just to stain her lips.

"Hello? We're meeting your ninety-something grandma who raised you. Every mother or grandmother thinks no woman is good enough for their son—or grandson." Angela placed a hand on her chest, feeling the ramming of her heart against her ribcage. "I've met some of the De Lucas today and now your grandmother. You sure are trying to kill me."

A carefree laugh broke out from Gael just as he parked in front of the first brownstone in the street. "Before we go inside, there's something you need to know about my grandmother."

"W-What's that?" She gulped.

"She can be a curious lady…yet she's adorable. She also won't hesitate if you need a good smacking. I doubt she'd do that to you, but I might receive one today, though."

"She hits?" Angela could already feel the sting.

"In the head—or back—whichever is convenient for her. She also likes to scold," he added in a serious tone, rubbing his right shoulder as if remembering something that happened in the past.

She averted her gaze and stared out the window where the house was. "Sounds like a...lovable grandma…"

They got out of the car, walked up the stairs, and waited for someone to open the door after he rang the doorbell. "Oh, and if she offered food...eat," Gael muttered just before the door opened.

"What?" Angela's stomach twisted in knots. 'What does he mean "eat"? We just ate not too long ago!'

An older woman pulled Gael into a hug and kissed his cheek, then she turned to Angela, a smile brightening her face. She didn't look 90ish at all—well, she looked old with wrinkles and a thinner body, but she stood with poise and elegance. "Ah, you must be Angela."

"This is my grandmother, Susan," introduced Gael.

The two women exchanged hugs at the door, and then they entered the house. Susan held Angela's arm, giving the latter a once over as she said, "So this is her… I can see why now, Santi. She's really gorgeous like you said."

Angela turned her head to Gael and her eyes widened. He talked about her with his grandmother? She did not know what to say.