Meeting Gael's grandmother for lunch was one of Angela's favorite parts of the day. Susan was delighted to see her again, and she didn't stop gushing about the book that Angela sent her for Christmas. The book was not even a tenth of the price of the coffee machine, but it was one of Angela's favorite stories, and she thought Susan would enjoy it. She planned to keep sending books whenever she could.

Her trip to New York was unplanned, so she didn't bring any gifts for Gael's father's side of the family. So after lunch, Angela decided to shop for presents when they reached Fifth Avenue.

Traffic was heavy in Manhattan. The sidewalks were bustling with pedestrians in a hurry to tick off the items in their checklist before heading home, and the streets were filled mostly with yellow cabs and some private vehicles. It was already half past two in the afternoon when they were dropped off in front of The North Face store at W 43rd St and 5th Ave—the closest that Rick could get them before the streets were closed for the evening event.

Angela and Gael went to multiple stores. He was confused when she first went to the men's section until she told him that she was shopping for his father. Wherever she looked, she didn't think any of the things she found were good enough. What could one give to a man who happened to be a mafia family's boss?

She felt a bit frustrated, feeling overwhelmed that she couldn't decide what to give his family. Seeing her expression, Gael told her that she didn't have to choose today; they could come back anytime the following days. Angela was relieved after his reassurance and decided to just focus on getting stuff for her that afternoon. Gael would be busy again in the next few days. She could use the time to shop for his family then; that would give her time to think about gift ideas.

The rest of the afternoon was enjoyable as they perused the different stores. Gael even helped pick out clothes for her—some clothes she didn't think were actually suitable for the winter weather. While she chose warm clothes, he got her sexy dresses that showed skin but without looking slutty—the opposite of what he told her she needed for the season. He was being sly, but she let him anyway.

Gael was adamant in paying for the clothes despite her insisting on paying since they were hers anyway. The staff was confused about which credit card to receive when each of them handed their own. They bickered for a couple of minutes until he shut Angela up by kissing her in front of them. The staff gaped, and their mouths hung open as Gael lowered Angela's hand and gave his black card to them—all without breaking their kiss.

"Don't fight me on this, Angel. I can do this all afternoon." He smirked, and nodding was all she could do—what with her mind being too hazy from the hot kiss he just gave her.

As if he couldn't trust that Angela would still insist on paying for the next stores, Gael would give his credit card as soon as they entered a store and maneuvered her towards the women's section right away.

She felt weird choosing outfits for herself when she's not the one paying, and him noticing it, he chose most of the clothes for her. His men waited outside the stores to bring the shopping bags back to his house.

"I think that's enough for today," Angela told him as they left the last store.

Gael checked the time on his watch and saw that it was six in the evening. He nodded. "The stores will be closed already anyway. We should head over to the hotel. 6th Ave is closed since 3 p.m. for vehicles and pedestrians, but I have passes to get us in. We need to walk about two blocks. Is that okay?"

"Of course." She smiled. They'd been walking the whole afternoon, but she wore sneakers and jeans, so she could manage the two blocks.

Just as they crossed the street, Angela caught sight of a familiar building—one she'd visited a couple of times when she came to New York. The tall entrance of the monumental arcs and columns and the two giant marble lions—named Patience and Fortitude—that guarded the majestic building on either side of the iconic steps were as beautiful as she remembered them. Staring at the New York Public Library gave her butterflies. An awestruck smile painted her face. She thought she could smell the books even though they were over a hundred feet away from the doors.

Gael noticed her stare. He pulled her to his side and asked, "You want to go inside, don't you?"

"Can we?" She looked hopeful; her eyes sparkled in excitement. "Is it even open?"

He shook his head. "They've closed already, and they won't open until the third of January."

Angela deflated, her shoulders sagging before she nodded. "Too bad."

Lifting her chin to face him, he told her, "I'll make sure we come back here soon—even spend the whole day if you want."

"Promise?"

"Promise." He smiled, pressing his lips to her cheek. "We have to go. Gio's waiting for us at the lobby."

The walk from the library to The Knickerbocker took less than ten minutes. Like Gael told her, Giovanni was waiting for them at the lobby to give them their tickets to the Sky Box. Gael received their tickets and the invoice that Angela briefly glanced at when he took a quick peek before keeping it away. She was stunned to see the amount written on it, but she waited until Giovanni left for the elevators to speak to Gael.

The hotel staff ushered them towards a room they could change into their evening clothes, and as soon as they were alone, she questioned, "Sixty-two grand?"

Gael paused from unbuttoning his shirt, realizing she had seen the total on the invoice. He chuckled. "It's Manhattan—and a special event. That shit's normal."

"No. That's robbery."

"Sixty-two thousand was for twenty people in the party. It's just $3,100 per person."

"That doesn't sound any better. Are we eating gold?"

His smile went wide. "I'm sure the chef's managed to add that on the menu."

Angela grew up with money not being an issue for her family. But ever since she lived on her own, she made sure to use only a portion of the income she got from their family's business so his father wouldn't question why her account didn't have any transactions if ever he checked on them. However, she only moved the money to another account where her father had no access, and she rarely used it. She decided to live on the money she earned from her writing. So although she could very much afford to spend $3,100, it still seemed too expensive for her for one night.

"The food better be damn good." She huffed.

Gael changed into a black tux and bow tie while Angela wore a black fitted velvet bodice with a high neckline and sheer long sleeves. The dress was his choice from a luxury Italian clothing store in the afternoon. He looked at her with so much intensity in his eyes, she thought he'd burned a hole on her dress. But he kept himself a gentleman and guided her out of the room.

The rooftop was alive with music and full of people dancing with entertainment for the VIPs early access. As soon as they stepped into the scene, many patrons came over to greet Gael. It was loud and fun, and he didn't let go of her hand the entire time.

As they snaked their way towards the box with him walking ahead of her, three dolled-up women barreled towards them and threw their arms around him. "Long time no see!" they squealed, excitement apparent in their voices. "Meet you later at the ball drop?" said one of them flirtatiously.

Angela stepped back involuntarily and saw the women attempt to kiss him on the cheek. She very much wanted to rip them off him with her claws. 'Mine.'

His grip on her hand tightened and he leaned away from the women at the same time that he pulled Angela to his side. He introduced her with ease and confidence, "This is my girlfriend. Angela."

Heat crept up Angela's face with the way he presented her. 'Girlfriend' made her insides tingle. A megawatt smile formed on her face as she waved at the women whose brows were reaching their hairlines, giving her a once-over and looking extremely jealous that Gael's arm was possessively around her waist. "Nice to meet you, ladies." She wiggled her fingers. They mumbled their replies before unwillingly walking away.

Turning to face him, she kept an impassive face. "Girlfriend, huh?"

Gael narrowed his eyes, and his jaw ticked when he challenged her. "Yes. Girlfriend. You have a problem with that?"

Angela bit her bottom lip to stop herself from grinning. "Not at all."

Standing on tiptoes, she kissed his cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked with his brows furrowed.

She shrugged. "For my boyfriend."