After breakfast, Angela came out of the shower and put on a cream knitted shift dress that stopped at the middle of her thigh. They didn't have plans that day, but she knew Gael would be working, so she might be outlining her new book the whole time.

Earlier, Samantha gave her a call and asked if she was willing to work on a new project similar to the previous one—a fun, light read, and full of fluff book series. Angela was ecstatic for the offer, considering Book 2 in that series would be released soon while Book 3 would be due next month. However, although she loved the offer, she thought her next books would be in the Dark Romance genre—just like her first book: Falling in Love with the Mafia Prince.

There was just something in that genre that clicked with her. Angela was drawn to the darker, edgier, and dangerous world.

Needless to say, she told Samantha she would think about it.

As she strolled out of the bedroom, she saw Gael in the living room, buttoning the cuffs of his black shirt while talking with a man. Trigger. She recognized the latter from last month—the guy with the cereal box full of money and a gun in his waistband.

He was tall but not as tall as Gael. And he wore dark jeans, a white T-shirt, and a leather jacket, and he had his black hair up in a man-bun. There was a tattoo of a detailed crescent moon on the left side of his neck the size of a golf ball. He looked pretty with his angular jawline and dark brown eyes that were nearly black, and the small scar on his right eyebrow made him look edgy. She wondered what he was doing here.

Trigger glanced in her direction for a brief second before looking away. Gael met her halfway in the living room as he grabbed his coat from the back of the couch. That's when she realized that he was leaving.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I have to go somewhere. This is Trigger." He nodded towards the other. "You've seen him before. He'll be staying here while I'm gone."

Angela peeked over Gael's shoulder to look at Trigger who looked at her with a stoic expression. If he was staying here, that meant Gael was keeping him as her bodyguard. "How long will you be gone?" she asked.

"A few hours. I might not be back tonight."

Her heart sank at the thought of not having him here the whole day. She was so used to his presence not too far from her—even if he stayed in his office for a long time. All she had to do was turn, and he'd be there or open a door, and she'd find him there. He said he'd be gone the whole night—and she was already missing him, and he hadn't even left yet.

Okay, she was being dramatic and clingy. It was his fault for making her so attached to him.

Thinking about it, if Gael needed to be out for a long time, it must be something important. "Is everything okay?" she worried.

A small smile pulled at his lips. "Nothing to worry about."

Even though that's what he said, she felt that he was only saying that to not worry her. Gael was mostly vague whenever he talked about work. He always referred to "something" or "somewhere". Angela didn't really know a lot—or anything about his family's business which was starting to make her feel excluded. There was this barrier between them as if she was in his life, but not really because there was part of him that she didn't know.

At first, she thought she was fine with staying away from the mafia world—his world. But now, she couldn't help but feel the distance between them. She didn't want to know about illegal stuff. But sometimes, she would think that if she knew more, she would understand him or his family more.

What does Gael do? She knew he had a high-ranking position, but what was he really? Angela had already known parts of him that he apparently didn't show to others. And for that, she was very grateful. But she wanted to learn about the other side of him too, even if it scared her.

While she had these thoughts in her head, he hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his chest, snapping her out of her trance. He claimed her lips in a slow and mesmerizing kiss, tilting her head to a position he wanted so he could plunge his tongue inside and deepen their kiss. The flicking of his tongue in her mouth elicited a moan that she couldn't rein in as her fingers curled around his shirt.

Angela could feel the growing of his erection against her stomach, and just knowing that she caused it sent a shock through her core.

"Fuck, Angel. How can I leave now?" he whispered against her lips.

Damn. That was a really hot kiss. And an excellent question. She was tempted to purr at him and tell him not to go.

Gael kissed her forehead and reluctantly pulled away before he held her gaze and told her, "Be good."

"Be safe," she said in return, and he nodded before turning on his heel.

Trigger walked with Gael to the door, the latter reminding him of his duties, and he acknowledged every single one of them. Rick was waiting for Gael in the hallway, and the two nodded at each other.

Before Trigger closed the door, Gael paused in his steps and warned in a cold and threatening tone that only they could hear, "Touch her, and I'll cut off your dick and make you eat it."

"I won't, Boss."

The door closed, and Trigger let out a sigh before turning around.

"Are you hungry?" Angela asked, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I'll…make you some coffee. I don't really know how to cook, but I can make a toast—"

"No, Miss," Trigger dismissed her. "I serve you, not the other way around. Boss will kill me if I let you do that."

She furrowed her brows, not believing what he just said. Gael wasn't violent. Maybe not that violent. She cleared her throat and headed towards the kitchen. "Nonsense. It's just food." When she saw him rub his nape, she ensured, "I won't tell him if you won't."

He didn't say anything.

Even though Angela wasn't good in the kitchen, she still knew how to be hospitable.

A moment later, Angela and Trigger stood opposite each other at the Kitchen Island, staring at two cups of coffee and a plate of two burnt toasts. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and winced at the depressing sight on the counter.

"I swear…I don't know how to cook, but I can make a toast. I think the toaster is broken, or maybe it was set too high… Now, you reeeally can't tell him I made this." She scrunched up her face and started turning around as she said, "I-I'll make you another one."

"No, Miss. It's okay. I'll just scrape it off." He grabbed the butter knife next to the butter and began scraping at the toast.

"But—"

"Boss will hang me. Please don't give him any more reason to. I really need my head." His face was expressionless as he dusted the crumbs off his fingers.

Angela arched a brow. It was the second time Trigger mentioned that Gael would punish him. "He will? He said that?"

"He doesn't have to."

She didn't know how to feel about this. It seemed like he was referring to a different Gael. While she knew that Gael was capable of violence, given his nature, the Gael she knew just didn't seem like he would hurt his people. Was he a mean boss?

"How old are you?" she probed, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Twenty-seven."

Angela thought Trigger was older than her. He looked mature for his age. It was probably because of the environment he was in. The man didn't talk much—unless she asked him stuff. She didn't have anything to do today, and he seemed like an interesting person—so she might as well get to know the guy if she was to trust him with her safety.

Her phone beeped, and she received a text from an unlisted number.

[ Hi Angie. Can I invite you out for a coffee? ]

She knitted her brows in curiosity, trying to guess who was texting her. The area code was a New York number. She contemplated whether to respond or ignore like she always did if she didn't recognize the sender, but then they sent another text.

[ Right. I forgot you don't have my number and you don't respond to strangers. This is Andy. ]

Angela swallowed. Andy? What did he want?