January 16th — Wednesday

Angela and Gael had sort of a routine in the morning. Whenever they woke up and had some time before he busied himself at work, the two would work out together. He had been slowly incorporating some kick-boxing in their sessions, wanting to help keep her in shape and teach her some self-defense.

She was a fast learner. It hadn't been a few sessions since he'd taught her some of his moves, and she already managed to throw him down the mat somehow after he simulated a scenario of him attacking her from behind. Gael took it easy on her the first few times, knowing that he was nearly twice her size, but Angela definitely did not go easy on him.

He acknowledged that she learned the basics from her instructor in Mayne, but he had to correct some of her angles and postures. She was competitive and serious the entire time that he couldn't help but feel proud of her. He hadn't only taught her how to defend herself but also a few tricks for offense.

"No matter what, you will always be at a disadvantage when you're being attacked—especially if you don't expect it. And don't be offended, I'm not being sexist, but naturally, men would mostly be heavier and stronger than you," he told her that morning while they cooled down, wiping their sweat and drinking a bottle of water that they brought up to the gym. He was trying not to hurt her feelings, and she nodded as she listened, not taking any offense at all.

He continued, "But you can be faster. Target their nose, throat, eyes, knees, and groin. Use anything you have on you or with you. Your nails, a ball pen, the edges of your phone, keys. I don't care what you do to the other person as long as you can get away from them."

Angela nodded, hoping that she would never have to face something like that. She could see why Gael was being thorough, especially since she was supposed to go home to Mayne in a few days and he had to stay in New York.

After their workout, they went back to the apartment to take a shower and change. Gael had to work the whole day, and he was just about to head over to his office when his phone rang. His father called. He stared at the screen, wondering what his father wanted at nine in the morning.

"Are you going to answer that?" Angela wondered as she pulled on a shirt over her head and stepped into yoga pants.

Clearing his throat, Gael answered the call, and his father's voice came through the receiver.

"Meet me at the tarmac in an hour. We're going to Pittsburgh," said Alessandro.

"Pennsylvania? Why?"

"We're meeting with Don Mario."

"I can't leave Angela," Gael told his father. He didn't want to leave Angela alone in New York while he was away—five hours by car and 1.5 hours by plane—especially that this was unplanned. He hoped he could bring her with him, but he knew that would be impossible.

"Leave Rick, Trigger, or J with her. She'll be fine. We'll be back by sunset."

His jaw ticked. "Understood." He really didn't have a choice. His father's orders were the law.

Once the phone call ended, Angela probed, "You're leaving?"

Gael nodded. "I have to fly to Pittsburgh, but I'll be back before sundown. Are you going to be okay here?"

"Of course." She smiled. "I'll just call up Gabby if I get bored. Though I doubt that, I have some work to do."

Gael breathed deeply, picked out a coat jacket from his side of the closet, and threw it on him. Then he took out a black credit card and set it down on a dresser. He already knew Angela would never use his cards if she could help it. She liked paying for her stuff, but he would still insist every time. "Order something for lunch and whatever you need around here."

She narrowed her eyes at him, but there was a hint of smirk dancing on her lips. They've had this dance before. "You know I won't use your card. Just take it with you. You might need it."

"I have five more cards to burn. I don't need this. Please use my card."

"Fiiine… You're okay with me buying crap and eating junk while you're away?"

"It won't hurt you to add some greens to your food."

"Sooo… Matcha donuts are okay? They're green," she teased.

The health nut that he was, he playfully spanked her ass and chuckled. "You can eat whatever you want." He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers in a long and deep kiss. "I'll be back before you know it."

"You'll be safe, right?" Her brows drew together in worry.

Gael smiled and kissed her chastely once more. "Of course. It's just a meeting."

The meeting he had to go to with his father must be something important. Although he didn't tell her, she could sense that he was worried about something.

Once he left, Angela took a deep breath and slumped on the couch. The apartment was empty once again. Funny how back then, she loved being on her own for weeks on end. She could stay cooped up in her apartment, not meeting anyone for days unless she had to go to the gym, and she was okay with it. But now, she was so used to having Gael around that whenever she was by herself, she actually felt lonely.

Not for long, though. Trigger came inside the apartment a few minutes after Gael left. He was no longer as stiff as he was the first time, but he still kept a safe distance from her. Though Gael made Trigger her personal bodyguard, she treated him as a friend who was just around all the time.

"What do you want for lunch?" she asked.

Thankfully, Trigger was no longer shy around her, and he actually responded and chose something he preferred. "Pizza." He grinned.

"Great." She smiled back and picked up her phone, programming an alarm to remind her to order for lunch. "Want to watch a movie? I have a couple hours to kill before I have a conference call."

He stretched down on the other end of the couch and already started pressing on the remote to search through the movie list. The other time, they watched half of The Princess Diaries. Neither of them really chose the movie as it was playing in the background while they cleaned the apartment. They ended up watching the rest of it afterward.

"What about Hitman?" he asked, anticipation flickering in his eyes.

Angela tsked. "I was actually thinking we watch The Notebook…" She frowned, trying to contain her laughter upon seeing the change in his expression.

"Oh… Right. Of course, whatever you want," said Trigger, his expression falling as if he remembered that he wasn't the boss in the room—not that Angela ever thought of herself that, but it was still fun to mess with him.

She laughed. "I'm just kidding. Hitman sounds awesome."

His grin was back on his face as he readily looked for the movie and hit play.