It had been a while since Angela shared a meal with her father at the Empress Restaurant. The last time was when Gael joined them for dinner, and she introduced him to her father. Back then, they were only pretending to date so that her father would stop arranging dates for her with the sons of his business friends. Of course, pretending didn't last very long as Gael and Angela ended up actually dating soon enough.

She was delighted that her father wasn't against Gael and took a liking to him. Though she constantly wondered if he would ever feel the same if he knew about his background. She dreaded the day that she had to tell her father the truth, and she was afraid that would be today.

Oliver was also present during brunch. When she called them earlier, she thought their father would arrange lunch or dinner, but the older man seemed eager to meet her sooner that he immediately set up for an earlier meal. They were regulars at the restaurant, and the late reservation was easily managed.

Angela had already told Oliver about her meeting with their mother the other day. So by this time, she only had to tell her father about it. And boy was she nervous. How was one supposed to open up a conversation that had been taboo in their family?

Charlie asked her questions about her stay in New York City during the first half of the meal, and she answered as truthfully as she could without giving away details that his father shouldn't know about. Although she didn't get to explore the city like a tourist, she surprised herself by learning about the city more than she thought she did. Her enthusiasm was apparent as she told her father about the places she did get to see.

Chairman Su asked her if Gael would come and visit Mayne soon, but all she could tell him was that he was currently busy with a family matter as vaguely as she could without getting too emotional. She was thankful that her father didn't press her on it and proceeded to talk to Oliver about a certain partnership they were finishing this month.

Her brother kept glancing at her, urging her to start what she was supposed to talk about with their father. The more he looked at her, the more she got apprehensive. At one point, while their father wasn't looking, Oliver kicked her under the table, and she gritted her teeth to avoid wincing. That was all it took for her to blurt, "I met Mom."

Silence hung on the table as none of them spoke for a minute. Even breathing felt like it was too loud. Charlie stiffened; his hands stopped from cutting the meat on his plate. Then he placed his utensils down and took a sip of his mimosa. His expression didn't give away to what was in his head. It was hard to guess whether he was mad, surprised, or curious.

"Dad?" Angela probed.

"Where did you meet her?" he asked.

She told him about the library and then the dinner as best as she could without giving away Gael's identity. Angela was also careful when she mentioned seeing the girl—their half-sister—because she wasn't sure if their father already knew about that. "Why didn't you tell me she was in the Bratva?"

"Did she tell you that, or did you find out?"

"Gael told me. He is…" her voice trailed off. She didn't really think this through. There was no way she could tell her father without including information about Gael's family. Shit.

A warm hand covered her slightly shaky one on the table, and she lifted her gaze to meet her father's. Then he said, "It's alright, princess. I know who the De Lucas are."

What? Her jaw dropped, certain that she was stupidly staring at her father, unsure of what he knew about the De Lucas exactly. "Y-You do?" Charlie softly chuckled as he nodded, and she just knew. "But when? How? Why didn't you tell me you knew?"

Oliver slowly put the puzzle pieces together and gasped. "Holy shit… Are we…?"

Charlie gave his son a stern eye for the language. Their father didn't like it when they cursed during meals. "No. The Sus are…normal citizens—for lack of a better term. Though I can't say I'm innocent. But that's not what we're talking about right now." He faced his daughter. "Angela, I'm not as oblivious as you think. I know who the De Lucas were from many years ago. They're one of the founding Italian mafia families."

Angela still hadn't recovered from the initial shock, and she was still staring at her father wide-eyed. "But…you liked Gael…even though he's mafia?"

Letting out a clipped sigh, Charlie gave her a pointed look. "I loved your mother and even married her despite her being the daughter of a Bratva leader. I don't judge people based on where they grew up or who their parents are. That's not their fault."

This was a new version of her father that she hadn't seen before. She always thought he was sometimes aloof, strict, and had some secrets, but she associated that with the fact that they were part of the old Su Clan who had secrets of their own. But this wasn't one of them. His knowledge of the mafia families was quite surprising for her. It was like he was shedding off a mask that he had kept for a long time.

Although he didn't directly answer her question, the meaning was pretty obvious. He loved Cynthia and accepted her, and then he extended that same impartiality towards Gael. Angela's cheeks warmed at the thought of her father actually liking the man she loved regardless of his background. It was a strange feeling. Then the thought of her current state of relationship with Gael tamped down her feelings, and she had to brush it away.

"How did you meet Mom?" Oliver asked, sounding slightly hesitant. He had been wary about her when Angela told him what happened in New York. But now, it was evident that he, too, was curious about what went down between their parents and how it all began.

Charlie stared at the orange liquid inside the flute.. He watched it as he swirled, though his eyes seemed distant as though he was recalling the past in his mind.