Angela already got burned once for trusting a person she thought was a good man. And because of that, she couldn't trust so easily, but she tried giving it to Gael. She resisted, and then he insisted. It should have ended as soon as they landed back home, but no, he had to promise he would call. She wasn't stupid. She knew what he meant when he said all that because she felt it—or at least that's how he made her feel. So was she really at fault that she expected?

Maybe so. Maybe she did this to herself. Maybe she did deserve this second burn.

Players like Gael are known to be hot and cold, which is their tactic to take control of their women. And Angela knew this because she had friends in the past who were players. They would date women and treat them nicely—they would be sweet, caring, loving, and all of a sudden, they would vanish and make the women wait, watching them beg for them to come back and give them attention again.

And when the players come back to them, the poor women would forgive and worship them like they're God. The cycle repeats, and that's how these players take control of their relationship, making the women be obsessed with them. It does sound crazy, but that's the reality. And there are a lot of women who fell for this.

And Angela refused to be like one. Not only did he break his promise, but he also intended to play with her from the very beginning.

She scoffed, watching the lights outside the car window as she sat at the backseat of the car. That wasn't how tonight was supposed to be. But at least it was done.

The driver was quiet when she got in the car, and he drove back towards the city proper. He had no clue what she and that man were talking about, but it seemed to be heated and stressful—what with Angela looking all so gloomy the entire car ride.

"Can you take me to the mansion instead?" she told the driver.

As soon as they arrived, Angela got inside the mansion. She briefly greeted her father when she saw him in the living room with her brother, and then she went to her bedroom without much explanation. The two men looked at each other, unsure of what happened to her, but they just shrugged and got back to their conversation.

Angela decided to turn in early. It was what she did whenever she wanted to forget what caused her distress—sleep.

…

Meanwhile, Gael stared at his phone, contemplating whether to call his ex or just head over to her house uninvited. After giving it a thought, he decided to text her instead to avoid causing trouble.

[Why did you tell Angela? Call me when you get this or I'll stop by ANYTIME.]

Gael didn't think he would really stop by anytime, but that should at least scare her.

"Boss, are we heading back home?" asked the driver.

The house that Gael bought was located outside of Mayne City. It was a small town with a small population. He had no neighbors, which meant there was no disturbance. It's probably haunted—not that he was scared or anything, but it was the only place he could settle in without alerting the Park family because technically, he wasn't allowed to stay in Esmea.

It took Gael a minute to think things over before responding, "To the Cliffside Villa."

…

Cliffside Villa

It was almost midnight, and Gael arrived at the Chos's residence without calling first. He knew that Daniel would still be up at this hour because he was a workaholic, so he should still be in his study doing what company owners do in their free time.

He stood at the gate and rang the doorbell. It was oddly quiet that night, and there was no guard at the gate, but their cars were parked inside. After his third attempt at ringing the doorbell, he was just about to turn around when the light above him turned on, and then the main door opened at the same time that the gate did.

Walking towards the main door, he saw Daniel bare-chested with only his pajamas on, and he was sweaty and breathless.

Gael narrowed his eyes at his friend and questioned, "What were you doing?"

Daniel glared at the other with his hands on his waist, opened his mouth, and then closed it before he finally replied, "I was… working out. What are you doing here?!"

"I need to talk to your wife."

The crease between Daniel's brows got deeper. "Why?"

"Girl stuff."

Seemingly uninterested what Gael was talking about, Daniel stepped aside to let him in and went upstairs to their bedroom to get his wife. He wasn't gone for too long, and when he came back, he had changed into a new set of loungewear.

"Samantha's already sleeping."

Daniel was just walking down the stairs when a door from upstairs swung open, and a woman's voice loudly said, "Tell your friend to get lost."

"She doesn't want to talk to me," Gael muttered as he heard the door close.

"Nope. She doesn't."

Daniel headed to the kitchen and Gael followed behind him. He offered something to drink, and they decided with a shot of scotch. "What did you this time?" he asked as they sat in the living room.

"Do I look like I create trouble wherever I go?" Gael's tone was sharp, but he wasn't mad at the other. He took a sip from the drink in his hand. His hair was slightly messy like he had run his fingers through his hair many times.

"I heard Becca's not talking to you either." Daniel leaned against the backrest of his chair as he watched the other stare at nothing in particular.

"Women." Gael scoffed. "One gets mad at you, and the whole cheerleading squad is mad at you."

Instead of consoling the other, Daniel ended up laughing. "If the whole squad is mad at you, then you were probably being a dîck." He sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't be talking to you right now… I don't want my wife getting mad at me." Then he ran his fingers through his hair subconsciously as if he was reminded of something.

Gael snapped his eyes at the other, and his jaw tightened. He couldn't even argue with it because his friend was right. It was indeed a dîck move for him.

The room was quiet for a few minutes before Daniel set his glass down at the table and faced Gael, asking, "So what is it? What happened?"

Left with no choice, Gael ended up telling Daniel everything from Angela's book to his arrival in Esmea, the island, and what happened before he came here.

Daniel laughed at his luck. He couldn't imagine what he would do if he were to find himself in a book like Gael did.

"Honestly, I can't blame her," Daniel began. "You may not have done what you planned to do initially or stopped it before you had gotten far, but it doesn't change the fact that you said what you said and now she thinks whatever you did was all part of that plan."

"But I stopped—"

"Doesn't matter. She doesn't know that… And even if you tell her, it will be hard for her to believe you."

Gael ran a hand down his face, looking exhausted and frustrated. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

Tilting his head to the side, Daniel scanned the serious look on his friend's face, then he probed, "Do you really want to gain back her trust?" When the other nodded in response, he added, "And you're willing to do anything?"

Gael stared at Daniel. Then he asked himself the same question, 'Am I willing to do anything?'