The living room had been quiet for a while now, and the temperature had gotten colder since the fire had gone out, yet two figures remained in the same position—except both of them were asleep.

Angela still had her back against the couch while Gael laid on her lap. The book that he managed to finish the first chapter was now lying on top of his stomach. They looked so peaceful and comfortable as if they were made for this—her hand rested on his chest while his hand covered it so naturally.

Had Angela known that this was how her night would end, she would have laughed her heart out. How did she end up in this state when she was so irritated by him at the restaurant?

The rustling of branches knocking against the nearby window woke Gael from his short slumber. He opened his eyes slowly and met her beautiful face. Even with her eyes closed, the corners of her mouth were still upturned. He almost forgot how pretty she looked even when she's not trying to be. Realizing where his hand was, he subconsciously stroked her delicate hand gently and relished the feeling before getting up from the cold floor.

Then he made sure that the fire was completely put out before he picked her up and carried her towards the bedroom where he carefully laid her on one side of the bed. She stirred a little but continued sleeping soundly.

Gael bent down to her side and let out a small sigh before he whispered, "Sorry for bringing you into my world. I promise to make things right."

He caught sight of a small movement next to her, and then he saw Honey. They stared at each other for a while like they were communicating telepathically. Even without speaking, he and Honey seemed to be agreeing on something. 'I know, right?' he said in his thoughts.

After tucking her in, Gael left the bedroom. At half past four in the morning, the extremely long day finally came to an end. However, the next day was yet about to start. And just like that, it was another sleepless night for him.

…

Thursday — December 13

Angela woke up to her phone buzzing at nearly eight in the morning. Having only slept for about five hours, her head ached. She checked her phone and saw the missed calls from Nina, so she called her back right away.

"Did you just wake up?" Nina questioned as soon as the line connected.

"Yeah. Migraine. What's up?" Angela responded groggily. She was still slightly disoriented as she scanned the room and remembered where she was. Then what happened last night came back to her. How did she end up in the bedroom? Did he carry her? The realization woke her up completely, causing her to sit up on the bed.

"Just checking up on you. I'm meeting some people out of town today. How's your book going?"

"Uh… I… I haven't finished it yet." Angela looked from left to right of the empty room. She was alone—even Honey was nowhere to be found.

Nina sighed. "Okay. Well… You still have a couple of weeks. I'm sure you can think of something then."

Angela rolled out of bed and answered absent-mindedly. "Yeah…"

Nina said something to her, but she was focused on the voices she heard that's coming from downstairs.

"What do you think?" asked Nina.

"Sorry—Ninz, can I call you back later?" Angela ended the call without waiting for her friend's response, and then she opened the door to check on the noise.

Once she stepped out of the living room, the voices became more apparent. One belonged to Gael while the other was from a man she didn't know. She walked towards the stairs and peered, trying to see what was happening in the living room. A man in a suit was arguing with Gael. They were about the same height and had similar features. That's when she guessed that they could be family.

"You've been here long enough. Aren't you done with your rendezvous yet?" the other man questioned Gael.

"There's no need for you to visit, Gio. I've got everything under control." Gael's nonchalant response as he faced the tall window that overlooked the road outside made him look cool—even when the other man, Gio, looked pissed.

"Really?" Gio scoffed, blowing out a thick cloud of smoke after sucking in a black-colored cigarette. "For the first time… This is the most that I've seen you not in control." He glanced at Gael. "What's gotten into you?"

Gael did not respond. His uncle offered him a cigarette, but he only looked at him sharply.

"Ah… I keep forgetting you stopped," Gio muttered and pocketed the pack before he killed the cigarette in his hand. Then he took a deep breath and faced the other. "Go home—or are you here to—"

"I'm not," Gael cut him off harshly. He was growing impatient by the second. "I'd rather feed myself to the lions than agree with the ridiculous terms."

Gio let out a bark of laughter. He turned around, and as if rehearsed, a man came to his side and placed a long trench coat over his shoulders. Fixing the clothing on himself, he spoke while he had his back facing Gael, "You were supposed to go back to Italy a few days ago. They're getting impatient."

Honey jumped onto his legs, and he bent down to scratch its chin and cooed, "Your daddy is in a crisis, yet he's here for God knows what. Bite him for me, Love, will you?"

With an impassive look on his face, Gael turned to look at Gio and Honey. The pupper licked his hand and barked once.

Meanwhile, Angela didn't understand what the two were talking about. She felt strange watching them from the stairs. Just as she was about to turn and go back to the bedroom, Gio got to his feet and looked up—then he met her eyes.

He only stared at her for a few seconds, and then he scoffed, rolling his neck from side to side before he told Gael in almost a whisper, "Get rid of her."

Gael snapped his head towards Angela, unsure if she heard what his uncle just said.

"Ciao," said Giovanni as he headed out of the door with his men following after him.

Watching his uncle speed out of the driveway, Gael closed his eyes for a few seconds as he composed himself. A visit from Giovanni this early in the morning was the highlight of his day—and it had only just begun. How he both loved and hated his uncle just as much was beyond him.

"Who was that?" Angela asked when she came to his side.

He opened his eyes and saw her standing next to him, looking out the window. "My uncle."

"What did he say? He looked at me like I stole his candy or something…"

Gael chuckled at her words. Just like that, his mood was already better. And it hadn't even been a minute since Giovanni left. Facing her, he crossed his arms over his chest and grinned, "I'm his favorite. He's jealous that you're hogging me."

Angela's relaxed expression instantly turned into a frown. "Who's hogging who?"

Taking a deep breath, he dug his hands into the pockets of his joggers and walked away, heading towards the kitchen. "The plumber will arrive at your unit in two hours. Get dressed. I'll take you there."

"Tch." She glared at his broad back, annoyed that he was playing with her again. Still, she followed him to the kitchen. "I'm hungry. Mr. Landlord, is there anything to eat?"

With a mischievous smile on his face, he teased, "Sit. If you're a good girl, I'll feed you."