Gael had been busy all afternoon, working remotely on his club's finances and other properties that he needed to take care of before the year ends. He had a bookkeeper and an accountant, which would supposedly make his job easier, but because of his plans to make all of their businesses legit, he couldn't afford anything to fûck up. Therefore he needed to make sure everything was what it was supposed to be by also doing it himself.

With the legitimate businesses he and his family owned, along with their illegal transactions overseas, who told him transitioning was easy? No one. And yet there he was, working hard just so none of them would go to prison for money laundering.

He had been on the phone most of the afternoon while working on his laptop in the kitchen, wearing a plain white shirt, joggers, and a pair of square-wayfarer-like eyeglasses. From time to time, he'd think about Angela and had been tempted too many times to call or text her, but he didn't. Instead, he decided to focus so that he could finish faster. Besides, he would see her again tonight.

Gael had just finished the last document when his phone rang. He stretched his arms up and rolled his neck from side to side—it made cracking sounds. "Pronto1," he said as he answered Giovanni's phone call.

"Ciao1, Gael. Tutto bene?2"

"Tutto bene. 1What time are you arriving tomorrow?"

"I won't be leaving New York until after lunch. I should be there at three."

"Got it. I will send a car to pick you up." Gael got up from his seat and strolled into his living room to stretch his legs.

"Alright. Have you talked to your father yet?" Giovanni asked.

Gael reached the door and he leaned against the frame, staring at the boring driveway. He hadn't spoken to his dad in a while, and he didn't know when he'd be able to or if he even wanted to at the moment. "No. Why?" He felt a nudge on his ankle, and he peered down to see Honey. He picked her up and held her in one arm against his chest. She was so small and fragile.

There was a few seconds of silence before his uncle answered, "I just got off the phone with him. He told me to tell you—we shouldn't screw up tomorrow."

Running his tongue inside his cheek, Gael rubbed his jaw. "That's a given."

"No matter what happens at tomorrow's meeting, we're going to do as planned. One delay or any interruption will fûck this up. You know that, right?"

"Of course. We've planned this for weeks. How's everything going there?" he asked, wanting to divert the topic. He hated what's going to happen tomorrow, and it was the last thing he wanted to talk about at this point.

They talked for a few more minutes before Gael ended the call. Checking the time on his watch, he had about half an hour until he was supposed to leave to pick up Angela before going to the Chos' residence at the cliffside villa. He decided to give her a call to see what she's up to.

***

Angela was sitting on her bed for the last hour, holding the photo while trying to think about what she should do. Evan was taunting her. That was what he was good at. He thought he could keep scaring her to break her—most of the time, she wouldn't be. She'd learned to shut him out and ignore him, but there were times that she wished she could hurt him. He'd text and call her, but this was the first time he ever dared to pull up a stunt like this. Evan Leos was a sick bastard. She wished he'd rot in hell.

Several images from her memory flashed in her mind, and she shivered, feeling the urge to take a hot bath and soak until she'd feel better. She jumped when her phone buzzed next to her hip, gulping when she saw that it was Gael calling her.

Putting the photo inside the drawer of her right nightstand, she cleared her throat and answered the call. "Hey…"

"Hi. You all good?"

She nodded even though he couldn't see her then kept her tone light. "Yeah, I just...finished what I needed to do for today. You?"

"Same. I'm just gonna do some weights for twenty minutes before I hit the shower and then pick you up. You think you'll be ready by six thirty?" he probed.

Angela took a deep breath. She missed him already and wanted to see him sooner, but if he comes to pick her up, he'd surely notice something was wrong with her, and she was still not ready to talk about Evan. It wasn't that she didn't trust Gael. It's just that, retelling everything would be too much for her. She wasn't ready to go down that road again.

Three years ago, she barely held on to her life after what happened and she felt that she would be reliving everything if she had to talk about it with him. It's better to talk to someone who already knew—and it was her brother and Nina.

"Actually… Oliver is going to pick me up. His place is just ten minutes away, so it only makes sense. You're already on the same side as the Chos' villa. Driving all the way here just to pick me up and then going across the city again would be a hassle for you. How about we just meet at the party instead?"

"I mean… I don't really mind. But sure...okay. So I'll see you there?"

"Yeah. Drive safely."

The phone call ended after she heard his goodbye. She knew she'd have to tell Gael everything at some point, but she didn't think that would happen tonight.

After a few moments, she called her brother who answered on the third ring. "Oli, can you pick me up for the Chos' party tonight?"

There was a sound of shuffling of papers in the background. He must still be in the office. "I thought you and De Luca were going together?"

"No. I need you to come get me instead. It's… It's..."

The background noise from the other line stopped as Oliver sensed the distraught in her voice. "What is it? Where are you?"

Angela then told her brother about the anonymous letter. "...I don't know what to do, Oli. He wasn't like this."

"He's desperate. Shît. I'm coming over. Wait for me," he said before the line went dead.

She thought the same. Evan must be so desperate. But why now?

Ciao—Hi Pronto—ready, as in "ready to speak.Tutto bene.—Everything's good.Tutto bene?—Everything good?