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"I haven't told you this last night, but it feels a little weird sitting in this car again," said Angela as Gael drove them towards the Orphanage outside of Mayne City in his BMW 7 Series.

He knitted his brows in confusion. "Weird? Why?"

"Don't get me wrong. This car is gorgeous. But, I don't know… You look different driving this sedan. Not gonna lie—I like your Escalade, better." She smiled.

"Yeah?" He cocked a brow, a smirk forming on his face. "You like me in bigger cars?"

Angela turned to look at him, her eyes narrowing as though she was trying to read his mischievous expression. "You're tall… I'm surprised you even fit in here."

Gael let out a sigh. "Me too. Though this model has enough leg room… I still miss my SUV."

"Mm. You definitely look ho—I mean, the Escalade suits you better." She cleared her throat, suppressing a chuckle from nearly telling him he looked hot in the other vehicle—no need to boost his already massive ego. 

"I'll take note of that. I do look hotter in the Cadillac, don't I?"

The beam on his face was annoyingly attractive. Why did she even bother? He still understood what she stopped herself from saying. "Definitely," he mumbled under her breath.

"What's in that, by the way?" He nodded at the garment bag that she hung in the backseat of his car.

She looked at it, and a smile flitted across her face. "Just something I thought I'd wear later when I give out the gifts."

***

Sunflower Orphan Home

The orphanage was located west of Mayne City up in the mountainous area, surrounded by trees and not far from a rainforest. The land belonged to Congressman Mitchell. His son, Herman, was the one managing it. The family had a sunflower farm a few kilometers from here, and that's where they got the name of the orphanage.

Like its name, there were sunflower beds around the area that looked beautiful in the spring and summer. At the moment, there were no flowers as they've harvested everything before fall. True to its name, Sunflower Orphan Home felt sunny and vibrant even in the winter.

Esmea wasn't as cold as New York in winter, so their clothes were thicker, but they didn't have to wear heavy coats all the time. Today's temperature was cool with a lot of sunshine. Angela wore a simple white pullover hoodie with a few sunflowers printed at the center of her front, blue jeans, and black boots. On the other hand, Gael wore a white henley shirt, dark blue jeans, and a light tone sports jacket. Both of them looked laid back yet stylish.

Arriving at the orphanage, they parked next to Angela's father's Town Car. Charlie Su and Oliver got out of the car, and they waited for them. She each gave them hugs.

"It's nice to see you join us, son," Chairman Su greeted Gael with a light pat on the back as they walked towards the entrance of the home.

"I thought I'd have to force Angela to invite me to come here, actually."

"Hey! You make it sound bad. I was going to invite you earlier…" Angela protested, and the two shared a laugh.

Oliver walked with Angela behind the two, and he leaned in to whisper to her ear, "Where were you yesterday?"

"Why?" 

"I went to your apartment, and the front desk told me some tall, handsome guy with a hot piece of ass picked you up." He rolled his eyes.

"Oh, my god. She really said that?" She scrunched up her nose, not liking the way the receptionist described Gael. She had to roll her eyes too.

"Her exact words were—I'd never forget that hot piece of ass."

She made a mental note to see the receptionist later. Her eyes then landed on Gael's butt a few feet away from her, and she subconsciously bit her bottom lip. He might be wearing dark jeans, but she could still definitely see those were hugging his ass nicely. 

"Ugh. I don't even want to know what you're thinking about right now." Oliver made a face. "So, where were you? You said you'd tell me when I tried calling you yesterday, but I never heard from you."

"I...actually went to New York with Gael." Angela then told Oliver the rough idea of what the De Lucas did during this time of the year. She glanced at her brother, and his unreadable gaze was directed at Gael. It wasn't clear what he was thinking about.

"How much do you really know about this guy, Anj? You've been spending a lot of time with him lately. Do you actually like him?"

"What are you trying to say?"

Oliver shrugged. "Dad may like him, but I can't say the same. He's shady, sis. He might be Daniel's friend now, but there was a time—never mind."

"What?" She halted in her tracks and whirled around to face her brother, causing him to stop as well.

"Nothing. Just...be careful and don't get too attached."

"Chairman Su, Mr. Su, and Ms. Su, you're all finally here. The children have been waiting all morning." Herman Mitchell came to greet them at the entrance of the building. "Please, come on in. The program's about to start."

Herman Mitchell was in his late thirties, slightly pudgy and about the same height as her. Ever since she'd known him a few years ago, she noticed how passionate he was in running this orphanage. He was married once, but they divorced. They had one child, and his family—rather his politician father—had always been wealthy. It was rare to see men who did this kind of work, especially with their background. Nevertheless, Angela thought Sunflower Orphan Home deserved the partnership and the school project that she was working on for the kids.

"Herman, Hi." Angela went to shake the man's hand and introduced Gael—the two men shook hands, and they all chatted as they headed towards the large activity room down the hall. "I've been looking forward to this. I honestly can't wait to tell them the good news," she said.

"Me neither. We have some new kids who came in last week, and they're still a bit shy, but they looked excited when they learned someone was going to visit today to give them some good food and Christmas presents. Three kids have already been chosen, and the couples would pick them up in two days, so this is also sort of a goodbye celebration for them before they move to a new permanent home."

They reached the last door in the hallway, and when Herman opened the door to welcome them, the kids immediately got up from their seats and rushed towards the door, hugging Angela's legs—there were more than forty of them. She was nearly knocked over, but Gael extended an arm outward to stop her from falling. Then she was sent into a fit of giggles while giving everyone high-fives. "Oh, my god! You guys have grown. Seems like you've been eating a lot!"

"Yes, Sister Angel-la! We promised you we would eat so you would come back again, and you're really here!" exclaimed one girl.

"Uh-huh! See? I'm one centimeter taller! Did you bring me a toy car? I want the cool one!" said a boy.

The kids talked over each other, that Angela could barely understand what everyone was saying. 

"Is he your boyfriend?" asked one of the kids.

Angela realized that Gael still had his hand outstretched to steady her from the back. He put his hand down and shoved it into his pocket, a smile forming on his face.

She smiled too. "Alright, kids, let's go sit down so we can eat."

"I wanna sit with Sister Angel-la!"

"No, I wanna sit with Miss Angel-la!"

The kids bickered, trying to get her attention as she allowed them to pull her into the room. She found it cute that they called her "Angel La", but she didn't correct them.

The first part of the program was lunch that Chairman Su had sponsored. The food consisted of a balanced meal that the nutritionist from his company had prepared which suited the kids' palate. And they loved it. 

The staff, Angela's family, and Gael ate too. It was to show the kids that it was a big celebration that included everyone, making the entire event warm.

After eating, the kids were all over Angela, trying to get her attention. Gael made friends with the boys. He showed them a few magic coin tricks, and they thought he was cool, so the little girls and boys climbed all over him too.

Seeing him so good with the kids caused her heart to flutter, and made her smile. Her chest warmed at the scene. She signaled him from across the room, mouthing the words: "I'm going to go change." 

"Need help?" He mouthed back. Angela shook her head, chuckling as she left the room with the garment bag in hand.

She changed into her Lady Santa costume in the restroom on the opposite end of the hallway. When she came out and headed back to the activity room, she noticed some voices from the back exit, which belonged to Herman and another staff. She would have ignored and minded her own business, but then she overheard one saying, "The Northside folks have been paid. We'll get the children in a few days."