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Gael was the kind of man who would fit in the luxury lifestyle of Manhattanites, proven by his interior design taste of the apartment. Even his bathroom that's more masculine than neutral exuded elegance and manliness with marbled floors and walls—black floor and white and grey walls. But he was also the kind of man who was laid back and comfortable living in a brownstone in Brooklyn. And Angela liked both.

Half an hour after their bedroom rodeo, Gael drew a bath for them. He poured some of Angela's bath stuff that smelled of coconuts and her into the tub. Leaning against one end of the tub, he had her sit between his thighs and pulled her to him so that her back laid against his chest. Her hair was tied into a messy ball on top of her head, a few strands fell down the sides of her face. The two of them were relaxed as he gently massaged her shoulders.

"I have something to tell you…" he said beside her head, his hands sliding down her arms. They had been quiet since they got in the bath a few minutes ago, and then he decided to tell her his thoughts.

Angela was absent-mindedly playing with the bubbles, and she paused, sensing the seriousness in his voice. "Is…this about what Giovanni came here for?"

"Mm."

She took a deep breath before turning sideways so that her back was now leaning against his bent knee. The look on Gael and Giovanni's faces when they came out of his office earlier made her feel suspicious. And she had been curious about it, though she was afraid to ask. And now that Gael wanted to talk, her heart was racing. 

"Is the situation getting worse?"

Gael let his hand hang over the edge of the tub while the other rubbed his forehead. He was trying not to show her that he was tense, but he couldn't deny that he wasn't. It wasn't hard for him to mask his emotions to other people. He could be smiling over a shitload of things bottled inside, and the other person would think he was having the time of his life. But with Angela, he wanted to tell her everything. 

Ever since he started having feelings for her—and he didn't know when or how that happened, he found himself feeling physical pain whenever he kept things from her. There would be tightness in his chest—too much pressure like an elephant was sitting on it. He was able to control it back then, but the more he grew to like her, the more painful it got, just like now.

At first, he thought not telling her would be best. But fuck it. So that's what he did. Gael told her about Fabiano and his arrival and the Morellis' demand regarding the arranged marriage.

The whole time Angela was quiet. He watched the change in her expression, and he hated seeing that she was clearly sad about it. She bit her bottom lip and clenched her hands together before wrapping her arms around herself.

Laying her cheek on her knee while facing him, she asked, "They're really pushing you, huh? Do they have that much power?"

Gael scoffed. The thought of the Morellis having more power than the De Luca family was laughable for him. "They're a smaller family, and we're stronger. It's like an insult that they're trying to control the situation by telling us what to do." He laughed without humor. "But our leaving would cause a shift in balance, and from what information they have against us, it could create a bigger war among the other families."

Her brows drew together in confusion. " Because you want to start living…legally? That's kind of a strange thing to be mad at for it to start a…war."

"Because it could be a threat to them," he answered. "We don't necessarily like each other, but we've formed allies and bonds for so many decades. We're not only dealing with Italians. There are Russians, Irish, Japanese—I'm not going to bore you with details on that, but… We co-exist in this world, and if we uproot ourselves, how could they trust us anymore?"

He took a deep breath and added, "We know too much about other families. Leaving this life doesn't give them less competition. It could scare the shît out of them because their competition joins the other side of the circle, and they could see us as a threat."

Angela didn't respond—or she couldn't. He could see the gears turning in her head, and when she closed her eyes briefly, it felt like his heart was being squeezed. He wanted to stop and reassure her that everything's going to be okay, pull her back to him and kiss her. When she opened her eyes again, she said, "You must be having a hard time."

Just how many times could he fall for her? Because whenever he thought she'd break down because of what she discovered, she'd always surprise him. He just told her how risky their situation was at the moment, and the first thing she thought about was him having a hard time. How selfless could she be? Had she not thought about herself in all this mess?

Gael felt the urge to kiss her worries out of her. But she's already sore, and if he did that, he knew where that kiss would end up. He had to pace himself for her sake.

He smiled, brushing his knuckles on her cheek. "I'm used to it. Don't worry about me."

"Why are you telling me all this now?"

"Because I want to. Not telling you things pulled us apart… And during those days… I felt so lost when you hated me." His jaw tightened.

Angela sat up straight, the crease between her brows deepening. "I didn't hate you."

"You didn't?"

She shook her head. "I was hurt. But I don't…didn't hate you. I hated the situation we're in but not you. I think even if I wanted to hate you… I couldn't."

The coil around his heart dissipated. What she said was his undoing. Sliding his hand up her cheek, he pulled her close and claimed her lips. The kiss was slow but sure—as if he was letting her know how much she meant to him.

"We should get out of here. I'm starving." Gael placed one more kiss on her lips. She nodded, and he stood up first then helped her out of the tub.

Gael wrapped a towel around his waist while Angela wore a white plush bathrobe. They dried their hair with a towel, smiling at each other as they did. He knew that even though Angela looked happy, she'd worry about what he told her just now. Did he like making her sad? Of course not. But did he regret telling her? Definitely not. Gael would make sure she'd feel secure while she's with him.

Wanting to drive her thoughts away from that unpleasant news, he kissed her cheek and told her, "Oh, I have one more thing I should've told you."

"There's more?"

Gael nodded his head towards the bedroom behind him. "The windows are a one-way mirror. They can't see us from the outside."

Angela's jaw dropped as he turned around and walked away. Her feet subconsciously followed after him, and then she snapped out of her stupor. 

"You let me think people could see us?" she yelled and threw the wet towel at him. It hit the back of his head. The towel fell to the floor while Gael laughed all the way back to the bedroom.