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Angela\'s heart nearly burst out of her chest, knowing that she would get caught the next second.

However slow she was in backing away, a pair of hands began to grab her so fast, causing the hair down her spine to stand as a sense of danger engulfed her.

One arm closed around her waist and a hand covered her mouth from the scream she was about to belt as she was pulled to the side and away from the door. In the next second, her back was pressed against a hard chest, her eyes bugging out as she heard the door from Perry\'s office open and then close.

"Nothing\'s changed," muttered Perry as he walked away. "Everything is already set in motion. We\'ll proceed as planned." His voice faded out the farther he got until he disappeared at the far corner.

With Angela\'s heart nearly leaping out of her, she breathed harshly against the palm that covered her mouth.

"That was reckless, Angel. What the hell were you doing?" Gael hissed under gritted teeth as he slowly released her, his brows knitted in disappointment.

She exhaled a sigh of relief when her stare landed on him, reassured that she was safe. She didn\'t even know he was behind her and only realized it was him halfway through him tugging her out of sight. He had pulled her against the wall behind Perry\'s office, by the desks where their secretaries were supposed to be and were currently empty—thank God.

"I didn\'t—I… I was heading back to you when I heard him talking to someone on the phone and mentioning your name. He sounded angry, and I… I don\'t know. I couldn\'t help it."

His jaw ticked as he listened and ran a hand down his face, visibly worked up over what just happened. "What did he say?"

Angela told him what she heard just before Perry was about to leave the office. "Gael, he\'s about to do something. And I know it\'s dangerous. I can feel it."

Seeing the worry filling her face, Gael couldn\'t stay mad at her. He softened his tone and reached for her, pulling her close. "We\'ll handle it. As for you… You can\'t do that again, okay? These people are dangerous. It\'s why I was hesitant to even bring you here with me. I didn\'t want to give him any ideas to get to me."

"You know you can\'t hide me forever."

"I know that, which is why you can\'t be out of Trigger\'s sight—or mine. Especially mine." The only reason Trigger wasn\'t on the floor with them was because they didn\'t want to scare the employees with their presence. Even if the soldiers dressed in suits, their appearance and visible tattoos looked deadly and would only bring more attention to the public. "So, can you promise me not to do that again?"

Angela nodded. "I promise."

"Come here," he said as he wrapped his arms around her and then kissed her hair.

Her nerves began to settle, but Perry\'s words remained in her head. She hadn\'t heard anyone say a threat like that, and she was so scared something bad would happen to Gael and his family.

***

Compared to Angela, Gael wasn\'t anxious about what Perry was planning. After all, he had already anticipated Perry would make his move, especially now that Perry didn\'t anticipate the De Lucas closing in on him by buying out Morgan\'s share.

Sure, owning nearly half of KMH—a legitimate company—didn\'t exactly give Perry or the Morellis an upper hand. But just because of that, they had acquired a good foothold in New York City. The longer Perry stayed, the more power they were gaining. And the De Lucas couldn\'t allow any more of that to happen in their territory.

Right after the press conference this morning, Gael had the pleasure of shaking Perry\'s hand. It was to show him that the game was on. If Perry was so confident he could steal the De Lucas\' turf, then he\'d have to be the biggest idiot. So many tried, but all of them failed. Perry must be thrilled to meet his demise, and Gael couldn\'t wait to show him.

The two didn\'t exchange so many words when they had faced each other. Nothing more than fake smiles, congratulations, and welcomes with their handshake. It was cold, abrupt, and pretentious, but just with that brief encounter, Gael had felt Perry tensing up. \'That\'s right, fuckhead. Next time my hand touches you, you\'d be begging for your life—worse, you\'d be dead. Or perhaps Giovanni will have the pleasure of executing that,\' Gael had thought.

***

Friday — March 1

It was the last week of winter and Brooklyn was getting warmer than yesterday, but today there were still more clouds than sun. It had been three weeks since Angela returned to New York with Gael. Time felt both fast and slow.

She sometimes forgot that Gael had brought Evan with them and was still at the Bunk. But this morning, she suddenly remembered him after he visited her in her sleep.

In her dream, Evan was in a dark, cold place. It was so dark she could barely see that there was a floor beneath his feet while he was chained. He wore the same clothes he did the last time she saw him. Only this time, they weren\'t nearly the same color due to the dark blood seeping into the fabric. She could barely even recognize him if not for the color of his eyes and the glare he gave her.

"You did this to me," Evan snarled. "You think you\'re a saint when you\'re sleeping with the devil?" A maniacal laugh came out of him, making her shiver. "They\'re going to kill me. And my blood will be on your hands. You\'re a killer just like all of us."

"No…" she whispered as she took a step back.

"You\'re never going to be happy, Angela. Mark my words, your man will die. He\'ll bleed to death, and there\'s nothing you can do. They\'re going to kill him… And then they\'re going to kill you."

The incessant ringing in Angela\'s ear jolted her up to consciousness in a gasp. Her heartbeat was erratic inside her chest, and for a second, she was afraid she was having a heart attack. But then the ringing beside her continued and she realized someone was calling her phone. Then the ringing stopped as she composed herself. It dawned on her that she woke up alone in bed with Gael nowhere in sight.

The digital clock said it was nine in the morning and there was a handwritten note next to it that said:

[ Good morning, beautiful.

I had to leave early today and I won\'t see you until tonight. The old lady\'s helper next door gave us "authentic Chinese breakfast" (her words). She got excited when she asked who you were yesterday and wondered where you were from because of your surname. Food is on the table. It wasn\'t bad. You should finish it because she will ask if you did and you DON\'T want to lie to her.

Someone\'s coming over today. Have fun. Can\'t wait to see you tonight.

I love you. ]

The heaviness in her heart subsided almost instantly after reading his note. Gael\'s morning notes—or letters—had become more frequent, and she loved it. Actually, it wasn\'t only him. Here and there, on random and intended occasions, they would find each other\'s sticky notes. Sometimes they were reminders of things to do or even just sweet nothings they wanted to tell the other. 

As she began climbing out of bed, she could guess that he must have already found the note she stuck inside one of his pockets. A naughty note that he hopefully read alone.

Angela\'s phone rattled on the bedside table once again, and when she checked, Gabriella\'s I.D. flashed on the screen.

"Gabby?" she answered.

"Angela! Thank God you picked up! I was about to call my brother to tell him you weren\'t answering. I thought something happened to you inside."

"Sorry, I just woke up. What\'s up?" Angela headed towards the bathroom to freshen up.

"Open up! My butt is freezing out here."

"Huh?" She paused, confusion lacing her face. "What do you mean? Where are you?"

"I\'m outside your house!" And just as Gabriella said that, someone banged on the door downstairs.

Still confused, Angela grabbed a robe off the rack and put it on as she descended the stairs. "You\'re here? Why are you here?"

"Duh? I can\'t miss tonight\'s party—Eeeeee!!!" Gabriella squealed when Angela opened the door, and then she crushed her in a bear hug. "I missed you!"

Surprise filled Angela\'s face as she returned Gabriella\'s embrace, the two of them giggling at the threshold. "I missed YOU! How are you?"

When they pulled away, Gabriella\'s eyes were misty, but she had a smile on her face. Angela could see that the other visibly looked better than the first couple of weeks they video chatted with each other—back when everyone was still deeply mourning over J\'s death.

"I\'m…cold. If you still won\'t invite me inside…" Gabriella laughed.

"Oh, my god. Come in!" Angela looked behind Gabriella, and that\'s when she noticed a man in a trench coat with light snow falling over him.. It was the first time she saw Mariano Morelli in the flesh.