Chapter 480 - KMH Friday Night

Wearing a sexy floor-length sparkly wine strapless evening dress with a ruched waistline and thigh-high slit, Angela got out of the limousine, placing her hand on Gael's. He looked expectedly dashing tonight in his tailored black tux, flashing her a cocky smile as he guided her hand around his arm and walked her along the red carpet.

They paused once to pose for the media for tomorrow's tabloid, and the journalists threw questions at him where he only responded with a smile as if he didn't hear any of the questions. They entered through the double doors where all of the KMH employees gave them a round of applause.

Keith Perry and Malia Rose had already entered several steps ahead of them and were now by the stage. Gael didn't mind that Perry went inside first. After all, he believed in saving the best for last.

Giovanni was a few steps behind, and he brought a date with him that night—a slim and tall, leggy blonde bombshell model who came straight out of the runway. No, really. The woman had a modeling job a couple of hours before the event. The media ate it all up when they recognized the model as one of the rising stars whose face was now on several billboards all over Manhattan.

Angela met the exotic model an hour ago, Katya, she said her name was. Her English wasn't very good, but Angela understood her anyway. There wasn't any reason she would get confused when the woman was pretty much straightforward when she spoke. Especially when Katya said: "Giovanni as big dick, no? Your Gael also big dick?"

Needless to say, that was some interesting conversation Angela surely didn't miss—even if she wanted to.

Right behind them at the entrance were Gabriella, Mariano, and Mika. Gael's father and stepmother were also coming tonight, but they were only to drop by and won't walk the red carpet.

The extravagant celebration overflowed with expensive drinks and long tables filled with delectable food. While Gael and Perry looked civil in public, they didn't really interact on a personal level. They mingled with executives and business partners whom Kline and Morgan—who were also present—introduced to them. The transition was still ongoing and was surprisingly going well.

At one point, when Gael needed a break from all the chit-chat, he excused himself and looked for Angela who hung back at the same table with Gabriella, Mariano, and Mika. The four of them were laughing at something Mika talked about animatedly.

Gael curled the corner of his lips, feeling relieved that he finally saw the girl's smile again. After J's death, Mika was so depressed she didn't want to talk to anyone—not even him. He did try reaching out from time to time, and Mika would respond, but it was nothing more than an expected response. He didn't want to be harsh on her, considering her health condition and mental state, but he made sure their family surrounded her so she wouldn't feel so alone.

When Gabriella told him that she had gotten Mika to come to the party with them, he was definitely pleased. Striding towards them, he placed a hand on Mika's shoulder and pressed a kiss at the top of her head. 

"Good to see you, kid," he said. She looked up, and though there was visible sadness in her eyes, she smiled at him and responded, "You too."

He squeezed Mika's shoulder once before taking the seat next to Angela's. "Hey…"

Angela's sweet smile instantly made him feel better already. "Hey, you… You're so popular today."

Gael rolled his eyes, and his forehead fell to her shoulder as his arms circled her. "It's so hard to be this handsome and a genius at the same time. They just couldn't get enough of me."

She chuckled because even though he was kidding, it was true. There were big shots who came today that they weren't even expecting. And a lot of them were here to see Gael and Giovanni. Gently caressing his face, she said, "I'm so lucky to keep you then."

He slightly tilted his face up and narrowed his eyes at her, a hint of mischief lacing them. "Have you only realized that now, woman?"

"Meh…" She shrugged. "I think I need a reminder here and there."

Gael groaned as he tugged her closer, paying onlookers no mind as he slid a hand through Angela's hair. "Then let this be a reminder." He claimed her lips without second thoughts, kissing her long in a room full of hundreds of people.

"Oh, my god. There's a child here!" Gabriella chided them while covering Mika's eyes, but Gael just ignored them.

"I'm not a child! I'm seventeen!" protested Mika.

"Precisely. Now, I need to go to the ladies' room. You're coming with me." Gabriella got to her feet, already taking Mika with her.

At the same moment, Gael released Angela, and the latter caught up with the other two women, leaving the two men behind. 

***

As the girls were on their way to the restroom, they bumped into Malia, and Gabriella was so excited to pull her into a hug as if the two were long-time friends. They exchanged a few compliments to each other before Gabriella excused herself fast when she really needed to pee.

During the week, Angela saw Malia a couple more times at the KMH office, but Malia had been avoiding her, so they hadn't talked since that restroom encounter. Angela guessed that Malia must've not wanted to be friends with her anymore after learning that she was associated with the De Lucas, considering Malia was engaged to Perry. The woman knew loyalty.

Angela felt a bit bad that she was trapped in this weird bubble because Gabriella seemed to like Malia too, regardless of the situation.

"I like your dress. Looks good on you," Malia said, breaking the strange air between them.

Now she wants to talk? Angela was a little hesitant, but when she looked at Malia, the woman appeared so adorable and innocent. She couldn't help but smile. "Thanks. I like yours too."

"Thank you…" Malia pursed her lips, seemingly reluctant as she asked, "So, you're…Gael's fiancée?"

Surprised by the sudden interest, Angela paused and let the gears in her head work. Judging by the events that lead to now, she had a feeling that Malia must have thought it wasn't Gael she was about to marry.

*** 

While the girls were away, Gael and Mariano were at the table. They minded their own business for a couple of minutes, and then it was Gael who spoke first.

"You found your brother yet?"

Mariano was about to sip his drink, but then he paused mid-air and glanced at Gael. Their eyes met for a second as if they were gauging each other. "No. You?"

"He's a slimy fucker."

That got Mariano to chuckle. "You have no idea."

Prior to today, the two re-established their agreement. That neither of them would stop each other from doing whatever they needed to catch Filippo. And that if one of them did catch him, they wouldn't stand in the other's way. Gael didn't know what Mariano's beef with Filippo was, and frankly, he didn't care. But Gael needed to get to him first.

Technically, Gael wasn't lying. When his men followed Filippo, they were onto him for a few days, watching and observing. They couldn't just grab the man even if they wanted to because they planned to catch him on the act to stop his operations once and for all. Then last week, after Gael's appointment at the hospital, his men told him that they lost Filippo while in transit. He was so pissed that Angela had to calm him down. They were so close, and then the man slipped away.

Gael vowed that it wouldn't happen again. Next time, he'd personally put the bullet through Filippo's head, and then he'd take care of Perry—drive him out of New York, so he never comes back.

Just to play with Mariano, Gael cocked a brow and remarked, "That…or someone's helping him."

The crease between Mariano's brows deepened. It didn't take a genius to understand the underlying meaning of Gael's words. His jaw went rigid, and his nose flared. "You think I have something to do with him?"

"I don't know. You're his brother."

"Brother." Mariano's lip twitched as if the term disgusted him. He shook his head slowly, his eyes looking close to lethal as he scowled at his drink. "I'm sure you know being related by blood doesn't mean shit in our world. If you do find him before me, make sure he suffers before you kill him." He got up from his seat and buttoned his suit jacket, then muttered before walking away, "That may be the only mercy he'll get if I don't see him first."

The animosity radiating off Mariano only brought light to Gael's thoughts. The way he reacted meant that he wasn't lying when he swore that he was against his father and brother. Gael didn't know the exact reason for that, but all he cared about was that Mariano would keep Gabriella safe.

If not, Mariano would pop at the top of Gael's hit list.