Chapter 76 - Love Tales

After her usual morning run, Angela took a shower and got ready to meet her best friend for brunch. She wore a white floral mid-thigh length ruffle dress. Its neckline was a deep V, and although it had long sleeves, the material was quite light and airy that she didn't feel stuffy.

Parting her hair in the middle, she styled the strands into large waves, giving her a carefree look. Then, she scanned her room in search of her small purse, catching a glimpse of her luggage at the side. At first, going back to her apartment in the city center crossed her mind; however, after contemplating, she decided to stay another night in the mansion because living alone in her apartment could get pretty lonely.

Grabbing her purse, Angela stared at her smartphone and thought about the message that she was supposed to send to Gael earlier. She tried to recall what else happened before she fell asleep, but she could vaguely remember. After much thought, she decided to send him a text message. He wouldn't think she was clingy if she did, would he?

[Angela: Hi… I'm going to meet my agent today and tell her about my decision regarding the book. I'll let you know what happens then. Please send me your account. Also, I realized I fell asleep during the call… Sorry about that >.< Anyway, Happy birthday again. May your dreams come true.]

"That wasn't so cheesy, was it? Ugh. Whatever," she said to no one in particular.

Spritzing a light floral fragrance around her, Angela headed out the door. She borrowed one of her father's cars and drove towards the city to meet her best friend.

… 

Busy Bean Cafe

Angela and Nina decided to meet at the most popular cafe in the city that's owned by the daughter of the Chus, one of the prominent families in Mayne City apart from the Kims and the Chos. 

Busy Bean Cafe had several branches all over the city and they would usually visit a branch from time to time to get their caffeine fix. The cafe served brunch from 9 to 11 in the morning, and today, they were craving for their vegan burrito that's stuffed with sweet roasted potatoes, peppers, mashed avocado, tomatoes, and tofu. The two friends weren't vegan, but this dish was easily their favorite brunch meal. The seasoning and sauce was phenomenal.

"What's making you frown today?" asked Nina as she observed Angela from across the table. They had just finished their food and were now finishing their drinks. A latte for Nina and of course, a cappuccino for Angela.

"Am I frowning?" Angela pressed her palms on her cheeks as though doing that would tell her that she was indeed frowning. "I guess I just need more sleep. I didn't get much last night."

"You should have just stayed in today. You did arrive pretty late last night."

Angela shook her head, tracing the side of her cup while the crease between her brows deepened. "Nah. I have to get my mind off what my dad planned for me. Can you believe he scheduled about three months' worth of dates? I have to meet at least one of them each week. Does he have like an army of men that I don't know about?"

"I'd be happy to meet them in your stead if you want. I wouldn't mind." Nina winked. "Are they at least good looking?"

Knowing her best friend all her life, Angela knew that Nina would definitely do it for her. "It's tempting… But my father would know if this face won't show up." She patted her chin with the back of her hand. "These guys are sons of his associates, and I'm guessing they already know what I look like. There are pictures attached to their bio-data—studying the files forwarded to me looked like I was screening for an interview or something."

Nina burst out laughing without a care in the world. The customers around them looked in their direction, but they paid them no mind. "Gosh. I knew your father was a little pushy lately, but I never thought he could be this excessive. You're still blessed, though. At least he's paying attention to you. Mine is just…" She waved her hand in the air, not even caring to finish her sentence, though they already understood what she meant.

Letting out a sigh, Angela took a sip of her warm drink and changed the subject. "Oh, right… Tell me about this project. I didn't quite get what you said through the voice chat."

"Ah! You won't believe who reached out to us." Nina clapped once as she exclaimed, "Love Tales!"

"You're shîtting me." Angela was floored. Love Tales is one of the hottest mobile apps this year—an interactive story game where one can choose a path to take. It has over fifty-eight million downloads worldwide. And Nina just told her that the company reached out to them?! Holy—

"Of course I'm not shîtting you, Angela Kylie! This is the biggest break you've ever had!" Nina whisper-shouted to the other so that no eavesdroppers could hear what they were talking about. "They want your stories, and they're giving you free rein over the decisions on how you want your story to be like in the app."

Nina was still explaining a bunch of stuff, but Angela's mind had already drifted. This was definitely a big deal for her. A huge deal! Angela had never thought she would ever have this chance. If Love Tales would adapt her books into their app—she couldn't even imagine what the results would be. The news was overwhelming for her. 

"This is insane… Really? You're sure that this is Love Tales?!" Angela still couldn't believe it. Her eyes darted to her phone on the table. She was thinking about the times when she played the game, and it was very addicting that she ended up spending a lot on it.

"I'm one thousand percent sure that it's them! They actually called me while you were still in Hillberry, but I wanted to tell you the details personally, so I had to let them know that we needed some time. The chief wants to meet with us personally to go over the details, and they want to start with your first book as soon as possible."

The mention of her first book—Falling in Love With the Mafia Prince—caused Angela's heart to crumble. Her hand clenched tightly under the table while a huge lump formed in her throat. She had planned to tell Nina about Gael and the book. What was she supposed to do now?

Not realizing her friend's internal struggle, Nina asked, "Since you have already cleared out your schedule like I told you, shall we meet them tomorrow? They understand your decision to keep your identity private and assured me that their chief respects that. Once we tell them we're ready to meet, they'll arrange all the necessary preparations needed to make sure no one else can know who you are. So, what do you say?"

Angela stared at her best friend right in the eye, unsure of how to respond. Oh, how she wished that she was back on the island so she didn't have to think about anything like this one.