152 Two Birds One Mr. Stone

She must be crazy for even thinking that she could appear in public with this man next to her. He probably wouldn't want to be exposed out in the open—what with his identity and all. Gael wasn't even wearing anything fancy. His dress shirt hugged his physique tightly, and the cologne he's wearing was enough to complete his look. They walked down the stairs slowly while she hoped the steps would go endlessly.

Once they landed on the first floor, Angela reluctantly retracted her hand from him but not after she squeezed his arm. The gesture made him steer his fierce gaze away from Vincent and look at her adoringly.

"You look lovely, Angela." Vincent stepped forward, took her hand, and kissed the back of it.

She felt Gael stiffen. "Thank you. You clean up nice, too," she responded.

Vincent turned to Gael and plastered a polite smile on his face. He looked handsome in his tuxedo. "It's nice to see you again, Mr. De Luca."

"I can't say the same," was Gael's curt reply, his eyes still trained on her instead of him.

Maintaining the smile on his face, Vincent said, "Your house is very...spacious."

Still not looking at him, Gael responded, "Mm. Angela loves it here."

She briefly knitted her brows when she glanced at Gael and then faced Vincent when he asked, "You like living in the suburbs? Hmmm… And here I thought you were a city girl through and through."

Angela cleared her throat, suddenly feeling conscious and hot that Gael's eyes were still on her. "I like nature. Shall we go? Traffic might get worse if we leave late."

"Of course." Vincent offered his arm, which she accepted. "Have a good evening, Mr. De Luca."

Before she could turn away from Gael, he caught her elbow. In a gentle yet firm tone, he told her, "Angel. If anything happens, call me."

Angela swallowed, feeling the burn on her skin where his hand was. "Okay." She nodded and smiled at him before turning around and heading out of the house.

That would be a stretch, but Angela knew that they could be violent when needed. The idea was both hilarious and nerve-wracking for her. She gave Vincent a side-glance, small mirth dancing on her eyes as she answered, "Don't try anything funny."

"You're no fun." He shook his head. The driver opened the door for them, and Vincent helped her inside. 

She rolled her eyes and softly chuckled as they settled inside the car. As the limo rolled out of the driveway, she couldn't help but look at the front door, hoping to see Gael one more time before they drove away. But she was disappointed to see the front door was already closed.

…

An hour later at the party, Vincent and Angela stood by the bar, sipping fancy cocktails and grabbing a few bites of hors d'oeuvres from the passing waiters. They talked about random stuff—some about the people around them, a couple of his projects in Esmea, and her foundation for the orphans. 

A few women noticed him and tried to flirt even while she was beside him, but he gently let them down and carried the conversation with Angela. Shaking her head, she teased that he only brought her there so he'll have an excuse not to talk to them. In which he quickly dismissed, saying, "Their flirting might have worked on me a few years ago. But I'm not that guy anymore."

"Sure." She chuckled.

She excused herself for a bathroom break, thankful that she didn't have to wait in line. When she returned to the bar, she saw Vincent looking at a video on his phone seriously. He was so focused that he didn't even notice her presence. Angela kept quiet and decided to peer over his shoulder. A pretty woman was dancing in what seemed like a club with her friend, taking shots and hollering. There were no sounds as the video was on mute, but it looked like a reel or a story from Instagram.

Angela glanced at Vincent and saw the scowl on his face. He looked somewhat pissed. Okay…

"Who is she?" she wondered.

Vincent abruptly clicked a button on the phone. The screen went dark. He cleared his throat and pocketed his phone before taking a swig of his martini. "No one," he mumbled. The scowl disappeared and was replaced by an impassive expression.

"I don't believe you. She's gorgeous. Someone you know?" She flagged down the bartender and ordered another round of her cosmo.

He took a deep breath and kept his gaze away. "My temporary secretary."

"Oh… Why didn't you bring her to Mayne? Or is she here?"

"I…" He cleared his throat. "She said she was busy tonight. An important prior engagement she couldn't cancel. My assistant is with me. I don't need her."

Angela studied his expression. He looked like he was trying to suppress something. "Is she single?"

His jaw ticked. "I don't know. Maybe."

Something tickled her tummy and she didn't want to let go of it. Sipping her drink, a smile flitted across her face. It looked like Vincent had a thing for this girl. And she wanted to poke it. "Well, I wouldn't be surprised if she has a boyfriend. Men must flock after her wherever she goes. Great smile…sexy...she really looked hot in that sparkly blue dress. I mean...I'm straight, but I'd go gay for her."

Vincent, who had been avoiding her gaze, finally turned to face her. He narrowed his eyes, his mouth slightly opened as if he wanted to speak but didn't know what to say.

Nonchalantly, she averted her eyes and looked at the jazz band on the stage in the front. She took another sip. "You like her." It wasn't a question.

Through her periphery, he swallowed. "Don't be ridiculous. She's my employee." He downed the rest of his drink and called the bartender for a refill.

Angela wanted to laugh, but she controlled herself, though she couldn't help but smile mischievously. Vincent hadn't been annoyed with her ever, but because of this chick, he became a bit antsy as he drank his drink. "You'd look great together. Tell me about her."

"I'm not discussing this with you." He nodded at a man in his sixties by the stage. "There's Mr. Whitman."

She examined the man. "He's the investor? I think I remember his face."

"I'm still courting him to fund the project. He's a tough nut to crack."

"And how do you know he's going to sway your way if I meet him?"

"He knows your father. But he's a little elusive, so I could only meet him at this party. Come on, let's go over there." He placed a hand on her back and they walked towards the stage.

"Okay. Here goes nothing." She took a longer sip before they faced the investor.

Vincent introduced her and Mr. Whitman. The latter seemed amiable when he saw her, saying he knew her because of her father. She vaguely recalled the old parties she attended in the past where she and Oliver were introduced to his father's business partners. They made pleasantries and then talked about Vincent's project where she surprisingly contributed some thoughts of her own. 

A few minutes later, a woman, maybe in her mid-thirties, came to their group. Vincent kindly spoke before Mr. Whitman had the chance. "Angela, this is Mr. Whitman's lovely fiancée, Ms. Pam Cox. She's the Director of Better Education at James Corporation..."

Oh.

OH!

A bright smile ghosted Angela's face while Vincent introduced who she was to Pam. Over the months, she gathered a total sum of eighty thousand dollars from different sponsors—twenty thousand short of her target. And because she was busy with her books, it's been hard on her. Vincent told her about Pam yesterday and she was elated. If she gets Pam on her side, the orphans would finally have a school in just a few months. 

"You look stunning in your dress, Ms. Cox," she complimented.

Ms. Cox blushed. "Why, thank you, dear. Please call me Pam."