Gael removed the woman's arms around his neck and backed away from her. His harsh glare could cut glass, and it was a look that Angela never wanted to be on the receiving end.
The woman with full makeup had long, straight blonde hair. She wore a green strapless wrap around dress that barely contained her fake boobs as she folded her arms underneath them and pouted like a child being denied candy.
'Suits you right, you tree! He's MY candy!' Angela shouted in her head.
Wait. Trees are essential, so calling her that would be an insult to trees.
'You...frog!'
Kermit the Frog must be fuming.
'You...you Grinch! Ha!!!' She high-fived herself in her head.
Perfect. She's green, and it's the Christmas season.
"What are you doing here?" Gael questioned in a cold tone.
Even with his rude attitude towards the blonde, Angela couldn't help but wonder who she was and how they knew each other. The way she immediately threw herself at him, she was probably someone who did that a lot whenever she saw him. What's bugging Angela was if Gael allowed the blonde to climb all over him before—maybe not now because she was here with him. Ugh. That made Angela want to break the blonde's face even more.
"I just arrived before you came, actually. Justin called me earlier and told me he was here." The female blonde nodded at the drunk man at the bar whose head and sprawled arms were on the counter. "You remember Justin, right?"
Gael did not answer her, his eyes scrutinizing Justin at the bar. Angela noticed that he barely looked at the woman talking to him, and that was the only consolation she took while she stayed away from them. From where Angela stood, she could see Gael's back and side profile, and she was hyper-aware of how rigid he became as if just one small thing would make him snap. Her heart began to race.
The blonde woman walked towards Justin and shook him. "Hey, come on. Gael's here. Get up!"
As if hearing something life-changing, Justin straightened up and struggled to open his eyes to look at Gael, a wide smile ghosting his face as he pointed at the former. "Ah! There ya are! See? What did I tell ya?" He spluttered at the bartender and waved his hand around before facing Gael again. "I told ya I knew this guy! We go way back! Way way back!" He stepped off the barstool. Angela was surprised the guy didn't fall on his ass when he sat there in his drunken state. His half-buttoned up white shirt was rolled to his elbows, revealing a snake tattoo on his arm. He ran a hand through his messy blonde hair and sniffed.
Justin trudged towards Gael, swaying on his feet as he pushed the blonde woman off him. He didn't get to come too close as the guards stepped forward and blocked his way. Justin laughed, throwing his head back and clapping as if it was the funniest thing in the world. "Look at him… He's so different now. D'ya know ya boss was nothing before? He's the kid who didn't do anything but study. Heck—he even tutored my girlfriend, Scarlett. Isn't that right, Scar?"
"Why are you bringing that up, Justin?" The blonde woman knitted her brows. She stood next to Gael again, a foot away from him, and then faced the drunk man. "And ex-girlfriend. I'm just nice enough to come to you when you call."
So her name was Scarlett. Tch. And it seemed like there really was some history between her and Gael. Angela crossed her arms under her chest, mostly because she didn't know what to do with her hands. She itched to insert herself between Gael and Scarlett. Their short distance was annoying.
Justin shot Scarlett a glare as if what she just said pissed him off, but he grinned once again when he lifted his gaze back to Gael. The man was tall, but Gael was taller, so he slightly had to raise his chin.
"Why are you causing trouble in my club?" Gael prodded with a disinterested tone laced with irritation.
Justin sharpened his gaze—or tried to, and that's when Angela noticed his bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils. This man was high.
She instinctively took a few steps backward, her back hitting a hard chest. She looked up and saw that it was one of Gael's guards who followed them earlier. Her hands clenched when she met the guard's scowl, and she stepped away from him. But instead of looking away, she arched a brow as if challenging him to do something. It was probably a stupid move to do so, but she didn't like being looked down upon—even if it was a mafioso.
The guard was the first one to break eye contact, and she faced front again. Justin took a cigarette stick from his pocket, lit it up, and drew a long drag before blowing the smoke to Gael's face. The latter didn't budge, his eyes narrowing at the other. Angela could almost feel him wanting to hit the man, but he was still beyond it.
"I'm here to deliver a message," said Justin.
"What message?"
Justin took his time with another drag, blowing the smoke out before he drawled, "Fil said to accept the deal...or he'll send his trappers to sell snowflakes under ya name all over New York, New England—"
Justin didn't get to finish his words. His cigarette fell off his fingers when Gael wrapped his large hand around his neck. He was pushed backward until his back hit the edge of the bar counter, glasses clattered by the violent shake. He groaned.
Angela gasped, and she froze at the scene happening before her. She didn't break her gaze, but she could sense that no one else in the room seemed to be alarmed by what Gael just did except for Scarlett, whose hands flew to her mouth and eyes widened.
Gael's intense stare darkened, and veins protruded from his arms and neck as he bit out, "How dare you step foot in my territory to threaten me?" His deep, cold voice sent a shrill down Angela's spine, making her swallow.
Justin forced a laugh despite getting choking. "Don't hate me. I'm just the messenger."
"Gael, stop. He's just drunk…" Scarlett came closer to the two men and hesitantly reached out to them. "Let him go."
Gael ignored the woman and his tone sharpened. "I didn't know you became that fûcker's lap dog. Have you become so desperate, huh? Daddy doesn't feed you anymore?" He chuckled as he removed his hand from Justin's neck—only to grab him by the collar, pulling him so that he was on his face as he snarled, "Tell your owner I'll eat him for breakfast if he messes with my bottom line."
A guttural cough erupted from Justin's throat when Gael tossed him to the side, and he stumbled onto the floor. He laughed like it was all just a game, and what happened didn't just get him a sore neck.
"Show him out and ban him from coming back. Inform the others," Gael ordered. The guards immediately acknowledged and grabbed Justin off the floor, dragging him out of the club.
"Be careful!" Scarlett yelled behind the guards, but she didn't move from where she stood.
Gael asked the bartender, "Has he paid for his drinks yet?" When the bartender shook his head, he faced the woman in the black dress—whom Angela figured was probably the manager of the club—and told her, "Process his bill and charge a hundred percent fee for collateral damage."
The woman bowed before leaving the area.
"Forgive Justin. I don't know what's gotten into him." Scarlett walked up to Gael, her sultry eyes roaming over his physique as her hands slid up his shoulders. "It's been a while. Take me out to dinner? Or...maybe upstairs if you want to...catch up, hm?"
Angela saw red. If she was just tolerating earlier because of the tense atmosphere, she was certainly not going to let this go now. She didn't know what came over her. She hadn't gotten over what happened with Justin yet, but she succumbed to the fire burning inside her, strode forward just as the last syllable left the bish's lips, and shoved her forefinger hard onto Scarlett's chest until the latter recoiled.
"I suggest you keep your hands to yourself, Lady Grinch. He doesn't like being touched," Angela warned, her tone neutral but her smile supercilious, expressing disdain towards the other. Then she curled her hand around Gael's bicep, feeling him flex under her touch. Only she could touch him.
"Wha—Who the hell are you?" Scarlett spat, her carefully drawn brows drawing together as she gave Angela a once over.
"Hmmm… You don't need to know who I am." Angela's smile broadened as she raised her chin. "All you need to know is that I'm everything you wish you could be."
Scarlett's jaw dropped as if she could not believe what she just heard.
Angela heard Gael's suppressed chuckle, but she ignored it when she looked up at him. "Can we leave?"
The proud, satisfied grin on his face undid her. He snaked an arm around her waist and led her away. "As you wish."
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