At ten in the evening, the pre-party had just started, and the bars were filled with patrons, trying to get a headstart of their night. The Manor offered a premium nightlife experience, which, according to Gael, had a similar vibe with The Phantom's Empire. But Angela wouldn't know as she had only seen the Empire club during the afternoon that she visited, and the bar was the only one opened, so there were only several patrons then.
Leather sofas and luxurious interior design covered the whole venue. And just like Gael's club, this superclub also had three floors. At the moment, they were at a VIP section on the second floor in an elevated U-shaped booth. Their table was filled with expensive bottles of liquor and they also had their own bartender as per Gael's request because even though they owned this club, unexpected things could happen and he didn't want to risk someone slipping something into Angela's drinks.
"What do you want?" Gael whispered to her ear. He was too close and just to her liking.
"I don't know if I should. I have to be at the orphanage tomorrow, remember?"
"You're going after lunch, so you can sleep in. If you want, you can drink a glass."
"Are you drinking?"
He shook his head. "I've abstained from hard liquor so I might get a seltzer. But if I must drink, I'd probably just get a glass of wine."
She scanned the table, trying to think of what she wanted to drink. One glass wouldn't hurt. "Just champagne, I guess?" Gael suggested a champagne cocktail, saying that it was more fun than a regular one, so she agreed.
Soon, three men in suits arrived at their booth who greeted Giovanni and Gael as they joined in. She thought they must also be one of them. Angela minded her own business and didn't stare at the other men despite her curiosity. She noticed that none of them looked her way either.
From where they sat, she was able to peer over the floor below them. The patrons' outfits were all cocktail dresses, and the men were either in dress shirts or vests—everyone was dressed to kill. Giovanni was serious about his dress code—not once did she see someone wearing a T-shirt—even the servers and staff were wearing cocktail dresses and dress shirts. Gael told her that it was the same with his club and most of the clubs they owned.
A little while later, Val came and sat next to her. Gael was to her left while Val was to her right. They made small talk about where they were from and what they do. She learned that Val was two years older than her, who used to model for clothes for a few years when she was younger—it was probably how she knew Angela's size easily, even without asking. In recent years, Val had been helping out Giovanni with his clubs. She didn't specify what she did exactly, and Angela didn't press on either, knowing that she was also active in the family business like Gael told her. Angela was curious, but she decided it was best not to ask further.
It was dark inside the club but she had the chance to really look at Val's features and she was really beautiful. The latter had long dark hair, dark eyes, and tanned skin. Val was a few inches taller than her with long, silky legs. This made her even more curious as to what this woman did in their family business.
Two warm fingers slipped into the open side of her waist and under the dress, caressing the skin of her abdomen. She slightly flinched at the contact—only because she was surprised, but knowing that it was Gael, she didn't swat the hand away. He didn't do anything beyond that and just kept his hand there possessively. She placed her arm over his hand as if to cover it from possible prying eyes. It was dark enough in the club that Val shouldn't be able to see what her cousin was doing.
And damn if Angela wasn't tempted to encourage him to slide his hand up to where she really wanted his hand.
She liked this touchy side of Gael. She leaned into him more, and he shifted to her left, the warmth of his side heating her left arm. While Val was taking a sip of her cocktail, Angela turned her head to him, and he was looking at her with a heated gaze. She smiled and wordlessly rested her hand on his lap, her hand curling on his mid-thigh. He seemed to like her touch because he angled so that his leg was closer to her. And then he smiled back.
Another man arrived, catching her attention. It was the man with the gun from this afternoon. He had changed out of his hoodie and was now dressed in a dark shirt and a black suit. He greeted the two bosses, casting a quick glance at her before looking away and sitting next to Giovanni and talking in whispers.
"Who is he?" Angela whispered to Val. "I saw him this afternoon."
"That's Trigger. He's one of Gael's...um...workers. Where did you see him?"
"Gael dropped by around Greenpoint today. He said he had to do an errand… You mean a soldier?"
Val's eyes snapped to hers, her brow arching. "He brought you there, and he told you that?"
Angela wasn't sure how to answer her question. She tried to read the other's face, but Val was good at hiding what she was thinking. "Was he not allowed to?"
Val chewed her bottom lip, shifting her stare from her to Gael, and observed his body language as if she was looking for something only she knew. "I had my guesses that you're not...an ordinary woman, Angela. But the more I get to know you, the more I see that you're special...to him."
"What are you saying?"
"He doesn't bring any woman to his house, yet he brought you there. He doesn't bring anyone near the family business either…" She tilted her head. "How much do you know him?"
Angela couldn't answer, but she didn't look away and kept her stare at the other. They went on like this for several seconds without speaking.
Then Val flashed a grin. She reached out and tucked Angela's hair behind her ear. "Don't worry, Sweetheart. I'm just curious. For what it's worth… I like you and I hope you're staying."
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