Gael's Naughty Angel: A Mafia Prince Romance

Humidity was high in Mayne, Esmea when Gael's plane landed at ten in the morning. Angela had already changed into light clothing when they were still in the air, and while she already missed Gael since the second she boarded his plane, she was also excited to see her family after weeks of being away.     

Gael had insisted that apart from Trigger, Rick would go with her. Angela didn't argue, knowing that it was the only way to make him feel more at ease since he had to stay behind in New York. He didn't trust Santiago to guard her after what happened the last time so he was sent off to guard one of the Empire clubs instead.     

At first, she felt a bit sorry for Rick and Trigger having to babysit her, but she was closer to them now to realize that they were like family already. Truth be told, she was comfortable having them around and it was probably for the fact that they were like Gael's brothers and knew him like family too.     

Dressed in a custom-tailored business suit, Oliver was leaning against his black Ferrari on the tarmac next to one of their family's SUVs. As soon as he saw his sister getting off the plane, he pushed off the car and met her halfway. His eyes scanned her form and they narrowed as he worried, "What the hell happened to you this time?"     

Angela blinked and swallowed. It was only twelve days since The Manor incident and there were still a few yellow bruises and cuts that were visible on her exposed skin now that she was only in a tank top and shorts.     

Rick and Trigger weren't any better with some evidence on their faces that were still healing. Oliver shot them an irritated look. "Anyone care to explain?!"     

The two De Luca soldiers kept their faces unreadable, not showing any signs of fear against her brother.      

Before Oliver could go off on them, Angela looped her arm with his and dragged him towards his car. "I'll tell you on the way home." She never meant to keep that a secret from him, but she just couldn't tell him on the phone at that time.     

After flashing the guys another glare, Oliver deposited Angela into the passenger's seat, and then Rick and Trigger got in the SUV. The two vehicles left the airport to join the traffic, and they headed towards the Su Estate in Oakwood.     

***     

Angela rolled the windows down as they drove home, relishing the familiar feeling and weather of Esmea—and the clean air. Damn it, she missed New York—but not its smell—and definitely only the man she loved there.     

As they passed by friendly faces and the diverse city of Mayne, Angela thought Gael might be right. Perhaps she really needed to come home, not just to see her family, but also to recharge and try to forget about the recent events.     

Once they arrived home, Rick and Trigger went to survey the estate and got in touch with the Su's head of security so they could coordinate.     

"You can't tell Dad about it, okay? I'm only telling you because I can't hide it from you," Angela reminded her brother. She had told him about what happened at The Manor—minus her killing two people. Oliver was a rebel growing up, but Angela knew him well enough to know that he'd never willingly harm people. And… She didn't want to taint herself in his eyes—more than she already was by being involved with Gael's family. "Or at least let me tell him myself. I just need to prepare how I'm going to say it."     

Oliver's jaw ticked as he wheeled her bags towards the front door. "Damn it, sis. You left here to go to NY with a slap on your face and a massive bruise on your back. Now, this? What are you going to tell him about where you got those bruises then?"     

"I don't know… From training?" She smiled weakly and he furrowed his brows at her.     

"And that cut?"     

She glanced down at her arm, the cut from Lauretta's blade already a scar. She swallowed, pushing the nasty thoughts out of her head and shrugged. "Cooking accident."     

He was silent for a few moments before nearly hissing, "Just tell him the truth."     

"He won't like the truth, Oli."     

"He won't like being lied to either."     

Two housekeepers greeted them at the foyer and took her luggage. When they were alone again, Angela faced Oliver. "Hey, Oli… Aren't you going to ask me about her?" she asked, knowing he would understand who she was talking about.     

"Not interested," he dismissed very quickly, leaned in to kiss her cheek, and pull her to his embrace. "I'm so glad you're home, Sis. I'll talk to you later, yeah? I need to get back to the office."     

She understood that he wasn't ready to talk about their mother and she didn't want to push him. But he should at least know what happened yesterday, so she planned to talk to him soon. "Okay. Thanks for picking me up. You're staying here for a few more days, right?"     

"Of course. Dad easily gets lonely here these days. That's why I've been staying for a few weeks now. I'm not going back to my place any time soon."     

"I'll see you at dinner then?" she probed when he released her.     

"You got it."     

Elias descended the stairs as Angela watched her brother drive off and she hugged their butler, making him go stiff for a second before awkwardly patting her back. "It's good to see you, Elias!"     

"Welcome home, Miss." He stepped back and gestured for her to walk ahead. "Your father will be joining you in the sitting room for refreshments."     

While waiting for her father, Angela spoke to Gael over the phone. "I already miss you. I wish you came back here with me," she told him after giving him a rundown of what happened since they landed—though she didn't doubt that Rick had already updated him about it.     

"Me too. Make sure you get plenty of rest today. You don't need to go anywhere later, do you?"     

"No. I'm staying home today. My appointments are scheduled tomorrow until the end of the week."     

"Hmm. Rick has work to do tomorrow, but Trigger will be with you when you go."     

Her brows knit in curiosity. "What work?"     

"It's…a secret. For now. Nothing's set in stone yet, so I don't want to say anything until it is. I promise I'll let you know when it happens."     

"Aha…" Angela's eyes turned into slits as if he was standing in front of her and she was judging him. "A secret huh?"     

Gael chuckled, a sexy—panty-dropping chuckle. She loved hearing his voice on the phone. "For now. You're the one who's been keeping secrets from me."     

"That's different. It's a surprise!"     

"Mhmm. Sure."     

"Ah… There's my Princess…" Charlie walked into the room, his face bright and smiling.     

Angela got off the phone with Gael after promising to call him again later and then jumped into Charlie's arms, squeezing him tight. "Dad!" He laughed, certainly happy to see his daughter too.     

He pulled back and held her at an arm's length. "Let me look at you closely—What… What happened to you?"     

Oh boy.     

She casually laughed it off, waving a hand and gesturing for him to sit on the sofa. "Dad, it's a boring story you don't wanna know. Coffee? Come on, tell me about Dorothy," she said, trying to change the subject by talking about his girlfriend.     

Charlie stared at her silently for a few beats. "You're not changing the subject."     

Sighing, she looked at her father, hoping he could see the plea in her eyes. "I really don't want to talk about it as soon as I'm home. I just want to forget about New York for a while. Is that okay?"     

"That boy didn't do anything to hurt you, did he?"     

Only in delicious ways—but she would never tell him that.     

"Dad, Gael is in his 30s. He's not a boy. And he's going to be your son-in-law. He didn't hurt me. I just want to enjoy being home here with you today. Can we do that?"     

After staring at her for a few more seconds, he nodded. "Okay. But you better tell me if I need to know something."     

"Fine. So tell me… When am I meeting her?"     

Charlie's face lit up once more. "I told her you were coming home and she's looking forward to meeting you, so I'll fly her over here this weekend."     

Then Charlie began telling her where he planned to take them for dinner, his other plans on home renovations, and how he was also excited about Angela's new house that he'd already seen in person the other day. Angela had only been in Mayne for a couple of hours and so far, she was loving it. If only Gael was here with her, it would've been perfect. She started counting down the days of his arrival.