Chapter 198 - The Manor (1)
It only took a few minutes to reach Giovanni's club from Gael's house. Even on a Tuesday night, the line outside was so long. The partygoers were probably college students who were on their winter break soon and squeezing every chance to party with friends before they go back to their hometowns. The Manor looked swanky even on the exterior. It reminded her of Gael's club from earlier that day.
Gael rounded the car after stopping right in front of the entrance of the club. He opened the door for her but refused to look at her. He was also quiet on the way here, and she didn't want to keep asking, but his silence bothered her a lot.
"Are you mad at me?" Angela asked.
As if surprised by her question, his eyes snapped up to her. "No?"
"Well, you look mad…" She sighed. "You don't like me in this dress."
He ran a tongue inside his cheek as if contemplating what to tell her. Then he unbuckled her seatbelt, pressing a kiss below her ear before he whispered, "I love you in that dress. But I hate that you'd have to wear it in a room full of strangers." His voice was low and raspy; she couldn't help but lean towards him. But he pulled back slightly and looked at her straight in the eye. "Never leave my side."
Angela nodded. He took her hand as he helped her alight the car, gave his key to a guard in a suit—she didn't fail to see that he slipped a fifty with it—and then he walked her towards the entrance.
Gael nodded at the bouncer who gave a slight bow at his arrival. It was quick but Angela saw him slap a hundred as he shook hands with the burly man. She didn't think he needed to give that man any money to enter Giovanni's club, but she thought it was probably just out of habit. Gael was such a huge tipper and this was him taking care of his people like he always did. They exchanged brief pleasantries before he signaled to get inside.
However, before they could take any step further, a man from the line complained, "What the hell? They just arrived and you're letting them in just like that? There's a long line here!"
Gael halted and so did Angela. He gave her hand a squeeze as he looked sideways.
"I'll take care of it, Boss," whispered the bouncer but Gael raised a hand to stop him.
Taking a couple of steps backward, he turned his head towards the man who just complained. The patron was tall but shorter than Gael and he had wide shoulders and looked athletic. Gael's expression was unreadable as he cast a look at the man from head to toe. With one hand still holding Angela's, he inserted the other in his pocket, tilting his head to the side as if studying the other. She wanted to tell him to let it go, but a part of her also wanted to see what Gael was going to do.
"You're not from around here, are you?" Gael asked, his voice neutral and smooth.
Angela didn't know what the man saw but he took a hesitant step back and clutched the hand of the woman next to him, shaking his head once. "We're from Florida."
"Why are you in New York?"
The man swallowed. "We're just here to visit some friends for the holidays."
"What are you doing in this club?"
"We...heard this and The Phantom's Empire were the best ones in Brooklyn. This was the closest to our hotel."
"Who are you with?" Gael's voice was still calm, and Angela couldn't tell whether he was mad or what. She placed a hand on his arm–unsure if she was reminding him to calm down or something. He didn't sound angry, but the calmness in his voice made her wonder otherwise.
"Just...me and my fiancée."
Gael glanced at the woman next to the guy—she looked down, avoiding Gael's gaze. He nodded as he told the bouncer, "Let them in."
The couple looked uncomfortable as they shuffled past the rope barrier, unsure of what was about to happen. The man's sudden arrogance was no longer on his face. And just like Angela, the couple didn't know what was going on in Gael's head.
Gael motioned another man in a suit standing by the door—he had a name tag that said "Manager" on it. "Show them the bar. Make sure they're well taken care of."
"Understood," responded the manager before he gestured for the couple to follow him into the club. The couple looked back to Gael, and the man opened his mouth as if to say or ask something, but then the manager urged them on, so they could only follow.
When they disappeared, Gael turned to look at the people in line. He raised his chin and gave them a look that was both hot and cold. "Anyone else wants to go inside?"
As if rehearsed, they all shook their heads frantically and waved their hands in front, mumbling, "Thank you." "It's okay." "We can wait."
With that, Gael's lip twitched ever so slightly, and the bouncer chuckled. He then tugged Angela's hand and walked her towards the entrance, where several men in suits lined up to greet them. The music inside the club was muffled by the second padded door a few feet away.
She could no longer help her curiosity, so before they reached the door, she tiptoed and whispered to his ear, "You're not going to do anything to that couple, are you?"
He pulled back slightly and looked at her while cocking a brow. "I don't know what you're talking about, babe. I'm just being hospitable." A sly smile ghosted his lips just before they stepped inside The Manor.
As the guards opened the door, Wake Me Up by Avicii, played by the live DJ, blasted the speakers. One guard took their coats before they were ushered deeper into the club. And holy cow! The luxury night club was packed on a Tuesday night! They weaved through the sea of people, a few guards caging them from the front and back as they headed towards the second floor VIP section. And on their way, she heard from a group of young people saying that The Phantom's Empire was also packed when one of them suggested hopping there.
Of course, this wasn't the first time that Angela went to a club—and she had gone to superclubs like this a lot in the past—but it was the first time in months since she had, and the crowd felt overwhelming.
Her attention snapped to Gael when she felt his arm protectively sliding around her waist and pulling her closer, his fingers sizzling on the exposed skin of her waist. "You could get lost in here. Stay close," he said above her head before pressing a kiss on her temple.
As if she wanted to move away from him! Angela knew that he was doing this because of the looks the men were giving her, but it wasn't lost on her that the women in slinky dresses were also lusting over Gael. Even if he didn't tell her to stay close, she'd willingly stick to him—she'd glue herself to his side if that were even possible.
A devilishly handsome smile flashed on his face when she leaned into him as they ascended the stairs.
"Hey, handsome..." One Barbie without a Ken brushed her fingers on Gael's arm as they passed. He ignored her.
"Stop smiling," Angela said under her breath. And as if he knew why she said that, he laughed, making him even more stupidly handsome.