Chapter 307 - An Impelling Face-Off (1)
There was no doubt that the man waiting outside was Gael's father. Angela had seen his photo in one of the frames in this house and a few in Nonna Flavia's. Gael had wanted her to meet his father, but she didn't think she'd meet him this soon. While staring at the image of the man in the intercom, she debated whether to open the door or tell Gael that his father was here.
"Yeah. I should tell him," she muttered to herself and began to turn towards the stairs but instantly froze when another doorbell rang. She looked at the intercom again and realized that Gael's father was standing outside in a snowstorm. Her heart hammered in her chest, knowing that she had to open the door for the poor man.
She quickly smoothed her hair and looked down at her outfit, silently cursing that she was wearing lounge pants and a hoodie—looking pretty evident that she had spent the night in this house. What a way to meet Gael's father in this state! 'God, this is so embarrassing!'
Clearing her throat, she opened the door and saw Gael's father had raised a fist in the air as though he was about to bang the door. The man was as tall as Gael, and his eyes were also grey, only they looked a shade lighter as he stood outside. "Good afternoon," she greeted while mustering a neutral smile on her face.
A look of confusion appeared on the other's face upon laying his eyes on Angela. "My apologies… I thought this was…" He looked at the wall by the door frame where the house number was, and he looked even more confused. When his eyes went back to Angela, he questioned, "Who are you?"
"Um…" She swallowed. What was she supposed to say? How was she supposed to introduce herself? 'Hi, Sir. I'm your son's not-girlfriend but kinda like a girlfriend?' That sounded ridiculous in her head.
Then a look of enlightenment washed over his expression. "Ah… You're her."
She snapped out of her trance. Had Gael told his father about her? She extended a slightly shaky hand towards the older man and decided to introduce herself directly. "My name's Angela Su. You must be Gael's father."
He nodded and shook her hand. "Alessandro. It's a pleasure to meet you, Angela."
The man's firm grip told her what kind of man he was. It was the kind that said: No one messes with me. However, despite the aura he emanated, she could sense that he wasn't displeased with her. Either that, or he was really good at concealing his real emotions, just like his son. Whatever that may be, it didn't change the fact that this man in front of her was the De Luca family's head. He was their family's crime boss.
"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. De Luca." A strong gust of wind blew past them, causing her to shiver. She stepped aside to give way. "Oh, um, please. Come in."
Angela noticed a car behind Gael's SUV, and there were men inside. She figured it must be Alessandro's and his security. She knew that he had a house next to Nonna Flavia's on the other side of Brooklyn, but Gael's father looked pretty much at home when he removed his coat and hung it in the coat closet. "Would you like something warm to drink?" she offered while already heading towards the kitchen.
"Coffee would be great."
She could sense him following behind her, and it only made her more nervous as she checked the cupboards for cups, only she forgot where Gael told her they were stored.
"Above the sink. Right," said Alessandro.
"Oh, right." Angela took out a cup above the sink and searched for the Moka pot to make coffee. 'God, why does he have to be here now?' she worried. She had her back facing him, so she couldn't see his face, but she could definitely feel that he was observing her. What was taking Gael so long?
Alessandro slid the Moka pot toward her without saying anything.
"Thanks," she muttered and began making an espresso on the stove.
Footsteps padded in the hallway, and Gael appeared in the kitchen. "I heard the doorbell. Who—" He stopped in the doorway and saw his father standing on one side of the kitchen with his hands in his pockets. "Dad…" Then his gaze flickered towards Angela by the stove whose smile looked like it was forced out of her while she clenched her hands together. He walked to his father. "What are you doing here?"
The two men greeted each other with a cheek-to-cheek gesture—first left and then right—with a brief hug.
"I was in Manhattan this morning, and I figured I would drop by to check on you on my way home. You told me you were supposed to meet with the investors today."
"All of them were postponed due to the storm except for one. We did it over a video conference."
Alessandro spoke in Italian, and Gael shook his head in response. The former walked towards the hallway, and the latter followed him. Gael glanced at Angela and gestured for her to wait, reassuring her that everything was okay when she began chewing her bottom lip.
She nodded and watched them disappear from the kitchen. They didn't go far, so she could still hear their voices from where she stood. But that didn't do much because she couldn't understand when the two men spoke in Italian. Although she was helpless, she heard his father's angry tone, followed by Gael's defensive rebuttal. 'Oh, God. They're fighting.'
Placing a hand on her chest—above her erratic heartbeat, Angela walked towards the doorway and tried to make out what they were arguing about. She couldn't help herself when she had a gut feeling that they were talking about her. And that was proven when she appeared in the doorway of the kitchen and saw Gael's father pointing at her while spouting whatever he was so mad about.
Was he mad that she was here in this house or that Gael brought her here? She didn't think his father would be so unwelcoming. Still, she understood how protective he could be when he's trying to protect their family's secrets—not to mention the De Luca and Morelli's arranged marriages were still at stake.
Deep inside, she didn't like the way that Alessandro sounded so harsh towards Gael, especially when her gut told her that they were talking about her. Her instinct kicked in, and before she knew it, she was walking towards them and gathering all the courage she had as she called the older man's attention.
"Pardon me for butting in, Mr. De Luca, but if you have a problem with me, why don't you say it to my face? I don't appreciate being talked about behind my back and would prefer you tell it to me straight than talk in Italian so that I won't understand. And I won't just stand here and pretend not to care while you yell at your son who has done nothing but be kind to me. You may be older, but yelling doesn't show authority. Your son deserves respect."
The two men, who had been at each other's faces, stopped and turned to face her while she spoke her mind. Gael's face softened upon listening to her speech, and he was unable to utter anything. Alessandro, whose face was impassive as he looked at her, folded his arms across his chest and waited for her to finish. Her chest rose up and down as though it took all of her to say that to them. Alessandro exchanged glances with Gael, and they looked at each other as if they were silently communicating.
She couldn't believe she just said that to the De Luca's family boss, but she could no longer take it back. "Well?" she probed when neither of them spoke.
Just then, Gael lowered his head, and a smirk peeked on his lips before his shoulders shook as he tried to contain his laughter. Then Alessandro threw his head back laughing and then patted Gael's back as he said, "I like this one already." He then took out a hundred dollars from his billfold and gave it to his son who pocketed the money.
Angela's brows knitted in confusion as her gaze shifted between the two men. "What's going on?" she asked, although she was starting to understand what really happened.
Alessandro stepped towards her with his hands stretched out as though he was offering a hug. "Mi scuso per essere stato spregevole con te."
"He says he's sorry for being mean to you," Gael told her.
"What?" She saw Gael smiling, and she was still lost. Was this all a play? Then she looked back at his father who was about to hug her. She couldn't move as she was still baffled at what just happened, so she stood frozen while Alessandro squeezed her frame. The warmth felt like family.
The embrace lasted for a couple of seconds before Alessandro stepped back, a smile plastered on his face as he looked between Angela and Gael. "Now I can understand why you're so smitten." Then he turned to her, "It's nice to finally meet you, Angela."