Chapter 41 - The Right Question
Gael watched as she stood frozen on the spot, facing her very dark room. She was probably imagining herself if she could manage to stay there on her own—what with her being a scaredy-cat and all.
Then, without thinking much, he just blurted, "Do you want to stay in my room for the meantime?" She turned and he saw her slightly relieved yet slightly hesitant expression. How adorable.
Obviously, Angela didn't have a choice. His invitation sounded so tempting but wouldn't staying with him be…
"I don't want to impose…" she uttered, cutting her own thoughts and not knowing whether Gael invited her because he truly wanted her company or just out of politeness.
He shrugged and went to open the door to his suite. "It's up to you. If you're okay staying alone in the dark, go ahead. I'll be in my room then. Have a good night—"
"Ah! I-I'll go!!!" She grabbed his arm so quickly when he was about to step inside his suite. He turned and glanced at his arm where her hand was and she let go. "I… don't want to be alone."
The dismal look on her face caused an indescribable twist in his chest and he coughed to relieve the uneasiness. He nodded and did not say anything else as he gestured for her to enter his suite.
Using the flashlight on his phone, he went to his nightstand and turned on a small portable emergency light that one of his men—Riccardo—delivered earlier that day. It was the only light that illuminated the room and it was enough to see the floor so they could walk without much trouble.
Gael's phone rang and upon seeing that it was Daniel Cho, he told her, "Make yourself comfortable. I have to take this." Then he went by the window and took the phone call.
"You better make up for this inconvenience, Cho. The lights are still out," he said as soon as he answered.
"You already said that in the text. What do you want me to do? Do you want me to go there myself and fix the lights?" Daniel retorted.
Gael sighed. That was silly, he knew that. But he still complained anyway.
"I'm just as frustrated as you are," Daniel added. "As soon as this weather calms down, I'll have professionals go over there and have the necessary upgrades to prevent this from happening again."
Gael couldn't really blame Daniel entirely because there was indeed a generator that worked okay at first. Perhaps it was really just bad luck that this happened while he was there. So he just let it go. "How's the construction incident going? How bad is it?"
"We're still negotiating. We'll let go of this construction company and find a replacement but it'll take some time as all operations will have to be suspended. As of now, we can only provide some financial and medical assistance to the casualties."
"I see. Well… If you need any help, just let me know and I'll do what I can," Gael offered.
"Thanks. I can handle things for now. Just take it easy out there."
"Oh, wait—" Gael stopped himself as he was just about to ask Daniel if he knew anything about Angela's situation like what Oliver told him in the morning, and what he overheard during her phone call with her brother at dinner. However, he realized that Angela was just several feet away from him, so he decided against it. "Nevermind. Good night."
The phone call ended and he turned to see Angela sitting at the foot of his bed. There was a sofa on the side but due to the lack of light, she chose to sit where she could see more—the bed was the only spot. She could have moved the lamp, but she didn't want to touch his things. Hence, she could only sit there and do nothing while he was on the phone.
Retrieving a power bank from his luggage, he gave it to her so she could charge her phone. She thanked him and the room was silent again. That was the only interaction they had for a good ten minutes while they chose to stay quiet. Gael leaned against the wall by the window and she remained seated on the bed. Ten minutes normally seemed to be fast—however, with the current situation, even one minute felt like forever.
Being in the room with Gael, Angela thought about how despite him being him, he had been quite the gentleman. And this thing between them needed to be addressed. She saw her book that was on his nightstand a few minutes ago and she wondered if he had read everything from cover to cover. Then, she thought about apologizing to him.
How she started that book was crazy. And how that book ended up being published didn't matter now. That already happened and it opened opportunities for her. But, what she did to him was unjust, and she should apologize. With all these in mind, she looked up and saw him turning to face her just in time.
Clearing her throat, she started, "About the book, I just wanted to apologize..."
"Who are you avoiding back home?" he asked.
They had spoken at the same time unintentionally. And now she could only stare back at him, because this time, he asked the right question. Meanwhile, Gael just heard her apologize and he didn't know how to respond to her.
It took a few beats for Angela to reply. "What makes you think that I'm avoiding someone?"
So, they were going to talk about his question? Pushing himself off the wall, he walked towards her and said, "Your brother asked for a favor. He told me to convince you to stay here longer, and that I'd stay as well even if my jet is already cleared to take off sooner, and he didn't tell me why. So, if I'm going to do that favor, don't I deserve to know the reason?"
Stupid Oliver. She clutched the bedsheets as she was put in an uncomfortable situation. She never wanted to talk about her past—not even with Nina. She could sometimes do so with her brother but on rare occasions. Now this man was asking her. She couldn't just tell him just because he asked. Would anyone ever just willingly tell random people—or anyone they're not close with—their nightmares? Maybe for some, it's easy—but not for her.
As calmly as she could, she softened her voice, not wanting to create any trouble between them. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you don't have to do that. If you need to go back tomorrow, or Wednesday, or whenever you're cleared to leave, then so be it. I don't mind staying here and waiting for commercial flights. I could stay until the weekend if I have to. I will get out of your hair, so you don't have to… you don't need to concern yourself about it."
Stubborn. Gael could tell that she just didn't want to talk about whatever it was that she's hiding. How bad was it that she'd refuse to talk about it? Earlier, she mentioned the book and started to apologize just as he asked the question. He started to rethink his next moves at the same time that his inner self was pushing him—urging him to ask her more about who she was avoiding.
Staring down at her, he crossed his arms and told her, "I'll consider dropping the lawsuit."