Chapter 98 - Mafia (2) — The Angel
Gael was surprised at Angela's sudden gesture. She was inconsistent with her reactions—saying that she wasn't at all nervous, but then her hand was getting sweaty, grabbing his hand like she was asking for courage. She was taking this game all too seriously like she was afraid she would actually get killed.
'Don't worry, Sweetheart, you're not the one they're pointing,' he said in his thoughts. This woman had been acting so brave but quickly got nervous.
He could choose a different player to kill, but he didn't really care much that he would just follow what the others had chosen. And so when the other three mafias pointed at a male player, he would have pointed at him too—until this little woman next to him decided to get all anxious at the game.
Of course, he could use his left hand. But the movement would look so awkward because the right was his dominant hand—not that it mattered.
Lucas, who was standing a few feet away, cleared his throat, calling Gael's attention. They met each other's gaze, and the latter resorted to just nodding his head and looking at the player that they should eliminate.
The others didn't notice anything weird about Gael, but not Lucas, who came closer with his perceptive eyes and saw the hand that Angela had on the other's lap.
A sly grin cast Lucas's face the moment he got near and then teased Gael, whispering to his ear so low that only the two of them could hear, "Getting handsy, are we?"
Gael's left hand flew up to slap Lucas's head but missed when the other evaded so expertly.
The two were business rivals, yet because of circumstances, they ended up being able to tolerate each other.
"Mafia, go to sleep," Lucas ordered as he walked away, and so the players closed their eyes.
After a few seconds, he asked the sheriff to wake up and accuse a player as 'the mafia'. The three sheriffs went to sleep, and then the doctor was asked to do their task. That was a complete night cycle where everyone got to do their part.
All of this happened while Angela kept her hand on Gael's. Thinking that she wouldn't let go of his hand soon, he decided to just let her be, turning his hand palm-side up and threading his fingers with hers, so they were holding each other under the table.
Sneaky sneaky.
The next part was the day time, where Lucas asked everyone to 'wake up'. Everybody followed his command, and as soon as their eyes opened, they looked at each other, trying to see if they could judge each other so easily.
Lucas slowly circled the table as he told the tale of last night's incident. "The people of Hillberry went to sleep very early last night. But alas! It wasn't a peaceful one like they all hoped… Because someone was shot." He made his voice so theatrical, setting the game's ambiance. "The mafia came to town looking for the traitor, but while they did their business, one of the townspeople happened to pass by. The cruel mafia decided to shoot the townsperson in the chest."
Everyone listened attentively to the story, their eyes keenly scanning the people at the table.
"The sheriff came as soon as they could, but the mafia had already fled from the scene. They started to investigate, and one by one, they questioned the townspeople. There's one person whom they thought is the mafia… Ms. Vivian, you are a suspect. The sheriff believed you were the one who shot the victim." Lucas patted the woman's shoulder. "The doctor woke up and instead of choosing to save themself, the doctor chose to save Gael. Tsk tsk tsk… Such a waste of healing ability. Because the doctor failed to save the victim, the townspeople lost one of their men."
"Ahn… You died last night," Lucas told the male player—he was Daniel Cho's assistant—and he was the first person that the mafia killed. "I'm sorry, Buddy, you're out of the game."
Addressing the table again, Lucas announced, "Now, you will be given two minutes to discuss amongst yourselves. Who do you think killed Ahn? We will conduct the trial once the timer comes to an end. You may begin."
The table got rowdy with everyone pointing fingers at each other, accusing them of being the mafia.
Meanwhile, Gael wondered who among them was the doctor who saved him.
"Who do you think is the mafia?" Angela inquired, tilting her body towards him.
Gael cocked a brow and met her eyes. She had an unreadable look on her face, looking so serious like a detective. "How should I know?"
Lazily resting her elbow on the table, she held her chin and returned his curious stare with her own. "You…" A small smile slowly emerged on her face as she questioned, "What were you doing last night?"
The entire night while they asked each other casual questions and drank, there were times he thought she lied through her teeth—he could see right through her. But he didn't mind as he wasn't very truthful either. This time, she looked very much intrigued—it seemed as though this was one of her things—mysteries.
He found her probing quite adorable and decided to play with her. "Why are you asking? Are you the sheriff?"
"You'll never know," she straightened her back and faced the front.
Gael couldn't help but be amused at Angela's roguish smile. She's a beautiful woman.
A few more nights and days occurred with mafias killing the townspeople and the townspeople trying to kill the mafia, but the game was so good that they only managed to kill one of the mafias. And every other round, Gael would be saved by the doctor.
"What are you?" Gael questioned Angela as soon as they opened their eyes. His gut was telling him that he already knew what she was.
"Why should I tell you?" She sipped the last of her champagne, the bubbly drink trickling down her throat. She was already drunk.
On the next round…
Right after Lucas asked the doctor to wake up, Gael lifted his head and opened his eyes.
And then he faced Angela who was also staring right back at him as she pointed her finger towards his head.
'Gotcha,' he thought, a devilishly handsome grin ghosting his lips as they exchanged looks.
This woman had been saving him since earlier. What an innocent, naughty little Angel. She didn't even know the mafia had already chosen her as the next victim.
Ignoring the soft drizzle that had started to fall, Gael held Angela's hand and gave it a squeeze. Then he whispered to her in a low and husky tone that caused her stomach to flip. "You should have saved yourself, Angel."