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As Angela walked over towards the main table, Oliver reassured her, "I\'m sure it\'s not that bad."

"He rarely talks to me. So for him to summon me, it should be something." She took a deep breath and noticed a few stares thrown her way as she approached her uncle.

The servers had cleared the table, so only bottles of liquor and glasses were left. Uncle Wilfred\'s wife got up from the table. Her head held high as she left and joined another group a few tables away, leaving only the head of the Su Clan and Angela\'s father at one end of the table. Angela slightly bowed before as a form of respect before seated to Wilfred\'s right—across her father. 

"How are you? What\'s keeping you busy these days?" her uncle asked.

"I\'ve been working on the foundation…"

"Mm. Your father told me about what happened. We\'ll take care of it. The Mitchells are people you can\'t handle on your own, especially since Congressman Mitchell runs for governor. Make sure you don\'t go out by yourself. We don\'t know what they\'re willing to do at this point."

"I understand," she responded. "I apologize for putting the Sus at risk. I should\'ve known about Herman\'s...activities."

"Sweetheart," her father, Charlie, called. "Don\'t apologize for people you can\'t control and certainly for not knowing. They\'re the ones in the wrong. Not you." 

Angela understood what her father meant. But Uncle Wilfred was strict about not sullying the family\'s name. If word got out that any Su was involved in any illegal dealings—even indirectly, she didn\'t want to know what he would do. They nearly sent her to London after that whole Evan debacle six years ago.

She could only nod.

"That young man you brought with you tonight. What do you know about him?" asked Uncle Wilfred.

There it was. She knew he was only leading up to this question. He didn\'t want to know about how she was, really. That was nothing but small talk. Knowing who Gael, on the other hand, was more important.

"He\'s a businessman. You heard earlier—his family is in the oil business and real estate..."

"So I\'ve heard. But what else do you know? He\'s not from this state… For all we know, he lied about everything he told you. He could be married in New York or already have a child, but you won\'t even know because you haven\'t been there."

A tiny crease formed between her brows because of her uncle\'s assumptions. The way he spoke didn\'t sit well with her, and she so badly wanted to defend Gael. But at the same time, she couldn\'t oppose his last statement of Gael being married. That\'s a very sore subject right now. 

"Actually, I went to New York earlier this week. I met his family and saw a couple of their businesses there. They\'re all very nice people. In fact, I was there to join his family\'s yearly tradition of cooking and feeding for the homeless. And no…" She swallowed. "He doesn\'t have a wife nor a child. Is everything okay? Why is my date\'s identity being questioned?"

In a calm manner, Wilfred Su took a sip of his scotch before answering, "I don\'t trust this man to get into our family. He seems a little... arrogant. I have a feeling he\'s destructive."

"I don\'t think so," Charlie disagreed. "I actually quite like him. He\'s outspoken and carries himself with confidence. Besides, he\'s a friend of Daniel."

Angela was thankful that her father was supportive at the moment. However, her uncle\'s next words put her back in a bad mood.

"Charlie. You were friends with General Leos and his son... Well, there\'s no need to recall the past, but we all know what happened then. Friends don\'t mean anything these days. Anyone stabs you in the back, even the ones you keep close to you."

Angela couldn\'t even disagree with what her uncle said. However, hearing what he had to say about Gael made her feel defensive despite what they were going through at the moment. Her feeling of getting hurt by what\'s happening didn\'t mean she didn\'t like him anymore. If anything, she realized how much she had fallen for him because of how affected she was. But that\'s beside the point. The point was, she couldn\'t stand others thinking badly about him.

With bated breath, she briefly closed her eyes. And when she opened them again, she kept her expression neutral and said,  "With all due respect, Uncle Wilfred, I was young, and I didn\'t know any better back then which led me to trust people I shouldn\'t. But I don\'t think it\'s fair to judge a person you haven\'t even spoken to for a minute and say he\'s...destructive. We\'ve all made mistakes in the past—no one\'s perfect. So I\'m not comfortable hearing your assumptions about him."

Surprised at her response, Wilfred leaned forward and looked at her in the eye. "Do you love this man, Angela?"

She swallowed, her heart hammering against her chest. How the hell was she supposed to answer that question? 

Then he continued, "If you do, I will give him a chance and actually get to know him. If not, then there\'s no need to waste time, and this will be the last that you bring him to any of our family functions. I\'ll be at the golf course tomorrow at 7:30 in the morning. If he shows up, then I\'ll know how serious he is."

This felt like an ultimatum. She didn\'t expect this tonight at all. What happened to the Christmas party where families were supposed to have fun? 

Angela stammered, "I-It\'s the 24th…"

"Indeed. And also a yearly tradition for the men in our family before doing our familial duties on Christmas eve."

She knew that, but how could he request something like this? Her eyes darted towards her father, unsure of what she was to say.

Charlie Su smiled. "I would love to play a whole round and get to know Gael better. Does he play?"

"I don\'t know…" she muttered in a low tone.

Wilfred crossed his arms in front of his chest. He and her father looked very much alike, except her uncle had more grey hair than her father had. "You don\'t know him enough, and yet you brought him here."

"I invited him," Charlie corrected.

"It doesn\'t matter. I\'ve already decided."

Angela clenched her hands under the table, already wanting to leave the table. "It\'s the 24th. He might have prior engagements. I—"

"You don\'t have to worry about telling him. I already sent John," Wilfred interrupted. 

On the way here, she came across John, Uncle Wilfred\'s assistant. That meant her uncle had already planned to ask Gael even before she spoke to him. \'Well, if Uncle Wilfred isn\'t sly.\'

She turned and scanned the event hall but didn\'t see Gael anywhere. The more they were apart, the heavier her heart felt. It was as though she couldn\'t stay at ease unless she saw him close.

"Is there a problem, Angela?" asked her uncle. Feeling resigned, she shook her head, and he told her, "You\'re dismissed."

***

Angela wanted to look for Gael, but her hands felt hot, and she had the urge to wash them with cold water. She had to compose herself before seeing him again, so she went to the restroom.

"What does Uncle Wilfred want?" Lyra asked as soon as she entered the shared space.

Angela let out a sigh, her uneasiness replaced with animosity at the sight of her cousin. "Why is that any of your business?"

"You don\'t have to be a bitch about it. I\'m just asking."

"No, you\'re being nosey." She went to the sink and wet her hands with cold water.

"Whatever. I bet he doesn\'t like your date. Did he tell you to stop bringing him to our gatherings?" Lyra pulled a haughty smile, crossing her arms under her boobs.

Angela returned the smile through the mirror as she dried her hands with a napkin. "You must be so experienced. He\'s told you that several times before Josh came along, didn\'t he?"

Lyra glared, her eyes shooting daggers at the other. "At least I brought husband-material men and not abusive boyfriends."

Facing her cousin, she had had enough. She didn\'t plan on telling Lyra anything, but because the latter was being hateful at the moment, she wanted to spite her. "Actually, Uncle Wilfred invited Gael for a round of golf tomorrow."

Lyra\'s eyes widened in shock, and she stammered, "B-But...that\'s..."

"For family only. I know, right?"

"Ugh!!! I can\'t believe he hasn\'t invited Josh! I don\'t understand!" Lyra stomped her foot, her face going red in irritation.

Her cousin\'s reaction made her feel better. Having had enough of this interaction, she turned and said, "Now, if you\'ll excuse me... I have to plan my golfing attire so I\'ll match with my date tomorrow. Toodles." She winger-waved and left, hearing Lyra shriek in annoyance.

Angela chuckled as the door closed behind her, only to gasp in surprise when she faced a man leaning against the wall just outside the restroom, a handsome smirk dancing on his lips as he gazed at her. 

Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest when Gael questioned, "So what are we wearing for our date tomorrow?"