When Gael and Ang entered the tent earlier, he still kept the cereal box under his arm. He was supposed to be on food duty just like lunchtime so he could have kept it near him easily, but since he had to do something else that required him to move a lot, she thought it would be better to look after the box for him so he could concentrate in doing his job in the tent.


    He was reluctant at first because it was a lot of money—not that he didn''t trust her with it, but because he didn''t want to put her in an ufortable position.


    "It''s okay, Gael. I''ll just be at the table the whole time where you can see me. And if I have to go somewhere, I''d tell you," she''d told him.


    Theycked men that night because most of the De Luca soldiers were out doing some operation. It was the same if they''d ask Alice too, but they didn''t want her to worry about other stuff when she already had her daughter to look after. Thinking that it was a good option for him, he agreed to let Ang keep an eye on the box for him. He hadn''t told her what it was for, but it was better that she didn''t know.


    Dinner started, and everyone was busy. The tent was packed—mostly homeless ones, while some were struggling to budget their money tost them until the next payday. Nevertheless, everything was going well so far. The tent was lively and bustling with people of varied ages.


    From time to time, Gael would sneak a nce at Ang. She had a smile on her face while putting food on the tes. His heart felt constricted at the thought of how innocent she was and that she deserved a normal life—away from his crime family. Seeing the worry on her face earlier when she thought he was in danger, both felt amazing and also painful at the same time.


    Amazing because he felt warm knowing that she cared for him and did not want to see him harmed. Painful because he didn''t like being the cause of her worry. If she liked him enough, he might cause more concerns in the future for her, and he didn''t want that.


    As if feeling his eyes on her, Ang looked up and smiled at him. He smiled back. She was so damn beautiful. So beautiful it hurt.


    "Hey, loverboy. Get movin''!" Giovanni bumped his shoulder andughed. "Stop daydreamin''. We''ve got tables to clean."


    Gael chuckled and caught up with his uncle, throwing his arm around the other''s shoulder and yfully chokehold him. "You''re just jealous your Christmas is cold this year."


    "Who''s jealous? I''ve got bunnies waiting for me at the club." Giovanni escaped Gael''s grasp and tossed a dirty rag at him. "Youing to the Manor tonight before you fly?"


    "I don''t know, man. I was hoping to show her my home after this."


    A shit-eating grin ghosted Giovanni''s lips as he picked up a few trash from the table and tossed them into the garbage can. "Just say you want her alone in your bedroom like a teenager while the grown-ups aren''t home, you dirty dog."


    "Fanculo," Gael muttered under his breath, and Giovanni justughed behind him. He shook his head and strode towards Ang across the room. (Full word: Vaffanculo—Go f?ck yourself)


    As soon as he reached her, he ced a hand on the small of her back and asked, "You okay in here?" She responded an affirmative, but the sudden shift in the atmosphere caught his attention, and he was now staring at the two men entering their tent.


    He recognized the dirty-blonde guy as Lieutenant rk—the man who had been on their asses, trying to dig up anything dirty about them so he could put them behind bars. But this man couldn''t do that. The De Lucas were good at hiding anything illegal that could be traced back to them. If they weren''t, they wouldn''t havested this long.


    Gael smiled at the lieutenant, not wanting to appear hostile because of the other''s presence. He even invited them to eat—not that rk would be thick-faced enough to eat in a room full of people who hate him. These homeless men were on the De Luca family''s side as they''re the only ones who truly cared about them in this room.


    When he thought that Lieutenant rk would decline and go on his way, he saw Elisa in front of them with the box full of thousands of dors. He swore he could feel the blood drain from his face. The urge to pluck his niece from the spot where she stood was strong.


    He left that box to Ang over an hour ago. What the hell happened? Had shepletely forgotten all about it?


    At least there weren''t any drugs in that box—but still, a box full of dirty money wouldn''t look good if the cops see it. They''d start questioning—and knowing this lieutenant, he''d have a field day off catching the De Lucas doing something questionable.


    Gael didn''t know what to think at the moment. If he moved right now, the cop would most probably find him suspicious—he was a smart cop. Gael would give him that, damn it.


    His shoulders tensed when Lt. rk knelt in front of Elisa with a smile on his face as he probed, "What do you have in there, Sweets?"


    The little girl only looked at the nicely dressed man, her small hands curling tightly around the box. "You''re not homeless...what are you doing here?"


    Lt. rk chuckled as if finding her words funny. Despite the harsh atmosphere, Gael wanted tough. ''Yes. What the f?ck are you doing here?'' he wanted to yell at the man.


    "I''m not. But I''m hungry." Lt. rk nodded at the cereal box. "Would you mind sharing?"


    "This isn''t food." Elisa bit her lip, her eyes looking too innocent.


    "Oh?" Lt. rk reached for the box and peered inside, his brows slightly furrowing.


    Gael shifted as if he was about to move forward, but a warm, delicate hand grabbed his, stopping him. He met Ang''s eyes, and she shook her head once, causing his brows to draw together. He didn''t know what to think about her yet for losing that box out of her sight, but right now, she''s stopping him from doing anything. And when he looked at Elisa again, his heart nearly leaped out of his chest. rk reached into the box and pulled something out.


    A stack of paper napkins.


    ''What the f?ck? Where''s the money?'' Instinctively, he raised his gaze and met Gio''s equally confused look.


    "What are you doing with these?" Lt. rk asked.


    "I''m going around to give them to the people to wipe their mouth," Elisa answered in a "DUH?! Isn''t it obvious?" tone.


    Lt. rk smiled and ruffled her hair before she skipped away towards the tables where she handed napkins to everyone. He got to his feet and faced the food table again. "Cute kid."


    Alice, whose fake smile had been stered on her face since the two arrived in the tent, addressed them in a neutral tone, "What''s it going to be, officers? Are you eating, or are you leaving? We''re kinda in the middle of something." She nodded at the long line behind them. The food serving had been interrupted because the policemen decided to stand right in front of the food table, halting the activity.


    The policemen remained on the spot, and Lt. rk raised his hands as an apology. "My bad. Didn''t mean to interrupt your feeding." Then he turned to Gael. "You know this isn''t helping the city, right?"


    Gael was still confused about where the money was, but he kept his expression calm and curled a corner of his lips into a lopsided grin. "I only know that people are happy and satisfied with having warm food to eat in this cold weather."


    Lt. rk shifted his gaze to Ang. "You''re not from around here, are you? Be careful. It''s dangerous here at night." He nced at Gael before they left the tent.


    As soon as the policemen were gone, the strumming of guitar and singing in the tent resumed, along with the gentle chatter.


    Gael pulled Ang to the corner of the room where boxes of bottled water were stored away from the crowd. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Where is it?"


    Ang bit her lip as she slid her hands to the top of her leather jacket, holding the zipper and sliding it down. His eyes widened as he watched her—for a tiny crazy second, thinking that she was going to sh him—not that he''d mind.


    She opened her jacket and patted the bulge on her tucked-in white shirt where she hid the bundles of cash. "Elisa was too curious about the box. I had to move the money and give her something to be busy with," she said.


    He released a sigh of relief and gazed at her. "I don''t know whether to kiss you or spank you for what just happened. But first, I need to take the top bills. No way am I giving the notes that touched your skin to someone else."