Ang sat frozen in her seat. She intended to look away, but fear gripped her control so fiercely that she couldn''t.


    Matvey Novikov''s stare was icy; she felt like she had turned into stone with its intensity.


    She had seen the man when he entered the ballroom a while ago, but she didn''t dare look at him for longer than a few seconds. Gael told her not to stare any of them in the eyes, so she made sure she didn''t. But that didn''t take away the fear of seeing her notorious grandfather. From afar and even just a few seconds of glimpse, she sensed how intimidating he was.


    The photo of him a couple of months ago from Gael''s folder was taken from a distance, and it didn''t do justice to Matvey Novikov''s appearance in person.


    The feeling was different from when she met Alessandro for the first time. Perhaps it was because Alessandro was Gael''s father, and though he had this imposing figure, he treated Ang kindly.


    The fear of being discovered by the Bratva, and the feeling of being noticed by Matvey Novikov amplified the sense of dread in her gut. The older man was probably in his mid-seventies or early eighties. His shaved head, piercing blue eyes, burly physique, and tattoos on the backs of his hands and fingers were what made him an intimidating person—even at his age.


    The eye contact onlysted for a few seconds before someone called his attention from across the table, making him look away. It might have only been short, but holy crap, Ang nearly peed herself.


    Now, she even dared to shift her gaze to the person who called Matvey''s attention and realized that it was her half-brother. Her brows slightly knitted, wondering if Aleksander did that on purpose.


    "What''s wrong?" Gael leaned in, his voiceced with concern.


    "He saw me," Ang whispered.


    "Who?"


    "M…My grandfather. He looked at me." Ang slightly panted as she met Gael''s gaze, blood draining her face. "He looked at me, Gael."


    His expression hardened when he saw the panic on her face. He nced at the Russians'' table, and Matvey Novikov was talking to his right-hand man. Even with his heart racing at the possibility that the Pakhan recognized Ang, he tried to calm Ang down. "Maybe it was just in passing. He''s not looking now…"


    "Can we go?" she asked, squeezing his hand under the table. She really didn''t want to be there anymore.


    Gael stared at her for a moment. His instinct was to get her out of there. However, if they leave right away, many would wonder, which would only give them more attention they didn''t need. If they stayed, Ang would continuously feel anxious throughout the evening. Pulling her closer to his side and shielding her with his body and away from the Russian''s view, he whispered in her ear, "We''re leaving soon. Just hang tight." He kissed her temple and made her lean against his shoulder.


    ***


    After the main program, Gael and Giovanni looked for Ivan Volkov, with Mariano and Sebastian tagging along. They nned to corner him to get some answers regarding Perry''s taunting and talk him into giving them the 2% shares. That small share shouldn''t be taken lightly. If Volkov decided to work with Perry, then Gael''s investment in KMH might be for naught.


    While the men were away, Ang was left with Gabrie and Gael''s stepmother, Aurora. The brief but scary and distant encounter Ang had with her grandfather earlier was still on her mind, but she tried to focus on other things for the moment. Aurora and Gabby talked about pottery and some other crafts while Ang listened.


    Apparently, Gabby got a little bored in Chicago that she tried making ceramic dishes by hand and air hardened them. She was getting tips from Aurora, who was more skillful in the decorative arts and from whom she got her drawing and painting skills.


    Aurora was a fine woman. She had the grace and elegance of an elite. Ang knew from Gael that Aurora was very kind and understanding; he rarely saw her get angry for something—and mostly it was because of her children being rebels.


    Ang didn''t think she had the patience to craft things like those. She was already exerting much effort in learning to cook; decorative arts would kick her in the butt.


    Ang tagged along when the mother and daughter got to their feet to use the bathroom. No one else was left at the table, and while the De Luca guards were just nearby, she didn''t like sitting there by herself.


    While she fixed her hair at the sink, her phone chimed, and she smiled when she saw Nina''s selfies with selections of dresses for her date that night. Her best friend didn''t tell her who it was, but Nina seemed excited.


    "H-Hi…" a meek voice called her from the side.


    Ang didn''t expect to see Anika Volkov there. Thetter wore a powder blue cocktail dress, looking every bit the princess that she was. "Hi…" was all Ang could say back, offering a small smile before she put her things away.


    "I like your dress," muttered Anika.


    "Thanks. You look nice too."


    "Really?" Her eyes sparkled, and a hint of pink colored her cheeks. "Thank you. My mo—" She cleared her throat. "Mom picked it out for me."


    Ang didn''t want to lie. She was a bit jealous at the thought of Anika and Cynthia together. She didn''t respond and merely gave a brief smile.


    When Anika thought that she wouldn''t get anything out of Ang after that, she washed and dried her hands quietly.


    Aurora and Gabrie came out of the cubicle soon after and noticed the strange atmosphere; that''s when they saw Anika. The three of them exchanged looks as they silently agreed to leave the bathroom, but then Anika called out to Ang again. Aurora and Gabrie went out first and told Ang that they would wait for her outside thedies'' room.


    "Um… Can I have your number?"


    Number? Why would they need to exchange numbers? It was already bad enough for Ang to know they weren''t supposed to "know" each other''s existence, and now Anika wanted her number. "I don''t think that''s a good idea…" said Ang, keeping her voice neutral.


    Disappointment filled Anika''s face, and she pursed her lips. "Why not?"


    Ang''s brows drew together. "You know why."


    "I… I don''t hate you, you know… Maybe Alex does, but I don''t. I just…thought we could be friends."


    Well, crap. Ang didn''t hate Anika either. She''s just… Damn it. She didn''t know what she felt exactly. All she knew was that Cynthia was there for Anika, but Cynthia wasn''t there for Ang. And that stung. A lot. So this weird rtionship was ufortable for her.


    Swallowing the massive lump in her throat, Ang looked away and grabbed the door handle. "They''re waiting for me. I should go."


    Ang could hear footsteps behind her, but she was no longer interested in talking to her sister. There was no point in keeping in touch when they couldn''t actually be "friends".


    She joined Aurora and Gabrie, and they headed back towards the ballroom. Before reaching the end of the hallway, a tall, looming figure appeared at the corner and was headed their way. Ang''s eyes snapped up, seeing Ivanovich''s scowl.


    He wasn''t scowling at her in particr, but he always appeared as if he was angry all the time. His presence was strong; it reminded her of the past—back when she peeped through the library''s double doors.


    "Kylie, wait—" Anika called from behind, then her footsteps halted all of a sudden. "Oh…D-Dad…"


    If Ivanovich didn''t notice Ang at first, he surely did now that Anika just called Ang''s second name.


    He dragged his stare in Ang''s direction, and the furrow in his brows deepened all the more. "You…"


    Ang wanted to run as fast as she could and away from there as much as possible. With all the guests present in tonight''s celebration, they were certainly useless as Ang''s shield at the moment.


    "Come on, sweetheart, the driver''s waiting," said Aurora as she took Ang''s hand and began walking them out of there.


    Ang''s feet somehow understood before her brain did because she was now walking. But she hadn''t even taken a few steps forward when a strong hand caught her wrist, stopping her in her tracks again.


    Volkov''s grip tightened as he tried to peek at her face. "You''re—"


    "Mr. Volkov. What are you doing? Take your hands off my daughter." Aurora stepped in and looked Ivanovich in the eyes without fear. She stood tall as if she was taller than him when in fact, she looked like he could snap her in two if he really wanted to.


    Ivanovich shifted his scowl at Aurora now, releasing his grip on Ang''s wrist. "Your daughter?" he probed, ncing at Gabrie and then Ang and looking confused.


    From Ang''s periphery, she could see her sister standing so stiffly and looking so pale as if she had seen a ghost.


    "Is there a problem here?" Trigger came over, already ring at Ivan. He was standing several feet away, waiting for them when he saw the encounter.. Despite the built and height difference, Trigger looked just as dangerous as he stood toe to toe with Ivanovich Volkov.