Chapter 429: Music Room

Oliver arrived just in time for dinner. He would be staying in the mansion for the rest of the weekend too. They enjoyed a hearty meal prepared by the house chef and an interesting discussion over Angela's plan for the foundation. Her father and brother were happy with her decision, and they supported her all the way, promising to donate a sizable amount as one of their birthday gifts to her.

Gael, too, was proud that she moved on from that incident and had learned from it. He didn't tell her, but he was already planning to donate too—not that it would be his first time as he had already done that in the past as well. 

After dinner, Angela showed him the neighboring rooms on the ground floor—like the sitting room and the ballroom adjacent to the living room, separated by a retractable door. The Christmas decoration around the house had already been removed a week after the new year, so the spot where the giant tree was last December was now empty.

As they walked through the doors, she realized that the servants had already started decorating the house for the birthday party that her father was throwing for her on Saturday. In fact, they were still busy cleaning and doing some retouches here and there under Elias's command at eight in the evening.

The ballroom was massive, with grand chandeliers and warm lights. The space was like a rectangle with a round top and a stage on it. There were tall arched windows on the walls with the view of the lake and the green of the estate around the mansion. It was already dark, so they couldn't see the exterior very well, but the space was beautiful nonetheless.

"It's going to be a big party, I see," Gael said as they watched everyone working while Elias barked orders.

"I didn't know it would be. I haven't had a big one in a long time. I thought it was just gonna be a few relatives and us."

It was true. Angela couldn't remember the last time she threw a huge party for her birthday. She thought she had grown out of socializing in parties with relatives and had gone anti-social the past years.

She probably should have stepped up in organizing the event, but she didn't have any particular requests. Angela knew Elias would do a great job more than she could, so she left him to it. The servants cleaned the room thoroughly. Elias wanted it spotless—he said, "I don't want any speck of dust anywhere. Not even a little. One should be able to lick the floor with certainty that it is clean."

Angela and Gael looked at each other, stopping themselves from snorting in laughter. They backed away from the ballroom and only laughed when they were back in the hallway and out of earshot.

"I'm a little afraid of him," Gael whispered, referring to Elias. "He seems like the type to scorn you to death if you don't walk like royalty."

She laughed some more. "He's indeed very strict, but he's soft-hearted underneath that uniform."

Angela brought Gael to the music room where her father and Oliver were. Charlie wanted to have a nightcap with his kids before going to bed. The men drank brandy while they talked about business, and Angela chose red wine while she checked out the bookshelf that contained some of her family's old photographs. 

Oliver called Angela as he walked towards the piano and took a seat, telling her to sing. It had been a long time since they had actually used the music room. She set her glass down and leaned her hip against the piano, facing her brother. Charlie and Gael were still talking on the sofa on the other side of the room. They paused and watched as Oliver started playing.

Oliver was amazing with the keys, his fingers dancing on the whites and blacks in a melody in tune with the crackling of the fire in the fireplace a few feet away. He was playing "If I Ain't Got You", a smile brightening his face as he and Angela exchanged looks, both of them remembering the first time they played and sang the song back when they were still teenagers. 

Once Angela began the first notes of the song, her eyes closed, her body relaxed, and she completely let go, feeling comfortable in the presence of her family and Gael. She sang the song as if it was her own, staying with the tune but doing her own adlib naturally. 

When she opened her eyes again, her stare landed on Gael, who was smiling at her, in awe of her singing. She flushed but continued singing, not taking her eyes off of him.

Angela sang the first part and chorus, and then Charlie came to take her hand, pulling her to him for a dance. She stopped singing, but Oliver continued playing still. Her father's warm hand swallowed her own, and his other hand laid gently on her back. He spun her around the music room, both of their faces bright with smiles. She couldn't help getting teary-eyed, remembering how when she was a little girl, he danced with her just like this. 

Then Charlie kissed her cheek before handing her over to Gael without saying anything but a smile. Gael readily held her in his arms. He swayed and twirled her across the floor, both of them looking into each other's eyes and smiling.

The sound of a violin accompanied Oliver's piano, and they turned to see that Charlie had picked up the instrument and strung it skillfully. Gael and Angela resumed their dancing, their smiles reaching their eyes.

The song had ended, and Oliver shifted to another instrumental that she wasn't sure she recognized, but her father seemed to play along just fine. The tempo was a little slower this time, and Gael and Angela started to just sway in place.

"Your family is amazing," he whispered to her ear. "You're amazing. I can't get enough of your voice when you sing."

"Thank you." She leaned closer. "Sometimes I forget that they are. I'm such a bad daughter and sister."

"I'm sure you won't forget tonight."

She looked up at him and nodded. "I won't."

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'Never,' she thought. Right now, in his warm arms while surrounded and serenaded by two other men in her life that she loved, was a time she would never forget.

"I'm glad you brought me here. Thank you, Angel." Gael kissed her temple heedless of her family who might be watching.

Angela tightened her grip on him as he rocked them in place. "I'm glad you're here too."

***

Oliver and Charlie turned in first. They still had work in the morning, so they said their goodnights while Angela and Gael stayed an hour more in the music room. They cuddled on the couch in front of the fireplace, thankful that they got some time to themselves before going back to their respective rooms.

She told him stories about her childhood growing up in the mansion, mainly what they did in the music room when her mother was still there. It still hurt to remember Cynthia but Angela was doing better in handling her emotions than before, sticking to the good memories when they were still complete.

"Do you know how to ride horses?" she asked him.

"I've tried once, but I'm not really good at it. We have horses in Italy, though. Sebastian rides better. You?"

"I'm okay. Oliver is a better rider than me too." She smiled. "I was hoping we could ride tomorrow. I want to show you around the land."

"I'd love that. I'm sure you're an excellent rider." Gael grinned, and when she narrowed her eyes at him, he winked.

Angela shook her head as she got to her feet, pulling her with him. "You are such a perv."

They took the stairs up to their rooms. Gael walked her towards her bedroom, his steps slow as he didn't want the night to end just yet—rather, he didn't want to part with her yet.

When they reached the two doors down the hall—the guest room he used the first time and her bedroom, he knitted his brows. "Your father put distance between us. Last time he put me here, now I'm like ten states away from you."

Angela couldn't help but laugh at that. Gael was still sulking that they weren't sharing rooms. "Elias said the pipes broke in this room."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Not one bit."

They laughed.

"Well… This is me," she said, backing towards her door.

Gael slowly took steps towards her. "You sure you don't want me to walk you to your bed?"

"I'm good." Angela kept his gaze, stopping herself from smiling.

He pressed their foreheads together, and he groaned, gripping her waist. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"A little bit. I kinda like the thought of you missing me."

"I don't like that at all."

She beamed. "Now be a good guest and sleep in your room. I'll see you at breakfast."

Angela kissed him on the lips once and entered her room before Gael could stop her; the door silently closed before him.. He was left alone in the hallway, convincing himself it was a bad idea to break down the door just to sleep next to her.

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