459

Thea

For the eight months I had been with my mum, I went crazy not being able to see or speak with Angel. Alfred had been a friend to me but, well, we saw how that ended.

In those eight months, I had stumbled upon one of my hobbies from the past, before I took stripping as a career, and that was designing jewelry pieces.

To me, my designs were trash, and I had forgotten about them until one day.

Looking at my designs then, my eyes were opened to how good I actually was at designing jewelry pieces, and I resumed the hobby again.

Angel got to know about my hidden talent when I finally returned to him, and he encouraged me to keep it up. He loved my designs and supported me through it all.

We occasionally talked about what I desired to do with my designs. I did want to have my designs in the market and hopefully a company in the future, but I was scared.

What if people didn't like my designs?

It has been a week after Camila's engagement, I was so happy for her but deep down something bothered me and I wasn't ready to admit it. Today was a Saturday and we were supposed to participate in the weekend general games but Angel had said he had plans and wanted to show me something.

I felt a thrill of excitement and wanted to see what he had to show me.

We left the mansion around evening and were driven to where Angel wanted to show me something .

While we were driving, I got a huge inspiration. It was something for the men's collection. So, I quickly picked up my paper and began to sketch the design I had in my head. I always carried a small book just in case, my creativity had gotten to another level, and designs kept pouring in my head.

I felt Angel watching me but I remained focused.

When his gaze continuously burned into my skin, I couldn't ignore him anymore. I reached out for his hand and squeezed it, while kissing him.

"Just give me a minute, honey, I'll be done with the sketch soon. I don't want the picture to leave my head," I explained, and heard him sigh while adjusting in his seat. He was a big baby indeed. He needed my attention.

"It's fine, pretty. Take your time," he said, and I recalled how supportive Angel had been to me ever since he got to know about my secret talent.

I loved jewelry, but because of my previous line of work, I never pursued my dream. I did wish to have my designs out there and had only thought about it seriously when I went back to live with Angel.

Angel was the one who made suggestions for me in designing men's jewelry too.

This was my first sketch of a man's watch, and I didn't want to miss out on the inspiration as I had never had male jewelry inspiration before.

Once I was done with my sketching, I showed it to Angel.

"It might not look like much on paper, but when I recreate it on my computer, it will turn out better," I explained, watching him as he admired my design. The look on his face showed how proud he was of me, and that made me blush hard.

"This is a watch," he pointed, curiosity etched on his face. "It looks more masculine," he said, studying it even more.

"You're right," I nodded, confirming his guess. "I wanted you to observe that first." Angel looked surprised, an excited smile playing at the corner of his lips. He looked at me, eyes filled with hope.

"You're going to design men's watch?" he asked, and I nodded.

"Yes, all thanks to your encouragement," I said, giving him the credit. He had always encouraged me to also venture into designing men's jewelry as well, and I was glad I had this inspiration.

"This is great, Thea," his voice was full of excitement as he spoke. "I'll be your number one client," he said in a low voice that sent chills over my body, then he looked down at my lips and pulled me in for a kiss.

"You're so talented. Can't believe you had this gift hidden all this while."

"I guess I loved stripping too much," I teased, and his face wrinkled instantly.

"Don't fucking say that," he looked jealous and pinched my cheek, causing me to erupt in laughter.

"Ouch!" I whispered, feigning hurt despite laughing initially.

"I'm sorry, baby," he apologized, amused by my pretense, but I folded my hands across my chest, pouting as if annoyed. "Alright, come here," he said, chuckling.

I shifted jokingly, and he wrapped his hands around my waist, and with a single pull, he drew me to his side, spanking the side of my ass before dropping several kisses on my cheek and neck.

"Angel, s-stop..." I laughed as his kisses tickled me, but he didn't stop and continued until my giggles almost turned into screams.

We both laughed briefly until our amusement gradually died down.

Angel still held so much admiration in his eyes for me.

"You'll make a good designer," he said, sounding certain.

"You believe so?" I asked in a soft tone. I sometimes doubted myself. Angel's trust in my skills was what kept me going whenever I doubted myself.

"I am very sure of it. Seems you underestimate your gift. You're incredible, my love," he said, caressing my cheek.

"Thank you," I said, and wrapped my hands around his neck to hug him.

We finally arrived at a hotel, and I was shocked when Angel led me out of the car and towards the hotel.

There had to be a mistake. This was the grand hotel that had been under construction for almost two years. It was set to be the biggest and most luxurious hotel across several states.

It wasn't yet launched, so what were we doing here?

"Angel, what are we doing here? This is the grand hotel we've heard about for months now." I said. It was on the news and blogs so it wasn't hard to recognize. He kept smiling, seeming unfazed.

"It doesn't matter. We are allowed early access," he simply said and tried to take my hand, but I pulled away immediately.

"No, you can't just go in like that, even if you know the owner. This feels wrong, Angel," I said, feeling unsure about this arrangement. I knew Angel had big connections, but I still felt uneasy about going into the place when it wasn't yet launched.

"Trust me, we are safe," he said, assuring me. I could feel the confidence he had. He wasn't the least worried, and that made me relax a little bit, but it didn't make me feel entirely comfortable.

"What if someone calls the Cops on us?" I asked, weighing possibilities.

"Except it's the DEA, we are safe," he said, and I hit his chest slightly, which made me laugh.

"Stop playing with me, Angel," I said, pouting. He sighed and took my hands, facing me directly.

"What name do you see on the hotel?" he asked, and I turned to see the name written boldly at the top end of the hotel. "THEANGEL," I said.

"And what do you think it stands for?" he said, and I looked at the name more closely. Just then, everything clicked, and realization settled strongly in my mind. My jaw fell, and my eyes widened in shock.

"No..." I said in disbelief.

"Yes," Angel said, smiling.

"No..." I said, this time in excitement. How did I not figure it out sooner?

"Yes," Angel repeated, maintaining his smile.

"Angel, this can't be real," I said, leaving his hand to move closer to the mighty structure before me. I felt him coming behind me, and then his arms wrapped around my belly from behind, with his lips sinking into my neck to kiss it. I felt the night's breeze even more now, and hugged his arms, feeling so proud of him. I was still stunned by the revelation.

I turned around after we had soaked in each other's arms long enough.

"This is yours?" I said, unable to hide how proud I was of him. Angel drew me in more and caressed my cheek.

"This is ours, Thea," he said and chuckled. I quickly jumped into his arms, hugging him while he lifted me from the ground, with my legs wrapped around his waist. He stroked my back so soothingly.

Tears welled up in my eyes at what he did. Building a hotel and naming it after us. I sniffed back my tears and hugged him even more.

"I told you I want to do right by you. I want to give you and our kids a safe life, a responsible life," he said, and I pulled my head from his shoulder to look at him, tears spilling down my face.

"Thank you," I muttered.

"Want to check inside?" he asked.

"Yes!" I screamed excitedly. Angel let me down and took my hand as he led me into the building.

I was so excited that I hopped like a little kid and made a little run every now and then. Angel followed behind me, his hands stuffed in his pockets, maintaining his hot steps and giving me that look that made me want to hide for a while.

I knew his gaze was that of admiration, but it made me shy because, unintentionally, his gaze was seductive.

He liked seeing this childlike part of me; he said he liked it when this side of me came out.

We toured the entire hotel and ended up at the rooftop. I could see the entire place covered with dry, cream-colored cloths, and Angel opened them one by one, showing me the magic there.

I was in awe.

The place was magnificent. It was decorated so beautifully with exquisite furniture, just as I had always imagined my dream rooftop five-star hotel to be.

"It isn't even finished yet, and it's just so beautiful," I said, turning towards him.

"I know you liked our rooftop first date, and I wanted to do this the way you liked it," he said, confirming my suspicion. The design looked exactly as I had always imagined and explained to Angel whenever we talked about having a date at a hotel rooftop.

I was moved by the gesture, enough to get tears spilling from my eyes.

"But this is for business. You have to meet the general taste," I said, a bit concerned that it would be too much.

"Your taste is unique, and I think that's what rich folks want. I think they've had enough of common-themed design rooftops. They'll appreciate something different," he said, and I nodded, feeling confident about it now.

We enjoyed the view after having wine by a table.

"You already know about my shares in different companies," Angel said behind me as we watched the view of the city.

"Yes," I answered, smiling.

"And now you know we are the owners of this grand hotel," he said.

"I'm proud of you, my love," I said to him, tilting my head so I could kiss him.

"You make me better in every way, Thea," he said, holding my hand and trailing a kiss from my shoulder down the length of my arm. Then he raised my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles.

I'm filled with so much love for Angel, seeing him adore my body. He stopped after he had done the same to my other hand and looked at me.

"There's somewhere else we need to go," he said, and my eyes twitched.

"You're not about to shock me more than you already have, are you?"

He chuckled. "Now that you've said it, I wish I had something even better for you. I'm sorry," he said, and I shook my head.

"Come on, you don't need to apologize. I was going to say that I couldn't handle another shock," I explained, and he pulled me in and brushed his lips against my forehead in a gentle kiss.

Not long after Angel said that, we began to hear the sound of a helicopter, and it was coming towards us.

My lips were parted in shock as I looked at Angel. I had never ridden a helicopter in my entire life, despite being a rich kid.

"Angel..." I called in shock. I just had a feeling that he had a surprise that was beyond riding a chopper; I just couldn't tell what it was.

"We are going back," he said before I could ask questions.

"I love this," I said excitedly. This was not on my bucket list, but maybe I should have included it.