Chapter 219 Starved for Love
The balcony was flooded with light, glaring down on the woman's face, exposing her fear and her forced composure in stark relief.
Giorgio looked at her fragile form and suddenly found it hard to torment her. "You still haven't settled your debt to me from last time. Now, old and new debts combined, you figure out what to do."
Figure out what to do... The question loomed large; how could she possibly know??
"If you don't want me to do something," Giorgio suggested dryly, his words hanging in the air as he cast a meaningful glance at her lips before turning and stepping away with a grace that seemed almost too dignified to be real.
Once Giorgio left, the air around her seemed to ease, and Anna stood there, her cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson.
'If you don't want me to do something...' What could she possibly do to appease him and obtain his forgiveness?
Anna pinned her hopes on Charlie.
That evening, when Giorgio was out and only Charlie and she remained in the hospital room, she whispered, "What does your dad like most? Typically, when you've done something wrong, how do you make it up to him?"
Charlie's dark eyes brightened. Was Anna looking to make amends with his dad?
"Well... let me think... Got it! Dad loves it when he's looked after meticulously—if someone shows that they care about him and considers his needs."
What the hell? He sure didn't look like someone who needed anybody else.
Seeing Anna's disbelief, Charlie got serious and began to explain, "Look, Anna, Dad might seem aloof and capable of handling anything, but the truth is, he's just a big boy who gets tired. He's always eating on the go, attending boozy business dinners, managing the Vittorio mansion on top of work, and then there's me. Everyone cares about how his company's doing and whether his stocks and projects are successful, yet no one truly asks how he is. He doesn't have the time to take care of himself either. That's why I learned to cook—so I could secretly look after him. Basically, he's someone longing for and needing warmth."
Charlie's analysis was serious and detailed, and it made sense.
Anna's thoughts drifted back to the words Giuseppe had said before, and she couldn't help but feel a bit of pain in her heart. She truly sympathized with Giorgio.
Unfortunately, she was a patient herself now. How could she take care of him? Besides, caring for someone was a long process, and it wouldn't relieve his stress immediately.
"Is there anything else? Something that can make him happy right away?"
Was Anna looking to please Daddy as quickly as possible? To win his heart before Katherine woke up?
Charlie's eyes sparkled, and the next second, he had an idea.
"Daddy's biggest wish is for someone to give him a grand surprise, to sing to him in a romantic and beautiful setting, and to share a candlelit dinner with him."
This was the most common scene in romantic movies; no one had done it for Daddy before, and he would probably like it, right?
Charlie wholeheartedly wanted the two to be together.
To Anna, this seemed very plausible! After all, Giorgio wasn't as cold and dignified as he appeared on the surface; it was normal for him to want to spend romantic moments with a woman.
So, she would prepare a beautiful setting for him when it was time to leave and then give him an apology gift.
Yes, that was the plan!
"Don't tell your daddy about this, okay?"
Charlie nodded. "Mm-hmm, surprises, I understand."
The two whispered together and fell asleep in each other's arms.
When Giorgio returned, the young and the old were already asleep.
He had previously met with Rizzo to understand Anna's condition, learning that her solitary kidney was due to a congenital condition, and he had inquired about some knowledge in this area which kept him occupied until now.
Looking at the two under the soft yellow light, he walked over, tucked her slender arm under the blanket, made sure she was well-covered, turned off the light, and went to the bathroom to shower.
The moment the bathroom door closed, Anna, in the darkness, opened her eyes, her amber pupils filled with complex and uneasy emotions.
She had never thought that he, so high and mighty, would actually tuck her in himself, not to mention the fact that he went to get a pain relief patch for her menstrual cramps. This was all beyond her expectations.
In just half a day, he had acted like a true husband, allowing her to bask in happiness and enjoy being cared for.
Wait a minute! What was she thinking? It was just a blanket, right? Why overthink it?
He was a married man, after all, and his wife was Katherine!
Anna quickly slapped her cheeks, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes to sleep.
After his shower, Giorgio didn't rest but instead took his coat and quietly left the hospital room, closing the door behind him.
It was now late at night, about one in the morning.
A black sedan slowly stopped in the hospital's underground parking lot. Inside, a man, tenderly cradled the sleeping little girl in his arms.
Seeing Giorgio approaching, he opened the car door, speaking in a very soft voice,
"She's asleep."
Giorgio glanced around and bent down to get into the car. "I'll carry her up. Once she sees Anna, I'll arrange a suitable place for her. The hospital has too many prying eyes; you don't need to go up."
His tone was declarative. Nothing was up for discussion.
Simon could sense a change in Giorgio's tone, but unfortunately, he was not in the mood to care about these subtleties.
"We're being followed. Let's take the child up together, and I'll circle back halfway to deal with it."
Being followed? Did that mean Penny might have been discovered?
A hint of a chill touched Giorgio's handsome face as he stepped out of the car.
Together, the two men headed toward the elevator.
As their figures disappeared, a car door opened on a nearby parking spot, and a shadow quickly followed them.
Odd, the little girl had said she wanted to find her mommy, and her mommy was Anna, so why was Simon bringing her to Giorgio?
Right, hadn't the child cried out something about her mommy fainting? And wasn't Katherine the one who had fainted? What was really going on?
"Ah!" Suddenly, a large hand quickly reached out, seizing her slender wrist.
Panicked, her hat fell off, and under the corridor light, a pretty and delicate face was revealed—it was... Mirlinda!
"What are you doing here?" Simon's brows furrowed, his gaze skeptical and surprised as he scrutinized her.
Mirlinda's face was a mix of embarrassment and shame, but after a moment, she lifted her chin, unapologetically explaining, "Why can't I come to Crownhaven if you can? I certainly don't want my husband getting involved with another woman. What woman would let her husband cheat and find a mistress while she’s pregnant."
"I'm not as irresponsible as you think. You came to Crownhaven in the middle of the night, while pregnant, just because of this?" Simon asked.
Mirlinda snorted lightly, "Yes, so what if you're responsible? That woman might not be."
"I've told you, she's different from you. Don't judge her by your standards."
Simon's voice carried a hint of anger.
It was unclear whether he was more upset by her insults towards him and Anna, or by her baseless suspicions.
Mirlinda scoffed, "Right, I'm the one with poor character; I’m dirty and lowly, while your pure and kind-hearted Anna is so virtuous that she replaces Katherine and climbs into the bed of your friend Giorgio."
Her words were sharp, echoing through the narrow underground corridor.
Simon's gentle expression tightened. "How do you know?"
As he spoke, Giorgio, who had circled back, stepped out from the shadows, fixing his gaze on the two.
"What's happening here?"
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