Chapter 292 Understanding Boundaries
Anna paid no mind to Giorgio's mood.
She couldn't fathom why he felt entitled to pry into her affairs. Wasn't it best to keep to themselves and not interfere with each other?
"Anna," Katherine called out.
Anna snapped back to reality, spotting Katherine, stunning and serene, standing by the conservatory, seemingly waiting just for her. Her heart tightened.
Had Katherine seen her talking with Giorgio?
Approaching her, Anna said, "I was just exchanging greetings with my brother-in-law. He was asking about Charlie."
After explaining, she realized how her words must sound—admitting to something by denying it so fiercely.
And indeed, it seemed so to Katherine! She'd witnessed Anna's collision with Giorgio, and their conversation was evidently more than mere pleasantries. Who would believe it was just a greeting?
When had Giorgio ever exchanged pleasantries with just anyone? Damn it! Why should she be the one to stand out to Giorgio? Yet, at that moment, a more pressing matter was at hand.
Suppressing the bitterness in her heart, Katherine said sternly, "Keep your best friend's mouth in check, or the repercussions will be more than you can handle."
‘Who? Sara?’
Anna remembered how Sara had recently confronted Mirlinda, undoubtedly to rile Katherine.
"Sara understands boundaries; there won't be any trouble. And as for your brother's mouth, I'd appreciate it if you looked into that too," Anna retorted.
‘Her brother?’
Katherine's beautiful features stiffened. "What do you mean?"
Anna was surprised. She thought Fabio knew about Penny from Katherine. But if Katherine didn't know, how did Fabio find out?
She calmly explained, "Your brother knows not only that Penny is my daughter but also who her father is. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to the Stefanelli family."
‘What! Her brother was aware?’
Katherine's frame shook violently, "I'll speak with him to understand the full story."
With that, she turned and left, a mix of emotions flickering in Anna's dark eyes. She just hoped Katherine would handle things properly.
In the study.
Katherine knocked and entered, seeing Fabio browsing books by the shelf, and walked toward him.
"Looking for something, bro?" Fabio glanced at her, his voice gentle. "Yeah, I need some materials. Weren't you with Giorgio? What brings you upstairs?"
His demeanor remained unchanged, just as it always had.
Katherine felt a twinge of suspicion.
If he knew the truth, logically, he wouldn't be acting this way, but Anna had no reason to lie to her.
She was not only worried about her child being exposed but also about him discovering the kidney transplant.
After a moment's thought, she spoke softly, "Bro, I heard you found out who Penny really is. How did you know?"
Fabio paused in flipping through the book, replaced it on the shelf, and looked at Katherine, "To make the news look convincing, I had to pay off her foster mother and get it out of her. You knew as well?"
It was Wendy! Damn it, she had paid that woman to keep quiet, and now she had spilled the beans!
Fortunately, his phrase 'you knew as well' indicated that Fabio had no idea about Penny's father, and she breathed a slight sigh of relief, "Mm, when I went to Vista Heights, I noticed Penny had a resemblance to Anna, so I asked about it. But Anna didn't say who the child was. Did her foster mother mention anything?"
Fabio replied, "No, she probably doesn't know either. I only tricked Anna today; otherwise, with her stubborn personality, she wouldn't have cooperated."
‘So that was it...’
Katherine felt the weight lift from her chest and pursed her lips, "Bro, Anna did us a favor this time. Let’s not pry too much into the girl's business. It might backfire."
Fabio, knowing Katherine to be cautious and kind-hearted, assumed she was thinking of the bigger picture and didn't read further into it, "Sure. I know when to stop."
"I'll be going back then. Call me if you need me," Katherine said with a smile and left.
Once she exited the study, a smirk graced her lips. Fabio remained ignorant of Penny's father or the kidney issue, and she intended to keep it that way. It was time to silence some people once more.
...
After Katherine Giorgio left, life for the Stefanelli family returned to normal.
Anna tidied up rooms in the backyard, avoiding the front and having a rather relaxed afternoon.
And for dinner, she fetched barbecue ingredients and actually set up a barbecue in the yard.
Penny and Charlie were delighted, running around the yard, playfully enjoying the heartfelt warmth.
The mood was only disturbed when Davide and Carla arrived— "So you like this stuff?"
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?"
Their words, their attitudes, were decidedly not genuine concern.
Anna didn't mind, "Telling or not doesn't matter. I have my own hands. I can cook."
Carla scoffed, "Feeling proud of yourself? Look at your hands; they're nothing like Katherine's delicate touch. Geez, don't girls know how to take care of themselves?"
Anna's hands were indeed not as porcelain-smooth as Katherine's, pampered beauties that they were—they bore the marks of years of labor and housework.
Staring coldly at Carla, Anna couldn't believe her ears, "When you dumped me in the countryside with that couple, you didn't seem to care about a girl's need for pampering. Isn't it a bit hypocritical to bring it up now?"
"You..." Carla struggled for a comeback.
The truth was, for more than two decades, they hadn't lifted a finger for Anna! Were it not for their current need, they wouldn't bother to bring her back at all.
"Did you get your Tweet out today?" she asked. "Let's sit down, snap a photo, and just say we're enjoying a barbecue dinner with you."
So that was their angle.
Anna smirked but didn't refuse. She whipped out her phone, took a few snaps, tweeted, and wrapped it up in under a minute, "Done. Now, you can leave us to eat in peace."
She couldn't have been more dismissive.
Carla and Davide couldn't care less about staying for the barbecue meal.
Before leaving, Carla turned to Charlie with a disgusted look, "Charlie, do you really prefer this kind of heavy, unsanitary meal? Wouldn't you rather go out to eat with grandma?"
Charlie looked at her, grabbed a meatball from the table, and promptly dropped it, "Anna's food is the best, don't talk bad about her."
"Ah! You little rascal..." Carla's expensive clothing was now stained, and he was hopping mad. But what could he do? He couldn't reprimand Charlie!
"Forget it, just eat with her. Always a disagreeable child."
Cursing under her breath, Carla stormed off. There was none of the warmth you'd expect from a grandmother.
The truth was, Charlie had been aloof since he was little, hardly bonded to them, and it seemed Katherine didn't care much for the boy either. Over time, their concern had waned.
Anna was about to scold Charlie for his rudeness, but seeing the family's indifference, she thought better of it and instead comforted him, "Charlie, honey, next time, use mud, okay? Save the meatballs."
Charlie, still smarting from the 'always disagreeable' comment, chuckled at Anna's words, "Yeah, what a waste of my meatball."
"Heh, let's eat!"
Anna proceeded to cook for the little ones, unaware...
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