Chapter 307 Is He Worried About Her?
"Get the burn ointment. If you can't find it, aloe vera gel will do," a commanding voice ordered.
Without another word, the man took her uninjured hand and led her to the courtyard’s ornamental pond.
The pond was close, with cold water flowing; he placed her reddened hand under the stream.
The coolness provided immediate relief from the burn, easing Anna's discomfort.
She started to thank him, but the man instructed, "Don’t move. Let the water run longer to prevent blistering."
As he finished speaking, the clerk came running back, shakily and anxiously saying, "Mr. Vittorio, I’ve now brought aloe vera gel from my makeup bag. I'll immediately head out to the pharmacy to buy some burn ointment."
She hastened off.
Giorgio pulled over some wet wipes, opened the aloe vera gel, and softly said, "Once it doesn't hurt as much, clean it with a wet wipe and apply the aloe vera gel."
His voice was gentle, his face a study in concentration, his brows slightly furrowed.
Anna watched him, surprised and taken aback.
From the moment the accident happened until now, barely two minutes had passed. He was calm and quick in his actions as if truly concerned for her.
How could that be? Why would he worry?
It must be just a simple act of assistance...
Anna calmed herself down and managed to say, "Thank you, I'm fine. It's much better already. You can return to what you were doing; I can take care of myself from here."
She took the damp towelette and aloe gel from his elegant hands in a distant and polite manner, bending her head to tend to herself.
Seeing her clumsy attempt, Giorgio reached for her slender wrist, gently wiped it dry, and then squeezed some aloe gel, smoothing it over her wrist and the back of her hand.
His movements were authoritative yet gentle, his fingers softly rubbing against her skin, cool and ticklish.
Anna felt the burn on her skin subside, but her blood began to race, heating from within.
Embarrassed and speechless, she felt uncomfortable.
Those brief two minutes seemed as long as a century.
After Giorgio had finished applying the ointment, he looked up and noticed that Anna's delicate cheeks were flushed, shy like a freshly ripened apple.
He teased, "It's your wrist that's burned. Why is your face so red?"
Hearing this, Anna's cheeks grew even redder!
She quickly withdrew her hand, muttering, "It's just the heat, nothing more."
"Hmm? Isn't it raining today?" Giorgio's striking gaze briefly flicked to the rain outside.
Anna was immediately mortified, wishing the ground would swallow her up.
How could she embarrass herself like this?
Giorgio chose not to tease her further. His lips curved into a slight smile, and his eyes fell on the suit jacket she wore. Gently taking it off her and tossing it aside, "Your sleeve is wet. Wear mine."
As he spoke, he unbuttoned his suit jacket in a movement of supreme grace and class.
Anna, flustered, protested, "There’s no need. I'm not cold." Besides, she and Giuseppe were officially dating. How would it look for her to wear another man's coat?
Her resistance seemed to dim the softness in Giorgio's expression, "Is it that you're not cold or don't want to? Or is it that you can wear any man's clothes, just not mine?"
His words carried a biting undertone!
Anna wanted to say yes, but Giorgio's unspoken authority made her wary of challenging him.
She explained, "It's not that, it's just..."
"Then it's settled. Keep it on," the man overrode her authoritatively, draping his warm jacket over her shoulders, enveloping her petite frame.
Anna was already feeling tense, and now, breathing in the unique scent that was distinctly him, she felt her heart tighten.
Being Katherine's sister, if someone snapped a photo of her in his clothes, what would others think? And what about when Katherine arrived? What would she think?
Anna insisted on taking it off, "Brother-in-law, I'm truly not cold. I was just burned; I need to cool down. You wear it, so you don't catch a cold, and give it to Charlie.
By the way, I haven't seen Charlie in a few days. How is he? Is he doing well?"
She was changing the subject.
Giorgio's face grew stern, his dark and deep gaze locking onto her, "Did you just call me brother-in-law?"
His voice was cold, questioning.
Anna's brows furrowed slightly.
It was normal for her to call him brother-in-law, a way to put distance between them, reminding him of their boundaries.
Why was he reacting so coldly?
"Would you rather I called you Giorgio?"
In a voice that carried a tremor of defiance, Anna questioned Giorgio, whose handsome face instantly frosted over as if he'd just been slapped with ice. Giorgio's lips pressed into a firm line, barely allowing the words to escape,
"I underestimated the thickness of your skin. Do you like calling me Giorgio? Fine. As the younger one here, shouldn't you be doing something to show respect at our first meeting?"
His tone was chilled, brimming with an icy aloofness.
Anna's long eyelashes fluttered rapidly. "Show respect? How?"
Giorgio loomed over her with an air of authority. "Bring tea, fetch water - I'm looking forward to seeing you perform well," he said, his use of "niece-in-law" thick with scorn and veiled threat.
After his biting words, he turned and settled comfortably in the sitting area, exuding an air of cold nobility as he waited for her to serve him.
Anna was puzzled. In this day and age, who still served tea to their elders, especially considering that Giorgio was not much older than Giuseppe?
She silently cursed the man. It was clear he was only trying to humiliate her!
Glancing toward where Katherine and Giuseppe should be, she wondered why they hadn't appeared.
Reluctantly, she walked over to Giorgio. "Mr. Vittorio, I don't know how to brew tea. We have a barista for that – why not have them make something for you?"
Giorgio responded coolly, "Fine, then give me a shoulder massage."
What the hell? A massage?!
Was he serious or just being sleazy?
"A younger person massaging an elder - do you have a problem with that?" he asked, his casual tone suggesting it was the most natural request in the world.
Anna certainly had objections, but it seemed pointless to voice them.
"I'll make the tea," she decided.
She marched over to the tea station, scooped up excessive tea leaves, and poured hot water into the pot. He didn't like tea? Fine, she thought, more leaves for him to make it even more disagreeable.
Her actions were charged with frustration. Giorgio observed her with deep, expressionless dark eyes, his striking features emotionless.
When she brought the overly strong tea to him, he offhandedly said, "I just remembered, I don't drink tea. Please make me a coffee instead."
His polite, gentlemanly request was delivered so that it took Anna's self-control not to pour the scalding tea over his head.
Grinding her teeth, Anna recalled that he had treated her wound just before. If it weren't for that, she might have lost her composure right then.
Just a coffee, she consoled herself. After all, they had instant coffee here.
She grabbed a packet, made the coffee, and handed it to him, "Lord Giorgio, is this better?"
The emphasis she put on the first few words was pointedly heavy.
Giorgio arched an eyebrow, glanced at her, accepted the coffee, and took a sip.
"It's too sweet."
Damn it!
She hadn't put any sugar in it at all. How could it be sweet?
She had endured enough.
With a swift motion, Anna snatched the coffee cup from his hands, gulped it down in one go, then stared straight at him.
"It is quite sweet. I like it," she said defiantly. "You don't have to drink it. As for Giuseppe, I'm with him, not you. I don't need to curry favor with you to be satisfied with my respect!"
Her voice was clear and forceful, and she lifted her chin with a sense of pride that matched the directness of her words.
Giorgio narrowed his icy gaze as he stared at the lingering coffee stain on her upper lip. Rising to his feet, he began to close the distance between them—
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