Chapter 354 Giorgio's Self-Esteem is Hurt
Originally, Giorgio didn't want Anna to sit in the front passenger seat with Giuseppe, so he sat in the front seat himself.
Once in the car, he found out that Anna had already left. His face darkened, his deep and profound eyes revealing no clear emotions.
Giuseppe, driving the car, seemed slightly uneasy with Giorgio sitting beside him. He coughed and dialed Anna's number. "Anna? You left without telling me?"
Anna responded, "I'm sorry, Giuseppe. My friend needed me for work, and I was in a hurry. I forgot to inform you. I'm still busy with her now, so I can't come back to watch a movie with you. I'm sorry."
With two apologies in her words, their relationship didn't seem as intimate. Moreover, she went against their agreement. This behavior...
Giorgio's lips under the mask curled up silently.
Giuseppe's mood wasn't great at the moment. "You have friends in Crownhaven? Anna, did my words this morning make you uncomfortable? Are you deliberately avoiding me? If so, I'm sorry, you don't need to overthink it. I didn't mean to pressure you, I just like you unilaterally."
Uncomfortable? Sorry? Pressuring? Liking unilaterally? The tenderness in Giorgio's eyes disappeared, turning cold once again. To him, those words put together were nothing but asking Anna to do something unpleasant.
From the phone, Anna's voice came through, "Giorgio, it's not about that. I genuinely met up with a friend, and your words didn't make me uncomfortable. Don't overthink it. Let's discuss it further when I return tonight. Goodbye."
The call ended, and Giorgio's expression darkened further.
She didn't feel uncomfortable? She was so compliant and friendly with Giuseppe? Did she have no sense of a woman's dignity?
Growing more and more annoyed, he went home with an expressionless face.
"Dad, what's wrong with you? Did you go get vaccinated today?" Charlie asked.
"Do your homework," Giorgio replied curtly before heading straight upstairs to take a shower.
As the cold water poured down on him, he felt no chill, only growing angrier. He really felt like she was driving him crazy!
"Dad, can I invite Penny to our house to play? Anna seems like she hasn't come back yet, she's quite lonely by herself," his son's voice came from outside the bathroom.
Giorgio was worried his anger might affect Penny. Initially thinking of refusing, something crossed his mind, and he replied in a low voice, "Okay."
"Thank you, Dad." Charlie quickly went to call Penny, brought her back to the private courtyard, and made a lot of dishes.
"Wow, Charlie, you can cook too. It looks as delicious as what my mommy makes. I admire you so much, I like you!" Penny held her hands, almost drooling.
Charlie said, "Do you like me, or do you like the food I make?"
"I like both!" Penny smiled happily, her teeth white, her eyes bright.
Seeing her looking so adorable, Charlie felt deeply touched. Hearing footsteps upstairs, he quickly whispered, "Keep it down, my dad is coming down. Don't let him know it's me who cooked, or else I won't do it again in the future."
"Why shouldn't your dad know?" Penny inquired.
Charlie explained, "Because he's so old and still can't cook. It would be embarrassing."
"Oh, I understand," Penny replied, although she didn't fully grasp his meaning.
Charlie felt he should remind her again, but Giorgio had already arrived at the dining room, so he smiled and said, "Dad, it's time to eat. I had asked the kitchen auntie to help us."
"Okay," Giorgio responded, taking a seat, his gentle gaze falling on Penny's face. "Having fun?" His voice was very gentle.
Penny had already forgotten her anger from earlier, nodding immediately. "Super fun! Charlie looks so handsome when he cooks!"
Cooks? Giorgio's gaze shifted to Charlie. Charlie's expression changed drastically, immediately throwing a glance at Penny.
Penny suddenly realized she said something wrong, covering her mouth. "Oops! Charlie, I shouldn't have said you can cook. I shouldn't have revealed that secret."
With that, she grabbed Giorgio's arm. "Uncle Giorgio, pretend you didn't hear anything, okay? Otherwise, Charlie saying you're so old and still can't cook would make you sad."
Charlie was left speechless, feeling utterly helpless. He had never uttered such words. He didn't even know who Penny was. In fact, he was completely clueless about the situation.
Giorgio glanced at Charlie's uncertain eyes and felt a sharp pang in his self-esteem. Initially, his first reaction was one of pride—Charlie can cook? Truly his son.
But then, reality hit him. A thirty-year-old man relying on a child to boost his self-esteem? That thought was more embarrassing than not being able to cook!
Penny continued, "Uncle, it's not embarrassing not to cook. After all, there are very few natural-born cooks like Charlie. Look at me at 3 years old, I can only make a vegetable salad."
Giorgio couldn't even distinguish vegetables! Penny's words made him feel even more frustrated. He really doubted if Penny and Charlie were related. Not wanting to discuss this topic further, he said, "Eat well; it's fine to stay here tonight."
As for this meal, he couldn't eat it. "I have some documents to handle; you guys have fun."
Charlie watched his father's cold figure go upstairs, feeling extremely annoyed! Poor dad, couldn't cook, not as independent as his 3-year-old son. How miserable he must have felt!
He then turned to Penny and pointed out, "Penny, it's all your fault."
"I'm sorry, Charlie, I didn't mean to," Penny apologized, blaming herself. If it weren't for her innocent and guileless eyes, Charlie might have suspected her of pretending. But, well, he seemed to have a fondness for the girl, so she decided to let him dote on her.
Charlie's tone softened and said, "It's okay, eat quickly, I'll tell you a story tonight."
Penny nodded excitedly. "Thank you."
Charlie smiled at Penny, then contemplated taking the food to Giorgio upstairs to comfort him. However, he reconsidered, realizing that his father possessed the strongest sense of pride. If he delivered the food and Giorgio tasted its deliciousness, it would likely only exacerbate his frustration.
Besides, the reason his dad let Penny stay was probably because of Anna, right? He would just bring them together when Anna came to pick Penny up later.
At ten o'clock in the evening, Anna returned to the Vittorio family home under Lucia's escort. "Thank you, Lucia. I'll take Penny to school in the morning. You should go back and rest early."
"Okay, I look forward to our progress. Good night." Lucia smiled and waved goodbye.
After the car drove off, Anna made her way back to the North Garden. To her surprise, Giuseppe was still sitting on the sofa, engrossed in reading documents, dressed in a light beige robe, exuding an air of refinement. "Giuseppe, you're still awake?" she inquired.
"I was waiting for you," Giuseppe said gently, putting down the documents and standing up. "Don't come back so late in the future, it's dangerous for a girl to be outside alone."
Anna felt a bit unhappy. Why did she feel like his words were a bit controlling? Their relationship hadn't reached that point, had it?
Without thinking much, she smiled and said, "Don't worry, I was with a female friend. What about Penny? Is she asleep?"
"No, she went to Giorgio's place," Giuseppe promptly replied.
What? Giorgio's place! Did that mean she had to go there to pick her up? Anna subconsciously resisted.
Thinking of Giorgio's behavior last night, she was even more...
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
