Chapter 12 His body obeyed him.
She knew the other person was a gentleman, so...
Elias briefly said "I'll call you back" into the phone and then ended the call.
He didn't respond to her greeting immediately, but simply placed his phone casually on the desk and walked towards her step by step.
This was something Yuan Ning hadn't expected; it brought her a sense of excitement, and she felt her heart pounding even harder.
He wore leather shoes, which made almost no sound as he walked on the thick carpet. As he drew closer, Yuan Ning could smell more clearly the mixture of the cool aftertaste of a cigar and the warmth of cashmere emanating from him. This made her already dizzy head even more foggy.
She couldn't figure out what she was thinking, but he was putting some pressure on her. All she knew was that she was there to work, but for some reason, she really wanted to lean into her employer's arms.
After all, he was a gentleman, a good man, a handsome and wealthy man. Yuan Ning thought she had no reason not to fall into his arms and seek his gentlemanly care.
He stopped a step away from her, his gaze sliding from her moist eyelashes to her slightly dry lips.
“You are ill, Miss Wynne,” he stated the fact, without a hint of concern.
But he did bring her a cup of hot water.
"I'll call your family doctor over to take a look."
Yuan Ning's heart tightened, and she almost reflexively denied it: "No, boss." But she still took his water glass.
Her voice still carried that unconscious nasal tone, but she quickly calmed down. Yuan Ning had never known before that she was such a strong-willed person.
Perhaps driven by the necessities of life, she had to work, earn money, and maintain a decent life.
If she shows even a hint of vulnerability, the boss might be considerate of her today out of courtesy, but perhaps tomorrow he'll tell her that this pampered girl doesn't need to come anymore.
Yuan Ning was afraid of this outcome, but unfortunately, he acted too quickly.
Instead of arguing with her, the other person suddenly raised their hand, and the neatly trimmed, snow-white back of their hand, with blue veins showing, reached straight towards her forehead.
Yuan Ning didn't have time to back away; all her senses were focused on that one point of contact.
Her pupils focused on the fine texture of the cashmere sweater rolled up on his wrist, and she smelled the woody scent on him.
“You have a fever.” His conclusion was unquestionable, even precise: “Over thirty-eight and a half degrees, Miss Wynne.”
“I…” Yuan Ning opened her mouth, like a child caught red-handed making a mistake, as if the other party had seen through everything about her.
This made her extremely embarrassed. No respectable rich girl would force herself to work when she was sick, and be afraid of being exposed.
Perhaps this is why the poor can never pretend to be rich; she can no longer be as composed as before, she has no support.
Elias turned and walked to his desk, pressing the speed dial button on the intercom: "Prepare a glass of lemon honey water, and bring some fever reducer."
Then, he looked at her, his icy blue eyes only briefly glancing at her, but there seemed to be something else in them as well.
“Sit down, Miss Wynne,” he said, gesturing to the comfortable high-backed chair by the fireplace.
Yuan Ning didn't know why, but her body obeyed him. Wherever his finger pointed, she obediently sat down.
As she sank into the soft chair, the flickering firelight from the fireplace instantly enveloped her, making her cheeks glow red.
Warmth seeped into her body from behind, making her icy fingertips tremble on the red velvet of the high-backed chair. She wanted to sink in completely, but she was there to work, and Mr. Elias was her employer.
She watched him walk back to his desk, his cashmere sweater outlining the smooth shoulder line as he moved.
"Tell me, besides the fever, where else does it hurt?"
He sat down behind his desk and questioned her from above, a position that represented authority and distance, but his questions went beyond the scope of work and touched on her private life.
Without having to force herself, Yuan Ning gradually weakened. She whispered, "My head is spinning, and my throat hurts a little." Her voice was softer than before, just like the tone she used to use when she was sick and talking to her father.
Although she would never use that tone with Meng Qianyue again, a new target for her to use it had emerged.
She regretted it as soon as she finished speaking; Elias was not someone she could show weakness to.
She lowered her eyes, struggling to think about how things would develop. She hoped to return to her employers with a professional demeanor once she recovered.
Her fingertips unconsciously scratched at the expensive red velvet beneath her, and she was met with the sound of steady footsteps.
She looked up and saw him bend down to take a bottle of whiskey and a glass from the liquor cabinet, then slowly pour a thin glass of amber liquid.
Yuan Ning was taken aback, recalling an old folk remedy from the last century. Before the advent of antibiotics and modern medicine, Europeans used spirits as a panacea for all sorts of minor ailments. The principle was that when high-proof spirits were drunk, the intense burning sensation would temporarily mask the stinging sensation in the throat, creating a false sense of relief. The alcohol content might also have a slight numbing effect, providing instant relief from any pain.
But... she only thought Elias had many of the old aristocratic mannerisms, but could he really be this foolish? Did he go to university?
He picked up his glass and walked towards her. Yuan Ning was unsure whether to accept it or not. She also had an impulse to drink the strong liquor he offered, so that no matter what happened to her, he would take responsibility for her.
After all, Elias seems like someone you can rely on without worry.
It's much better to rely on someone than to force yourself to cope on your own.
At that moment, a gentlemanly, wealthy man stood before her, offering her a cup of antidote that could numb all pain.
Subconsciously, she longed for a simple solution to the crisis: to gain protection through a submissive and trusting attitude. She even romanticized this idea, temporarily ignoring the underlying costs and power imbalance. She forgot that Elias would be responsible for her discomfort caused by the strong liquor, but that this would also make her feel worse.
Just as she was struggling internally, her fingers trembling slightly, almost reaching out to take the amber liquid, Elias, holding a wine glass, walked straight past her, then bent down in front of the cabinet next to her and took out a box of anti-inflammatory medicine.
Yuan Ning's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and she awkwardly withdrew it.
Elias glanced at her. "You want to drink this?" He swirled his glass. "I'm very sorry, Miss Wynne, this isn't suitable for you today. I've ordered you some honey water. Please wait patiently; Dorotha will be quick."
As he spoke, he calmly sat down on the single sofa opposite her and then naturally took a sip. Clearly, he had poured the drink for himself.
He gently pushed the anti-inflammatory pills toward her: "You can take two of these first, it will help. If you don't trust me, I can call your family doctor to give you a definite answer."
Yuan Ning opened her mouth: "No, no, boss, I believe you."
Just then, the maid Dorotha came in with a tray, placing down over-the-counter fever reducers and honey water.
Elias gestured for her to take her medicine.
Yuan Ning didn't know why she trusted the man in front of her so much. She thought she shouldn't have swallowed the medicine given to her by a man who was practically a stranger.
But... Elias seemed so refined and reliable.
She picked up the anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing medicine and swallowed it with warm honey water. Her throat was immediately soothed by the sweetness of the honey.
Elias crossed his legs on the sofa and took another sip of whiskey.
“You should be glad, Miss Wynne, that I happen to have extra time to treat you today. We can start discussing work once you feel better, okay? Now, take a good rest.”
Elias's voice both asserted his boundaries, informing her that such things should not happen again, and infused with just the right amount of gentleness, showcasing his impeccable gentlemanly manners.
The manners and emotional warmth he provided remained consistently low, sometimes drawing Yuan Ning into his dazed state, but fortunately, at other times bringing her back to her senses just right.
Yuan Ning's cheeks began to burn. She felt ashamed of her earlier thoughts. She had shamefully thought that her employer was someone she could rely on. She almost wanted to show weakness, thinking that the other party would not only be tolerant of her, but also take care of her.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Elias, I shouldn’t have interfered with your work. I’ve taken up your time.”
Elias smiled at her: "I told you, it's fine today. I'll go take care of some work first. You can sit here for a while. Call me when you feel better, and we'll get started."
Yuan Ning lay down on the sofa, closed her eyes, and tried to calm herself down as quickly as possible.
The medication didn't take effect very quickly, but the warm honey water made her feel a little better.
The room fell silent. After Elias returned to his desk, the only sounds he made while working were the very occasional scraping of paper against his fingertips or the tapping of his wine glass against the table when he put it down.
Yuan Ning had to hold her breath; all her senses were reminding her whose territory this was.
She can only be polite by minimizing her presence as much as possible.
If the other party is a gentleman, then she should try her best to be a lady.
The aromas became complex and layered. The Van der Berg home also featured an old-fashioned fireplace for heating, the base of which was the warm and primal scent of burning pine. Intertwined with this was the rich aroma of single malt whisky in Elias's glass, and the lingering aftertaste of a cigar on his cashmere sweater.
With her eyes closed, Yuan Ning's senses seemed to be amplified infinitely. She could even vaguely smell the slightly dusty, ancient scent of the red velvet chair beneath her, as well as the sweet, cloying heat emanating from the leftover honey water.
She hadn't felt this relaxed in a very, very long time.
The flickering light from the fireplace danced erratically on her eyelids. Yuan Ning imagined her figure, curled up on the sofa, stretching and shrinking, the warm glow trembling beneath her closed eyelids making her eyelashes stretch and shrink as well.
At the other end of the room, only an antique green glass lamp was lit in front of Elias. She peeked up and saw his lowered profile, which looked particularly focused in the light. His work was precise and meticulous, and his body was cold and distant.
Warmth and coldness, dynamism and stagnation, sensibility and rationality are clearly separated in this space, yet they are connected through the scents flowing in the air and the barely audible breaths of each other.
Yuan Ning began to feel infinitely relaxed. In this space that he absolutely controlled, her physical pain and mental stress strangely subsided. In the twisted sense of security he provided, she waited patiently for the medicine to take effect.
The medicine didn't seem to suppress all the discomfort quickly; a dull pain suddenly struck Yuan Ning's temple again.
Her slender neck instinctively tilted back, resting against the soft red velvet backrest, forming a delicate and graceful arc.
An barely suppressed "Mmm~" escaped from her lips.
A note from the author:
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