Chapter 2 Familiar

Suddenly, the butler's eyes fell on his master behind Gabrielle, and his face changed almost completely. He straightened his back as beads of sweat trickled down the side of his neck. "No," he stuttered out. "My mistake, Miss."

Mistake? Given the expression on his face earlier, he meant what he said.

However, before she could inquire about it more, Alston's voice boomed from behind her. "Could you walk inside? Or do you want me to hold you?"

His words made her freeze.

Like a deer caught in headlights, she slowly turned around. "No, no," she said hastily, waving her hands up in the air. "I can go in by myself."

Without another word, she limped into the entrance.

Behind Gabrielle, Alston shot the butler a warning look. Almost immediately, the old man lowered his head in fear.

Only then did he catch up with the woman. Placing his hands on her arms, he guided her into the villa, steadying her staggering figure.

After the two left, the butler breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that it was safe for now. These days, it was best not to be on his master's bad side.

On a second thought, however, a smile wove its way into his lips. 'Miss Gabrielle has finally returned!'

After entering the living room inside the villa, Alston quickly placed her on the sofa. The soft cushions enveloped her small body as she looked up at him, not knowing what else to say.

He turned around and left the living room. A moment later, he returned, holding a small cup in his hands.

"Here." His voice was like a searing melody, one that she could listen to for ages.

"What?" She furrowed her eyebrows. It was only when she looked closer did she realize that he was holding a cup of Oolong osmanthus tea.

The familiar fragrance entered her nostrils, as she sighed. Somehow, there was something about this very act that made her feel strange, as if this wasn't the first time this had happened.

However, she quickly shook her head as she took the cup from his hands. 'I'm probably just imagining things.' Placing it on the tea table, she smiled, "Thank you, Mr. Alston."

Even then, she still made no move to drink from the cup.

Seeing her hesitation, Alston frowned. A faint shadow encompassed his handsome face, but he said nothing.

Instead, he turned his gaze to the butler who was standing a few feet away from them.

At first, the butler could only furrow his eyebrows as the man's frown deepened even further. It took him a few moments before he finally realized what his master meant.

"Mr. Alston, the kitchen is fixing up your dinner. Why don't I see if they're finished?" he suggested meekly.

Finally, his gaze softened as he replied indifferently, "Go ahead."

It was as if the stormy clouds had finally been lifted.

The butler simply smiled and left the two alone. After all, he was already used to his master's indifferent nature.

Seeing his figure retreat at the back door of the living room, Alston turned to look at the woman with a faint smile.

However, Gabrielle felt even more uneasy as she shifted closely against the cushions. A part of her grew increasingly conscious of the placement of her limbs. Seeing her like this, he said, "Why are you so nervous? Don't you like the tea?"

She froze. "Yes, I do."

Only then did she realize that Alston knew of her favorites and personally made one for her. But how would he know that?

Pursing her lips, she raised her head in confusion as she tried to search the answer within his cold face, but he revealed nothing.

Just then, a knock reverberated across the living room. Within a few minutes, a doctor dressed in a white coat rushed over to them with a medicine box in his hand.

When the doctor caught sight of Gabrielle, there was an unreadable glint in his eyes. He was about to rush over towards her, but when his gaze fell on Alston, he took a deep breath and suppressed his agitation.

Immediately, the doctor squatted in front of her. "Miss Gabrielle," he said softly. "Please show me your ankle."

Gabrielle wore a pair of loose pants that day for the interview. Hearing the doctor's words, she bent down and was about to roll up her trousers.

However, before she could, Alston placed a hand on her arm. "Don't move."

"What?" Gabrielle glanced up, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

Before she could react, the cold man squatted by her side and reached for her injured ankle. His soft fingers grazed across her skin from time to time, leaving a trace of burning feeling over her skin.

He gently maneuvered around her foot, acting as if he was holding some previous gem when his fingers expertly folded her pants.

She felt as if her whole ankle was on fire. Before he could even roll up her trousers, she was already as red as a tomato.

When she glanced up at the doctor, the man could only flash her an understanding smile.

Her blush brightened.

Although she had been with Jasper for around a year, she never felt this way with him. A part of her thought that it was because she had lost her memories previously that made her completely indifferent to her surroundings, but after this, it seemed that, that wasn't the case.

She had just met this man today, but she was already a blushing mess! Her heart raced in her chest, as she struggled to steady her breathing.

Alston paused for a few seconds before standing up. An unreadable emotion flashed in his eyes, and he turned away. "Your legs are injured, so it would be inconvenient for you to bend like that,"

he said as if he was doing her a small favor. The gentleness she just felt from him seemed to be her illusion.

"Thank you," she whispered, blushing.

His lips twitched into a smile.

The family doctor of the Mu Family couldn't help but stare at them, smiling. When Alston rose to his feet, he dutifully bent down and applied the ointment over her ankle.

He was quick on his fingers that she almost didn't feel the pain. Before she knew it, he was already wrapping her ankle with bandages. He stood up. "It's just an ordinary sprain – nothing serious. Just don't touch it, and you'll be fine by tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"You're so welcome. It's my job, Miss."

Without another word, he left.

Her whole experience here was incredibly strange. Alston, the cold and indifferent man she met in the interview, was somehow soft and caring. The butler and doctor acted as if they recognized her when she had only met them. As she continued to think about it, she found herself growing more and more puzzle.

Seeing that the swelling on her ankle had lessened, she glanced up at the man. "Mr. Alston, thank you for helping me," she said gratefully. "It's getting dark. I have to go home now."

"And how will you do that?"

His words made her stop. Right. She couldn't move.

Seeing her silence, he continued, "The butler has prepared dinner for you. Why don't you leave after that?"

A part of her hesitated, but after hearing that they had already prepared the dinner for her, she found herself agreeing. "Uh, sure. Thank you!"

As they were talking, the butler came over with a wheelchair. Gabrielle was about to pull herself up when Alston suddenly bent over and carried her from the sofa.