?<strong>Chapter 976:</strong>


    A chilly breeze sneaked in through the window, prompting Gemma to sneeze. As she closed the window, she noticed Pierre still outside, cleaning the mud off himself. Seeing him reignited a dull ache in her backside from the earlier bump.


    Pierre, feeling her gaze, paused and looked up.


    Caught off guard, Gemma met his eyes and offered a small wave.


    The wind tousled her hair, entuating her delicate face and the faint blush on her ears, causing Pierre’s heart to flutter. Pierre quickly reminded himself of his professional boundaries and merely nodded.


    Later that evening, Gemma began feeling slightly ill. Not wanting to worry She, she took some medicine and went to bed. However, the sound of heavy rain disrupted her sleep.


    Suddenly, She burst into Gemma’s room, her voiceden with worry. “Miss Hampton, may I take the night off? My grandson’s school bus had an ident, and he’s seriously hurt. I need to go to him!”


    Gemma was immediately concerned. “Of course! I’ll have the driver take you,” she offered quickly.


    She declined. “No, thanks. My son is on his way to pick me up.” With Gemma’s approval, She wiped her tears and noticed Gemma’s pallid face. “Miss Hampton, are you alright? You don’t look well.”


    Gemma stood and forced a smile, walking toward her dressing room. “I’m fine.” She retrieved a card and handed it to She. “Here, this has a few million dors on it. Please, take it.”


    She attempted to refuse, tears brimming in her eyes, but Gemma insisted. She quickly left with the card.


    Too exhausted to see She off, Gemma copsed into a chair. Outside, thunder rumbled and rain battered the windows. Suddenly concerned for the flowers in her garden, Gemma hurried outside.


    To her surprise, as she reached the stairway, Gemma found Pierre entering, soaked yet carefully protecting a pot of flowers from the rain.


    Gemma rushed over, relieved to see the nts were only wet but otherwise unharmed. “Thank you, Pierre!” she eximed, her anxiety dissolving as she gently touched the flower buds.


    “It’s no trouble,” Pierre responded, noticing Gemma’s light attire and feeling the rainwater on his own clothes. He stepped back. “You should head back to your room. I’ll take care of the flowers.”


    Gemma, who had ventured downstairs out of concern for the flowers, now found herself too weak to return to her room. Seeing her wobble a bit, Pierre instinctively reached out to steady her. Upon touching her, he realized she was unusually warm. Without hesitation, he lifted her into his arms.


    With She absent and the night deepening, the remaining bodyguards maintained their vigil outside.


    Alone in the vast vi, Pierre assumed responsibility for Gemma’s care. He swiftly attended to her sudden low fever, administering medicine and applying a cooling patch as he wrapped her in a nket, which soon became damp with sweat. He remained by her side, softly wiping her hands and cheeks to help lower her temperature.


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