No Strings Attached

Chapter 10

lan glanced down to find her feet, usually so pale and smooth, now marred with swollen, red scalds. He couldn’t help but snap, “You’re going to be the death of yourself!” Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

With that, he bent down and swept Clara up into his arms. They reached the car park, and he set her down on the passenger seat with a firm hand.

He rummaged through the glove compartment and pulled out an unopened box of burn ointment. His lashes. cast a shadow as his eyes lowered, and his lips pressed into a thin line.

A storm seemed to brew in the deep ink of his eyes.

lan opened the box and squeezed a dollop of the creamy ointment onto his long fingers. Then he gently smeared the ointment across the swellings on Clara’s foot. His expression was inscrutable as he worked.

Clara’s delicate brows furrowed with pain, her lips white from biting them, her fingers curling tightly into her palm.

lan’s touch softened, ensuring he covered each inflamed area. He lifted his gaze, his eyes dark and unreadable. as he stared at her and almost chuckled, “With your kind of smarts, are you really sure you’d survive without. me?”

Straightening up, he tossed the ointment into Clara’s lap, “Apply this in the morning and night and keep your feet dry for the next couple of days. If you end up with scars, don’t come crying to me.”

Clara’s eyes were downcast, her voice devoid of emotion. “The only way to know if I can survive is to try, isn’t it?”

lan watched her stubborn little face, a frustrated snort escaping him. “Clara, have your tantrum, but why were you dragging Heidi into this? You know she struggles with depression. I’ve told you, she’s no threat to you. Why won’t you believe that?”

The flicker of gratitude that had sparked within Clara instantly iced over, her gaze turning frosty as she faced lan. A scornful smile played on her lips. “lan, let me repeat myself. I didn’t lay a finger on her. She fell on purpose, trying to set me up. If you don’t believe me, check the security footage.”

lan met her eyes, “I’m not that naive, but with Heidi’s clotting disorder and her rare blood type, she’s losing too. much blood, and there’s none in reserve. If you donate, I promise the Campbell family won’t touch you, and wel can put this whole mess behind us.”

If Clara’s heart had been aching before, now it was in excruciating agony, so intense she nearly forgot to breathe.

lan was insisting she donate blood to Heidi, when she had just had an abortion last week.

During the surgery, she’d lost so much blood that she was left anemic, still recovering with the help of meds.

Clara’s dark eyes fixed on lan, her tone laced with a rare defiance. “What if I told you that my body isn’t up to donating blood right now, lan? What then? Are you going to force me?”

lan’s gaze was icy as he looked back at her. “Your medical report doesn’t show anything serious Donating 400 milliliters won’t harm you. Besides, Heidi is Paolo’s little princess. Whether or not you’re to blame, if he comes after the Bell family because of this, even I can’t help you.”

Clara laughed bitterly. All lan cared about was that Heidi was her father’s little princess. Wasn’t Clara someone’s princess, too?

When she was hemorrhaging, he didn’t even take her calls. But a small cut on Heidi, and he was beside himself with worry, even using the Bell family as leverage against her.

Clara’s gaze was filled with desolation as she looked at lan. “lan, 400 milliliters may not do much harm, but what about 2000?”