Chapter 119: Chapter 119
Anna Thornton returned to the hospital and first checked on the sleeping Pop in the soft night light.
Having gone through the preoperative chemotherapy phase, the little one, already small, appeared even tinier. Fortunately, the surgery went well, and during recovery, signs showed of gradual progress.
Anna secretly planted a kiss on the child’s soft, rosy cheek and then tiptoed to the window to draw the curtains.
Conrad Sterling’s car was parked downstairs, and from his vantage point looking at the room where the mother and daughter stayed, he could see Anna’s graceful silhouette projected on the window.
But soon, the only light in the room went out, merging with other windows around that had long entered the land of dreams.
"No matter what happens, it never seems to affect this woman’s quality of sleep." Conrad Sterling sneered, unsure if it was out of envy or displeasure.
Compared to Anna’s carefree nature, Conrad was burdened with thoughts.
After dropping her off, he didn’t leave immediately.
Instead, he quietly lit a cigarette, staring at that pitch-black, silent window with no response expected...
The next day, the cigarette butt holder set up specially on the trash can at the hospital entrance was filled with the remnants of an entire pack of expensive cigarettes.
"Marilyn, why don’t you call President Sterling? The party is about to start, and he still hasn’t arrived."
"Mom, Conrad is probably busy. I shouldn’t disturb him."
"But with so many guests here, how much longer will he make them wait?"
Amelia Grant, Marilyn Ford’s mother, was dressed today in an elegant yet festive red Chinese-style cheongsam. Her age was around forty or fifty, but her skin maintained a glossy appearance, indicative of her heavy investment in skincare.
However, in contrast to her daughter’s and husband’s composed demeanor, she seemed much more anxious.
Amelia paced back and forth on five-centimeter heels, clutching her jewelry-adorned left hand with her right, growing increasingly uneasy. Her gaze shifted from her daughter’s hands back to her husband: "Why don’t you call Conrad?"
Harold Ford replied, "Let’s do as Marilyn says. Conrad will come over once he’s done. As elders, do you want to risk irritating the younger generation with our urgencies?"
"What’s there for him to be irritated about? Considering how often he visits our house! He’s the one interested in Marilyn first, so we have the upper hand. Everyone in Aethelgard wants to pursue our daughter; even as Sterling Group’s president, he should make the effort."
"Mom, please don’t say that!" Marilyn expressed her dissatisfaction with her mother’s words.
"Fine, I won’t say it if you don’t want me to." Amelia paused but couldn’t help adding, "Conrad has been really busy lately. It seems his visits to our home have significantly decreased."
It’s no wonder Mrs. Ford was anxious. The birthday banquet this time was grandly organized, and although there was still half an hour before the official start, most guests had courteously arrived early.
There had been several waves of guests subtly inquiring about President Sterling, making their intentions clear.
Even though the Ford Family was influential in Aethelgard, some distinguished guests came especially from afar, even overseas, evidently drawn by Conrad Sterling.
’Surpassing the predecessor,’ ’the new surpasses the old,’ have become the self-deprecating catchphrases Harold Ford uses whenever business partners or old friends praise Conrad Sterling and the commercial empire he’s built with Sterling Group in Aethelgard.
Fortunately, Conrad and Marilyn had a good relationship and would join the Ford Family sooner or later, otherwise, the smiles this couple wore wouldn’t be so genuine.
Feeling bored in her room, Marilyn was just about to go downstairs for some fresh air.
She had barely stood up and reached the window on the second floor when she noticed Conrad’s car pulling in, and she happily went down to greet him.
After getting out of the car, Conrad Sterling first met Harold Ford, and the two stood and exchanged a few polite remarks.
"Conrad, you’re finally here!"
"Yes, Marilyn is waiting for you upstairs."
After finishing his conversation with President Ford, Conrad didn’t even need to go upstairs. Marilyn, already in high heels, approached him, the first thing she did was adjust his tie.
Actually, Conrad’s tie was perfectly knotted. This man, even without a girlfriend, always handled his affairs meticulously.
But Marilyn was adept at using such gestures to assert her claim without saying anything directly, leading others to infer what she implied. Otherwise, how else would she have held onto Conrad for three years?
Subsequently, she naturally linked her arm with President Sterling’s.
"Conrad, I have a few good friends who really admire you, they’ve been begging me for a while. They said once you arrive, I must introduce you to them."
Marilyn wore a pink gown today, with a hint of a young girl’s shyness showing in her demeanor.
With Conrad’s arm in hers, she walked along the red carpet lined with a hundred thousand lilies, displaying all the pride a girl of her age could possess.
Her youth, beauty, wealth, noble temperament, and the man next to her were all enviable.
Under the pretense of granting fan requests, it was also a means of free promotion for the Ford Family’s newly launched skincare line, with the entire birthday banquet being live-streamed.
Seeing friends her age casting envious and jealous looks while the big screen showed attractive couples walking by, fans enthusiastically discussing in the live comments, Marilyn suddenly thought how wonderful it would be if Conrad proposed to her today.
[Wow, is this the upper-class life? It’s as luxurious as a painting.]
[I heard those hundred thousand lilies were arranged by President Sterling for Marilyn. I’m so envious! I want a wealthy admirer too!]
[Sister Marilyn already is the modern princess, being pursued by a tall, rich, and handsome man is normal! She’s really pretty! Is she a fairy? She and President Sterling make a perfect match!]
[But President Sterling’s rumors with someone else were worrying a while ago. Seeing him now still feels a bit uncomfortable!]
[Are you talking about the rumors with Anna Thornton?]
[Shh, don’t mention other people’s names here. Today is Sister Marilyn’s birthday, let’s focus on her!]
[Exactly, that affair must be a publicity stunt! Don’t get fooled, an insignificant upstart isn’t worthy to be compared to Sister Marilyn.] ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NoveI(F)ire.net
However, just as the banquet gradually flowed into formal proceedings and online comments eagerly discussed sending well-wishes due to Conrad’s presence, ’insignificant upstart’ Anna Thornton finally arrived hurriedly by taxi.
Without registered access, she couldn’t enter the Ford residence gate, and had to show her invitation outside to a security guard who then escorted her inside with a patrol car.
Among the scene of limited luxury cars, the windowless patrol car stood out significantly.
Arriving at the banquet site, as soon as Anna got out, she immediately received side-eyed attention from everyone present.
Not only because her entrance was overly modest, but also because the outfit she wore was coincidentally in the same color as today’s birthday guest of honor... The Eldest Miss Ford, who was in a league beyond comparison!