Chapter 161: Chapter 161

In the middle of the night, Conrad Sterling returned to the Sterling Residence with the smell of alcohol on him.

Instead of going to his own room, the man pushed open the door to Anna Thornton’s bedroom again.

This time he was more cautious. He gently covered the sleeping woman and the little child with a blanket, doing nothing that might wake them.

Then he sat beside them, quietly watching the woman’s sleeping face on the bed.

He didn’t leave until dawn was approaching, afraid Anna Thornton would find him there, before heading to the office.

"Marilyn, I heard that Anna’s new project is also a science fiction movie."

"It seems like she’s deliberately copying you. She sees you making this type of movie and follows suit, but doesn’t even consider her own status. How dare she take the lead role?" Sharon Langley shared the information she had gathered with Marilyn Ford and then scoffed, "But don’t worry. I haven’t even heard of the director she’s working with, and I heard the investment they’ve gathered is pathetic, just fifty million."

Everyone knows that special effects in a sci-fi movie are extremely costly.

So when the budget isn’t sufficient from the start, the results are pretty predictable.

Sharon Langley gloated, "Not only is the director and crew unreliable, I also heard they haven’t even secured a male lead yet. No one wants to touch that mess."

"It’s her first movie since returning to the country, and she dares to play the lead in such a challenging sci-fi film. She seems quite confident."

"Hasn’t she always been mysteriously confident? Just relying on her pretty face, I think she’ll flop so badly, even her mom wouldn’t recognize her," Sharon Langley asserted.

Marilyn Ford recalled that the person who approached her for an autograph that day was the director set to work with Anna, and she felt reassured.

In the past, Marilyn Ford didn’t like people comparing Anna to her, believing she wasn’t on her level.

But after returning from the south, she subconsciously asked her agent to find out more and started paying attention and being wary of Anna.

It was said that the dress Anna wore on her 18th birthday was personally designed by the retired Nick Walters.

So Marilyn wanted one, and her engagement dress had to be even better.

Since Anna’s new movie has clashed with hers in terms of genre, she could only blame herself for delivering herself to be stepped on.

Knowing Marilyn’s intent, Sharon Langley immediately reached out to the media that day to release a statement, comparing the two sci-fi films that were about to begin production.

Actually, it’s inevitable for male and female celebrities to be compared when releasing statements.

Who doesn’t want to appear more outstanding? Climbing over the other’s shoulders amidst praise?

Anna’s movie, in every aspect, was so low that it didn’t even qualify as a stepping stone for Marilyn Ford.

It could only serve as a footrest, a predetermined flop to be mocked over meals.

It was known that the male lead had yet to be cast, and with this ridicule, no actor with a bit of fame or self-respect would take it on.

On Marilyn Ford’s side, the budget was ample and the promotional momentum strong. After some maneuvering, Anna naturally saw the related news.

But only Mary was furious and jumping all over the place; Anna had too many things to handle lately and no time to be upset about it.

If Marilyn Ford wants to bring them along, let her. There’s no budget for promotion on this side anyway, so they might as well ride the wave.

Anna had already chosen from the houses Conrad Sterling gave her.

She didn’t pick those exorbitantly priced villas, mostly because with her current income level, she couldn’t afford to maintain living there.

The house Anna chose had a kindergarten and shopping mall nearby, which seemed quite convenient for daily life. The house wasn’t too big, just four rooms in total, perfect for Mary to move in as well, and a nanny could be hired then.

The nanny had been found by Granny Chandler for her, reportedly a relative from Granny Chandler’s hometown, and she seemed fairly friendly.

With these preparations almost complete, they could start packing to leave the Sterling Residence.

However, Anna still hadn’t received the keys to the new house.

She had mentioned it to Conrad Sterling; that man seemed very busy recently, often unseen during the day and only returning late at night when they were already asleep.

He was probably busy with the engagement arrangements with Marilyn Ford.

Just in time for breakfast, Anna met Conrad Sterling in the dining room and casually brought it up.

"Conrad Sterling, have you finished preparing the house over there? Once everything’s set, we can move in."

Upon hearing this, the man paused slightly with his spoon: "No."

"Why not yet? I mentioned it to you a few days ago; didn’t you say there were some things to clear out from that house? That house is much smaller than this one. How long can it take to ’sort out’?"

"Are you in a hurry?" Conrad Sterling asked her.

"Yes!" Anna nodded, "I’m about to join the film crew soon and want to get all these things done beforehand."

"Your crew hasn’t even cast a male actor yet. What are you going for?"

Has Marilyn Ford’s publicity been that ruthless? Even Conrad Sterling knew how poor their production was.

"Why don’t you just give me the keys first, and I can let the nanny I hired go in early to help organize everything."

"I said, when the people I send have finished organizing, I’ll give you the keys!" The source of thɪs content is novel·fıre·net

Hearing Conrad Sterling’s impatient tone, Anna didn’t push further.

She assumed Conrad Sterling would be even more eager than she was, but as it turned out, the man put down his bowl having barely eaten, and left with a sullen face for the office.

This had been the pattern lately; Conrad Sterling’s mood was poor, and his relationship with Anna grew increasingly strained.

Granny Chandler watched from the side, not daring to make a sound.

"Such a bad temper; if Marilyn Ford can tolerate you after getting married, then I’ll take your last name," Anna quietly grumbled.

But upon realizing the little one was still at the table, Anna immediately reverted to a bright smile: "Sweetie, in a couple of days, mommy will take you to our new home."

Upon hearing this, the little one sniffed and asked, "What about daddy?"

"If you want to see daddy, you can arrange a meeting with him anytime, or you can use mommy’s phone to video call him. Also, we might not have enough room for all your toys over there, so you’ll need to choose a few important ones to take with us. Those left behind will be stored, and your daddy shouldn’t throw them away, so if you miss them, you can come back and see them."

Anna spoke as gently as possible, and deliberately used the topic of toys to divert the child’s attention.

But the little one still understood, Pop and mommy were being kicked out by daddy.

Definitely because Pop wet the bed, making daddy angry...

After Anna left too, Granny Chandler played with Pop for a while.

Noticing Pop was drowsy and yawning, she carried the little one back to her room on the second floor for a good nap.

However, as soon as Granny Chandler gently closed the door, Pop suddenly got up from her little bed, arms and legs in action.

Pop thought she had made a mistake and packed a pacifier and a few milk candies in her little backpack... ready to run away from home!