Chapter 207: Chapter 207

Not long after, a man in a striped suit with a refined face walked into the café.

Anna Thornton was seated with her back to the entrance of the café, and the man’s footsteps paused when he was less than two meters away from her silhouette.

As if hesitating for a moment, he then walked over and spoke up: "Are you Miss Thornton?"

Upon hearing this, Anna looked up at the man who had walked up to her. Standing up, she showed a surprised expression, appropriate for a reunion scene: "Dylan White, I can’t believe I’m running into you here?!!"

"An... Anna, long time no see! I didn’t expect you still remember me!"

Actually, Anna didn’t remember him at all.

It was only after checking out the materials Uncle Douglas brought yesterday that Anna recalled this person was once the legal advisor hired by her dad’s company. During the time he worked for Dad Thornton, Dylan White seemed to have had some interest in Anna.

Anna wasn’t familiar with this person, only remembering that Attorney White would always bring some gifts that young girls liked whenever he visited the Thornton Family.

Back then, Anna was only seventeen or eighteen, at the proud and naive age for girls, and those pursuing her could line up from the south to the north of Veridia. Anna didn’t even take Conrad Sterling seriously, let alone other men.

Though the gifts from Attorney White were not expensive, his efforts allowed him to stand out among the many playful young men in Veridia, indicating that he had put in some thought.

From Anna’s limited impressions, Dylan White expressed his feelings in a reserved manner, knowing the gulf between them was significant, he didn’t dare to confess directly, only watching and silently trying to win her favor from afar.

However, who would’ve thought that someone with such an ’honest’ image would later conspire with Holly Sutton to help outsiders drain the Thornton Family’s assets?

Looking at Dylan White now, compared to four years ago when he wouldn’t even dare to meet her eyes while trailing behind Dad Thornton, he now wore a fine suit with his hair meticulously styled, quite impressive in appearance.

It seems he gained a considerable benefit from helping Holly Sutton plunder the Thornton Family inheritance. Not only did he open his law firm, but the business has also been prospering over the years, even relocating to Aethelgard last year for expansion.

Of course, these were things Anna discovered through her private investigations; on the surface, she had to appear puzzled: "How come I’m running into you here? Weren’t you in Veridia?"

"Last year, due to work needs, I moved from Veridia to Aethelgard. Remember the phone number you left for the law firm earlier? I’m the assigned lead attorney, and also the owner!" Dylan White explained to Anna.

"I see!" Anna feigned a realization.

Inwardly, she thought, just as she expected!

Dylan White, upon seeing Anna’s information, recognized her and personally came over.

It indicates he still harbors some feelings for her!

If he had no feelings, a man who once committed betrayal and then moved from Veridia to Aethelgard after succeeding, would eagerly distance himself from his past misdeeds and mental burdens as far as possible.

However, Dylan White coming to meet Anna does not necessarily mean he’s nostalgic for the past; rather, it reveals this man has no bottom line, excellent at feigning ignorance.

He probably thought Anna was still as naive and ignorant as she was four years ago, hence showing no fear, assuming that she, a young girl, would have no idea about the betrayal he committed against the Thornton Family then.

As Dylan White took a seat across from Anna, he even brought up the past without a change in his expression: "Anna, I heard from President Sutton that you were recovering in a hospital abroad for the past few years. Are you better now?"

Since he’s pretending, Anna decided to join in on the act.

She took a second to muster up the emotion, then curved her lips into a sorrowful and bitter smile, shaking her head: "No! These years have been very hard for me!"

"What happened?" Dylan White leaned forward, feigning concern, "Actually, I saw some of your recent news as well. I heard you had a child, but the child’s father has yet to step forward and acknowledge you two, is that true?"

"How could he possibly step forward and acknowledge it?"

Anna’s beautiful and delicate pink lips drew into another bitter smile: "You don’t know. I had the child because I was raped!"

"Four years ago, I wasn’t mentally ill at all; I was controlled by Holly Sutton. Holly didn’t send me abroad either; in fact, she locked me in a mental institution where I suffered unimaginable abuse and torture, and it was there that I... I don’t even know who the bastard father of my child is!"

Being an actress, Anna’s acting was her strong suit, having read numerous scripts, tragic stories were something she could vividly depict.

She accompanied her final unfinished sentence with sobbing, large tears spilled from her eyes like pearls; her ability to evoke tears in a scene was simply unmatched, even making a renowned director, if present, unable but to rise and applaud.

Dylan White was so startled by the tragic ’past’ and tears Anna recounted that he accidentally knocked over his coffee.

He probably also didn’t expect Anna would reveal such shocking news the moment they met.

Nevertheless, it also confirmed from a different angle that the girl before him truly was artless.

It seemed Anna genuinely didn’t know the backstory of the inheritance dispute because as soon as Dad Thornton had an accident, Holly Sutton locked her in a mental institution.

For all these years, she was a helpless single woman with a child of unclear origin, so seeing an old acquaintance caused her to spill out her heart.

Dylan White, feeling both relieved and amazed at Anna’s ’unbearable’ experiences, expressed his shock and sympathy: "How could it be this way? If it’s true... then President Sutton went too far!"

Saying this, he signaled for a waiter to clean up the table: "I’m sorry, I lost my composure! Anna, don’t cry! If you trust me, just tell me what specifically happened, and I’ll see if there’s any way I can help you!"

"Trust you? Trust you, my ass!" Anna retorted in her heart.

But outwardly, she still needed to continue playing the innocent, lowering this person’s guard.

Seemingly pondering and hesitating for a moment, Anna then bit her lip and shook her head: "The days when Holly Sutton locked me in the mental institution four years ago are a nightmare. I don’t want to recall them!"

Seeing Anna crying pitifully, Dylan White couldn’t bear forcing her: "Alright, then let’s not think about it! You’re still young; you should start a new life!"

Saying this, the man pulled out two tissues, intending to help wipe the tears from her eyes.

But Anna took the tissues willingly: "Thank you, Dylan!"

The words ’Dylan’ caused Dylan White’s knees to go weak, making him slump back into his chair.

While abroad, Anna participated in a challenge called "Ten Minutes of Heartthrob." Orıginal content can be found at noᴠelfire.net

Some foreign variety shows like to have such quirky names.

Participants must select a random member of the opposite sex at an unspecified location as a target, and within ten minutes of conversation, make the other person fall deeply in love.

Foreign shows like these do not have any deception involved, and among the many female participants, Anna was the only undefeated champion, even earning the nickname "Heartbreaker" for it!

As long as she set her aim, making a man fall for her was just a matter of ten minutes.

More so, Dylan White had felt favorably toward her since four years ago.

In his memory, the Thornton Family’s young lady was a pearl raised with care since childhood, with many men eager to kneel and lace her shoes even if they slipped off. She was too beautiful, too radiant, making anyone without absolute courage dare not approach disrespectfully.

But now, Anna no longer had a father who cherished her like life itself. Over the past four years, she seemed to have suffered quite a bit, subjected to inhumane cruelty, the sheen of her untouchable outer pearl layer finally worn away, appearing desolate and helpless, yet blooming more beautifully than four years ago.

It could be said, Anna’s current state completely struck a chord with Dylan White.