Chapter 227: Chapter 227

In the early morning, Anna Thornton restlessly turned over in Conrad Sterling’s embrace.

She was used to lying on her side and didn’t like being held.

But as soon as she slipped out of Conrad’s embrace, the man stretched his long arm and pulled her back.

Anna discovered that Conrad had a peculiar habit—when sleeping, not only did he tightly embed her in his arms but also liked to bury his head in the nape of Anna’s neck and smell her hair.

Just like people who are obsessed with petting cats, Anna finally knew what it felt like to be a cat!

Feeling ’Kitty Thornton’ struggling to get up, Conrad opened his eyes, turned over, and directly pinned her beneath him.

Even early in the morning, Anna could see the desire in Conrad Sterling’s eyes.

They had been at it for most of the night before; how could he be so insatiable?

Anna sighed inwardly, pushed Conrad’s shoulder with her hand: "Let’s talk at night! Pop is about to wake up, don’t mess around!"

However, seeing Conrad still unmoved, his eyes deeply fixed on her, Anna felt a bit uneasy being stared at .

"I’ve thought of a problem!" Conrad suddenly spoke.

"What?" Anna asked him.

"What we said before was two days a week, right? Shouldn’t a day be twenty-four hours? But the time we spend sleeping together, calculating from eleven pm to seven am the next day, is only eight hours—three nights are equivalent to one day."

"Conrad, what do you mean? You’ve gone from once a month to two days a week, and still not satisfied? Playing word games with me? Nice one! If a day equals three nights, wouldn’t I be spending six nights with you a week? With only a day off, even being a call girl wouldn’t be this exhausting!"

When Anna said this, Conrad’s expression instantly darkened: "What do you take yourself for? What do you take me for?"

"I was just... making an analogy, joking around."

"Joking about marriage, a significant matter?" Conrad’s expression worsened, gripping Anna’s wrist to question her, "Up to now, have you ever considered me your husband?"

"Then why are you always reluctant to share a room with me?"

"I’m not unwilling. You forget who accompanied you last night? You big jerk!" Anna avoided Conrad’s gaze, "I just think it’s too unrestrained, not good for the body. Especially for yours, haven’t you heard? There’s no farm that’s ruined, only oxen that die from exhaustion!"

Conrad’s gaze was half skeptical as he swept over Anna’s face: "No need for you to worry about that. I exercise at least six days a week and don’t feel tired!"

"No wonder your body is so fit!"

Sensing the atmosphere gradually growing tense, Anna intentionally complimented him to ease things.

She even casually brushed her fingers against Conrad’s abs: "Nice muscles!"

Anna’s touch was skilled enough to make Conrad tense up instantly.

He seized her mischievous hand, his voice becoming hoarse: "If you don’t want me to mess around, then stop your hands from wandering!"

Then Conrad turned over and got out of bed, first finding Anna’s slippers from the scattered clothes on the floor and placing them neatly by the bedside, then picking out a clean nightgown for her to change into.

After all, the intense events of last night were entirely his responsibility.

"Get up and change into clean clothes, I’ve booked a ticket for ten in the morning."

"The ticket back to Aethelgard."

"I didn’t say I’d return so soon; I still have plenty of things to do here."

Anna finally managed to come back to Veridia; she hadn’t even visited her own home yet. Although Holly Sutton was living there now, who knows how she and Dylan White may have messed it up.

Moreover, Anna wanted to see Uncle Douglas to discuss some plans and arrangements after entering the company.

However, Conrad adopted an attitude that, once he made a decision, there was no room for negotiation: "It’s not up to you!"

These words infuriated Anna, who grabbed a pillow by her side and threw it fiercely at the man’s back: "I hate it when you speak ! I specifically came back to pay respects to my dad, and haven’t even had the chance to place a bouquet in front of his tombstone!"

Upon hearing this, Conrad paused in his steps while facing away: "I’ll order the flowers right away!"

Conrad ordered a bouquet of yellow lilies for Anna, for her to take to Dad Thornton’s tombstone to pay respects.

Yet he didn’t accompany Anna into the tombstone forest, only parked the car on the outskirts of the cemetery, waiting for Anna and Pop to finish paying respects at Dad Thornton’s tomb before picking them up to return to Aethelgard.

It’s good he didn’t come; after all, Anna didn’t want her dad to know she married the man who, four years ago, left the Thornton Family to die and even kicked them down the pit.

At the same time, she didn’t let Pop go with her either. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

Initially, Anna had considered letting her dad meet the child, but upon arriving here, she didn’t have the courage.

Not because she feared Dad Thornton would mind Pop’s background, it was her own issue... Anna went into the cemetery alone, placing a bouquet of fresh yellow lilies in front of her father’s tombstone.

Actually, this was her parents’ joint grave.

Holly Sutton and Dylan White conspired to change the will Dad Thornton left behind, but the clause requesting to be buried together with Mother Thornton remained. Whether because they deemed it unnecessary or wanted to make the will appear more realistic, it was kept.

In any case, this was good—Anna looked at the photo of her parents smiling on the tombstone, just as kindly as she remembered. She also smiled: "Dad, you’ve waited a long time for me to come see you both, haven’t you?"

Anna took one lily from the bouquet in front of Dad Thornton and Mother Thornton’s tombstone and placed it separately beside a smaller, lower tombstone.

This small tombstone didn’t have an inscription, wasn’t holding ashes, or even considered a cenotaph, yet it made her eyes immediately redden.

Anna placed her hand on the top of the tombstone, her movements gentle like caressing a child’s head: "Baby, you’ve waited a long time for mommy to come see you, haven’t you?"

This tombstone was erected by Anna for her child who died at birth.

Three years ago, Anna was forced into a mental hospital to give birth. Actually, she delivered two children.

Possibly due to the harsh environment, the baby born just before Pop died immediately after birth.

It was a boy; when he was born, Anna hadn’t even heard his cry or seen his face.

Since the death involved a life, Holly Sutton feared implications for herself and dealt with it discreetly, refusing to even return the corpse to Anna, no matter how she pleaded.

"Let you stay with Grandma and Grandpa there, they will surely take good care of you over there."

"Your sister is growing up so fast; I wonder between you two who will be taller?"

"Baby, what mommy owes you can never be compensated. But what he owes us, mommy will surely demand from him!"