Chapter 228: Chapter 228

Anna Thornton spent more than half an hour paying her respects at the cemetery, and when she came out, Conrad Sterling was waiting for her with Pop.

The little one was holding an unknown wildflower in her hand, standing on tiptoe and offering it to Anna Thornton: "Mommy~ here’s a flower for you~"

"Thank you, darling."

Anna was delighted and kissed the little one, appreciating the gift she had received and carefully placed it in the jewelry box from her bag.

Children always mimic adults, and upon lifting her eyes, Anna discovered a bouquet of flowers on Conrad Sterling’s car hood. The source of this content ɪs noveⅼfire.net

The man handed her a lovely, fresh bouquet of roses, and added casually, "Earlier, there was an accidental extra order on the flowers."

No matter how President Sterling explained, if he wanted to give, Anna took.

But that was it, Pop could get a grateful kiss for a random wildflower, whereas Conrad got nothing.

"Are we heading to the station now?"

Anna seemed not fully awake, not only was her tone curt with Conrad, but once in the car, she set the flowers aside and began resting her eyes.

However, upon hearing Conrad say this, she opened her eyes again: "From Veridia to Aethelgard it’s only two hours by train, taking a flight requires a transfer."

Faced with Anna’s skepticism, Conrad replied, "You’ll know when we get there."

Clearly a trip back to Aethelgard could take just two hours, yet Conrad chose to indulge, spending extra money.

At that moment, Anna’s mind was filled with nothing but thoughts about ’needless extravagance’, unsure what he wanted her to realize.

However, Conrad’s arrangement had them arriving at an island via a direct flight two hours later.

The island was called Eternity Isle, also known as Bridal Isle.

Because of its name signifying love and its unique natural scenery, it was the most popular wedding photo shoot location domestically.

Anna had seen introductions in travel magazines, but this was her first visit.

Rumor had it that this place was a tourist hotspot all 365 days of the year, yet upon disembarking the plane, Anna saw not a single tourist.

Anna asked Conrad, "Why are we here?"

"You wanted to take wedding photos, didn’t you?"

Conrad had promised Anna that wedding photos weren’t impossible, just needed to wait for his vacation.

At the time, Anna joked, with him being so busy, who knows when that vacation would be!

"I can’t spare time to take you abroad right now, so I just picked a location locally. We’ll start shooting today, if you’re not satisfied we can wait until I have a longer vacation later."

Actually, this wasn’t a random choice by Conrad.

He had prepared in advance, arranging for relevant wedding photography services and photographers, all personally handled by him.

So, this could be considered a small surprise he crafted for Anna Thornton.

Unfortunately, Anna’s expression didn’t reveal much joy over this surprise; she seemed rather anxious: "Taking wedding photos in this heat? Will we have time to return today?"

"Even if we can’t return, I’ve booked the entire island, and we can stay at the hotel here tonight."

"Extravagant!" Apart from this word, Anna had no other description for Conrad.

However, the man evidently wanted to hear more than just that.

Looking at Anna’s face without any special expression thus far, he couldn’t help but ask: "Taking wedding photos, aren’t you happy?"

"Here’s my question, others take wedding photos for display at weddings, yet we’re not having a wedding. It’s not like hanging them on the wall, and those paintings at your place are all invaluable."

"Don’t worry about it!"

"Alright then, I’ll go choose the wedding dress."

Conrad had everything arranged; once off the plane, there was a car ready to pick them up.

There were dozens of wedding gowns prepared for Anna to choose from, each one precious.

Anna’s eyes were dazzled and casually pointed at the first strapless flower-appliqued gown: "This one!"

Conrad also changed into a suit; he usually wore black suits.

This was the first time he wore an entirely white suit!

With his long legs and broad shoulders, President Sterling transformed into a real-life prince charming.

Amidst the adoring stares of the bridal shop attendants, he walked over to Anna Thornton.

He expected the woman to take a long time dressing and putting on makeup for such a moment, but to his surprise, Anna had already changed and was discussing the shoot details with the photographer.

The style of wedding dress Anna selected was not overly elaborate, yet it perfectly highlighted all her figure advantages.

After all, the dresses Conrad offered her came from renowned international designers, even a random selection wouldn’t be ordinary.

Moreover, this woman boasted a figure with a voluptuous bust and slim waist, alongside a universally charming face; even with her hair down and light makeup, she was stunning enough to instinctively take one’s breath away.

Pop was also dressed in a little princess dress matching her mommy’s color, adorably like a little fairy straight out of a cartoon.

Conrad approached, just in time to hear the conversation between Anna Thornton and the photographer.

"Miss Thornton, please take a look at the special plan we’ve drafted for your photoshoot with President Sterling. We’ve identified eighteen shooting locations on the island, each with beautiful scenery and meaningful significance."

"I can’t see any difference between these eighteen sceneries; aren’t they all by the sea?"

"It’s just that the island’s different directions and times present distinct views."

"Why make it so flamboyant? You photographers can just edit the scenery, right? I think for wedding photos, the most important thing is the people—if they look good, that’s all that matters. Let’s just pick two places from these eighteen spots and leave the rest to you."

"Um... Miss Thornton, I need to remind you that President Sterling paid for the entirety of services and reserved the whole island for two days—are you sure just shooting at two places is enough?"

"In our profession, we face cameras every day, shooting too much really makes it meaningless. Anyway, my face looks good no matter how you shoot."

Faced with her words, the photographer had no choice but to agree: "You make a good point!"

"Everyone who has photographed me knows I’m a lens darling. You can tell me the style you want later. I guarantee I’ll perform to your satisfaction first time, so we can save each other’s time."

While chatting with Anna Thornton, the photographer noticed Conrad Sterling approaching and immediately stood up: "President Sterling, Miss Thornton just said..."

He’s the big spender, so if President Sterling has no issues, naturally, nobody else can say anything.

The photographer was quite nervous, not only because he was working for President Sterling, but also because the shoot was rather special—it was a family wedding photoshoot.

Initially, he was worried the child would be difficult, especially since Pop was only three years old.

But once the shoot started, Pop was incredibly well-behaved and adorable, posing as directed, showcasing talent no less than Anna Thornton, who was a professional in front of the camera. Truly, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

As for Anna Thornton, she’s just like she said: she looks good no matter how you shoot. Her performance ability is top-notch, exactly the kind photographers love.

The only headache came from Conrad Sterling.

"President Sterling, Miss Thornton, please move a bit closer."

"Alright, President Sterling, you can relax a bit, no need to be so formal with your expression."

"President Sterling, could you smile a bit."

Only during photoshoots would anyone dare to point out Conrad Sterling’s posture and expression.

Previously, aside from formal occasions, Conrad Sterling had never voluntarily faced the camera, simply because he didn’t like it.

So this first time was driving the photographer to the brink of despair.

Anna Thornton glanced at the current photos and couldn’t help but tease Conrad Sterling: "Can’t you smile as they ask? In every photo, your face is so stiff, it looks like your entire face is pasted on, totally unusable."

Anna Thornton voiced what the photographer dared not say.

Though it’s her speaking, it still managed to upset President Sterling: "If you don’t think they’re good, then just don’t shoot."

Seeing Conrad Sterling speaking while annoyedly taking off his tie, Anna Thornton checked with him: "Really not going to shoot?"

"But didn’t you reserve the whole island just to take wedding photos?"

"Alright, if you don’t want to shoot, then we won’t. You’ve got the money, you call the shots."

Sensing the tension, the photographer silently exited the scene.

Conrad Sterling was always decisive; if he says no shooting, then no shooting it is.

The man went back to change clothes, then parked the car in front of Anna Thornton: "Let’s go, if we head to the airport now, we can make it back to Aethelgard today."

"In such a hurry?" Anna Thornton asked.

To save time to the airport, Anna Thornton and Pop changed clothes in the car.

During this time, neither she nor Conrad Sterling spoke a word to each other.

Even after boarding the plane, there was no communication between them.

The direct flight from the island to Aethelgard was four hours; by the time they arrived, it was already past nine at night, and Pop was asleep in mommy’s arms.

After disembarking, not only did Conrad Sterling carry the luggage, but he also took the sleepy toddler from Anna Thornton.

To avoid suspicion, Anna Thornton walked ahead and behind him out of the airport.

The two of them met up in the parking lot, Conrad Sterling loaded Pop into the car, while Anna Thornton checked her luggage in the trunk.

After she finished checking, she turned around only to be blocked by the arm suddenly crossing between the man in front of her and the car’s trunk lid behind.

"Anna Thornton, what about the flowers I gave you?"

"Flowers?" Upon hearing Conrad Sterling’s words, Anna Thornton seemed to just remember, glancing at her empty hands, "I think I forgot them when we left the island."

"Forgot? Or did you intentionally leave them?" Conrad Sterling’s gaze was deep as he looked at the woman in front of him, "What exactly is your grudge against me?"