Chapter 230: Chapter 230

On the day they returned to Aethelgard, Anna Thornton thought that after just having a fight with Conrad Sterling, things would probably calm down by night.

Who would have guessed that as soon as she finished giving Pop a bath and stepped out of the bathroom, she would see that man waiting at the bedroom door.

"There’s still one day left this week, right? Go wait in the bedroom first, I’ll be there soon."

Anna placed the little one, who was in pajamas, on the children’s bed and covered him with a small blanket.

Having both the photo shoot and the flight today, Pop was utterly exhausted.

The little guy nestled into the soft blanket, turned over, and fell asleep immediately.

Anna walked into Conrad’s room, and hearing the sound of the shower in the bathroom, she opened a bottle of the fine wine that President Sterling kept in the bedroom.

Removing the cork from the wine bottle, she opened her palm to reveal a strangely colored pill.

Anna dropped the pill into the wine bottle, shook it, and poured herself a good half glass of the wine.

"What did you put in the wine?"

The water was still running in the bathroom, but Conrad’s voice suddenly came from behind Anna.

She turned around and looked at the man who had somehow appeared behind her: "You haven’t showered yet? Aren’t you in a hurry? I thought you were quite eager."

"I’m asking what you put in your drink."

Conrad gripped the hand she was using to hold the wine glass so tightly that half of the wine spilled out.

Anna frowned slightly, pained: "You said I wasted a few bottles last time, but this time it’s your own doing, not mine."

"Anna Thornton, answer me!"

"Do you really need to know?"

"I’m your husband, what can’t you let me know?"

Since Conrad was insistent, Anna didn’t bother hiding: "Don’t worry, it’s not poison, just a little something to help with the mood."

"Are you taking this because I’m not making you feel good enough?"

Conrad considered himself competent in that regard, although his experience was limited. He wasn’t the type to pursue his own pleasure while ignoring his partner’s experience. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

In fact, after marrying Anna Thornton, President Sterling had secretly consulted Henry Willow, an experienced pro, about the customary duration of foreplay.

Henry gave him an average time, but Conrad would spend at least twice that on Anna.

Simply to make her insatiable, to have her actively ask for it.

He’s given her everything she wanted, what more could be missing? Why would she need such pills to enhance the experience?

"If you insist on asking whether I feel good, I’m actually not very sure either."

Seeing as she was caught, Anna simply laid everything bare: "I have frigidity issues!"

Conrad had long suspected something was off with Anna. Before marriage, there was a fair bit of teasing and flirting, but after marriage, six out of ten times he attempted to get close to her, she would find excuses.

Moreover, each time before they did it, Anna would always send him off to wait, saying she needed to prepare.

Conrad had specifically come today to see what she was preparing.

Who would have thought he’d see her taking enhancement pills?

"Do you mean every time before we’re intimate, you’ve taken something ?"

"Yes, for me, intimacy comes with psychological trauma. Only after taking the pills, or when I’m so drunk I’m oblivious, do I not resist. Otherwise, being intimate with you is as painful as being tortured on a bed."

She actually described being close to him as torture?

Conrad was already furious, his gaze sharp enough to seemingly pierce through the bizarre nature of her quirks, and he asked through gritted teeth: "You’ve had this issue all along, why didn’t you tell me?"

"Anna Thornton, quit playing games with me! You just wanted to marry me, so you deliberately hid it from me!"

"Fine." Anna admitted, "Now that you know, do you want a divorce?"

The more fearless she acted, the angrier Conrad became.

The man gripped her hand so hard he could have crushed her wrist bones.

Yet he still restrained himself enough to ask clearly: "Why did this happen? I remember four years ago you... didn’t have this issue."

"It was because of what happened four years ago that I developed this trauma." Anna shot Conrad a ’how dare you ask’ look, "President Sterling, don’t you think you’re the one responsible for this from the beginning? So don’t feel too wronged having married a frigid woman like me."

"Four years ago, I didn’t force you, it was you who proposed the deal to me, and it was you who voluntarily took off your clothes. So how could you have psychological trauma?"

Conrad thought Anna would take the chance to mock his poor skills, and if she did, he would definitely cure that odd quirk of hers tonight.

But Anna’s eyes suddenly dimmed, as if she had sunk into a profound, ingrained sorrow: "Because four years ago, I got pregnant. To this day, I can’t escape the nightmares of a hospital bed soaked in blood in a mental institution. Conrad Sterling, I suggest you don’t ask why I turned out this way!"

"Anyway, I’ve long known how heartless you are. You can pretend like you don’t know and continue to let me fulfill my spousal duties twice a week. Do you want it tonight? I can accompany you once I finish my drink!"

Even at such a moment, Anna could force a smile at him, only that smile was laced with inexplicable sarcasm.

Conrad even suspected that in her eyes, he was probably no better than that scumbag Dylan White.

She treated the twice-weekly routine as a task, and despite taking enhancement pills, she made it look like she was doing it without any reservation.

Just as the drugged wine was about to reach Anna’s lips, Conrad swatted it away.

The wine glass crashed to the ground, and Conrad smashed the remaining wine bottle as well!

Without saying another word, the man grabbed his car keys and turned to leave.

Anna watched the wine and glass scatter across the floor, a faint smile playing on her lips.

She knew Conrad wouldn’t touch her for a long time after this.

And that was just fine!

He didn’t come back even by the next morning.

Only Anna and her daughter were eating breakfast in the dining room. Pop sat at her place, looking around: "Daddy?"

"Miss Thornton, President Sterling went out at midnight last night and hasn’t come back since, nor has he called home," Granny Chandler specifically reported to Anna.

Upon hearing this, Anna seemed indifferent: "Oh, I see."

"Miss Thornton, would you like to call him? Ever since you and the little miss moved in, President Sterling usually comes back for dinner with you no matter how busy he is."

Even though Granny Chandler still called her ’Miss Thornton,’ the servants knew.

This time, when Anna brought Pop back to the Sterling Residence, her status was no longer the same as before.

Pop also looked at her, hoping mommy would call daddy.

But the woman regarded by the servants as the mistress of the house, Anna, still showed no intention: "Maybe he doesn’t want to see me and staying away would be less irritating than a call."

Just after Anna said this, Conrad came back to prove her wrong.

"Miss Thornton, see, I told you President Sterling would come back to eat with you and the little miss."

Seeing Conrad’s return, Granny Chandler was delighted and promptly pulled out the chair next to Anna.

But Conrad sat down at a seat further away from Anna.

After all, with such a large dining table, he could sit wherever he wanted; every chair was his.

Even Pop could sense tension between mommy and daddy. Since moving into the Sterling Residence with mommy, the little one has been quite observant.

Playing the role of a little peacekeeper, she put an egg into Anna’s bowl: "Mommy, eat."

"Thank you, sweetheart."

But now, with Conrad seated quite far away, Pop had to climb down from her chair, ’pat pat pat’ over to place the egg in her dad’s hand.

Conrad gratefully accepted the egg his daughter gave him, and the little one tried to climb onto his lap.

With her chubby little legs making the climb quite laborious, Conrad simply lifted Pop and placed her on his knee.

Granny Chandler, ever so observant, brought over the little one’s rice bowl, suggesting Conrad feed her: "The little miss is growing closer to President Sterling these days, and having you feed her spares Miss Thornton quite a bit of trouble."

It was merely a statement to ease relations.

But Conrad didn’t respond!