Chapter 276: Chapter 276

Luckily, Anna Thornton woke up in the middle of the night, otherwise, she could have unknowingly burned to death in her sleep.

She immediately wetted a towel, covered her mouth and nose, and prepared to run downstairs.

But halfway there, she suddenly remembered there was an important photo album in her room.

Anna Thornton returned to her room, retrieved the album from under the bed, and realized the front door had been locked from the outside.

She was sure she had seen clearly that it wasn’t locked just moments ago! Another fire had been started on the door, making this exit impossible!

Anna Thornton had to think of another way, lowering her body to find a low cabinet that hadn’t been scorched yet, she pushed it to the window, intending to use it to jump out.

However, as she stepped onto the cabinet, Anna felt something grab her ankle.

Looking down, she saw a hand pull her back.

"Ah!" Anna was slammed to the ground, crying out in pain, unable to see the person in front of her clearly through the smoke.

But she sensed the danger: "Holly Sutton, are you so eager to kill me? Do you think you can get away unscathed by burning down the Thornton Family residence?"

"Anna, I don’t believe nine-tenths of what you said at the board meeting! There’s only a tenth of doubt, that you might really have the evidence proving I poisoned someone four years ago. Where could you have put the evidence? Surely not at home or on you! Now that I’ve burned this place down, nothing is left! Even if there’s an electronic version of the evidence, as soon as you vanish from this world, what do I have to worry about?"

Holly Sutton is indeed ruthless!

She was worried the fire wouldn’t kill Anna Thornton, so she came back to make sure herself.

She wouldn’t rest assured until she confirmed Anna had no chance or strength to escape the fire.

"Anna, don’t blame me, you brought this on yourself! Couldn’t stay put in Aethelgard, you had to come back to Veridia and oppose me! Your dad has been waiting for you underground for four years, you should have joined him long ago for a family reunion."

"Fine, let’s see if you’ve got the guts! If I die, we’ll die together!"

The fire burned stronger, and the smoke grew thicker.

After Holly Sutton appeared, Anna Thornton was no longer in a hurry to escape.

She grabbed Holly, with a determination to take her down with her.

Even though Holly came prepared, wearing a mask, she panicked at this moment.

She cherished her life more than Anna Thornton, unwilling to let the fire she set take her own life.

The feisty girl had a strong grip! Holly couldn’t break free; in desperation, she pulled a pre-prepared dagger from her bag.

The dense smoke caused Anna’s eyes to tear up continuously, blinding her to the weapon in Holly’s hand.

At this moment, suddenly, a stronger force grabbed Anna’s shoulder and pulled her back.

Immediately, Anna heard a sound that sent chills down her spine... the sound of a blade ripping through fabric and piercing flesh, accompanied by a man’s muffled groan of pain.

Through the smoke that nearly blinded her, Anna saw the faint and towering figure of Conrad Sterling, and watched as he kicked Holly Sutton.

Holly didn’t gain anything, got up from the ground in pain, and ran away.

She took the escape route Anna had picked previously, climbing onto the low cabinet to jump out the window. Just then, the burning window frame collapsed, blocking the route out.

"Conrad, are you alright? Are you injured?"

Anna couldn’t see the extent of his injuries, but assumed he had taken a blow for her.

"I’m fine, let’s get you out first!"

"How are we supposed to get out?"

With bad timing, the only escape route — the window and low cabinet — were now on fire.

Conrad kicked away the burning window frame, planning to step into the flames. He removed his jacket, covered Anna, then lifted her in a protective embrace, shielding her from the fire.

"Conrad, you don’t have to do this! I can manage on my own!"

At this moment of male bravado, Conrad refused to let Anna show any defiance.

He carried Anna, stepping across the burning cabinet, leaning against the red-hot wall, seemingly unfazed, as he sent Anna out first.

Anna didn’t mind if Conrad simply tossed her out, but where he should be gentle he wasn’t, and where he shouldn’t be, he showed senseless tenderness, insisting on placing her down gently.

Didn’t he know that wasting even a single second in a critical moment increased the danger tenfold?

Anna had just escaped the fire, turned, and saw Conrad hadn’t made it out in time; the other half of the burning window frame suddenly fell, striking him.

"Conrad! Are you crazy?"

If Anna wasn’t mistaken, it was Conrad who kicked the precarious frame, causing it to fall right onto his back and head.

That night, dark red consumed Anna Thornton’s vision.

Whether it was the old Thornton residence turned into a sea of flames, or watching the crimson stain on Conrad’s shirt after escaping danger, or even now the glaring ’In Surgery’ sign above the hospital operating room, it was all equally blinding.

After escaping the fire, Anna immediately called for an ambulance.

Her second call was to report the incident to the police.

Now, fire trucks were rushing to extinguish the blaze. The current state of the Thornton Residence was still unknown. For origınal chapters go to noveⅼfire.net

Conrad was injured by stabbing and burned in the fire, his condition in the operating room remained uncertain.

"Miss Thornton, would you like to get a physical examination?"

"No need, I’m not injured!"

"Then how do you feel now? Can you record a statement with us?"

Anna nodded, got up, and walked aside with the two investigating officers.

"Miss Thornton, according to your initial report, there was an arson attack, is that correct?"

"Yes. Our house is equipped with fire alarms, but the fire was so intense today, yet no alarms were triggered. I nearly burned to death in my own room. It’s clear that someone deliberately disabled the fire alarms before starting the fire, someone very familiar with our house’s layout."

"Who is this person?"

"Holly Sutton, my stepmother!"

"Do you have evidence?"

"Yes, I am the witness! After the fire started, Holly appeared and attempted to attack me with a dagger. Once the fire is out, you should be able to find the knife she used. Holly claims to be on a business trip today, you’d better head to the airports or train stations immediately, you might catch her."

"Miss Thornton, one more question. Who is the person in the operating room to you?"

"Could you be more specific, your boyfriend or...?"

"Why was he there at that time? Were you living in that house together?"

"No, he was on a business trip, staying at a hotel. We had a quarrel earlier, a bit of a row, he probably came to find me, to make up, and just happened to arrive when the fire started."

"Miss Thornton, thank you for your cooperation. We will locate the suspect Holly Sutton first and record her statement before proceeding with further investigation!"