Chapter 330: Chapter 330

"Pres... President Sterling, I didn’t expect you to visit me in person!"

Angela Thornton sat on the hospital bed, draped in a coat her parents brought from home.

She was unprepared when Conrad Sterling suddenly appeared in the hospital room.

Thinking about her current state, with bandages wrapped around her and a sleepless night after surgery, her face pale and dark circles beneath her eyes terrifyingly heavy, she couldn’t help feeling annoyed.

Unfortunately, despite the rich emotions in her heart, Conrad Sterling hadn’t looked her directly in the eye since he came in.

Conrad Sterling was here primarily to ask about the situation at the bar last night.

"You stayed by Anna’s side the entire evening?"

When the man opened his mouth to ask about Anna, a trace of unwillingness and jealousy flashed in Angela Thornton’s eyes.

But she kept her head down so no one would notice, and Conrad Sterling didn’t look at her either.

"I went to the bar to find my cousin last night, and we didn’t expect to encounter such a dangerous situation. They... people we didn’t know stormed in and started shooting! Everyone was desperately trying to escape, my cousin and I squeezed into a corner booth, and later Faye Duval joined us."

Without a word, Conrad Sterling gave Angela Thornton a look, signaling her to continue.

Angela Thornton’s uninjured hand tightly clutched the sheet beneath her, as if the scenes from last night had caused her significant psychological trauma.

She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them to continue, "Later, Faye Duval’s movements attracted the attention of those assassins, and they shot her. The second shot was aimed at my cousin..."

"My cousin was so scared at the moment that she couldn’t move, seeing the urgency of the situation, I rushed up to shield her from the shot!"

"You shielded her from the gunfire?" Conrad Sterling only seemed willing to talk to Angela Thornton when it came to Anna.

However, he squinted at Angela, appearing not to believe her.

"It’s true, President Sterling! Those two bodyguards came in later and saw it too. My cousin was in front of me at the time, had I not shielded her from the bullet, how could she have come out of the bar unscathed?"

Angela Thornton risked lying in front of Conrad Sterling, quite guilty about it.

But she had thought it through; last night’s chaos left only three people clear on what exactly happened between them.

Faye Duval was still in a coma, even if Angela took credit for her bravery, she couldn’t speak.

As for Anna, if she told Conrad Sterling that it was Angela who pushed her out of the way last night to take the bullet, Angela would be doomed.

But the fact that President Sterling came to ask these questions today indicated Anna hadn’t said anything.

Angela clung to her luck, deciding to claim Faye Duval’s credit first.

After all, such an opportunity in front of President Sterling wouldn’t come again.

If she didn’t seize it now, she might never get within ten steps of Conrad Sterling again.

Angela Thornton wasn’t particularly smart, but she was fortunate; all the surveillance in and around the bar had been destroyed. Mason King and Leo King arrived late, with no other eyewitnesses knowing the specific situation.

And as for the only two involved, one was Faye Duval who was still unconscious.

The other was Anna, whose relationship with Conrad Sterling had hit rock bottom, likely unwilling to speak to him any time soon.

Angela Thornton could almost hear her own heartbeat when she bowed her head, uncertain about the exact nature of the relationship between Conrad Sterling and Anna, nervous that her lie might be exposed.

Seeing Conrad Sterling neither expose her nor ask further questions before leaving...

"President Sterling!" Angela Thornton gathered her courage to call out to Conrad Sterling, "Where is my cousin? Why haven’t I seen her since last night?"

"She returned to Aethelgard."

"Oh." Angela nodded, breathing a sigh of relief, "It’s good to know she’s safe."

After Conrad Sterling left, Angela Thornton hadn’t yet laid down when Ethan entered the hospital room.

"Miss Thornton, this is a token of appreciation from President Sterling." Ethan handed a check to Angela Thornton.

A bit confused, Angela took it and counted the zeros on it, covering her mouth in surprise, "Is this compensation from President Sterling?"

"No! It’s hush money!" Ethan explained, "President Sterling hopes you can keep last night’s events concerning Miss Anna Thornton confidential."

Conrad Sterling had reviewed the criminals’ files last night, discovering one nicknamed ’Viper.’ Known for bearing grudges, this person reportedly vowed not to let anyone escape alive from her grasp.

The indiscriminate shooting last night left uncertainty over who fired the shots.

However, Anna was the only one who escaped unharmed, and Conrad feared her unique escape might pique the interest of those maniacs. Additionally, being a public figure, Anna’s involvement in such a terrorist attack would easily make her media fodder, virtually painting a target on her back.

Conrad Sterling wouldn’t allow that to happen.

Thus, not only Angela Thornton but everyone aware of Anna’s involvement last night was silenced.

Clutching the check in her hand, Angela suddenly felt like she was force-fed a vile notion, speaking hoarsely, "President Sterling is really considerate of my cousin, are they close?"

"Well... naturally!" Ethan replied.

Close enough to have registered for marriage!

Although things were a bit rocky recently!

But Ethan believed that ultimately President Sterling and Miss Anna would be fine!

"Since President Sterling cares so much about my cousin and I took a bullet for her, shouldn’t he have a gesture of appreciation for me?"

Without Conrad mentioning it, Angela Thornton had to muster the audacity to ask for it herself.

"Did you really take a bullet for Miss Anna?"

"Look at my shoulder , could it be fake? The doctor said even if I recover, I won’t be able to carry heavy things with my right hand anymore!"

Ethan wasn’t familiar with Anna Thornton’s family situation, but hearing Angela Thornton call Anna her cousin and noting only one character’s difference in their names, he figured they must be close, hence feeling a bit fond towards Angela.

Moreover, he hadn’t heard that the other injured girl had any connection to Anna Thornton; she seemed just to be a bar employee.

One being a service staff and the other a relative, Ethan assumed Angela’s account made sense based on common logic.

Imagining if that injury was on Miss Anna, wouldn’t President Sterling be utterly heartbroken?

Indeed, President Sterling should have some acknowledgment!

But Conrad Sterling typically disliked concerning himself with others, with no instructions in this aspect.

President Sterling, oh President Sterling, Miss Anna is giving you the cold shoulder recently; don’t you know you could address it through those around her? ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel[f]ire.net

Alas, Ethan truly was troubled with concern.

He left his phone number with Angela Thornton, "I’m President Sterling’s assistant, so feel free to contact me anytime you need help."

"I have one right now!" Angela couldn’t even wait to pretend to consider, "I want to go to Aethelgard to become a star, to join my cousin’s entertainment company. I’ve found out that Starlight Entertainment is under the Sterling Group, could it be that one word from President Sterling would suffice?"

"Well, you could first ask Miss Anna."

"I’ve already talked to my cousin about it, and she agrees. She even strongly recommended me for a role with the previous production team."

Ethan initially intended to ask Anna, but he lacked the courage.

Conrad Sterling forcefully sent Anna back to Aethelgard yesterday; Ethan himself hadn’t shown up, but had ended up among the lackeys.

He feared Miss Anna would resent him and wouldn’t answer the phone.

But seeing that Angela had already acted alongside Anna, she must have Anna’s consent.

Ethan thought it would be good for Miss Thornton to have a companion, preventing future bullying in the entertainment industry.

Having joined Anna Thornton’s fan club, Ethan had absorbed quite a bit of gossip and worried deeply for Miss Anna’s career.

Carrying his apology and the intention of sending someone to support Miss Anna, Ethan agreed, "I’ll ask Young Master Willow for you then."