Chapter 420: Chapter 420

Anna received the message; it was from Uncle Douglas.

He and his wife had arrived in the city where Anna Thornton lived.

They arranged to meet at a well-regarded teahouse in Aethelgard!

"Uncle Douglas, why have you suddenly come to Aethelgard? You didn’t tell me in advance. I could have driven to pick you up and arranged your accommodation!"

"No need, Anna. You’re busy with work, and you also need to take care of your two kids. Besides, since you’re married now, it’s not very convenient. I can stay at a hotel without bothering you."

Anna Thornton felt as if she heard Uncle Douglas express sympathy for her.

It was as if her life after marriage was particularly out of her control and miserable.

But actually, it’s fine. After all, there are so many empty rooms at the Sterling Residence that nobody stays in.

If Anna Thornton wanted to bring a relative over, no one would say anything.

She felt she still could make her own decisions, considering herself as the mistress of the Sterling Family; no one could control her.

Of course, except for situations like last night.

Thinking of it, Anna Thornton could not help but grit her teeth in hatred. She would take her revenge one day. Conrad Sterling better watch out...

Just as Anna Thornton was about to explain, Douglas Dempsey suddenly said, "Anna, I was organizing my old email and found a video your father sent me, with something he wanted to leave for you."

"I haven’t used this email account in several years. It was only a recent urge to sort through past orders that I stumbled upon it. It surprised me to find your father’s email mixed among the business orders, which I somehow missed until now."

Douglas Dempsey had clicked inside the email to check its contents. Thinking it urgent, he hurried to Aethelgard to let Anna see it as soon as possible.

The teahouse where they met was very upscale. Upon expressing a need, a server provided them with a laptop in less than two minutes.

Douglas logged into his email, opened the corresponding message, and Dad Thornton’s face suddenly appeared.

Seeing that pale, frail face on the computer screen, Anna Thornton’s heart instinctively tightened.

This must have been recorded by Dad Thornton a few days before his death, with a backdrop of hospital white walls and white sheets.

At that time, Anna’s father had already been indirectly informed by the doctors that there was no hope. Tubes were inserted all over his body, relying on the most expensive equipment to sustain life, but he was inhaling more than exhaling.

"Anna, when you see this video of your father, maybe I am already gone."

"Actually, I didn’t really want you to see this video, so I deliberately sent it to your Uncle Douglas’s discarded email. But I couldn’t let go and not see my darling daughter in the future."

"Holly Sutton poisoned me, and I estimate I won’t last a few days. I’m leaving this video in case Douglas finds it and lets you see it. If it’s several years or even decades later, at least it would mean I’ve witnessed Anna’s future life."

It turns out that Dad Thornton already knew before his passing that Holly Sutton was poisoning him.

In fact, if he had chosen to report it at that time, they could have gathered evidence to bring Holly Sutton to justice.

But Dad Thornton didn’t choose to do so!

For some reason, he appeared unusually calm throughout the video. His cloudy old eyes stared at the camera as if gazing through it at Anna, his beloved daughter... The loving expression on his face was indescribable.

Yet beyond the love, there seemed to be a hint of despair in Dad Thornton’s eyes.

In the nearly eight-minute video, the first six were spent expressing fatherly love for his daughter.

It was essentially the simplest of ramblings, like an ordinary father giving advice to a child about to leave for college.

In parents’ eyes, a child’s life always requires reminders and care in all aspects.

Plus, during that time, with his mind a bit muddled from illness, Dad Thornton might have repeated a piece of advice several times in the video.

And Anna listened attentively, nodding to each point, tears welling in her eyes.

However, in the final two minutes, Dad Thornton’s expression suddenly turned serious, and he instinctively lowered his voice: "Anna, there’s one last thing Dad needs to remind you. Do you remember Conrad Sterling? Stay away from him; he’s here to take revenge on us!"

"He will kill... cause my death... he will also harm you..."

"Be sure... to stay far away... he’s a devil..."

"Anna, you need to avenge Dad!"

"Conrad Sterling is a devil! He’s the one who caused Dad’s death!" This update ıs available on novel⸺fire.net

In the last period of his life, Dad Thornton, due to the painful treatment and effect of the medication, reportedly experienced some mental confusion.

It might have been like what’s shown now; he was telling Anna to stay away while also asking her to avenge him, leaving people baffled.

In the last minute of the video, Dad Thornton suddenly fell silent.

He hid the camera used for filming under the pillow, making a shushing gesture at the camera before covering it: "He’s here!"

Through the half-covered camera lens, Anna Thornton could only see the section of floor space approaching the bedside.

She saw a tall shadow approach, and even though it was just a shadow, Anna Thornton could recognize Conrad Sterling.

Dad Thornton seemed very afraid of him. As Conrad approached, Anna could sense the camera slightly trembling, indicating that Dad Thornton was shaking against the pillow.

The shadow stopped at the bedside. Nearby, the glossy high-grade leather shoes revealed the man’s shadow suddenly raising a hand, making a motion as if to hurl something.

It was unclear what exactly? A jug?

Anyway, it was an object of considerable size and weight.

Immediately, Dad Thornton’s scream erupted. Almost simultaneously, Anna Thornton sprang to her feet.

Douglas pressed down on her hand, intending to comfort her.

But Anna Thornton only felt as if all the blood in her body had rushed to her head, her palms icy and trembling with anger: "He hit my dad? Conrad Sterling bullied my dad!"

No wonder Dad Thornton, knowing that Holly Sutton poisoned him, neither publicized nor reported it.

And no wonder from the video, Dad Thornton’s eyes, aside from love, also revealed despair.

That’s because he knew the person behind Holly Sutton was Conrad Sterling!

At the time, Conrad Sterling’s status in Veridia was akin to what he now held in Aethelgard.

No one could shake him!

Anna Thornton’s hand formed a fist, pounding heavily on the redwood table.

The tea cup lid on the table lightly jumped, spilling a few drops of tea.

Having spent years surviving in the entertainment industry, Anna had long mastered the art of concealing her true emotions.

But now she was too furious to endure!

Anna Thornton once thought Conrad Sterling might have allowed Holly Sutton to approach the Thornton Family.

In the end, he didn’t act directly!

But now it seemed he not only acted but bullied an elderly person on his deathbed, incapable of defending himself.

Quite the boldness, Conrad Sterling!

Why hadn’t Anna Thornton seen before that this man was despicable and shameless to such an extent?

"Anna, I rushed over after seeing this video. The reason I didn’t send it directly via email was to advise you to calm down in person!"

"Uncle Douglas, do you think I can calm down?"

It was now that she discovered her father had been mistreated before his death.

Dad Thornton had been dead for many years, and the scene revealed in the last minute of the video was akin to having their ancestors’ graves desecrated.

And the one who desecrated the Thornton Family’s ancestor’s grave was none other than the man Anna Thornton had received a marriage certificate with, her husband—how ironic!