Chapter 422: Chapter 422
Anna Thornton and her group of five had dinner in the hotel upstairs restaurant.
Douglas Dempsey came to Aethelgard this time not only to give Anna the last video left by her father but also for other reasons.
He came with his wife Susan Seymour, actually wanting to see a doctor in Aethelgard.
Susan Seymour was not born a mute; she damaged her vocal cords over twenty years ago, which left her unable to speak.
Doctors in Veridia couldn’t cure it, so this time they came to Aethelgard to see a doctor.
However, it’s not much better!
"Uncle Douglas, why don’t you take Auntie Seymour to Crestlight Hospital for a check-up?"
The hospitals under the Sterling Group, although expensive, are indeed top-notch in the industry in terms of medical expertise.
Anna Thornton scoffs at Conrad Sterling’s character, but she objectively acknowledges the hospital under his group.
Douglas shook his head: "Forget it, I have traveled with your Auntie Seymour to many hospitals, big and small, even abroad, during all these business trips. But her vocal cords are too severely damaged, and doctors say they can’t fix it!"
"Medical technology is advancing rapidly, with new breakthroughs every day. I’ve seen devices that allow vocalization!"
"No way, humans are made of flesh; how can we put cold, rigid things into the throat? Anyway, over the years, I’m used to interacting with your Auntie Seymour; not speaking hasn’t affected us. Ask her if you don’t believe; she herself doesn’t want it either."
Douglas and Susan Seymour, as a couple, have such a good relationship that they’re always hand in hand, even in the elevator.
Susan Seymour looked at her husband with gentle eyes, nodding in agreement.
This older generational thinking might be a bit stubborn, but they have lived for most of their lifetime.
Anna couldn’t say much more either.
The elevator stopped at the floor of their booked room, and the elevator doors opened.
Anna, holding a child’s hand in each hand, led the way out, and then... she unexpectedly bumped into Conrad Sterling waiting there.
Conrad had been waiting here for quite some time, standing straight at the door of Anna’s room, maintaining perfect posture. The slight impatience between his brows, due to his superior facial features, transformed into a languid composure that overawed even the cleaning lady pushing a cart, making her blush and speeding up her pace.
She wanted to look back at such an attractive young man to see whom he was waiting for, but she didn’t dare due to the invisible pressure.
Pop, originally holding her mommy’s hand, brightened up immediately upon seeing Conrad.
The little bundle ran over, and the tall man bent down and scooped her up.
Pop, held by Conrad in one arm, turned and asked Anna excitedly: "Mommy, is it a surprise for Pop and brother?"
Anna’s mouth twitched: "...It isn’t."
Lola’s mouth twitched as well: "Not surprised!"
Conrad rushed over, and the only one who truly welcomed him was this little silly sweet Pop.
But that didn’t hinder the man standing firmly like a needle that stabilizes everything.
After Anna approached, she was forced to talk to him: "I asked why are you here?"
"Didn’t your relatives come from your hometown? I prepared some local specialties for them."
Conrad spoke, pointing at the line of gift boxes by his feet.
Only then did Anna notice, the so-called ’local specialties’ wrapped in velvet boxes looked very high-end. But just placing them directly on the floor, extending from the door all the way to the stairs in a long line, almost filled the entire corridor.
Anna only saw this kind of gift-giving specification in the first year after a nouveau riche made a fortune and returned to their hometown.
But they prepared that amount for the entire village of elders and villagers!
Douglas apparently thought this was too much as well, and it was his first formal meeting with Conrad.
Moreover, he said a lot of bad things about President Sterling behind his back; how could he have the conscience to accept such heavy gifts from him?
"President Sterling, my surname is Dempsey, you can call me Uncle like Anna does. This time I brought my wife to Aethelgard for treatment and visited Anna; the gifts aren’t necessary."
Hearing this, Conrad’s eyes casually glanced at Douglas and then stuck back to Anna, urging her: "Aren’t you opening the door? How long do you want to stand at the door?"
Anna gave him a sidelong glance and reluctantly rummaged through her bag for the room card.
If she could avoid letting him in, she would like that, but standing here wasn’t a long-term plan. Google seaʀᴄh novｅlfire.net
Both kids here, Anna’s recently in the limelight; being photographed wouldn’t be good.
As soon as she opened the door, Conrad walked in holding Pop.
Throughout, he never called Douglas "Uncle."
Expect him to call "Uncle"?
Conrad only had Aunt Murray as a relative from a young age and wasn’t accustomed to addressing elders.
Besides, he came here for Anna; preparing those gifts was both for himself and for her sake.
Others never caught President Sterling’s eyes; he’s always been this difficult to deal with.
However, Douglas thought entirely differently; he always worried about Anna’s life after marriage.
Since Conrad delivered himself here today, of course, he should have a good talk with him.
This conversation should have been before the wedding when the father-in-law advised the son-in-law.
But Anna’s life was hard; her parents left her early, and the Thornton family had no real relatives who truly cared for her.
Thinking about this, Douglas couldn’t help but sigh.
His mindset should be the same as Aunt Murray’s: hoping that the child they’ve watched grow up can be happy.
"Conrad, do you like tea?"
Douglas personally brewed a pot of Kung Fu tea; his only hobby is drinking tea, so he even brings a purple clay teapot on business trips.
The yellow-green tea was so clear it was free from impurities; poured full into a cup, the scent of tea spread to the nose with the vapor.
Conrad glanced down and nodded, already considered quite gracious.
After all, he doesn’t like tea!
Nor does he like coffee!
Conrad is very picky about food, never having any particular favorites.
But people, well, that’s another story!
The two men sat on the hotel room sofa discussing matters; Anna and the children’s voices occasionally floated over from the balcony, causing Conrad to constantly divert his attention.
"Conrad, you don’t mind if I call you this, right? I watched Anna grow up; this child has always been treated like a little princess by her father, and she is smart, obedient, and endearing. But since her father’s passing, what has happened to her is truly distressing."
"With Anna’s father, I hoped she would always be a simple, happy little princess, but now she’s even a mother. Real life too harshly demands her to grow up fast, even though she should be a young girl just leaving campus, yet forced to bear so much... Ah, in this regard, I’ve been an incompetent uncle!"
Douglas intended to indirectly hint to Conrad.
One aspect was to bring up Anna’s experience, so he could empathize and care more.
Another aspect was mentioning Anna’s father, to see if Conrad would feel guilty.
Douglas wouldn’t mention what he saw in the video today.
Anna didn’t talk about divorcing Conrad, so as a senior, it’s inappropriate to burden young newlyweds.
Plus, Pop and Lola are so cute; for the sake of the kids, Douglas thought he should be more tolerant toward Conrad as their father.
Unexpectedly, when he looked up, Conrad’s unfriendly expression met him: "What are you exactly trying to say?"
"I hope you care well for Anna; she’s been through too much."
"Anna is my wife; you don’t need to tell me to care for her!"
Conrad emphasized the first part of the sentence heavily, almost with a hint of gritted teeth.
He was declaring his authority!
Clearly, he was doing so before a middle-aged man over fifty!
Because Douglas’s attitude earlier unsettled Conrad.
He mentioned Anna’s experiences and tagged his incompetence as an uncle.
Ha, nothing more than an elder with no blood relation.
The downfall of the Thornton Family was orchestrated by Conrad behind the scenes, and Anna’s pregnancy and childbirth were directly caused by him, bearing no relation to others!
Conrad openly admitted his mistake now, although he never actually apologized to Anna.
But secretly, the man had already offered many apologies in his heart.
Making Anna endure so much, having the children born those years without a father, Conrad admitted it was his incompetence!
All his fault! He would spend his life using every means to compensate them!
No need for others to take the blame!
Possessiveness, when it reaches a certain level, wants to encompass everything related to the other person.
Whether good or bad, Anna belonged to Conrad alone!