Chapter 429: Chapter 429

"Anna, do you remember the first time we met? It was also at an Italian restaurant!"

Mary had arranged a restaurant lunch with Anna Thornton, and as they chatted, they started talking about the past.

"I still remember, the first thing I saw when I entered the restaurant was your back, with a baby stroller beside you. Out of curiosity, I took a look and was stunned—how could someone have such a beautiful baby, like a lifelike doll."

"Then I was stunned again to see the baby’s mother, but it’s not surprising! Anna, did you know? At that time, I wasn’t doing well at work and was thinking about giving up, but after seeing you, I suddenly felt energized. I told myself in my heart, for such a breathtaking beauty in this world, I must make her famous!"

Anna Thornton was numb to being praised for her beauty; she quietly ate her meal.

Mary was showering her with compliments when an unexpected guest suddenly interrupted.

"Dear miss, I’ve been noticing you ever since I entered the restaurant. Your charm has captivated me. May I have your contact information?"

Hearing this, Anna Thornton looked up at the man standing in front of her, holding a phone.

A blonde Caucasian man, quite tall and handsome.

Mary made eyes at Anna Thornton; girls have this habit of getting excited when they see a handsome guy.

Although Anna was already married, who doesn’t enjoy the feeling of being pursued by a handsome guy?

Mary reflected on herself; if she were in such a situation, she’d surely be grinning from ear to ear.

But Anna Thornton’s expression didn’t change at all; she coldly replied, "It’s inconvenient!"

The handsome Caucasian man’s face stiffened slightly, probably not used to such rejection.

"Beautiful Miss Thornton, perhaps you didn’t hear me clearly earlier. Let me be honest, I know you are a star in Cathayan, and I work in the modeling industry, so we’re sort of in the same business. I just want to make a friend; I won’t share your contact information."

He had an outstanding appearance and an unusual aura, standing tall with defined features, certainly appearing to be from the entertainment industry.

Many people noticed when he approached Anna Thornton for her phone number.

If Anna Thornton refused, it could be awkward.

However, after hearing him lower his voice to get chummy, Anna Thornton responded perfunctorily, "Oh."

Then, she continued to eat without looking up.

Yes, she still refused!

The blonde man didn’t get her contact information and had to leave.

As he left, he gave Anna Thornton a meaningful look.

Mary happened to see it; she didn’t know how to describe the man’s gaze.

In any case, it was very strange, her heart sank a little, and she got a bit scared.

But Anna didn’t look up the entire time, so she didn’t notice.

After they finished eating and left the restaurant, Anna Thornton wanted to go shopping, to see if there were any souvenirs or interesting toys in the mall worth buying.

She wanted to bring them back for her two adorable little kids.

Mary decided to split up with her as there was some work that needed an agent to implement arrangements.

The two agreed to meet at the hotel room at five in the afternoon; there was an invitation to a brand party that evening.

However, it was almost five-thirty, and Mary hadn’t seen Anna Thornton return.

Anna was always able to be the first to arrive on set when filming; she was never late.

Even if something held her up, it would never be more than half an hour.

So just after five-thirty, she called Anna Thornton.

She called three times, but no one answered; they all went to voicemail.

Later, the phone was even turned off!

Mary realized something was off and felt very anxious.

Could Anna have been shopping somewhere crowded, just missing the phone ringing, with the battery coincidentally running out?

Such coincidences weren’t unheard of!

Being abroad and unfamiliar with the area, finding someone would be inconvenient.

If it had been another manager, they might have chosen to wait a bit longer.

After all, their artist is an adult and unlikely to get lost.

But Mary felt very uneasy, even though she wasn’t sure where this unease was coming from.

In any case, she suddenly felt like something might happen.

She had two choices now; abroad was Mr. Smith’s territory.

Mary had never met Smith, but she knew Anna had some acquaintance with him.

Moreover, Mary had heard about the capabilities of the Smith family, not very reputable, but they should be able to find someone quickly if they wanted.

The second choice was to inform President Sterling back in their homeland, which terrified Mary even more.

She had lost Anna once before; President Sterling’s anxious attitude made Mary clearly realize that if Anna had any issues, she would be in serious trouble.

In the end, Mary managed to get the message to Smith, hoping he could help find someone for her if convenient.

At the same time, she mustered the courage to contact Conrad Sterling.

Mary frankly said that she couldn’t reach Anna.

It could’ve been the phone’s battery, or it could’ve been something else. In any case, it could be a big or small issue.

But soon, Mary would be grateful she had prepared for the worst.

Because the real situation was worse than she imagined...

When Conrad Sterling received Mary’s call, he was at a press conference.

Due to the time difference, it was morning at home.

Recently, public opinion had been fermenting severely, with many attacks on Conrad Sterling personally.

The original plan was to handle it legally, but considering various factors, Conrad finally chose a press conference to stop the media and public from speculating about the Sterling Group.

Of course, although someone was deliberately guiding these personal attacks against Conrad, he didn’t suffer much.

Conrad now had a fan base, and his female fans were particularly fierce.

They tirelessly fought online with trolls, even causing the Sterling legal team to wonder who they should actually sue while collecting evidence.

The girls fought so fiercely that even keyboard warriors could be brought to tears, okay?

Conrad Sterling didn’t care about public opinion; he didn’t need anyone to argue with the trolls for him.

The only thing that bothered him was not discovering who was guiding the negative public opinion. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NoveI~Fire.net

Moreover, many recent actions of the Sterling Group hadn’t been smooth; it seemed they were always a step behind, with traps laid out waiting for him to fall into.

Again and again , it seemed someone had planted a pair of eyes around him.

After finishing the call with Mary, Conrad immediately arranged for someone to investigate.

Later, they found Anna Thornton’s phone!

The phone was in the hands of a homeless person, who said he found it in a trash can.

But when found, the phone had already been disassembled, it couldn’t be turned on, and the SIM card was broken.

Just from the dismantling technique, Conrad Sterling could almost conclude that Anna Thornton was in danger!