CHAPTER 18: CHAPTER 18: TIRED OF LIVING

Conrad Sterling returned to the company, and it was already past nine in the evening.

The other staff had left for home, and on his desk, the pending documents that had been delayed all afternoon were neatly arranged, along with an urgent package from Crestlight Hospital.

Conrad Sterling’s tall figure leaned back in the executive chair, his gaze fixed on the urgent package with an unreadable expression. He hesitated for a full ten minutes before reaching out to take it.

The weight of this package was actually very light, as it contained only one sheet of paper.

Regarding the paternity test... Conrad Sterling indeed had initiated it a few days ago, and today he finally received the results.

That little woman, Anna Thornton, seemed to have anticipated everything in advance.

Upon returning to the country, she willingly took Pop to a private hospital under the Sterling Group, leaving behind the child’s DNA sample, as if fearing that this man wouldn’t investigate.

Conrad Sterling’s actions as he opened the urgent package were noticeably more careful than when signing billion-dollar contracts. Gingerly extracting the paper from the envelope, Conrad habitually skimmed over the irrelevant content, focusing only on the result – the current test supports that Mr. Conrad Sterling is the biological father of the DNA sample.

...

What gave Conrad Sterling a headache wasn’t just this paternity test result.

A well-known media outlet suddenly released a set of photos showing Anna Thornton being dropped off at home by a luxury car at night, which went viral the next day.

Since her high-profile return and the press conference, the focus on Anna Thornton had been relentless. She had publicly confessed to having a child out of wedlock, and the media were eagerly speculating about the father’s identity. The exposure of this set of photos was like adding fuel to a raging gossip fire.

Soon, someone dug up information on that exorbitantly priced Ferrari, a global limited edition of only three, of which there was currently only one in the country – the luxury car’s owner being the young and promising CEO of Sterling Group, Conrad Sterling.

And shortly after, the revelation of another set of photos confirmed this speculation.

This set of photos was clearer than the previous one, and the shooting distance was closer. It clearly showed Anna Thornton in an ill-fitted men’s suit, leaning against the Ferrari’s door and chatting with the person inside.

The car window beside her was only halfway down, but someone had captured the driver’s face from a tricky angle.

Although the entire face wasn’t fully captured, it was already sufficient evidence to identify Conrad Sterling.

After all, President Sterling’s handsome face was exceptionally striking and hard to confuse with the average person.

It seemed that being too good-looking and wealthy could sometimes become a disadvantage.

As everyone knows, Conrad Sterling is the behind-the-scenes president of Dynasty Entertainment.

Recently, there was a rumor that Anna Thornton was about to sign with Dynasty Entertainment, but it was denied with a statement, making many people criticize her for hype.

However, after this twist of events, it’s unclear whose face has been slapped?

Even the person in charge of the entertainment company called the Headquarters of Sterling Group, nervously inquiring Conrad Sterling: "President Sterling, the statement we had on our official website and blog has been retracted. Do we need to issue another statement to apologize to Miss Thornton?"

After all, they had harshly stated not knowing this newly returned female star and would not sign her.

Yet they were merely following upper management’s orders, and they didn’t realize there might be a problem somewhere in the process. They didn’t expect President Sterling to have a private relationship with her.

Conrad Sterling was too lazy to deal with these boring speculations from his subordinates and directly cut off the call.

Frowning with irritation, he asked Ethan, who was waiting in the office for instructions, "Have you handled the news?"

"President Sterling, those two sets of photos have been dealt with, but this time the news spread through the internet, which is not as easy to manage as last time’s magazine..."

"Are you saying it can’t be stopped?"

Conrad Sterling looked up at Ethan, who hastily wiped the sweat from his forehead.

How could he phrase it?

The main issue was that President Sterling usually didn’t handle entertainment matters, so he wasn’t aware of how fast gossip could spread.

Normally, even a little rumor about stars could cause an uproar, let alone this major scandal!

A glamorous and sexy female star, with a handsome and wealthy CEO, a nocturnal rendezvous, a luxury car dropping off – these elements pieced together were already enough for people to imagine a tantalizing drama.

Moreover, it involved the actress Marilyn Ford.

Love triangles, sugar daddy relationships, car sex... which of these aren’t the media and the public’s favorite topics?

Of course, car sex was just Ethan’s imagination and speculation, which made him feel even more guilty.

"President Sterling, I think the most important issue right now is Miss Ford. It’s been two hours since the photos were released, and Miss Ford hasn’t called to inquire, possibly because she hasn’t seen them yet... Should you explain things to her first?"

Actually, what Ethan wanted to express was for Conrad Sterling to give Marilyn Ford a heads-up.

After all, in his mind, the car sex had already happened. He personally witnessed President Sterling driving Miss Thornton away yesterday, and it was obvious whom President Sterling spent the afternoon with afterward.

It wasn’t surprising for those with power and influence to have a few close female friends.

Marilyn Ford, being in the entertainment industry, must have seen numerous money-related transactions and wouldn’t be surprised by such matters.

As long as President Sterling made it clear to her that it was just casual fun, she probably wouldn’t mind.

What Ethan could think of, Conrad Sterling surely wouldn’t miss?

When Conrad Sterling realized he was photographed while dropping Anna Thornton off last night, he had already blocked all possibilities for Marilyn Ford to see the news.

After all, he didn’t believe any paparazzi could take such clear photos of him without inside help.

Clearly, it was the deliberate arrangement of that woman, Anna Thornton.

Fine, playing such a tasteless trick right under his nose...

It seemed that little woman had become tired of living!