CHAPTER 26: CHAPTER 26: WE NEED TO RECONSIDER OUR RELATIONSHIP

Conrad Sterling’s office is usually off-limits when he’s not there, and even Marilyn Ford can only wait in the guest lounge for him.

When the man returned to the company, the secretary had already sent lunch to Marilyn Ford in the lounge, but she hadn’t even touched the chopsticks.

"Not appetizing?" Conrad asked her.

"Hmm, I’m not very hungry."

Marilyn Ford had no mood to eat lunch.

Yesterday, Conrad Sterling left her alone at the mall and walked away with another woman.

Plus, Anna Thornton said some inexplicable things to her...

Marilyn Ford went back to check the news and naturally found out that Conrad Sterling appeared at Anna Thornton’s doorstep late at night.

Honestly, Marilyn Ford didn’t want to believe it at first.

After all, since she started interacting with Conrad Sterling, he had never been involved in any scandal, and Marilyn Ford trusted him greatly.

So when she first saw the news, Marilyn Ford preferred to believe it was Anna Thornton deliberately creating a stir.

She realized that ever since Anna Thornton returned home, the woman had always been trying to get close to Conrad, even announcing her intent to mess with Dynasty Entertainment...

But because Conrad Sterling had never been involved in any scandal, Marilyn Ford couldn’t help but view Anna Thornton differently.

After all, the photos weren’t suspected of being fake, indicating that Conrad Sterling was indeed with Anna Thornton that day. That woman got out of his car wearing his clothes, and as a result, she stood Marilyn Ford up, missing their café meet-up. Who knows what they were doing together that afternoon?

Not just that afternoon, but also yesterday...

"Conrad, I heard from the company that several meetings couldn’t get hold of you yesterday afternoon."

Marilyn Ford had many questions she wanted to ask on the phone, but when meeting face-to-face, she deliberately mentioned that the company couldn’t contact Conrad Sterling, as if not admitting to reaching out herself would prevent her from appearing too eager in this relationship, thus lowering her worth.

The dignity of a wealthy young lady is something she refuses to relinquish at any moment.

"I ran into some trouble that I was dealing with yesterday." Conrad replied dismissively.

But Marilyn Ford clearly wasn’t so easily brushed off: "It’s rare to see you so troubled by something, care to tell me about it?"

Perhaps due to having not slept last night, Conrad Sterling was still in a foul mood today.

The man gently pinched his brow to refresh himself, not knowing why he suddenly found Marilyn Ford’s roundabout questioning irritating.

By comparison, Marilyn Ford and Anna Thornton were indeed two extremes.

One holds herself all the time, needing to cushion even confrontations to avoid appearing too concerned and thus diminishing her Ford family daughter’s stature.

Conversely, Anna Thornton covered nothing up in front of him, boldly declaring her ambitions and schemes.

Conrad Sterling didn’t understand why he suddenly thought of another small woman at this time, even comparing her to Marilyn Ford?

"Conrad, you seem like you haven’t rested well?" Marilyn Ford saw he didn’t answer and pushed the question further.

"Yeah, didn’t sleep all night."

"Didn’t sleep all night?"

These four words prompted a slight change in Marilyn Ford’s expression.

"I was at the hospital yesterday, Anna Thornton was there too." Conrad was tired of waiting for her to probe step-by-step, so he said directly, "Ask whatever you want."

His sudden honesty left Marilyn Ford stunned. After an awkward moment, she retrieved a stack of photos from her bag.

The photos not only included those the media captured of Conrad Sterling sending Anna Thornton home, but also another set... Conrad Sterling in the same room with Anna Thornton, enjoying wine, the latter wearing a revealing backless nightgown.

Judging by the attire and the shots’ timestamps, it was Anna Thornton’s first night back in the country.

She deliberately left the address, luring Conrad Sterling to find her, seemingly with covert photography equipment installed in the room, no wonder that little woman later deliberately changed outfits...

Yesterday, Pop was sick, and the woman’s frantic worry in the hospital almost fooled Conrad Sterling, yet she still had the energy for secret mischief.

Strangely, though Conrad Sterling knew the woman sent Marilyn Ford these photos to create discord between them, avenging Pop’s grievances, he didn’t feel very angry; instead, his lips unconsciously curled into a faint smile.

"Conrad, why are you smiling?"

"These photos are all staged, she misleadingly created an amorous atmosphere."

Hearing Conrad Sterling explain this way, Marilyn Ford’s expression didn’t ease.

Because the man only explained the staging and didn’t deny spending the past couple of nights with Anna Thornton.

Especially the nightgown photos; the timestamp coincided with the day of the banquet at Starlight Hotel. Conrad Sterling previously denied having any impression of Anna Thornton in front of her; after the banquet, he said he had company business and let the assistant take her home, but later, how did he end up at Anna Thornton’s place?

This situation was indeed difficult to explain, so Conrad Sterling didn’t bother.

He was also tired of playing a guessing game, opting for straightforwardness: "You want to know what my relationship with Anna Thornton is? Then let me tell you, I slept with her once, four years ago."

Marilyn Ford: "!!!"

"She suddenly appeared a week ago; I really didn’t have a deep impression of her. But she told me she had my child."

Upon hearing this, Marilyn Ford’s face blanched.

She recalled Anna Thornton holding a press conference a few days prior, specifically announcing her unmarried motherhood: "Is it that child?"

"Yeah, a paternity test was conducted; indeed it’s mine."

Marilyn Ford came today hoping Conrad Sterling would tell her everything, but when this man really clarified, she couldn’t accept it.

"How is that possible? If that child were truly yours, why didn’t she tell you sooner, and why only come back now? What does she really want?"

"These questions you should ask her."

Conrad Sterling sat back in his office chair, leaned back, and lit a cigarette: "Marilyn, if you believe I’m serious about you, I’ll resolve everything. There’s no need for you to worry about these things..."

"How can this be resolved?" Marilyn Ford suddenly interrupted Conrad Sterling, her emotions erupting in that instant, "You’ve suddenly had a child with another woman, and I knew absolutely nothing."

"You don’t need to know, it won’t affect our current relationship."

Conrad Sterling’s tone was always overbearing, yet Marilyn Ford, being a wealthy lady, couldn’t tolerate sand in her eyes.

Her pride was strong, unlike ordinary girls who relied on benefactors and dared not breathe freely.

"Conrad, I feel a bit confused, I want to go back and calm down."

"Need me to call a driver for you?"

"No need! Don’t come looking for me for a while, I need to reconsider our relationship."

Conrad Sterling exhaled a smoke ring: "Alright."