CHAPTER 34: CHAPTER 34: ANNA THORNTON IS JUST TOO AMAZING

Conrad Sterling, Anna Thornton, and Pop ran into Henry Willow when they arrived at the restaurant downstairs.

This person must have finished exploring the surrounding garden, holding a bouquet of wild roses of unknown origin.

Henry Willow squatted down, holding the flowers in front of Pop to tease her: "Do you like it?"

Pop, holding an unfinished orange, tilted her head to glance at the pretty red flowers, then bowed her head to continue eating the orange.

Seeing that the little one wasn’t interested in the flowers, Henry Willow stood up, moved closer to Anna Thornton, and said: "Sure enough, roses are more suited for a mature woman."

Anna Thornton accepted the flowers: "Thanks."

"You’re welcome. It is my pleasure to make a beauty smile."

Conrad Sterling glanced at him sideways, watching as Henry Willow offered his treasure to Anna Thornton and then returned to entertain Pop: "As for the little baby beauty, I know something she will like even more. Pop, how about Uncle takes you for a ride on the little plane?"

"Come on... let’s fly!"

Henry Willow lifted Pop’s arms, raising her high and gently tossing her up, catching her steadily. This human elevator experience delighted her, making her burst into gleeful giggles.

"The little plane is flying to find Mommy!"

"The little plane is flying to find Daddy!"

Honestly, if it weren’t for Henry Willow looking handsome and dressing nicely, he could easily be mistaken for an idiot.

Conrad Sterling couldn’t stand his foolish antics any longer and couldn’t help telling him to shut up: "Stop fooling around!"

Anna Thornton, however, said: "Let him play a couple more rounds; the child enjoys it."

"Exactly, Young Master Sterling, you really don’t understand children’s hearts."

In terms of childcare experience, Anna Thornton’s attitude was more aligned with Henry Willow’s.

Pop was clearly very happy. This kind of activity is common for entertaining children, although it’s usually fathers playing with their children.

With Anna Thornton’s slender arms and legs, she didn’t have the strength for it. This was Pop’s first time experiencing the excitement of being tossed up like a ’little plane.’ Henry Willow played with her for two more rounds, making the little one’s cheeks rosy with excitement, reluctant to be put down.

"Little darling, how about Uncle plays with you again after lunch, okay?"

"Okay!"

The dining room in this sanatorium is as luxurious as a five-star hotel, offering three meals in a buffet style, with unrestricted 24-hour service, making staying here better than in a luxury hotel.

No wonder so many people work hard in their youth to afford such services and experiences in their later years.

However, there are those who are still picky about such services.

Anna Thornton returned from a round, filling her tray and Pop’s small bowl with various exquisite dishes, but looking at Conrad Sterling’s plate, it was empty.

It was heard that no dish caught President Sterling’s eye, so the director had urgently asked the chef to grill lamb chops for him.

Anna Thornton: "Ha."

Aunt Murray wasn’t wrong; this man is indeed a picky eater!

Anna Thornton never doubted it before; when Aunt Murray said Conrad Sterling was good at everything except being picky about food, she didn’t believe the first part.

To Anna Thornton, this man wasn’t just picky about food; he seemed to have issues in every aspect.

Even Pop, a three-year-old, was easier to serve. The little one sat in a high chair and obediently tied a bib around herself.

No matter what Mommy fed her, she ate happily, attracting a curious group of elderly onlookers at the sanatorium.

"How old is your child?" an old gentleman asked Anna Thornton.

"Three years old."

"She looks adorable!"

"What did you focus on eating during pregnancy?" another old lady asked, "My daughter-in-law is recently pregnant and wants to know if there are any dietary tips for baby skin this fair and eyes this bright?"

The old man beside her chimed in: "It’s not what they ate, right? Didn’t you see how beautiful the child’s mom is! The dad has fair skin too, and always smiles, no wonder the baby is so cute."

Conrad Sterling wasn’t used to being surrounded by so many people while eating and hearing their comments. It made him feel like an animal being watched at a zoo, with his authoritative and lofty position as a president being infringed upon.

However, what the old gentleman had just said surprised him. He was curious about how the old man noticed his fondness for smiling.

Conrad Sterling raised his head only to see the hand pointing at Henry Willow next to him.

That made sense; Anna Thornton was busy feeding Pop, Henry Willow was making the child laugh, while Conrad Sterling was coldly eating his own meal.

To anyone else, the other three looked like a family.

Having been close friends for years, Henry Willow keenly sensed a displeased energy looming over him, so he quickly stopped: "I’m not the father, I’m still a virgin."

This lie was obviously unprepared, earning him a side-eye from Anna Thornton.

The scene looked like playful banter between a young couple, making the surrounding elderly laugh along.

Of course, this amused group did not include Conrad Sterling.

He seemed completely out of place with the cheerful atmosphere, as if the liveliness was theirs while President Sterling sat alone with his cold lamb chop.

This incident resulted in an unwarranted disaster falling on the head of the sanatorium’s director.

"I asked you to make this a high-end sanatorium, but you’ve turned it into a pedestrian street square? Will there be music and dancing in the evening?"

President Sterling, true to his nature, called the director for a public reprimand at the ’square dance center.’

Seeing the tense situation, the elderly quietly dispersed.

The director, after receiving an uncalled-for scolding, was left extremely frustrated.

Anna Thornton, however, found it nothing new, hugging Pop and saying: "Shall Mommy take you to get a few more cheese balls?"

"Okay!"

"I want some too!" Henry Willow interjected, "I want two big ones."

His peach blossom eyes were overly frivolous, making any words sound insincere, so Anna Thornton ignored him.

After the mother and daughter left, the director, finally finishing his inexplicable reprimand, departed.

Henry Willow turned back to see what seemed like a fiery glare coming from Conrad Sterling’s face towards him.

"Next time you say something unhelpful in front of the children, I’ll throw you out."

"Young Master Sterling, it was just a joke to lighten the mood."

"I haven’t even come after you yet; why did you bring them here?"

"I couldn’t help it; you know Anna Thornton is too compelling, I couldn’t resist."

Henry Willow realized this joke might have backfired, so he quickly explained: "Don’t misunderstand. It was like this: Miss Thornton contacted me last night saying if I could tell her your weakness, she would tell me what really happened between you two four years ago."

"I wrestled with it all night, but in the end, I couldn’t resist bringing her here to see Aunt Murray. Frankly, Young Master Sterling, this deal was worth it, otherwise I really wouldn’t have known you played a vanishing act after pulling up your pants back then."

Conrad Sterling: "..."

He looked at Henry Willow and wondered what inner struggle there had been; he seemed to have made quite a smooth deal exchanging one’s weakness for another’s secret.