CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 68: IS HE PROPOSING?

Anna Thornton and Mary had already had several discussions about how many ways there are to wrap dumplings, what fillings are needed, and the dispute between sweet and salty dumplings.

President Sterling was treated as air by Anna Thornton’s retaliatory indifference, yet the man could still sit still, never leaving.

Even Pop hadn’t woken up, and it was a mystery why he was still staying around.

Suddenly, the atmosphere was broken by the sound of a phone ringing.

The small bundle sleeping on the bed stirred, his long, thick eyelashes fluttering, and his delicate little nose wrinkling, showing signs of waking up.

Conrad Sterling instinctively frowned, taking out his phone and ready to hang up.

But when he saw the caller ID, it was Marilyn Ford calling.

The man hesitated slightly but still chose to answer the call.

However, Conrad Sterling didn’t speak after connecting the call, waiting for the person on the other end to say, "Conrad, are you free now? Can you come to see me?"

"What’s wrong?" he asked softly.

"I’m not feeling well..." Marilyn’s voice over the phone sounded as if she had a cold, "If it’s inconvenient, never mind, I’ll have Sharon find a nearby hospital for me."

Upon hearing this, Conrad Sterling subconsciously glanced toward Anna Thornton.

That woman still treated him like air, so Conrad stood up, lowering his voice as he walked towards the room door, "Wait for me, I’ll come over."

As soon as the man left, Mary immediately dropped her business-like demeanor and couldn’t resist gossiping: "Anna, what’s the situation between you and President Sterling? Are you really letting go so easily?"

Anna also glanced in the direction Conrad left: "He said he’s going to propose to Marilyn Ford, what else could I do?"

"Really? President Sterling is still so determined to be with Actress Ford? And you still have a buy-one-get-one offer on your side!"

Seeing Mary’s skeptical look about whether Conrad Sterling knew how to do business, Anna gave her a blank stare: "Probably even buy-one-get-two wouldn’t work."

"Not really, Anna, don’t you find it strange how persistent President Sterling is about his feelings for Marilyn Ford? They act all lovey-dovey when together, but has he ever told you he loves her?"

"No, he hasn’t!"

"Though he seems to have deep feelings for her, it’s not obvious to us, and we don’t dare to ask. I just feel it’s odd that President Sterling is proposing to Marilyn Ford so suddenly. They haven’t even publicly acknowledged their relationship as a couple. Maybe he’s doing it on purpose to reject you? Or maybe he has secrets, so he’s accelerating things to avoid being swayed by you!"

Anna also sensed something might be wrong. When she returned to the country to attend a banquet, even Henry Willow mentioned that Conrad Sterling was determined to marry Marilyn Ford.

It seemed he had a reason why it must be so.

One day, she would figure out what that reason was!

...

The place where Marilyn Ford was filming was quite remote, requiring a three-hour drive from the hospital.

Conrad Sterling received the call and left the hospital in the afternoon shortly after two, arriving there by evening.

The crew was taking a short break, and some of the prop team were busy setting up for the night scenes.

Marilyn Ford sat on her exclusive lounge chair, and though it was evening, ultraviolet rays were still a concern, so two assistants held umbrellas beside her.

Upon seeing Conrad Sterling’s car pulling up, Marilyn stood up from her chair immediately.

As soon as Conrad got out of the car, he was greeted with a hug: "Conrad, I didn’t expect you would really come to see me!"

A bit unused to Marilyn’s sudden enthusiasm, Conrad’s hand, holding the car keys, froze in mid-air. Her arms draped over his shoulders, but he didn’t respond by hugging her waist.

The onlooking staff couldn’t help but tease: "Miss Marilyn, just one call and you got President Sterling, such a busy man, to drive three hours here. You two are so sweet, really enviable."

The person referred to them as a couple in their words, and Marilyn did not refute it.

Conrad, however, took a step back as if unconsciously freeing himself from Marilyn’s grasp and asked, "Weren’t you feeling unwell?"

Only then did Marilyn notice the medicine in President Sterling’s hand since their filming location was so remote, not even having a pharmacy.

"Oh, Sharon borrowed some cold medicine from a colleague for me an hour ago, and I already feel much better."

Though Marilyn still spoke with a slight nasal tone, she was a princess, naturally delicate and sensitive.

But observing her usual complexion, Conrad didn’t see the need to expose her, suspecting she was at the final stages of recovery from her cold.

"That’s good!" Although he realized it, Conrad didn’t expose her.

"Conrad, I’m a bit hungry, shall we go for dinner together?" Marilyn suggested, taking his arm.

"How long does it take to get to the nearest restaurant from here?"

"About an hour."

"Will you make it back in time for filming?" Conrad asked.

At this point, Marilyn’s manager chimed in: "It’s fine, Marilyn doesn’t have a filming task tonight. You can navigate through the city after dinner before coming back, President Sterling."

As she spoke, Sharon had already brought Marilyn’s bag over. The unspoken understanding between their exchanged glances showed it was well-prepared.

In fact, Marilyn called Conrad today at Sharon’s suggestion, hoping to test him this way.

Since their last fallout and reconciliation, Marilyn had been much more proactive.

To be precise, she seemed more driven after perceiving Anna Thornton’s strong pursuit of Conrad and considering it a threat. Her manager advised, and Marilyn also thought it was time to take her relationship with Conrad to the next level.

Recently she hinted to Conrad about her upcoming birthday party next month, suggesting that if Conrad’s birthday present could move her, she would agree to a condition he might propose.

Initially, Marilyn meant starting a formal relationship with Conrad.

But she heard that recently, Conrad seemed to be contacting a designer about a custom-made ring.

Was he planning to propose?

Marilyn wasn’t ready; she hadn’t even decided whether to go public after confirming the relationship, yet Conrad was already trying to skip to the marriage proposal stage...

Without Anna Thornton in the picture, Marilyn would undoubtedly refuse.

But now... she was hesitant.

She also feared that her hesitation would give another woman a chance.

The fact that Conrad donated bone marrow to Anna’s child was something Marilyn never mentioned, yet she secretly harbored concerns. Since Conrad would be hospitalized before the transplant and Anna’s child was also hospitalized, wouldn’t they be spending time together daily?

Adding the negative impression Anna Thornton gave Marilyn, she truly feared the woman’s unscrupulousness and might exploit any feebleness, yet couldn’t bring herself to check the situation at the hospital.

Hence, the feigned illness call.

Thankfully, Conrad’s travel so far after receiving her call proved that her position in his heart wasn’t compromised.