CHAPTER 9: CHAPTER 9: WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT?

It was night—

The Sterling Group building stood at the most luxurious location in Aethelgard. This had always been Conrad Sterling’s habit; whether choosing a company site or a residential area, he always picked the best.

The towering skyscraper had now become one of Aethelgard’s iconic buildings, openly declaring the building owner’s strength and ambition to the world.

At this hour, only the light in the president’s office on the top floor was still on.

The desk was piled high with files, and on top of all those documents... was the information Conrad Sterling had just received.

It was a report he had his subordinates investigate about Anna Thornton.

The man’s tall and upright figure stood before the floor-to-ceiling window. With a glance, he could take in the entire city’s scenery, yet his gaze seemed to be bound by an invisible force, fixed firmly on a small note.

There was just one line on the note, an address.

As the cigarette between his fingers burned to the end and ash silently dropped onto the expensive Persian carpet, the man’s eyes deepened. He finally extinguished the lingering cigarette and picked up his car keys.

The limited edition Bugatti Veyron drove into the thick, impenetrable night, eventually stopping in front of a not particularly upscale neighborhood.

Conrad Sterling followed the specific address left on the note and pressed the corresponding doorbell.

After the doorbell rang twice, Conrad Sterling heard a sound of light, scattered footsteps coming from inside.

The footsteps stopped at the door, and then there was no further movement.

"Anna Thornton, open the door!" Conrad Sterling called in the direction of the peephole.

Soon, there was more activity inside the room.

It seemed like something was being moved, and then the lock rattled slightly but stopped again.

Nearly three minutes of back and forth, and the door remained stubbornly closed.

Conrad Sterling was already losing patience, suspecting the little woman inside was playing with him.

Leaving that note to lure him here, only to purposely leave him outside.

Just when Conrad Sterling’s patience had run out and he was about to kick the door open, the door finally opened.

Then he was glad he hadn’t kicked it.

Because after the door opened, he realized the one who had been fumbling to open it wasn’t Anna Thornton but a little girl in pink bunny pajamas.

The little one was only as tall as his knee, and earlier, she had climbed up and down a small stool to open the door for him, which took a lot of her effort.

Conrad Sterling had come to find Anna Thornton. Caught off guard by this little one, despite his considerable experience, he was momentarily stunned.

He stood there; the little girl stood there too.

Face to face, one big, one small, Pop had to lift her chin as high as she could to see him.

The atmosphere was awkwardly frozen until Anna Thornton’s voice broke the strange standoff between the big guy and the little one.

"Pop, who’s at the door?"

Anna Thornton came out from the bedroom, her hair wrapped, just having finished her bath, wearing a pink bathrobe.

The bathrobe also had two bunny ears on the hood, clearly matching what Pop was wearing.

"Mommy..."

Pop took two steps toward Anna Thornton, then turned to point at Conrad Sterling. Seemingly a bit intimidated by this strange man’s powerful aura, her finger couldn’t fully extend, and the other fingers curled into a small fist.

Anna Thornton wasn’t surprised to see Conrad Sterling.

The note with her address on it was intended for him, to be passed through Marilyn.

She wiped her hair, let her long black curls down, and smiled sweetly at him: "I thought I’d have to wait until at least tomorrow. It seems President Sterling is more anxious than I expected."

"But it’s certainly better for father and daughter to meet sooner rather than later."

Anna Thornton picked up Pop, finally bridging the height gap so that the little one wouldn’t have to look up so much.

She pointed to the man in front of them and instructed the child: "Pop, this is Daddy, call Daddy."

Conrad Sterling: "..."

Pop looked at Conrad Sterling with big puzzled eyes; he didn’t quite resemble the pictures Mommy had shown her.

Nonetheless, she obediently called out, "Dada."

Conrad Sterling: "..."

Pop grew up abroad, knowing only a few Chinese words, and her pronunciation was off.

"Anna Thornton! What are you playing at?"