CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 57: HERE TO ASSERT HER CLAIM

Pop is going to the hospital the next day.

Conrad Sterling came downstairs at seven in the morning and found that Anna Thornton and the little bun were surprisingly up earlier than him and were already having breakfast in the dining room.

By the time President Sterling sat down, the little bun had just finished her last bite of millet porridge.

Granny Chandler was helping them pack their luggage, filling three large suitcases altogether for Anna Thornton and Pop.

During the period Pop will be undergoing surgery, Anna Thornton needs to move into the hospital room to better care for the child, and this stay will not be short.

They had only been at the Sterling Residence for a few days, and now they were leaving, making Granny Chandler quite reluctant to part with them.

"Miss Thornton, there are many clothes that don’t fit, so I left them in the wardrobe upstairs. You’re coming back, right?"

Anna Thornton glanced at Conrad Sterling beside her: "Not sure, but I’ll try my best to."

As she spoke, Anna Thornton squatted slightly, teaching Pop, "Sweetheart, we’re leaving now. Wave to Grandma Chandler and say goodbye."

Hearing this, Pop obediently raised her short little arms and said in a sweet voice, "Bye-bye..."

"Little Miss, there are so many toys you didn’t have time to pack, you must come back after you recover."

Granny Chandler truly liked Pop. She only heard Anna Thornton mention yesterday that the child was ill and needed to be hospitalized for a while.

Not knowing what illness it was, this obedient little child, it just breaks one’s heart thinking about it.

"After saying goodbye to Grandma, we’re going to depart now, okay?"

Anna Thornton carried Pop down, holding the child with one hand and grabbing the suitcase with the other.

Conrad Sterling, seeing that she was about to leave, couldn’t help but ask, "Aren’t you waiting for me to take you?"

Anna Thornton replied to him, "I wouldn’t trouble President Sterling; someone will take us."

As soon as she finished speaking, the intercom phone rang, and Anna Thornton quickly said, "The driver picking us up is here, could you ask the guards to let them in?"

Conrad Sterling answered the phone, and the guard informed him that Young Master Willow was visiting.

The driver Anna Thornton found to take them to the hospital was actually Henry Willow.

Conrad Sterling had already made it clear to Anna Thornton last night that since he had reconciled with Marilyn Ford, it was certainly not possible to allow them to stay at the Sterling Residence or in Aethelgard for long.

But Anna Thornton’s indifference was quite annoying in itself.

Unexpectedly, she actually knew her limits today.

It’s also good to let Henry Willow take them to the hospital. With the workload Conrad Sterling currently has, it’s impossible for him to keep delaying like this for several days.

Moreover, he had just smoothed things over with Marilyn yesterday and didn’t want to cause any more misunderstandings for her.

Henry Willow, once let in, could be heard from afar even before entering the hall: "Anna, Sweetheart, are you ready?"

Seeing the man approach, Pop happily let go of her mom’s hand and opened her short little arms wide toward him.

"Sweetheart, are you looking forward to flying on the little plane?"

Henry Willow lifted Pop up, gently tossed her, and caught her steadily, making the little one giggle with delight.

"The little plane flies to find Daddy!"

"The little plane flies to find Mommy!"

"Today, the little plane is taking Sweetheart to the hospital!"

Henry Willow played "little plane" with the child three times, satisfying Pop before putting her down and greeting Conrad Sterling, "Young Master Sterling, I heard Pop needs to be hospitalized. Is it okay if I take them over?"

Due to the previous incident at the sanatorium, Henry Willow had been intimidated by Conrad Sterling.

Now, he had learned to be cautious, knowing he needed to seek Young Master Sterling’s permission first whenever the situation demanded.

After all, he had finally managed to evade Sarah Grant today, getting himself some freedom, and didn’t want to be caught and dragged back to a life of ’darkness.’

In any case, it was odd that it had only been a few days since Anna Thornton and Henry Willow last met.

Seeing him today, she suddenly noticed that the man seemed much more weary, even with a slightly... overindulgent look, what was going on?

Henry Willow was also cautious in front of Conrad Sterling, carefully observing Young Master Sterling’s expression, and only when the latter nodded did he relax.

"Go ahead and take them first, I’ll come by later."

"Sure thing."

Henry Willow was a very responsible driver today; he helped Anna Thornton and Pop with their luggage all the way, and once at the hospital, he busied himself arranging their room without making any of his usual colorful jokes.

Once inside the hospital room, Anna Thornton couldn’t help but ask, "You’ve changed so much recently, did you encounter something unhappy?"

"Oh, don’t ask—I’ve been drained!" Henry Willow sighed deeply, "Anyway, from now on, I’ll call you Auntie. Don’t ever expect to get any inside information about Young Master Sterling from me again."

Hearing this, Anna Thornton blinked in confusion, "Just twelve thousand? Is it worth it?"

After returning to China, Anna Thornton had roughly gotten to know some circumstances; Henry Willow was the heir of the Willow Family, one of the four major families in Aethelgard, and he lived a very lavish lifestyle.

Last time at the sanatorium, even though Conrad Sterling had intentionally found fault, the twelve thousand fine was merely a warning, yet Henry Willow seemed so shattered by it?

"You don’t understand my situation; Young Master Sterling really knows how to hit my weak spot. I’m scared now; I can’t afford to provoke him anymore. From now on, during leisure times you can always call me, but I’ll no longer sell out my brothers."

Henry Willow was genuinely repentant, but of course, in his usual style, he added with a touch of insincerity, "But I’m spiritually on your side. The day you successfully dig over to Young Master Sterling’s corner and take him down, I’ll make sure to cover the priciest billboards in all of Aethelgard for celebration."

At any rate, Henry Willow had no hope of outsmarting Young Master Sterling, so he pinned his hopes on Anna Thornton.

At the same time, he secretly and mischievously anticipated the day Conrad Sterling would be fully wrapped around a woman’s finger, planning to fund a massive celebration for the world to witness such a rare spectacle!

"Conrad Sterling reconciled with Marilyn yesterday and brought up the old issues again, planning to expel me and Pop from Aethelgard. Chances are you won’t be spending your advertising screen money." Anna Thornton dampened his spirits.

"That might not be the case; Young Master Sterling is just like that—he’s not very affectionate and often says one thing while meaning another. The more he cares about something, the less he shows it. That’s men for you! On the contrary, I think Young Master Sterling quite likes you."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

"For him to show you such dislike is also a skill of yours. If one day Young Master Sterling’s dislike towards you exceeds his determination to marry Marilyn, wouldn’t that mean you’ve won?"

Anna Thornton: "..."

She didn’t know whether to regard Henry Willow as the master of logic or as a crow with a jinxed beak that had been blessed.

Not long after he mentioned Marilyn, Marilyn herself appeared.

Upon seeing the woman in the hospital room doorway, Anna Thornton’s first reaction was surprise: "Why are you here?"

She had just completed the admission procedures for Pop, and wasn’t the hospital run by the Sterling Group known for its confidentiality?

This time Marilyn had come prepared, just like last time, holding flowers and a fruit basket, visiting the sick.

"Last time I came to the hospital but didn’t visit the room, I always found it quite regrettable, but today I can finally make up for it."

After entering the hospital room, Marilyn handed what she brought over to Henry Willow, "Young Master Willow, I heard you brought Miss Thornton and her daughter over, thank you for your effort."

"No problem at all; it’s my pleasure to serve a beauty."

Henry Willow treated all beautiful women equally. He smiled, accepted Marilyn’s fruit basket, and put it down. Then, he held the flowers, looking for a vase to place them in.

However, Anna Thornton frowned slightly at Marilyn.

They had just left the Sterling Residence and arrived at the hospital not long ago. How many people knew it was Henry Willow who drove them?

Clearly, Marilyn had heard it from Conrad Sterling.

So if Conrad Sterling didn’t come by himself, what was this woman here for?

Marilyn gazed around the VIP hospital room and said, "The environment here is quite nice, and Sterling Group’s medical facilities ensure that if you need anything, you can always tell Conrad or me."

It seemed she had reconciled with Conrad yesterday and was now bringing up old promises about getting rid of Anna and Pop. And although they had been procrastinating, they still hadn’t officially settled their relationship, but Marilyn thought that she had the upper hand, so let her revel in it a bit.

In order to avoid bringing shame upon herself, Anna Thornton listened silently and watched Marilyn staring sympathetically at Pop, who was playing with toys on the hospital bed. "But the child is so pitiful, being so young," Marilyn said with sympathy in her eyes. "How would you know?" Anna Thornton’s face suddenly darkened, "How would you know this?"