Anna quickly pushed Conrad Sterling away, and the man was also pushed back a step.
Marilyn imdiately stepped forward to support Conrad Sterling, asserting her dominance.
Her gaze at Anna was already filled with uncontrollable hostility.
"It’s not my fault, he made the first move!"
"Oh please! Anyway, I didn’t seduce your man, if you want to know what happened, ask him yourself."
Anna pointed at Conrad Sterling, but the man didn’t respond at all.
"Co on, Conrad Sterling! I know you’re not drunk, don’t play dead now!"
Conrad Sterling: "..."
The man rubbed his temples with a wandering gaze, as if he was really drunk and having a headache.
The strong sll of alcohol on him also proved he had indeed drunk a lot.
As it appeared on the scene, it seed like Anna had taken advantage of Conrad Sterling being drunk to deliberately hug him.
Besides, Anna had been pursuing Conrad Sterling all along; she had left an impression of being clingy and persistent.
No matter how much she explained, it wouldn’t be clear now.
"Conrad Sterling, if you are a man, don’t pretend to be drunk now, hurry up and explain to your fiancée clearly, do you hear ?"
President Sterling, supported by Marilyn, glanced at her, but still said nothing.
For the first ti, Anna felt how much this man’s face deserved a slap.
Daring to act without taking responsibility, throwing the bla on her at the critical mont, what did she ever do to him?
However, Marilyn didn’t pursue the matter further.
She just gave Anna a look, then turned and left with Conrad Sterling.
It was precisely because she said nothing that worried Anna the most.
Marilyn had such a heavy heart, would she hold a grudge against her now?
But Anna was truly wronged: "Heavens, it’s June and snow is about to fall, I swear I really didn’t throw myself at Conrad Sterling!"
Whether Marilyn heard her vow or not, she definitely held onto this grudge.
As they helped Conrad Sterling into the car, the man imdiately closed his eyes to rest.
He seed to be really drunk!
anwhile, Marilyn’s hand, placed by her side, clenched slightly as she sent a ssage to Jean Zane with her phone.
...
Anna ca out of the bathroom, and a servant from Willow Residence stopped her: "Excuse , are you Miss Anna Thornton?"
"I am!"
"A Miss Mary is looking for you, she said to wait for her by the lakeside."
"Alright, thanks!"
The layout of Willow Residence seed to have been overseen by a feng shui master, with a large artificial lake in the center. Surrounded by green trees and rockeries, it was designed with the symbolism of stars surrounding the moon, presenting a rather good view during the day.
But at night, it inevitably felt a bit too quiet.
Rembering the last ti Conrad Sterling threw her into the swimming pool, the experience of choking on water made her fearful of water now.
And the lake water at night, under the streetlights, appeared dark green, as if bottomless, sowhat frightening.
Anna found herself hugging her arms involuntarily, shivering slightly.
Just then, a sneaky figure quietly approached her from behind.
Without making a sound, the figure reached out and tapped on Anna’s shoulder, intending to push her in.
Startled, Anna instinctively leaned forward.
At the sa ti, she grabbed the hand on her shoulder, bent down, and tossed the person over her back.
She had her previous training at the taekwondo gym to thank for knowing this move.
Never thought the self-defense techniques Conrad Sterling taught her would co in handy!
With a splash—soone hit the water, followed by sounds of struggling.
Anna stepped back two steps but couldn’t avoid the hem of her dress getting sprayed with water.
She rembered Conrad Sterling stressing how important quick reflexes were when teaching her self-defense.
Her speed was nowhere near that man’s standard.
However, even if Anna was slow to react, it didn’t prevent her from understanding that Mary would contact her first by phone, or find soone she knew. It was impossible for her to send a ssage via an unfamiliar servant or ask her to et by the lake.
Mary knew she was afraid of water.
So Anna had been on guard from the beginning.
The person who fell into the lake finally struggled to surface.
Looking at Jean Zane’s disheveled and pale face, Anna thought it perfectly illustrated the saying "caught red-handed".
"Oh my, Miss Zane, what are you doing here? Bathing?" Anna looked at the drenched figure in the lake and teased.
"Anna Thornton! You... *cough cough*... you dare push into the water?"
"Who pushed whom actually? You shouldn’t make up stories. Miss Zane, even though it’s a little secluded here, there are surveillance caras."
Anna pointed to the blinking red dot of a surveillance cara, and Jean Zane imdiately gritted her teeth, her face growing paler as she stayed in the water.
"Aren’t you going to get soone to rescue ?"
Seeing that Jean Zane could swim, but couldn’t co up because her gown was too heavy with water, Anna crossed her arms, standing still.
"No rush. Before anyone cos to rescue you, let’s clear sothing up. Do we have any deep grudges?"
"Of course we do! You demanded ten million from !"
Jean Zane had to sell many beloved jewelry and bags recently to gather that amount.
It left her in a financial crunch, all of which she blad on Anna.
"I was just asking for compensation I deserved. You’ve already given the money, don’t take your anger out by trying to drown in the lake, alright?"
"And about the club incident, you promised not to speak about it after taking my money."
"I didn’t!"
"Then how did my boyfriend know? We just broke up, and even my parents know about it now."
Even though Jean Zane previously boasted at the club that it didn’t matter if her parents and boyfriend found out, hiring a male escort wasn’t exactly respectable.
"There were so many people there that day, why are you pinning it on ?"
"It had to be you! Who else would leak it? None of them could backtrack from spreading such news."
With all these events combined, Jean Zane was convinced it was all Anna’s fault.
The dislike she had for Anna had escalated from snide comnts to downright hatred, leading her to try dirty tricks behind Anna’s back.
"Anna, I’ve finally found you!"
Mary and Quinn Locke approached where Anna stood, noticing Jean Zane struggling in the water.
Mary: "What’s going on here?"
Quinn Locke: "Need any help?"
"No need!" Anna replied on behalf of Jean Zane, "Miss Zane is just cooling off because her head got too hot."
Jean Zane: "..."
"Let’s go."
Anna took a step, turned back, and emphasized: "I’ll notify soone to get you out, but it’s necessary to clarify that the club incident wasn’t spread by . Accuse once, I can barely tolerate it; do it again, and I’ll teach you the correct way to deal with an adversary."
On the second floor, a pair of eyes gazed toward the lake through a partially drawn window. Watching Anna, the corner of the observer’s mouth curled into a subtle, enigmatic smile.
"Ivan, what are you looking at?"
"Nothing, Mom!"
"Oh co on, brother, are you still in the mood to sightsee?" Faye Willow complained impatiently, "Today’s such a good day, completely ruined by Henry Willow. That loser embarrassed Mom and us hugely, and you’re okay with that?"
"What’s there to be upset about? The more Henry Willow embarrasses Dad, the less Dad will like him. The fewer assets he gets in the future, the more you’ll receive. Faye, you should learn from your brother, see how composed he is, he’s much better than Henry Willow."
"Mom, I wouldn’t stoop to compare myself with a loser." Ivan Willow adjusted his glasses, "My target is Conrad Sterling!"
"That’s the spirit, truly my son!"
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