Facing Anna’s string of questions, Conrad Sterling couldn’t answer a single one.
Because Conrad Sterling couldn’t deny it, he couldn’t explain.
Anna’s guesses were already conservative enough.
If she asked whether Holly Sutton was deliberately released by Conrad Sterling to approach Kenneth Thornton, with the purpose of having him killed.
Conrad Sterling would find it even harder to answer.
...Yes!
Four years ago, Conrad Sterling wanted to see the Thornton Family fall, wanted Kenneth Thornton dead!
Holly Sutton died, Attorney White disappeared, and Conrad Sterling thought so things could remain buried forever.
Unfortunately, Anna wasn’t stupid.
"Conrad Sterling, do you plan on staying silent like this? Do you think this matter will just end?" Anna asked.
Conrad Sterling knew he couldn’t fool her; Anna’s own guesses were already close to the truth.
"Ask what you want, I’ll answer what I can." The man clenched his hands and finally spoke.
"Then let ask you, what did our family do to offend you? Do you have a grudge against the Thornton Family?"
"...Yes!"
No wonder! Anna had always felt that Conrad Sterling’s attitude towards her was strange!
If he had liked Anna from the beginning, why didn’t he offer help when she was desperate?
Yet he had always cherished the dress Anna wore four years ago and even bought the amusent park that was built for her, so contradictory.
But if it was because of a feud, unable to love despite wanting to.
As lodramatic as it is, everything makes sense now.
Four years ago, Conrad Sterling took advantage of Anna’s plight out of hatred, didn’t he?
At that ti, when she was at a loss and ca to him for help, she felt Conrad’s gaze was especially complex.
Even later during their transactions, he was sotis rough yet gentle at other tis, and regretted his actions afterward.
"What grudge does our Thornton Family have with you?"
"It’s better if you don’t know."
"Fine, if you won’t say, let it be! One last question: Did you... instigate Holly to poison my father?"
"No!"
"Conrad Sterling, how do you expect to trust you?"
The mont the man admitted having a grudge against the Thornton Family, Anna knew he had essentially admitted to all her previous questions.
Her eyes were already filled with disappointnt towards him.
"I won’t deny the things I’ve done."
"Won’t deny it? Then during Holly’s disappearance, was she under your control? And sending people to follow , had I not discovered your two subordinates, you wouldn’t have admitted it initially. I’m already unable to differentiate what’s true and what’s false in your words. Even Holly’s car crashing into the river, I don’t even know if it was an accident."
"Anna!"
Conrad Sterling never expected that in Anna’s eyes, his image could even involve instigating poison.
He would never stoop to such despicable acts!
"Holly was not under my control. If I had instigated her, how could she not use it against us when she knew how close we are now? I have never even contacted her!" Conrad explained.
Conrad had never stooped to explaining himself to anyone, but seeing the suspicion in Anna’s eyes, he suddenly panicked.
The man instinctively tried to grab Anna’s hand, but she avoided him faster.
Not only did she avoid him, but Anna moved her entire body slightly in the opposite direction of Conrad, her expression wary of him: "Who knows, maybe she already secretly blackmailed you. Anyway, with Holly dead, no one knows if you had a hand in my father’s death."
"Anna Thornton! Is this really how you see ?"
"I don’t know! Everyone is telling to stay away from you!"
Chase Quinn was the first to remind Anna, saying that Conrad Sterling was more complicated and dark than she imagined.
At the ti, Anna didn’t take it seriously because, in her view, Holly received her deserved punishnt.
But now she’s realized, this kind of punishnt had already been ted out to their family four years ago.
Conrad Sterling has already admitted that there’s hatred between him and the Thornton Family.
How formidable is this man?
The people he wanted to deal with didn’t even require him to lift a finger, he rely allowed Holly Sutton to do it, watching her approach the Thornton Family, with a threat hanging over their heads that others couldn’t see. He could still talk business with the Thornton Family, dance with Anna at her birthday party, and be attracted to her...
Just a few days ago, Anna and Conrad discussed why he never pursued her at that ti.
Thinking back, she only feels a chill down her spine!
"Before I suddenly decided to return to Aethelgard, you must have already been dealing with Holly, right? President Sterling is skillful, accustod to acting discreetly, initially choosing to eliminate Holly quietly. However, my arrival disrupted your plans. Your decision to support openly, even going so far as to let the situation escalate and get injured to fight Holly in court, was all to win my favor, wasn’t it?"
"This way, you not only got rid of Holly but also gained ! Four years ago, you secretly brought down the Thornton Family, used Holly to eliminate my father, and I even saw you as my only lifeline, foolishly bore you two children. I almost decided to devote my entire life to you, President Sterling, what a brilliant strategy!" Anna scoffed.
From just now until now, Anna had behaved unusually calm.
Soone must have told her sothing, she guessed so truths from four years ago and finally knew that Conrad Sterling was a hidden force behind the takeover of the Thornton Family and her father being poisoned by Holly.
Conrad Sterling had always feared this would happen, and after all this ti, it eventually did.
He thought Anna would be hysterical, that she would surely hate him.
Her reaction was unexpected for Conrad, yet indeed she hated him.
Conrad Sterling would rather she cried, shouted, hit him, or refused to relent — any reaction would be better than the current state, at least she would vent, and he could see how much she resented him.
At least it would show she cared!
But Anna knew how to make Conrad suffer the most internal tornt, so she chose this ambiguous tone to slowly bring up the issues.
The slow agony is always the most painful, not to ntion seeing her gradually strip away the trust and affection he had painstakingly built.
Conrad Sterling didn’t want to deceive her; he admitted to standing by idly during the Thornton Family’s downfall and even using a third party to kill.
His dramatic move to teach Holly a lesson was also to vent for Anna.
Because his personal grievances caused Anna to suffer four years of innocence, Conrad Sterling was trying his best to make ands.
Of course, it was to gain her favor!
Because he cared about her!
Because he wanted to have her!
Anna’s guess wasn’t wrong, but sohow when the words ca from her mouth, it carried a strong vibe of ’you sold , and I still foolishly counted the money for you’?
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