After Anna Thornton finished recording the show, she waited for ten minutes at the door but couldn’t get a cab.
At that mont, a black Bentley approached from behind and stopped in front of her.
The window rolled down, and Ethan, who was driving, said to her, "Miss Thornton, hop in, I’ll give you a ride. It’s hard to get a cab at this ti."
Hearing this, Anna looked through the front window and saw Conrad Sterling sitting in the backseat. She asked, "Are you sure you have the authority to just pick up anyone?"
Ethan laughed and said, "Miss Thornton, this car belongs to President Sterling. I’m just driving for him, so of course, it’s with his consent. Besides, you’re not an outsider. You’re in a hurry to get back to take care of the little lady, right?"
With that said, Anna felt no qualms about reaching for the car door.
She initially planned to sit in the front passenger seat, but when she couldn’t open the door, and Ethan showed no intention of helping, Anna had to settle for the backseat, sitting next to Conrad.
She turned her head to look at Conrad, and proactively said, "President Sterling, you’re quite enthusiastic today to actually co to the recording scene."
"I happened to be nearby to et a client, so it was part of the schedule..."
"I know, you’re definitely going to say it has nothing to do with , right?" Anna interrupted, cleverly predicting his response.
Conrad remained silent, but that was indeed what he ant.
Talking to this man was so boring, Anna decided not to make further conversation.
She gazed out of the car window at the scenery, leaving the atmosphere inside the vehicle to cool down.
After a brief silence, Ethan initiated the conversation with Anna, "Miss Thornton, I never would’ve thought you were so strong."
"Oh, you’re talking about the chopping board?" Anna caught on, "No big deal, it’s just sothing I picked up from carrying the child single-handedly."
Ethan had imagined she was naturally strong, but hearing Anna say this, he couldn’t help envisioning her struggles over the years raising a child alone. A young woman, and an actress at that, playing the roles of both mother and father, truly wasn’t easy.
One wonders how President Sterling feels hearing Miss Thornton’s words?
Ethan’s gossipy little eyes were about to sneak a glance at President Sterling through the rearview mirror when Conrad suddenly ordered a stop.
"Ethan, there’s a pharmacy up ahead. Go see if they have any burn ointnt."
"Burn? Who got burned?" Ethan was puzzled.
Conrad shifted his gaze to Anna’s knee. She was wearing a below-the-knee skirt now, covering the spot where she’d been scalded with coffee along with Ethan Hawthorne.
Plainly, Conrad had noticed this while she was still on stage.
Even Ethan, as her new fan, hadn’t noticed, yet President Sterling had been watching Miss Thornton this closely?
Anna looked at Conrad with a hint of surprise but didn’t ask how he discovered it.
She figured if she asked, she wouldn’t get the answer she wanted anyway.
Upon hearing it was Anna who got burned, Ethan imdiately went to buy the burn ointnt as quickly as possible.
Back in the car, he handed the burn ointnt to Conrad, who then passed it to Anna.
But Anna refused to take it, "President Sterling, what do you an by this?"
"Nothing special!"
"Oh? It must be your amazing observational skills, that you accidentally noticed the burn on my knee. Then your kindness overflowed, so you had your assistant buy dicine for ?" Anna had already found him an excuse, yet shook her head to indicate, "Sorry, I can’t accept this kindness."
"Why not?"
"Because I think you’re flirting with ! But you’re planning to propose to Marilyn Ford, soon to beco soone else’s man. Why flirt when you’re not going to marry ?"
At these words, Conrad let out a cold snort, "You should’ve had this understanding long ago!"
Conrad had repeatedly emphasized to Anna that the person he would marry in the future was Marilyn Ford, and he would never marry her.
But before, didn’t Anna always turn a deaf ear, treating his words as irrelevant, and even see herself as fearlessly brave?
"Isn’t it a bit too late for you to talk about boundaries now?" Conrad asked her.
"Not now, it’s from when you officially beca Marilyn Ford’s boyfriend. Before that, it was fair competition. As for donating marrow in the hospital, it was your duty as the child’s father. I took care of you because I didn’t want to owe a favor. Now we are even, whether accepting your kindness or charity, it would make look shaless, and you wish for to be labeled a ’mistress’?"
Listening to their exchange, Ethan couldn’t help but think, "When did President Sterling officially beco Miss Ford’s boyfriend? If it truly had a formal title, there’d be no reason Dad Ford wouldn’t ntion it when eting President Sterling today. The Ford Family clearly still showed an attitude of wanting to extract remaining resources from President Sterling."
However, since Conrad did not explain himself, Ethan saw no point in saying more.
He could only try to lighten the mood and reconcile with Anna, "Miss Thornton, this burn ointnt was bought by . If it counts as a fan gift from to you, would you accept it?"
"If it’s from you, then of course." Anna quickly relented.
However, Conrad’s face darkened, "You’ll accept it if it’s from him?"
"Yeah, Ethan, you’re single, right?"
"I am!" Anna asked, and Ethan answered truthfully.
But seeing President Sterling’s expression turning sour in the mirror, Ethan began to regret.
"Isn’t it a simple principle? A single woman can accept courtesies and advances from all single n around the world. But not from those who are not available, so so people need to have so self-awareness."
"Miss Thornton, I don’t intend to pursue you...just as a fan, hoping you take good care of yourself."
Ethan felt it necessary to explain clearly, for through the mirror, he already noticed President Sterling’s face looking grimr.
Even without looking through the mirror, sitting in front, Ethan could feel every complint Miss Thornton directed at him in President Sterling’s presence like a thorn in his side.
"Ethan, did you use your own card to buy the ointnt?" Conrad suddenly asked him.
"Uh, no. President Sterling, I’ll refund the—"
"If not, then shut up!"
Ethan: "???"
President Sterling, I’m evidently trying to help you, why are you rebuking everyone?
Isn’t the point to make Anna accept the ointnt?
What difference does it make whose na it’s given under anyway?
Evidently, Conrad found it made a big difference. He asked Anna, "I give it to you, and you won’t use it, right?"
"Right."
"Very well."
Conrad directly unwrapped the burn ointnt, squeezed so into his palm, then abruptly lifted Anna’s injured leg, pulling her skirt up above her knee.
"Conrad Sterling, what are you doing?"
Anna was shocked by this man’s sudden wild action, "Ethan, look at your boss, he’s being a hooligan in the car!"
How would Ethan dare to look?
Upon hearing that, he imdiately pushed the car’s rearview mirror up, even took off his glasses, and pretended to be particularly focused on the road driving, ignoring the plea from his newfound ’idol’ in the back.
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