America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 423 Katie Arrives in America

After spending a few days in Redwood City, Ernst returned to Hidden Mountain City.

As soon as they entered the living room, two furry figures appeared before them. Rowe and Ron rushed over as if they had seen saviors, their eyes watering and their tails wagging rapidly behind them. Their enthusiasm was more endearing than seeing a bone.

However, Ernst had no time to pay attention to the two of them; his gaze went straight to the carpet in the center of the living room.

On the carpet, a tiny figure was crawling slowly, its rosy face like a ripe apple, and its big, round eyes curiously observing the world around it.

Ernst quickly stepped forward, carefully stretched out his arms, and pulled little Katie into his arms.

When Little Katie was suddenly picked up, she looked at Ernst with a blank expression, her clear eyes full of doubt, as if she had not yet fully recognized the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar person in front of her.

But just a few seconds later, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and she laughed with drool dripping down her face, her little hands restlessly reaching for Ernst's hair.

Little Katie held his hair tightly in her hand, occasionally feeling a slight tug, but Ernst felt no pain at all, and didn't care at all that Little Katie's drool dripped down his arm and onto his expensive custom-made suit, his eyes full of affection.

"Hmph, it's still my own child after all. Am I a bit superfluous?" A slightly sour snort came from the direction of the sofa.

Ernst looked in the direction of the sound and saw Nicole Kidman sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed, her expression clearly showing displeasure.

Ernst smiled smugly and kissed Katie on the cheek in his arms. "That's what you call blood ties."

Nicole Kidman and her daughter arrived in Hidden Mountain City two days ago. When she called Ernst to inform him, she specifically told him not to be too eager to see Katie when he returned, for fear of scaring her.

Children in this age group have not yet fully developed their memory, and they often forget the people and things they have seen within a few days.

Ernst hadn't seen little Katie for several months, and normally little Katie shouldn't have any memory of him.

Surprisingly, the little guy didn't cry when Ernst picked him up; instead, he smiled happily. That genuine sense of closeness seemed to be innate.

This left Nicole feeling quite upset. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and she couldn't help but complain, "She barely recognized me after I was gone for two days, so why should she remember you?"

Nicole's dissatisfaction did not elicit any further smugness from Ernst. He frowned and asked seriously, "What do you mean by leaving for two days? You left Cass at home by yourself for two days?"

Nicole then realized she had said the wrong thing. When she met Ernst's scrutinizing and serious gaze, she involuntarily shrank back, her originally straight back bending slightly, looking somewhat guilty.

Finally, with a hint of grievance mixed with a slightly ingratiating tone, he explained, "It's because Chloe is having a wedding, so I left for two days and one night."

Seeing Ernst's brow furrow even more, Nicole quickly added, "I promised her, that's our agreement."

Ernst vaguely recalled some hazy memories. He seemed to remember that Nicole had mentioned this to him during the postpartum period.

Chloe is Nicole's cousin; the two grew up together and have a very close relationship.

Later, Nicole came to Hollywood to make her way in the world. Before they parted ways, they made a pact that no matter who got married in the future, the other would be the bridesmaid.

"And you agreed to it back then." Perhaps to make her reasoning more convincing, Nicole raised her voice slightly.

Ernst only remembered that Nicole had mentioned it to him at a crucial moment in the game, but he didn't seem to have given a clear answer.

But now that it has already happened, there's no point in dwelling on these details.

He suppressed his displeasure, picked up Katie, and sat down on the sofa. The little one in his arms was restless, her little hands constantly grabbing at Ernst's body, and her eyes occasionally glancing in a certain direction.

Ernst followed little Katie's gaze and saw that she was looking in the direction where Rowe and Ron were.

At this moment, the two dogs that usually surrounded him hid far away, lying in the corner of the wall, their eyes occasionally sneaking glances in this direction, looking like they had done something wrong, which was quite comical.

"Lowe, Ron, come here," Ernst called out to the two dogs.

The two dogs pretended not to hear and remained lying still until Ernst raised his voice again. Only then did they reluctantly turn their heads, slowly stand up, and walk towards him step by step.

The two dogs walked extremely slowly, each step as if making a difficult choice, each more reluctant than the last.

As Rowe and Ron approached, little Katie suddenly let out excited babbling sounds. Ernst, seeing this, carefully placed little Katie on the soft carpet.

As soon as she landed, little Katie couldn't wait to crawl toward Rowe and Ron, reaching out her little hands to grab the dog skin and refusing to let go.

Rowe and Ron wanted to escape, but after seeing Ernst's warning look, they actually sighed as if they had no will to live.

Ernst didn't care what the two dogs were thinking. Seeing that Cass was having fun, he gave them a kind smile.

After watching for a while, he slowly turned his head, turned his gaze to Nicole beside him, and asked, "By the way, is there something you need to do back in Los Angeles?"

"Whitney called me and asked me to take Katie back to Whitney Farm." Nicole said, glancing cautiously at Ernst.

She knew that the other party had not told their family about Katie's situation. Regardless of Ernst's attitude towards Katie, and regardless of their current relationship, Katie was an illegitimate child, and that could not be changed.

For ordinary people, it's just a name, but for a tycoon like Ernst, it represents money and status.

To put it bluntly, if Ernst were to suddenly pass away now, his enormous fortune would most likely be inherited not by Case, but by Sweeney.

But if Ernst's family accepts the little girl, regardless of her identity, and acknowledges that she is Ernst's bloodline, then she will be qualified to inherit this enormous fortune.

Nicole Kidman was certainly willing to gain the Arlington family's approval, but she didn't want them to think it was a scheme of hers, which could affect her relationship with Keith and the other party, because this matter really had nothing to do with her.

Ernst didn't think of her either; she was a naive and innocent girl who couldn't keep secrets.

"Wenger or Craig?"

Many people around him know that Nicole Kidman has given birth to his children, and in Hollywood, it's practically an open secret.

These are probably the only two people who can get in touch with Sihuini.

Ernst's thought was, "Could it be that fat Craig went to take credit?"

But it doesn't matter, it's good to go back.

Regardless of whether Katie was an illegitimate child, Ernst acknowledged her bloodline and right to inheritance.

Otherwise, the list of beneficiaries of the family-run business wouldn't only include him and Kathy.

Ernst felt no affection for Siweini, but he did feel guilty.

He tried to avoid this mother as much as possible, but she was always thinking about him.

In Hidden Mountain City, we receive farm products every few days, all sent by Sihuini.

Now that he has Cass, and it can make the other person happier, he is still willing to do it.

"In that case, let's go stay at Whitney Farm for a while."

Living on a farm is good, at least the air is fresher and the food is healthier.

While Kathy is still breastfeeding, Connie Kidman also needs to eat, right?

This is why Ernst preferred the other party to stay in Australia rather than return to the United States; the food safety situation in the United States is truly appalling.

Even wealthy people can fall victim to this if they don't have their own farms to supply them.