Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Bringing It to Ian
So she had brought Stella Shields over.
Although Stella Shields had been a bit upset before, she wasn’t so upset that she wanted a complete break with Nathan Fawcett.
She just couldn’t stand the way he was so protective of Anne Sutton now.
Besides, in the Linden Family, she had Anna Linden as her backer!
Anna Linden doted on Ethan Linden, so by extension, she was also very kind to Stella Shields.
She wasn’t about to sever ties with Nathan Fawcett over a fit of pique.
No matter what, she had a much better chance of marrying into the Linden Family than Anne Sutton did!
...
When Justin Shields saw Anne Sutton, he greeted her, "Anne."
Their mothers were on good terms, and the two of them had been set up on a date before, so he was always very polite to Anne Sutton.
Besides, it was clear that Nathan Fawcett wanted to reconcile with Anne Sutton, so there was no reason for him to get on her bad side.
Stella Shields glanced at her brother. "What are you greeting her for? Is someone like her even worthy?"
Seeing Stella Shields’s blatant hostility, Anne Sutton retorted, "Why don’t you tell me then, Ms. Shields? What kind of person am I?"
"Don’t you know perfectly well what you are?" Stella Shields shot back. "Just a homewrecker. Absolutely shameless!"
"If we’re talking about homewreckers, you’re the one who fits the description!" Anne Sutton retorted. "Don’t think I don’t know Ethan Linden’s real identity. You took advantage of me when I knew nothing and lied to me. I actually believed you! And now you have the gall to say this to my face?"
She and Nathan Fawcett were legally married.
As for Stella Shields, she was the other woman in the past, and she was the other woman now!
Stella’s audacity made Anne Sutton deeply uncomfortable.
Stella Shields was going way too far.
Hearing Anne’s words, Stella Shields was somewhat surprised. She looked at her and asked, "You know his identity?"
She instinctively glanced at her brother standing next to her.
Afraid his sister would embarrass herself further, Justin Shields gave a slight nod, confirming that Anne Sutton already knew Nathan Fawcett was Ethan Linden.
Stella Shields looked at Anne Sutton. Even though Anne now knew that Nathan Fawcett was Ethan Linden, she wasn’t scared.
"So what if you know who he is?" she said. "Have you forgotten how sick Nathan Fawcett was? He never would have recovered if it weren’t for Anna! He’s already promised her that he’ll be her son from now on and that he’ll stay with the Linden Family forever! Surely you know how terrible his relationship with his own parents is! Do you really think he belongs to you now, just because you were together in the past? You’re so naive! On top of all that, you got rid of Nathan’s baby!"
’On that point alone, she refused to believe Nathan Fawcett didn’t hold any grudges against Anne Sutton.’
Justin Shields stood to the side, looking from his sister to Anne Sutton.
The topic of the child had always been Anne Sutton’s greatest vulnerability.
Hearing those words from Stella Shields, Anne Sutton felt an even deeper ache in her heart.
And seeing Stella Shields’s smug expression...
’Of course she knew that Nathan Fawcett now went by the surname Linden!’
’He was the heir to the entire Linden Family fortune.’
’Even though he was Nathan Fawcett, he had a new identity now. Their relationship was a far cry from what it used to be.’
Stella Shields shot Anne Sutton a condescending glance, then turned and walked away.
Justin Shields looked over at Anne Sutton. Noticing the insulated container in her hand, he asked, "You’re here to see Ian? Why don’t we go in together?"
Anne Sutton glanced at him and started walking.
As they walked, Justin Shields observed her and asked, "In a bad mood?"
Anne Sutton glanced up at him. "Is it that obvious?"
’He was a very perceptive man.’
’She hadn’t said a word, yet he’d somehow noticed.’
"I can tell," Justin Shields said. "You already know who Ethan Linden is, so why are you still upset?"
"It has nothing to do with him," Anne Sutton said. "It’s about my own family."
"Your mother’s illness?" Justin Shields asked. "Are you still worried? She’ll get better. Don’t worry."
"No, it’s not that," Anne Sutton replied.
"Then what is it?" Justin Shields asked. "I heard Sharon is getting married. Isn’t that good news?"
Anne Sutton lowered her head, her voice tinged with a sense of inadequacy as she asked, "What’s your father like?"
"Er..." Justin Shields began. "My father has a bit of a temper, but at home, he’s terrified of my mom. He’s completely wrapped around her finger. Sometimes he’ll be out drinking, and all it takes is one call from my mom to have him scrambling home in a panic."
Justin Shields chuckled as he spoke about his parents.
He glanced at Anne Sutton and asked, "Why do you ask?"
"I’m so jealous," Anne Sutton said. "Your dad sounds wonderful."
"Isn’t Uncle Sutton a good father?" Justin Shields asked. "I’ve met him before, and he seemed like a great guy."
"..." Anne Sutton fell silent.
’Her father was capable of cheating, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the word.’
"Don’t dwell on unhappy things," Justin Shields said gently. "In this world, all bad things eventually pass. You should try to think about happy things instead."
"Happy things?" Anne Sutton murmured, looking at Justin Shields. "I’ve forgotten what it feels like to be happy. Lately, I often feel like life is meaningless."
"Don’t think like that," Justin Shields comforted her. "When you’re feeling down, you can come find me. We can talk, have a drink. Life is full of unhappy moments, so your mindset is what’s really important."
"Thank you for saying that," Anne Sutton said.
’She had been feeling so down, but having someone willing to listen and offer a kind word made her feel instantly lighter.’
By the time they reached the door to the hospital room, Stella Shields was already inside.
Ian was already on an IV drip.
Nathan Fawcett was sitting by the bed.
"Ethan, I came to see Ian," Stella Shields said, looking at him.
"..." Nathan Fawcett acted as if he hadn’t heard her, his gaze fixed on Ian.
"Anna told me to come and help you take care of Ian," Stella said. "You’re not really going to just ignore me because of what happened, are you?"
Fearing he would ignore her, she quickly played the Anna Linden card.
At this, Nathan Fawcett finally turned to glance at her. "What are you doing here so late? You should go home."
’Her help wasn’t needed here.’
’Besides, Ian didn’t like Stella Shields anymore.’
A moment later, Justin Shields came in.
Nathan Fawcett looked up, only to see Anne Sutton entering with him. His brow furrowed at the sight of them together.
"How’s Ian doing?" Justin Shields asked breezily as he walked in.
"I just got him to sleep."
"What is this, a late-night meeting?" Nathan Fawcett asked. Then his eyes landed on Anne. "And you, what are you doing here?"
He gave Anne Sutton a complicated look.
’He had been sitting here alone, thinking for a while. He recalled how he’d blamed Anne Sutton earlier and realized he might have been too harsh.’
’She didn’t seem to be in a good mood today.’
’And on top of that, she hadn’t even known Ian was her son...’
’He had just been too worried at the time.’
"I made some food for Ian," Anne Sutton said quietly.
She placed the insulated container aside.
Standing to the side, Stella Shields watched the two of them. It was obvious at a glance that they’d had a fight.