Free Web NovelChapter 82: Chapter 82: Their Relationship
Still, she glanced at his face, a spitting image of Nathan Fawcett. ’It’s no wonder I followed him home drunk,’ she thought. ’The resemblance is uncanny!’
Anne Sutton asked, "May I ask your name?"
Hearing this, Nathan Fawcett shot her a dismissive look. "What for? So you can keep pestering me later?"
"..." Anne said, "That’s not it..."
Still, she found it hard to believe that two people in the world could look so alike.
Nathan Fawcett glanced at her, then swung his legs over the side and got out of bed.
His phone rang. He stood up, grabbed it from the nightstand, and answered. Anne heard a little boy’s pouting voice on the other end. "Bad Daddy, you promised you’d come back to be with me! Why didn’t you? You’re a liar!"
Hearing that this man had a son, Anne felt her mind go completely blank, as if a bomb had just gone off in her head.
’Holy shit!’
It was one thing to get drunk and mistake a stranger for someone else, but to think he was a family man!
The feeling was absolutely dreadful.
Nathan Fawcett had already walked over to the window to take the call, his tone surprisingly tender. "Something came up last minute last night. I’ll come see you later."
"What could possibly be more important than your Ian?" his son’s voice sounded disgruntled over the phone.
Nathan hadn’t expected to break his promise to his son just to stay and take care of her.
Even if he had gone back that late, Ian would have been asleep. But not seeing him there in the morning, the boy was bound to throw a tantrum.
Nathan said, "I’ll be back early today."
While he was on the phone, Anne had already gotten out of bed.
Wrapping the bedsheet around herself, she slipped into the bathroom.
She needed a moment alone to process the fact that she had just spent the night with a married man.
She grabbed her phone and sent a message to Vera Wells. "I’m going to lose my mind!"
Vera Wells texted back, "Oh, so you’re alive?"
She had been worried sick all night, genuinely afraid that Anne had been dragged into the ocean to feed the fishes.
Seeing her message, Vera could finally relax.
Anne replied, "I drank too much last night and don’t remember a thing. Do you know what happened? How did I end up in a hotel with a guy I don’t even know?"
Vera replied, "You’re asking me?! You were so drunk I couldn’t pull you off him. You were clinging to Mr. Linden for dear life! In the end, he had no choice but to say he’d take you home and just left with you. I was worried he was going to murder you! You were completely out of control! I was so embarrassed I could have died."
"You said his last name is Linden?" Anne knew nothing about the man’s identity.
But she was intensely curious, given how much he looked like Nathan Fawcett.
Vera’s reply came. "Yeah. I don’t know him personally, but the car he was in last night had the Linden Family crest. The Lindens are the wealthiest family in Veridia; you can spot their cars from a mile away. So? Are you okay? I heard he’s the current Family Head and has a nasty temper. You were all over him last night. He didn’t give you any trouble, did he?"
"No," Anne typed back. "But I think I’ve really messed up!"
Regardless of anything else, the fact that he was a family man deeply bothered her.
Vera replied, "As long as you’re still alive, who cares? What’s there to be afraid of?"
"I just heard him on the phone. I think he’s married!"
’Spending the night in a hotel with a married man...’ The thought alone made her want to strangle herself. ’Looks like I’ll have to give up drinking.’
Vera replied, "I think he was married, yeah."
Hearing Vera confirm it, Anne, still sitting on the toilet, felt a chill crawl up her spine.
She stood in front of the mirror and took a look at herself...
She’d come back drunk and hadn’t even taken off her makeup. After a night’s sleep, she looked like a ghost.
Seeing her own reflection, Anne quickly washed her face and took a shower.
When she finished and came out, she saw Nathan Fawcett was still sitting on the sofa. He hadn’t left.
Anne said, "Mr... Mr. Linden, you’re still here."
Nathan Fawcett looked up at her. She had washed her face and looked much more presentable.
He looked at Anne and said, "What? After I took care of you all night, and after you spent the whole evening clinging to me, you’re not even going to say thank you? Just trying to kick me out?"
Anne coughed. "That’s not what I meant. It’s just... aren’t you busy? You should go take care of your business. I won’t tell anyone about last night, and I promise I won’t cause you any trouble. You can just... pretend it never happened. I’m sorry, I really drank too much and don’t remember anything. How much was the hotel? Give me your WeChat, and I’ll transfer you the money."
As she spoke, she pulled out her phone, ready to add him on WeChat.
Nathan looked at her and suddenly asked, "Do you know Nathan Fawcett?"
The question made Anne freeze.
She stared at the man before her. He looked identical to Nathan Fawcett, yet here he was, asking a question like that. Anne felt her heart begin to pound.
She looked at him and said, "Yes. You know Nathan Fawcett, too?"
"Of course." Nathan sat on the sofa, looking at her as if they were discussing a third party. "I was the one who saw him off when he left."
"..." Hearing this, Anne froze for a second. "So, what is your relationship to Nathan Fawcett?" freeweɓnovel.cøm
’They look so similar,’ she thought, ’they have to be related.’
"He was my older brother," Nathan said. "My mother gave birth to us both, but he went with our father, and I with our mother."
It clicked for Anne. "So, you’re Nathan Fawcett’s younger brother?"
’Then he must be Anna Linden’s son!’
’No wonder Vera said his last name was Linden!’
The revelation made Anne’s heart pound wildly.
She said, "But... I remember hearing that Dr. Linden’s son passed away."
Nathan looked at Anne. "Who told you that? Did you see it with your own eyes?"
"...Well, no."
Nathan said to Anne, "I was just in an accident back then and got injured. Rumors started spreading that I had died. But I didn’t. I’m alive and well. It’s just... Nathan... he can never come back."
This was the official story the Linden Family told the public.
So now, Ethan Linden was the one who was alive, and Nathan Fawcett was the one who was dead.
Anne studied the man before her, trying to find differences. He looked so much like Nathan Fawcett, and yet... not entirely.
Anne asked, "When Nathan left, did he say anything?"
Ever since Nathan had left with his mother, she had lost all contact with him.
Even though it had been a long time, his departure still weighed on her.
She had always felt he was a tragic figure and had wanted to do something for him.
Now that she was hearing news of him again, she was desperate to learn more.
Nathan sat on the sofa, watching her. He saw the worried look on her face as she spoke about his old self.
’He had to hand it to her,’ he thought. ’This woman really knew how to put on an act.’
