Chapter 276: Mia Shaw Tattles
Nathan Fawcett stopped beside Anne Sutton.
Mia Shaw glanced at the man. ’If Charles Prescott is the kind of man you want to possess after just one look, then the man before me is the kind you know, with a single glance, you could never have a chance with!’
Nathan Fawcett looked at Anne Sutton and said, "Let’s go in."
Anne Sutton stood up, positioned herself beside Nathan Fawcett, and said to the others, "If you’ll excuse me."
Ian tugged on Nathan Fawcett’s hand. "Dad, that woman was just talking about Mom."
He was pointing at Mia Shaw.
He was quite the expert at tattling.
Anne Sutton hadn’t expected Ian to pull a move like this.
Mia Shaw was startled. She hadn’t imagined a three-year-old child would hold a grudge against her.
’Just because I took a couple of jabs at Anne Sutton?’
She stood up, looked at Nathan Fawcett, and said, "I’m sorry, Mr. Linden. I didn’t. The young master must have misunderstood."
Nathan Fawcett looked at Anne Sutton. "Is it a misunderstanding?"
Anne Sutton looked at Mia Shaw and said, "Since she says it’s a misunderstanding, then let’s call it a misunderstanding."
Anne Sutton didn’t confirm or deny it.
But with a response like that, even a fool could tell it had really happened.
Nathan Fawcett looked at Mia Shaw, a smirk playing on his lips. His gaze shifted to Lana Langley. "Second Sister-in-law, is this a relative of yours?"
Lana Langley said, "No, no, just a distant relative. Very distant!"
Seeing that Mia Shaw had offended Ethan Linden, she wanted nothing to do with her.
Although she usually hated Ethan Linden’s guts, she was a complete coward to his face.
Nathan Fawcett glanced at the glass of water on the table, then looked at Mia Shaw. "Pour this glass of water over your head," he said. "Once you’re done, you can leave."
Mia Shaw stared at the man in disbelief. ’I got all dressed up just to come here today, and he actually...’
Anne Sutton stood to the side, watching Nathan Fawcett. Seeing him act like this reminded her of how he used to discipline Sylvia Warren back at the Fawcett Family estate.
Mia Shaw bit her lip, then humiliatingly picked up the glass and poured the water over her head.
She didn’t want to do it.
But even now, her own power was far too insignificant!
She stood no chance against the man before her.
If she offended him and didn’t pay the price right here and now, her family would likely be the ones to suffer the consequences back home.
After Mia Shaw had done as she was told, Nathan Fawcett put an arm around Anne Sutton and took Ian’s hand with the other. "Let’s go."
He did it all with such a calm and casual air.
It was as if he had nothing to do with the punishment just meted out to Mia Shaw.
After Nathan Fawcett left, the others glanced at Mia Shaw, but no one dared to speak up for her.
They even felt that Ethan Linden was clearly making an example of her to warn the rest of them.
After all, they had been bad-mouthing Anne Sutton just moments before.
’Thank god it wasn’t me he targeted!’
Soon after, Mia Shaw scurried out in disgrace.
The remaining women sat in their seats and said to Lana Langley, "Has that Ethan Linden gone mad? She only said a couple of things, and he took it that far?"
"Hush!" The person next to her nudged her. "If he catches you, you’ll be the next Mia Shaw."
"You have to admit, that Anne Sutton really has her methods. To get Ethan Linden to be so protective of her."
They had originally thought that since she was just a woman who’d been married before, Ethan Linden wouldn’t take her that seriously.
That was why their attitude toward Anne Sutton had been so dismissive.
Now, the incident with Mia Shaw had made them realize just how important Anne Sutton was to Ethan Linden.
Walking beside Nathan Fawcett, Anne Sutton said, "Don’t you think you were a little too harsh just now?"
Nathan Fawcett replied, "If I were really being harsh, I would have dragged out every single person who was bullying you and taught them all a lesson."
Anne Sutton asked in surprise, "How did you know they were talking about me?"
Nathan Fawcett said, "Second Sister-in-law kept you behind. It would have been stranger if they *hadn’t* talked about you. But they’re all relatives, so for my sake, let’s let them off the hook this time."
Anne Sutton said, "Actually, you already stood up for me more than enough back there."
’The way he disciplined Mia Shaw has already made everyone afraid of me!’
Nathan Fawcett said to Anne Sutton, "Even our Ian couldn’t stand it. It’s her own fault for getting on his bad side."
Anne Sutton glanced at Ian and said, "So the little guy knows how to tattle!"
He hadn’t said a word while standing there earlier, so Anne Sutton had assumed he was too little to understand anything.
She never expected that he had seen everything and taken it all to heart.
Nathan Fawcett said, "He told you he would protect you."
Ian nodded. Nathan Fawcett’s words had clearly struck a chord with him.
...
After leaving the Linden Family’s residence, Mia Shaw got into her car, slumped over the steering wheel, and began to cry.
’She was in utter despair!’
’Why did it have to be Ethan Linden? He was someone she absolutely could not afford to offend! That’s why, even though she felt so wronged, she could only suffer in silence.’
When she was done crying, she picked up her phone and called Charles Prescott.
Charles Prescott hadn’t contacted Anne Sutton in the days since he returned to Westhaven.
The main reason was that Nathan Fawcett had tasked him with investigating the matter of the child, a difficult problem that weighed on him and left him feeling frustrated.
He didn’t know what kind of answer he was supposed to give Nathan Fawcett.
Naturally, he wasn’t in the mood to seek out Anne Sutton.
Now, receiving Mia Shaw’s call, he asked, "What’s wrong?"
Mia Shaw said, "Did you know that Anne Sutton is with Ethan Linden now?"
"The two of them were already quite close in Westhaven."
’But Nathan Fawcett is back now. Surely, the two of them aren’t still together, right?’
"But Ethan Linden just took her to the Linden Family estate to meet his family!"
Charles Prescott froze when he heard that. "How could she dare?" he asked.
’Nathan Fawcett isn’t dead yet!’
’And she’s already with Ethan Linden?’
’She really doesn’t see those brothers as strangers, does she!’
Mia Shaw said, "I said a few things about her at the Linden estate today, and Ethan Linden even threw a glass of water on me. He’s treating her so well right now!"
She knew Charles Prescott still had feelings for Anne Sutton.
’She had to tell him about this now!’
’She refused to believe that Charles could still like Anne Sutton under these circumstances.’
Charles Prescott asked, "What did you say about her?"
Mia Shaw: "..."
’He’s not even concerned that I had water thrown on me?’
’He’s more worried about what I said about Anne Sutton?’
Mia Shaw, who had been crying out of anger, was now so incensed that she let out a laugh. "You really care about her, don’t you!"
Charles Prescott reached out and fiddled with the pen on his desk.
Mia Shaw said, "Forget it. I see it now. All these years, you’ve only ever liked her. You never once cared about me."
’Even during all those years Anne Sutton was a ’widow’, and even though Charles had been close to her, his heart was still filled with that other woman!’
’The woman who had married Nathan Fawcett long ago!’
’Oh, heavens...’
’It’s so unfair!’
’Why can Anne Sutton get everything so easily, while I can’t get anything no matter how hard I try?’
’I’ve tried so hard...’
Soon, Mia Shaw hung up the phone.
...
Anne Sutton followed Nathan Fawcett and met Ryan Linden’s father, who was also Ethan Linden’s maternal uncle.
They didn’t say anything when they saw Anne Sutton.
After all, this wasn’t exactly news to them anymore.
Although they didn’t have a very good impression of Anne Sutton.
But...
They couldn’t possibly say anything bad about her in front of Nathan Fawcett.