Chapter 219: Ian is Her Child
When she woke up, the housekeeper came to find her. "Ma’am, Mr. Sutton is here."
Anne Sutton sat up in bed. "Didn’t I tell you to just send him away if he ever came again?"
"We tried to send him away today!" the housekeeper said. "But he refuses to leave. He said he has something important to tell you."
"..."
Hearing this, Anne Sutton said, "What business could he possibly have with me?"
She got out of bed and stood before the mirror, running her fingers through her hair.
The housekeeper said, "He insisted that you must see him, that you wouldn’t regret it. He also said... it’s about the child you lost."
"..." At these words, Anne Sutton’s fingers froze. She glanced at the housekeeper in the mirror’s reflection.
The new housekeeper was a woman who had been hired recently. She was very competent, having proven her reliability during a trial period before being brought on permanently.
After a moment, Anne Sutton said, "Let him in."
She washed her face to wake herself up, then went downstairs.
Sean Sutton was led into the room.
His eyes lit up when he saw Anne Sutton. "Anne."
Anne Sutton sat on the sofa, not at all pleased to see him. "You said you had something to discuss," she said. "What is it?"
Seeing her cold stare, Sean Sutton said, "I came to talk to you about the company."
"..." Anne Sutton averted her gaze, her voice laced with mock regret. "Your company hasn’t gone bankrupt yet?"
Sean Sutton flinched. Anne Sutton’s words were so venomous they made his chest tighten.
’This is my own daughter...’
’Now that she’s inherited the Fawcett Family fortune and become a wealthy woman, this is how she treats her own father?’
But he was here to beg, so Sean Sutton had no choice.
He sat down, his voice low and subservient. "Anne, please, help your father! That Charles Prescott is going too far. He wants me to sell him the company, which is one thing, but he’s only offering a hundred million. You know this company is my life’s work... There’s no way it’s only worth a hundred million."
Anne Sutton took a sip of water, having no desire to listen to Sean Sutton’s whining.
The only reason she hadn’t actively moved against his company was out of respect for the fact he’d been her father for so many years.
Otherwise...
She would have loved nothing more than for her father to go bankrupt immediately, so those outsiders he surrounded himself with wouldn’t get a single cent.
...
Anne Sutton listened to Sean Sutton drone on and on about how unreasonable Charles Prescott was being.
Anne Sutton glanced at the housekeeper. "See him out. I’ve heard everything he has to say."
Seeing that she was about to have him thrown out, Sean Sutton said quickly, "If you just help me..."
"I won’t help you!" Anne Sutton cut him off, completely uninterested.
"I have a secret to tell you," Sean Sutton said. "A secret about the child. Aren’t you the least bit interested in him?"
That successfully caught Anne Sutton’s attention. She looked at Sean Sutton. "The child? My child is dead, thanks to you and Charles Prescott! How dare you bring him up now?"
Sean Sutton exclaimed, "The child didn’t die!"
"..." Anne Sutton was stunned. She stared at Sean Sutton. "What are you talking about?"
"That child is still alive," Sean Sutton said. "Just save my company, give me another chance, and I’ll tell you everything."
He had been afraid of Nathan Fawcett before and hadn’t dared to speak, but now he was at the end of his rope. This was his last chance.
"..." Anne Sutton’s hand tightened on the sofa’s armrest. ’My father knows what I care about most, so now...’
’He’s using this to bait me.’
Anne Sutton said, "And you think I’ll believe you?"
Sean Sutton said, "Why would I lie to you? Even if you save my company, you can still come after me for revenge if you find out I’m lying, right? Anne... your father isn’t lying to you. I’ve kept this secret buried for a long time. Just save my company, and I’ll tell you everything. Trust me, you’ll want to hear this secret."
"..." Hearing Sean Sutton’s words, Anne Sutton remembered how he had hurt her mother. She didn’t want to help him.
’But the child...’
’I really am curious!’
Even though she knew her child was gone, she was still intensely curious to hear what Sean Sutton would say.
Sean Sutton said, "My good daughter, I’m the only one who knows what really happened back then. Even Charles Prescott doesn’t know. The child is alive, and you must want to know where he is."
Anne Sutton said, "Fine. I’ll call Charles Prescott right now. But if you’re lying... you won’t get a single cent."
Sean Sutton nodded eagerly. "Right, right. Why would I lie to you?"
Anne Sutton picked up her phone and called Charles Prescott, telling him to handle her father’s company.
She knew he had been wanting to acquire her father’s company for a while now, and she saw no issue with it.
Given her father’s capabilities, he was no longer able to keep the company afloat anyway.
If even Charles Prescott and Nathan Fawcett couldn’t save it, an acquisition was the best option.
She would just ensure he got a good price and, of course, that he could continue to work at the company.
When Charles Prescott answered her call, he asked, "Having a change of heart?"
Charles Prescott wasn’t surprised by her request.
Anne Sutton said coolly, "If you can’t handle it, I’ll find someone else who can."
"I’ll handle it," Charles Prescott said. "An order from the Chairwoman? How could I dare disobey?"
He didn’t want to get on Anne Sutton’s bad side right now, so of course, he would do whatever she said.
Sean Sutton’s company was of little consequence to him anyway.
...
Once that was handled, Anne Sutton looked at Sean Sutton. "Now, are you going to talk?"
Sean Sutton said, "The truth is, the child never died. He was taken away by Nathan Fawcett."
Anne Sutton froze. Knowing she wouldn’t believe him easily, Sean Sutton added, "And I know that Ethan Linden is Nathan Fawcett."
"..." ’Even Charles Prescott doesn’t know that. There’s no way my father could know.’
Anne Sutton stared at Sean Sutton. "Are you saying... my baby was taken away by Nathan Fawcett?"
Sean Sutton said, "Yes. He showed up during your surgery and took the baby. The child with him now... if I’m not mistaken, he’s the one you gave birth to."
"You mean Ian?" Anne Sutton felt as if a hand had squeezed her heart.
’Ian... is my child?’
She remembered asking Nathan Fawcett about Ian’s mother, and he’d told her that Ian’s mother was dead.
She remembered how he had allergic reactions when he was close to other women, and that he could only be with her.
She remembered the instant connection she felt when she first met Ian...
Anne Sutton shot to her feet. Ignoring the fact that Sean Sutton was still in the room, she rushed upstairs and went to Ian’s room.