Chapter 253: Justin Shields Asks Anne Sutton to the Movies
Besides...
She wasn’t just acting for herself; she was also doing it for her family’s company.
Right now, she was arguably the biggest pillar of Shields Entertainment. The entire company depended on her.
How could she dare to keep saying things that would offend Nathan Fawcett right to his face?
She ate her meal, but because she was on a diet, Stella Shields didn’t dare to eat much.
However, she found that today’s food was quite good, so she couldn’t help but eat a little more than usual.
Seeing her eating with such focus, Nathan Fawcett spoke up. "My mom’s in a bad mood today. Go check on her and see what’s going on."
Stella Shields froze for a moment when she heard this. She looked at Nathan Fawcett, her tone rich with meaning. "So, you asked me to dinner just so I would go check on your mother?"
Stella Shields had a good relationship with Anna Linden, and Anna was much more lenient with her.
In the past, whenever Stella was around, she could often mediate the tension between Anna and Nathan.
Nathan was out of options.
His mother refused to come down for dinner, so he could only ask Stella to go check.
Hearing the tone in Stella’s voice, Nathan said, "If you feel forced, then forget it. I can find someone else."
"No!" Stella said. "I can go."
’It’s rare for me to have a role to play in this family. Of course I have to make an effort. I’ll show Anne Sutton that my position in the Linden family is not something she can just replace!’
Putting down her bowl, Stella said, "I’ll go right now. But, she hasn’t eaten, right? I’ll bring some food up for her."
After speaking, she had a maid grab an empty plate and bowl, filled them with some food, and went upstairs.
Anne Sutton remained seated, watching Stella’s departing figure before her gaze fell back on Nathan Fawcett. "Why has Stella Shields been living in your house all this time?"
Hearing Anne’s question, Nathan replied, "She and Ethan were very good friends. They knew each other from before. After Ethan’s accident, she stayed by my mother’s side, so she ended up living here. You know my relationship with my mother isn’t great. Just try to humor Stella a bit. Her mouth can be a little annoying."
"..." Anne looked at Nathan and said, "It has nothing to do with me. If she wants to be annoying, I can be even more annoying. As long as she doesn’t mind getting mad, she’s more than welcome to provoke me."
When it came to Stella Shields, Anne Sutton wasn’t afraid of being at a disadvantage.
Hearing her words, Nathan said, "As long as you can take care of yourself."
Anne shot him a glance and silently lowered her head.
’As if I need someone else to take care of me!’
Just then, Anne’s phone buzzed. She glanced at it and saw a message from Justin Shields: "A new movie is coming out tomorrow. Want to go see it together? I happen to have no one to go with."
Anne: "..."
Anne didn’t believe for a second that Justin Shields couldn’t find anyone.
Justin Shields was a businessman who often traveled to Veridia. Unlike her, who had only been here a few times, he definitely had friends in the area.
Anne rejected him outright. "I have to bring Ian."
"It happens to be an animated movie, the kind kids can watch too. Just bring Ian along! I helped you look for a house and buy a car before. You owe me a favor, don’t you? Or are you afraid Nathan Fawcett will be upset?"
Those last few words instantly triggered Anne’s rebellious streak. "Who says? Why should I be afraid of him being upset?"
Nathan sat nearby, eating the stir-fried lettuce stems Anne had cooked. He found them delicious.
He looked up and saw her on her phone, her fingers flying across the screen. "Who are you messaging so enthusiastically?"
Anne put down her phone and didn’t lie to him. "Justin Shields asked me to go to the movies with him tomorrow."
Hearing this, the corner of Nathan’s mouth twitched. He looked at Anne and asked, "You didn’t tell him you moved into my house?"
’Justin Shields is still messaging her?’
’He’s got some nerve!’
"I did tell him!" Anne said. "He even told me to bring Ian along! Said he’d come pick me up tomorrow afternoon."
Nathan said, "Couldn’t you just say no?"
"Why should I say no?" Anne retorted. "As a single woman, I should have the right to choose a partner, shouldn’t I? Besides, I have the day off tomorrow with nothing to do. It’s so boring here, so it’s a perfect chance to see a movie."
The atmosphere in the Linden family home was oppressive, and there was also Stella Shields, who was always getting on her nerves. Going to the movies was indeed an excellent choice.
Besides, she hadn’t seen a movie in a very long time.
She realized that for the past few years, she had been living every day consumed by her hatred for Charles Prescott and the pain of losing her son. She had even given up all forms of entertainment besides drinking.
Whenever she had a spare moment, she spent it diligently researching Charles Prescott and Miles Prescott.
Now that she had Ian back, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Nathan said, "If you’re going to the movies, then I’m going too!"
"What are you going for? I can just take Ian."
"I don’t trust leaving Ian alone with you two. Besides, Ian would probably love for the three of us to go to the movies as a family, right?"
He looked at Ian. He clearly wanted to go himself but could only use Ian as an excuse, even needing the boy to play along.
Fortunately, Ian was clever. He had perfectly inherited the best genes from his parents and had even improved upon that intelligence. So, he reacted quickly, saying to Anne, "Mommy, let’s bring Daddy with us! Please?"
Anne’s mouth twitched at his words. ’I’ve met shameless people before, but never anyone as shameless as Nathan Fawcett.’ However, she was only going to repay her favor to Justin Shields anyway. If Nathan wanted to tag along, she’d let him. She had no objections.
Just then, the butler walked over and said to Nathan, "But sir, you have a meeting at the company tomorrow afternoon."
Nathan glanced at the time. "I should be able to make it."
He then turned to Anne and said, "I’ll come find you and Ian after my meeting. Send me the address then, and remember to buy me a ticket."
Hearing this, Anne could only agree. "Fine."
’It’s all because they share a son. She was doing it for his sake.’
...
Upstairs, Stella Shields sat in a nearby chair, looking at Anna Linden, who was sitting in an armchair by the window with a hand to her forehead. "Aunt Anna, you should eat something."
Unhappiness was written all over Anna’s face. She said dismissively, "You can go."
Stella said, "Please, just eat a little! I’ve already made Ethan unhappy, and he was the one who asked me to come today! I have to at least make him owe me a favor, right? Otherwise, he’ll just keep picking on me. He already couldn’t stand the sight of me before, and now with Anne Sutton here, my life is going to be even harder."
Anna looked at Stella’s pitiful expression. In the past, in this house, she had doted on her, and Ethan had too. No one dared to say a word against her.
Anna found her considerate and sensible, and was very fond of her.
’Now that I’ve been forced to bring Anne Sutton back, Stella must be the most heartbroken of all...’
Anna sighed and said, "I always hoped you and Ethan would get together, but now it seems you two aren’t suited for each other. Since Anne Sutton has moved in, you’ll just have to endure it. As long as you don’t provoke her, if she tries to bully you, I will teach her a lesson."