Chapter 203: Them Being Together Is a Disrespect to Nathan Fawcett
Ever since Ethan Linden had publicly announced that he wanted to be with Anne Sutton, Chairman Grant had been keeping his distance from her and had stopped contacting her altogether.
Just seeing Anne Sutton was enough to make him angry about what had happened.
But when he came over today and saw that the two were still as close as ever, he felt a knot of displeasure in his stomach. ’Anne Sutton is Nathan Fawcett’s wife! For Ethan Linden to be with her like this... it’s just disgraceful! And it’s disrespectful to Nathan Fawcett!’
Although they were both Chairman Fawcett’s sons, Uncle Grant clearly favored Nathan Fawcett. After all, he had watched Nathan grow up. Because Nathan had been frail since childhood and had died so young, Uncle Grant’s heart had always gone out to him.
Nathan Fawcett paid no mind to Chairman Grant’s thoughts. He sat down and asked, "Uncle Grant, what brings you here?"
"It’s about Mr. Sterling," Chairman Grant said. "I came to talk to you about it."
Nathan Fawcett smiled. "What’s this? Your old rival is in trouble, so you want to grab a couple of drinks with me?"
Chairman Grant’s expression darkened at Nathan Fawcett’s words. "Drink with you? Why would I do that? Were you behind this whole affair? Ethan! When you did all this, did you ever stop to think what kind of impact this negative press would have on the company? You really don’t take the company seriously at all, do you!"
Hearing this, Nathan Fawcett said, "Isn’t the company doing just fine right now?"
"How is it fine?" Chairman Grant said, fuming. "Because of this business with Mr. Sterling, the stock dropped quite a bit today."
And that was only because Charles Prescott handled it in time to prevent a major blow.
Otherwise, who knows how much damage it would have caused.
Just thinking about it made him break out in a cold sweat.
Nathan Fawcett said, "Did Charles Prescott send you?"
Chairman Grant said, "Ethan, no matter how much we fight amongst ourselves, the company’s interests must come first. We’re all on the same team here! I don’t want to see anything like this happen again."
Listening to Chairman Grant, Nathan Fawcett said, "I can’t worry about all that."
"You..." Chairman Grant began, "No matter what, that company is your father’s life’s work! If something really happens to it, could you really stand to see that?"
"What would be so hard about that?"
"With an attitude like this, how can I support you in the future?" Chairman Grant was completely disappointed in Ethan Linden. "If the people at the company find out about this, they’ll be even less likely to support you as the successor. No one would be willing to hand the company over to someone so irresponsible."
If he handed the company over to him only to watch him ruin it, he would be a traitor to the Fawcett Group. He’d never be able to face the late Chairman and Nathan Fawcett again.
Nathan Fawcett said, "Whether or not I inherit the company isn’t for you to decide."
"What do you mean?" Chairman Grant looked at Nathan Fawcett, completely baffled.
Nathan Fawcett replied, "It’s nothing, really. I just don’t like having my destiny decided by others."
"..." Chairman Grant said to Nathan Fawcett, "Ethan, are you trying to anger me to death? I really have no idea what you’re trying to do anymore! We’ll let this incident slide, but don’t you ever do anything like this again! I’ll repeat myself: as long as you break up with Anne Sutton, I will handle everything for you. You won’t have to fight Charles Prescott to the bitter end."
"..." Nathan Fawcett looked at Chairman Grant and said, "I’m not going to break up with her."
After just a few sentences, Chairman Grant was absolutely furious with Nathan Fawcett. "Forget it! I shouldn’t have come today! If you’re going to be like this, then don’t blame me for supporting Charles Prescott. If the company is left to him, at least he’ll care whether it lives or dies, unlike you and your whims."
"Uncle Grant," Nathan Fawcett said, "I’m not finished speaking!"
Chairman Grant looked at him. "What is there left to say? You’re completely bewitched by that woman. There were obviously better ways to handle this, yet you insisted on throwing the company into chaos. If your father knew, he’d be rolling in his grave."
Seeing how worked up the older man was, Nathan Fawcett said, "Please, calm down first."
Chairman Grant sank onto the sofa, feeling as if Nathan Fawcett was about to give him a heart attack. "How am I supposed to calm down? Ethan, do you have any idea what people at the company are saying about you? No one supports you anymore! Except for me..."
Nathan Fawcett said, "It’s just because I’m with Anne Sutton, isn’t it?"
"What do you mean, ’it’s just because you’re with her’?! She’s your sister-in-law! Have you lost all sense of basic morality?!"
Nathan Fawcett looked at Chairman Grant and said, "Don’t you want to know why I’m with Anne Sutton?"
Chairman Grant said, "I’m not interested in hearing your excuses. As long as you don’t break up with Anne Sutton, I will never support you."
Nathan Fawcett said, "What if I told you that I’m not Ethan Linden?"
"What do you mean?"
Chairman Grant looked at Nathan Fawcett, perplexed.
Nathan Fawcett said, "Ethan Linden is dead. I’m Nathan Fawcett. The same Nathan Fawcett who married Anne Sutton. She is my wife! Why can’t I be with her?"
"..." Chairman Grant was taken aback by Nathan Fawcett’s words. "What are you talking about?"
’He’s saying he’s Nathan Fawcett, not Ethan Linden?’
Nathan Fawcett said, "When I was gravely ill all those years ago, my father sent me to my mother. She found someone who cured me. I’ve spent the past few years recuperating over there. So, Uncle Grant, you tell me—what’s so wrong about me being with Anne Sutton?"
Chairman Grant grew agitated, looking at Nathan Fawcett in disbelief. "Are you telling the truth?"
"Of course I am," Nathan Fawcett said. "When I used to play with your Owen Grant as a child, he fell into the water, and I was the one who pulled him out. Have you forgotten that?"
"..." When Nathan Fawcett brought up the time he saved Owen Grant, Chairman Grant believed him instantly. "I haven’t forgotten."
By the time Nathan Fawcett had saved Owen Grant, Anna Linden had already left with Ethan Linden.
Ethan Linden couldn’t have known about that.
Now that Nathan Fawcett had brought it up himself, Chairman Grant had no choice but to believe him.
He looked at Nathan Fawcett, his voice trembling with emotion. "Are you really Nathan?"
Nathan Fawcett said, "Of course I am! It’s just... because of some issues with the Linden Family, it’s not convenient for me to reveal my identity right now, so I’ve been keeping it a secret. Do you think I’m fit to inherit the Fawcett legacy, Uncle Grant?"
"Of course! Of course you are!" Chairman Grant exclaimed. "Everything that belongs to the Fawcett Family was meant to be yours! If you were still here, all of it should have been yours! When the late Chairman told us you were gone, we were all heartbroken. We thought that at least you had left a child behind, but we never imagined that child wouldn’t survive either."
Anne Sutton, who was sitting to one side, stiffened when she heard Chairman Grant mention the child.
No matter how much time passed, it remained a painful knot in her heart.
Chairman Grant looked at Nathan Fawcett and patted the back of his hand. "Nathan, my boy, it’s my fault. I didn’t even recognize you. The reason I was against Ethan Linden being with Anne Sutton was that I felt it was a great injustice to your memory. If I’d known it was you all along, I would never have objected."