Chapter 282: Cooking for Her
When Lana Langley heard this, tears immediately streamed down her face. "So what if it hurts? If I just endure it, it’ll pass! What else am I supposed to do? I can’t just divorce him, can I?"
"Why not?" Anne Sutton asked. "So many people get divorced these days. What’s the big deal?"
’A divorce would be a much cleaner break than living like this!’
Hearing the word "divorce," Lana Langley shot Anne Sutton a defensive look. "Did Ethan send you? Did he send you to stir up trouble between my husband and me? I’m telling you, Ryan and I are a family. Don’t you dare try to drive a wedge between us!"
Anne Sutton couldn’t help but roll her eyes. ’Tsk. Things are already this bad. Do they really need me to drive a wedge between them?’
Seeing how she was still defending Ryan Linden even now, Anne Sutton was at a loss for words.
If Lana Langley, the one at the center of it all, wasn’t willing to change, what could anyone else possibly do?
Anne Sutton looked at her and said, "Well, since you feel that way, I guess I was just being nosy. I’ll be going now."
Anne Sutton stood up and walked out the door.
Lana Langley watched her retreating figure, her brow furrowed.
After leaving Ryan Linden’s house, Anne Sutton walked down the road. It was about a ten-minute walk to the Linden Family estate.
Halfway there, she saw Nathan Fawcett standing by the road. Ian was squatting at his feet, and the two of them looked like they’d been cast from the same mold.
When Anne Sutton saw them, she asked, "What are you two doing here?"
Nathan Fawcett looked at her. "How did it go?"
"How did what go?" Anne Sutton asked, confused.
Nathan said, "Weren’t you worried about her? That’s why you went to her house to check on things, right?"
"..." Anne Sutton looked at him, realizing she couldn’t hide anything from him.
She sighed. "They were in the heat of it when I got there. I offered a bit of advice, and... your sister-in-law accused me of being a spy you sent over. I had no choice but to leave after that."
Nathan Fawcett looked at her, reached out his hand, and took hers. "Come on," he said. "Let’s go home."
Anne Sutton looked at him. Hearing the words "go home," she felt a surprising warmth spread through her heart.
’Why is that?’
’Being with him... it’s as if I truly have a home.’
...
The family of three returned home to find Anna Linden sitting in the living room. Justin Shields was there too.
They were in the middle of a conversation.
When Anna Linden saw Nathan Fawcett enter, she spoke up. "I heard Lana Langley was here today. What did she want?"
"It was nothing," Nathan Fawcett replied. "Ryan Linden got beaten up by Caleb Summers. She thought I did it and came here to make trouble for me. She’s already left."
Anna Linden looked at Nathan Fawcett. "I’ve heard some things about what’s happening with Ryan Linden at the company. You’ve been pressuring him quite a bit lately. I hear he’s even getting ready to sell that house your maternal grandfather gifted his son."
"..." Nathan Fawcett said, "That’s his decision. It has nothing to do with me."
"How can you say it has nothing to do with you?" Anna Linden retorted. "I know you want to run the company well, but at the end of the day, we’re family! Ryan Linden saved your life once. Don’t be ungrateful."
’The person he saved was Ethan Linden, not Nathan Fawcett.’
But Anna Linden had always doted on Ethan Linden, so of course she held that debt in high regard.
That was why she was now worried that Nathan Fawcett would go too far with Ryan Linden.
Nathan Fawcett said, "The way he is today is inextricably linked to all of you. If he isn’t made to understand just how outrageously wrong he’s been, he’ll never change."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Anna Linden exclaimed. "You’re always right. Anything I say, you just argue with me. Forget it!"
She stood up, not bothering to argue with Nathan Fawcett any further, and went straight upstairs.
Anna Linden was usually a busy woman.
Her focus had always been on her work in the medical field.
She had absolutely no interest in the company’s affairs.
And she didn’t want to get involved.
But she knew that when it came to family, you couldn’t be too ruthless.
After all, there were old loyalties to consider.
After Anna Linden went upstairs, Nathan Fawcett watched her go and fell silent.
Justin Shields, who had been sitting to one side, looked at Nathan and said, "She’s just concerned about you. Don’t take it to heart."
Nathan Fawcett sat down and looked at Justin Shields. "What are you doing here? Finished with your business?"
Justin Shields nodded. "Yes, I just finished helping Stella with her contract signing. I came to thank you."
As he said this, his gaze landed on Anne Sutton.
Nathan Fawcett: "..."
’Is he here to thank me, or to see Anne?’
’One look at this guy and you can tell he’s up to no good!’
Nathan Fawcett was exasperated. He felt like he’d finally made a little progress with Anne, and now Justin Shields had to show up again.
And sure enough, Justin Shields didn’t hold back. Right in front of Nathan, he looked at Anne Sutton and said, "Anne, we meet again! Have you missed me at all?"
Nathan Fawcett glared at him.
Standing off to the side, Anne Sutton felt the temperature in the room plummet.
She looked at Justin Shields and said, "No, I’ve been busy."
Justin Shields asked, "Busy with work? Is everything going well? If there’s anything you need help with, don’t hesitate to tell me."
Standing nearby, Nathan Fawcett suddenly let out a laugh when he heard what Justin Shields said.
Anne Sutton looked over at him. Hearing his blatant, mocking laugh, she asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Nathan Fawcett moved to stand beside Anne Sutton and addressed Justin Shields. "Even if she needed help, she would tell me. Is it your place to be concerned? Why don’t you worry about yourself first!"
But Justin Shields wasn’t about to give up. "How can you be so sure? My relationship with Anne is what it is. If she needs something, I’d do anything for her! And while I know you’re very capable, Ethan, she might not necessarily want *your* help!"
After saying his piece, Justin turned to Anne. "What would you like for dinner? I can cook for you!"
"You?" Anne Sutton looked at Justin Shields, her expression filled with skepticism.
Justin Shields said, "You’ve never tried my cooking. Now’s your chance. You’ve been in Veridia all this time and haven’t been home, you must be craving some Westhaven cuisine, right? Just wait, I’ll go get started."
He made himself right at home and walked straight into the kitchen.
Nathan Fawcett: "..."
’Damn it, here I am practicing how to eat spicy food just to impress Anne, and this guy Justin is already scheming to show off his cooking skills in front of her?’
Justin Shields was already in the kitchen.
Although they had a housekeeper, Nathan and Ian much preferred Anne’s cooking, so she was usually the one busy in the kitchen.
Now that Justin Shields had taken over the cooking, Anne found herself on the sidelines, unable to help.
Nathan Fawcett sat across from Anne Sutton, glaring at the man in the kitchen. "So fake. Such a hypocrite. Is his food even edible?"
Seeing his displeased expression, Anne said, "I doubt he’s much of a cook. I should go help him."
’Otherwise, Ian and Nathan probably won’t eat it.’
When Nathan Fawcett heard Anne was about to go into the kitchen, he quickly stopped her. "No!"
Anne saw him grab her arm, preventing her from leaving. She looked at him curiously. "What’s wrong?"