Chapter 274: The Linden Family’s Relatives
Now look. Anne Sutton had just blocked the path she wanted to take, leaving her with nowhere to go!
And now she was expected to beg that woman to be with Ethan?
What kind of sense did that make?
To think that her son, the dignified Head of the Linden Family, would need someone to beg a woman like that to marry him?
Anna Linden said, "Fine, if you don’t want to, then forget it! I won’t force you!"
She was truly speechless!
She felt like she never wanted to speak to Anne Sutton again.
...
Anne Sutton, having once again angered Anna Linden into leaving, felt a bit helpless herself.
She knew Anna Linden didn’t like her, but... ’Now that I’m saying I don’t want to be with Ethan, why is she the one getting angry?’
’Shouldn’t she be happy?’
’I really don’t get it!’
...
That afternoon, Anne Sutton got back relatively early.
Anna Linden really hadn’t put her on the schedule.
When she returned, she saw Nathan Fawcett standing in front of the wardrobe, changing his clothes.
He looked much better today!
In reality, he’d been fine since yesterday; he was just trying to get Anne Sutton to worry about him.
It was his uncle’s birthday tonight, and he couldn’t miss it.
So he had to get out of bed!
Seeing Anne Sutton return, he said as he fastened his buttons, "I’m taking Ian next door for dinner in a bit. You should come with us."
"To your uncle’s house?" Anne Sutton asked.
Nathan Fawcett walked over and nodded. "Yes. It’s right next door, not far. While he’s not my real uncle, my maternal grandfather is very particular about family harmony. Do you want to come along? I’m worried I’ll get busy and won’t be able to look after Ian, and he’ll get bullied again."
Anne Sutton was about to say no, but Nathan Fawcett’s words made it impossible for her to refuse.
"How would Ian get bullied?"
Nathan Fawcett said, "Well, you’re here now, aren’t you? He’s been telling everyone that he has a mom now! He’s even been bragging to his friends. If you don’t go, they’ll definitely make fun of him again. You know how relatives can be—they’re a pain. The kids pick up on the adults’ behavior and love to one-up each other."
Even though Ian was Nathan Fawcett’s son, he was still teased by others because he had grown up without a mother.
Anne Sutton said, "But if I go with you, won’t I cause trouble for you?"
"What kind of trouble?" Nathan Fawcett asked.
Anne Sutton said, "If people find out you have a child with me, they might start to suspect your identity and realize you’re not Ethan Linden, but Nathan Fawcett."
"I’ve already told everyone that Ian isn’t your biological son, and they believed me. And even if they don’t, there’s nothing they can do about it."
"..."
"Go get changed. Ian and I will be waiting for you downstairs."
With that, Nathan Fawcett went downstairs.
Anne Sutton had no choice but to go get changed.
Nathan Fawcett had even prepared an outfit for her, leaving it laid out to the side.
It was a classic case of him forcing her hand.
When Anne Sutton got downstairs, she saw Ian was already dressed. He was wearing a suit that matched Nathan Fawcett’s, and he looked quite handsome.
Seeing Anne Sutton, he came over, took her hand, and said, "Mommy, you look so pretty!"
The little guy was such a smooth talker.
He was always ready with a compliment for Anne Sutton.
Anne Sutton was quite impressed!
’Does he have a silver tongue, or what?’
Nathan Fawcett glanced at her and said, "Let’s go."
The "uncle" Nathan Fawcett was going to see was Ryan Linden’s father.
He was of the same generation as Anna Linden.
Although they both had the surname Linden, he was only a paternal cousin to Anna Linden.
Ryan Linden’s grandfather had made significant contributions to the Linden Family in the past, so Anna Linden’s father always took special care of his descendants.
Unfortunately...
People like Ryan Linden were complete disappointments.
His ability to contribute to the company was mediocre at best, but he had picked up a whole host of bad habits.
That was why Nathan Fawcett often gave him a hard time.
And as a result, Ryan Linden was very displeased with him.
Anne Sutton had been living at the Linden estate for several days now.
Although she hadn’t gone out much, the Linden relatives were all very curious about her.
She followed Nathan Fawcett through the door and immediately heard a few people discussing her over a game of mahjong.
The most vocal one was, naturally, Ethan’s second sister-in-law, Lana Langley. "I’ve seen her! She’s nothing special! I have no idea what Ethan is thinking, falling for a woman on her second marriage!"
Even though she harbored suspicions that this "Ethan" was one and the same as Nathan Fawcett, she wouldn’t dare voice such a thing in front of so many people.
Because that topic was a line Anna Linden would not let anyone cross.
They might not like Ethan, but they didn’t dare to offend Anna Linden.
If Anna Linden found out she’d said such things, she wouldn’t even know what hit her.
Hearing Lana Langley’s words, the others laughed. "I wonder if she’ll even come today."
"Who knows. I invited her over to my place for dinner before, but she refused to come."
She had wanted Anne Sutton to visit so she could pry for some information that would be disadvantageous to Ethan.
But Anne Sutton’s refusal had left her frustrated.
And she didn’t quite have the guts to march right next door to find her.
Anne Sutton, standing beside Nathan Fawcett, glanced at him.
The butler standing behind Nathan Fawcett cleared his throat.
At this sound, the women finally looked over.
When Lana Langley saw Ethan, a polite smile immediately plastered itself on her face. She was wearing a cheongsam today and sashayed over, saying, "Ethan, you’re here! And isn’t this Ms. Sutton? Come, have a seat."
Lana Langley was a bit plump, and the cheongsam she wore made her look rather portly and well-off.
Seeing Anne Sutton, she quickly grabbed her hand. "Anne! Welcome, welcome! Look at you, you never come over to visit. Everyone has been dying to meet you."
Anne Sutton thought her two-faced act was really something else.
However, this wasn’t the first time Anne Sutton had witnessed such a scene.
During her years with the Fawcett Family, she had seen more than enough to know the drill!
As Lana Langley greeted Anne Sutton, she didn’t forget to turn back and address Nathan Fawcett. "Oh, right, Ethan, your brother and our uncle are inside. You should go in and see them!"
Nathan Fawcett looked at Anne Sutton and said, "You stay here with Ian for a bit. I’ll be right back."
Anne Sutton nodded. "Okay."
The moment Nathan Fawcett left, Lana Langley quickly pulled her down to sit.
She started introducing Anne Sutton to the relatives present. "This is the woman Ethan brought back, Anne Sutton."
"Is she *that* Anne Sutton?" everyone asked curiously. "The one from the Fawcett Group?"
As the Chairwoman of the Fawcett Group, it was hard for Anne Sutton not to be recognized.
Especially since Anne Sutton had been married to Chairman Fawcett years ago, an affair the public couldn’t help but follow.
Lana Langley covered her mouth and laughed. "Isn’t that the truth! It’s all so incredible! Ethan was originally supposed to call you something like ’sister-in-law,’ and who would have thought you two would actually get together."
Anne Sutton sat to the side, listening to Lana Langley. This whole affair of a ’younger brother marrying his sister-in-law’ sounded rather scandalous.
Even if it didn’t break any laws, people would still look down on it.
There was definitely an element of gawking and mockery now.
A woman next to her looked at Anne Sutton and said, "Ethan was never one to care much about women! We all thought he was going to end up with Stella! We never expected you to be the one to snatch him away."
Another, thinner woman added, "Making Ethan marry you is really a disservice to him! I have no idea what our Aunt is thinking... I just don’t get what she’s thinking, not even trying to stop it! Isn’t Ethan her favorite?"