Chapter 511: Come, Let Daddy Hold You

He stood up, ready to leave, then glanced back at Anne Sutton. “Anne, I have something to say to you. Let’s go outside and talk.”

Anne Sutton just assumed he wanted to talk about Stella Shields, so she followed him out the door.

Once outside, Justin Shields looked at her. “If Stella contacts you, you have to call me.”

“I probably won’t call you.” Ever since she saw him getting close to Charles Prescott, Anne Sutton had been unwilling to deal with him.

Justin Shields smiled. “Why the sudden hostility? I thought we were friends, at least.”

“I don’t have friends like you.”

Justin Shields didn’t get angry at her words. He simply looked at her gently and asked, “Are you happy with Nathan?”

“Of course I am! Can’t you tell?”

“I heard he’s sick, and his health is very poor. If… one day he’s gone, do we… still have a chance?”

“…” Anne Sutton stared at Justin Shields in disbelief. “Are you trying to get the Shields Family bankrupted? You know what Nathan Fawcett is like. Have you forgotten how he almost ruined the Shields Family last time?”

After that incident, Justin Shields had stopped saying such reckless things in her presence.

He had even stopped looking for her!

‘And now, here he is, spouting all this nonsense.’

Justin Shields said, “I don’t want to see the Shields Family go bankrupt, but I like you. I’m afraid if I don’t say this now, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

Hearing him say he liked her, Anne Sutton felt her head start to buzz. “Justin Shields, what is wrong with you? What do you even like about me? We’re not that close.”

“Not close?” Justin Shields looked hurt when he heard that. “So, in your eyes, we’re not close at all! But I thought we were.”

“Justin Shields!” Nathan Fawcett strode over, pulled Anne Sutton behind him, and glared warily at Justin. “Do you have a death wish?”

‘Did he come all this way just to say these things to Anne?’

Seeing Nathan Fawcett’s tense posture, Justin Shields smirked. “President Fawcett, what are you so afraid of? Your health is failing; you could drop dead at any moment. You and Anne aren’t married, so why can’t I pursue her?”

“I’m not dead yet. Watch your mouth.”

Justin Shields said, “You were meant to die young; it’s a small wonder you’ve lived this long! You can’t be so selfish as to make Anne live like a widow for your sake all over again, can you? Just like she did a few years ago! Meeting you is the unluckiest thing that’s ever happened to her. She’s spent her whole life as a widow!”

Standing to the side, Anne Sutton started to wonder if Justin Shields had even come looking for Stella at all.

‘Every single word out of his mouth is pushing Nathan Fawcett’s buttons.’

Anne Sutton exclaimed, “Justin Shields, are you insane?”

Justin Shields said, “I’m just telling the truth. Anne… hasn’t this man put you through enough? Have you forgotten how he stole the child and what kind of life he left you to live with the Fawcett Family? Now he’s on the verge of death, and he still wants to drag you down with him!”

“Don’t stand here spouting such cursed words! Nathan is fine! You should think about your own Shields Family!”

‘If he keeps acting like this, even I won’t be able to help him when the time comes!’

Justin Shields said, “You’re right, President Fawcett never could stand hearing the truth. I’ll take my leave now. Anne, I’ll come back to see you another day.”

Anne Sutton was speechless. “…”

‘This man…’

‘He must be insane!’

‘It’s one thing for him to have a death wish, but why is he trying to drag me down with him?’

Soon enough, Justin Shields was gone.

He had long legs and walked with quick strides, seeming to generate a breeze as he went.

Anne Sutton looked up at Nathan Fawcett. “He’s acting like he’s lost his mind. Don’t take it to heart.”

Nathan Fawcett glanced at Anne Sutton.

Afraid he would get angry or jump to the wrong conclusions, Anne Sutton proactively took his hand. “I really despise him now. Everything he just said only makes me hate him more. Nathan, don’t be upset because of someone like that. Let’s go inside.”

She led Nathan Fawcett inside by the hand. They had gotten home late today.

Anne Sutton and Nathan Fawcett went upstairs together. They peeked into the children’s room and saw that Finn was still awake.

When Anne Sutton entered, he quickly laid down, probably afraid of being scolded.

Anne Sutton paused, then asked, “Finn, you’re still awake?”

Lying in bed, Finn stared at Anne Sutton, his face full of apprehension.

Anne Sutton walked over to him. “What’s the matter? Can’t sleep?”

Her tone was gentle, for fear of scaring him.

Unlike Ian, Finn was always wary of her. He treated her like a stranger and didn’t trust her, even when Anne Sutton had done nothing wrong.

Finn said, “I’ll go to sleep right now.”

Anne Sutton asked, “What’s the matter, afraid I’ll tell you off?”

Finn looked away, uncomfortable.

Anne Sutton said, “I thought you two were already asleep, so I just came to check on you. If you don’t feel like sleeping, you can play for a little while.”

Hearing this, Finn looked at Anne Sutton and said, “Oh.”

Anne Sutton said, “Your dad’s back.”

Finn’s eyes lit up when he heard that. “Really?”

Anne Sutton asked, “Do you want to go see him now, or wait until you wake up tomorrow?”

‘Nathan Fawcett has been away for so long. The children must miss him terribly!’

‘Especially Finn. When Nathan Fawcett wasn’t around, Finn probably felt like there was no one familiar in the house.’

Finn asked, “Can I see him now?”

Anne Sutton said, “Of course you can, if you want to! Come on, I’ll take you to see your dad. You must miss him.”

‘Taking Finn to see him is a good idea anyway. Otherwise… Nathan Fawcett is probably still fuming right now!’

Anne Sutton was a little worried, too.

She carried Finn out of the room. He looked at Anne Sutton and said, “Auntie.”

Anne Sutton asked, “What is it?”

She glanced down at the little rascal and saw him staring up at her with a serious expression.

He probably hadn’t expected Anne Sutton to carry him.

Finn asked, “Do you like me?”

Hearing his question, Anne Sutton froze for a second before breaking into a smile. “Of course I do! You’re so cute, why wouldn’t I like you?”

Her words made his tense little body relax, and he seemed satisfied with her answer. “Really?”

“Of course it’s true,” Anne Sutton said with a smile. “You silly goose, I like you very much. Don’t you worry about a thing!”

‘Maybe it’s because I was a little hostile toward him when we first met, so he’s been wary of me ever since he came to live here.’

Anne Sutton felt a bit resigned.

Finn pressed his lips together at her words.

Anne Sutton carried Finn into the room and saw Nathan Fawcett sitting on the sofa by the window, lost in thought.

Finn called out, “Daddy.”

Only then did he turn his head to look at Finn and Anne Sutton.

He asked, “Why is Finn still up?”

“He probably missed you while you were away.”

Anne Sutton put Finn down and said to Nathan Fawcett, “He’s been talking about you every day you’ve been gone.”

Nathan Fawcett smiled at that. He reached out and pulled Finn into his arms. “Come here, let Daddy give you a hug.”