’If that’s really the case, I couldn’t ask for more.’

Maybe it was because of what her father had said earlier, but Anne Sutton found herself starting to resent him. She felt he showed no respect for her mother at all!

And on top of that, he was always siding with Charles Prescott. Well, now he could see if Charles Prescott would help him!

Mrs. Sutton said, "I’m not too sure either."

Sharon Sutton, sitting to the side, looked at Anne Sutton and asked, "Anne, did Nathan find out about the birth control pills? Is that why he’s punishing our family?"

Anne Sutton glanced at her. "As long as you know."

"But Mr. Prescott shouldn’t be that heartless. He told me before that he really likes you and has deep feelings for you."

"And you think you can believe a word he says?" Anne Sutton rolled her eyes at her naive sister. She had been engaged to Charles Prescott in her teens for the sake of the family’s interests.

But Charles Prescott never seemed to have any particularly deep feelings for her.

That’s why she always felt that she should be the one to worry about family matters.

As for Sharon, all she needed to do was live comfortably as the family’s little princess.

’Who would have thought that protecting her so well all these years would turn out to be a mistake?’

Even now, after being deceived by a man, she still didn’t have a shred of cunning.

Rebuked by Anne Sutton, Sharon Sutton said guiltily, "I’m sorry, Anne. It’s my fault! It’s all my fault. I’ve caused you trouble, haven’t I?"

Anne Sutton didn’t want to stay angry with her. She was too young and still didn’t understand. "Sharon, you’re my sister, and I’ve doted on you all these years. I don’t expect you to help me with anything, but I need you to be on my side. Right now, having Nathan Fawcett’s child is what I need to do. It’s what’s best for our family. Otherwise... Charles Prescott could bankrupt the Sutton Family at any moment, and we’d have to live at his mercy for the rest of our lives. Do you understand?"

Sharon Sutton nodded. "I know I was wrong."

Anne Sutton looked at her mother and said, "Nathan Fawcett is sick, and I have to take care of him at the hospital, so I can’t see you off. Be careful on your way back."

Mrs. Sutton said, "I’m sorry, Anne. Mom can’t help you with anything."

Anne Sutton said, "You’re already doing more than enough."

For her and Sharon’s sake, even though her father was fooling around, her mother had never mentioned it, always striving to be a good mother.

Anne Sutton just didn’t want to end up like her mother. That’s why, no matter what, she hoped to one day hold the power in her own hands.

...

That afternoon, after getting off work, Anne Sutton went to make some food before returning to Nathan Fawcett’s hospital room.

Before she even entered, she saw through the glass window on the door that Chairman Fawcett had arrived, with a young woman by his side. The girl was pretty, with a fair and delicate complexion, standing next to the chairman.

Nathan Fawcett said to the chairman, "Shouldn’t you be busy with company affairs?"

Chairman Fawcett replied, "Aren’t I just worried about you? I came to see you. This is Stella Shields. I heard you were classmates with Justin Shields; this is his sister. She just graduated from University B. She’s good-looking and has a great character! Plus, she said she knows you from before. You should consider her."

Stella Shields said, "Hello, Mr. Fawcett! I’m Stella. We’ve met before."

Nathan Fawcett didn’t even glance at his old classmate’s sister. He couldn’t even remember who Justin Shields was, let alone his sister.

"Get her out of here. It’s too noisy!"

Chairman Fawcett said, "Nathan, I know you’re unhappy about what happened with Anne Sutton. I’ve already spoken to Charles Prescott and told him not to let Anne Sutton appear before you again. Look at Stella. She’s very sensible. She definitely won’t make you angry like Anne Sutton did. Let’s just try again. Don’t give up, okay? Otherwise, if you really go... how is your father supposed to live all alone?"

Anne Sutton stood at the door, overhearing their conversation. It was awkward. ’Should I go in or stay out?’

Nathan Fawcett glanced at his father. "Didn’t you bring that loneliness on yourself?"

Chairman Fawcett knew he was referring to his mother’s matter and didn’t say anything more. He just said, "Stella, you stay and take care of Nathan. I’ll be counting on you."

Stella Shields replied sweetly, "Don’t worry, Uncle Fawcett. I’ll take good care of him."

Chairman Fawcett said, "Then I’ll head back first."

He wanted to leave the two young people alone.

Seeing him come out, Anne Sutton instinctively tried to hide, only to realize after a moment that there was nowhere to go.

Chairman Fawcett had just walked over when he saw Anne Sutton. His gaze turned cold in an instant. "What are you doing here?"

Anne Sutton could only show him the insulated food container in her hand. "I came to bring Nathan Fawcett some food."

The moment Anne Sutton finished speaking, Chairman Fawcett raised his hand and slapped the container from her grasp. The soup inside spilled all over the floor.

Thankfully, Anne Sutton dodged quickly, or she would have been scalded. Even so, a few drops of hot soup splashed onto her hand.

Chairman Fawcett glared at her. "Anne Sutton, don’t you dare drag Nathan into your business with Charles Prescott again! I’m telling you, if anything else happens to Nathan, the Sutton Family will face the consequences."

The thought that she would dare to treat Nathan Fawcett’s life as a game, using him as a pawn in her conflict with Charles Prescott, made Chairman Fawcett absolutely furious.

Watching this unfold, Anne Sutton said, "I didn’t."

"Don’t say another word. Nathan has someone to take care of him now. Now get the hell out of here!"

After speaking, he looked at the bodyguards to the side. "Escort her out, and don’t let her come here again!"

The bodyguards quickly approached, but before they could act, Anne Sutton turned and left on her own.

...

Nathan Fawcett was lying on the hospital bed. Stella Shields asked, "Nathan, do you remember me? You used to come over to my house to play."

Nathan Fawcett replied icily, "I don’t."

The girl was covered in a strong floral perfume, but Nathan Fawcett’s senses of smell and taste were currently off. The moment she came in, he felt his nose sting with irritation.

Stella Shields said, "I made some food for you. Would you like to try some?"

She quickly poured out some soup and brought it to Nathan Fawcett.

Nathan Fawcett smelled it, lost all interest, and knocked it over.

Stella Shields knew he had a bad temper, but she figured since they had met before, he wouldn’t be this hostile. She never expected...

The soup spilled all over her clothes.

The butler, standing to the side, watched the scene unfold. He was already used to such displays.

In all these years, Anne Sutton was the only person he had seen approach his master without incident.

Nathan Fawcett looked up and asked, "Where is Anne Sutton? I’m starving. What is she doing?"

"I’ll go and ask right away." After speaking, the butler walked out the door, about to call Anne Sutton. He saw the hospital’s cleaning staff wiping up a spill on the floor and asked, "What happened here?"

A bodyguard standing nearby replied, "Ms. Sutton was just here, but the Chairman had us send her away."