Chapter 297: That’s Good

Anne had just finished speaking when Ian, seeing her get into the water, tried to follow. But his foot slipped, and he fell in.

Anne jumped, startled. She looked at the little guy and quickly scooped him out of the water.

Ian had choked on a couple of mouthfuls of water, and Anne thought he would cry. But once she pulled him up, he just spat the water out and grinned. He even reached up to touch her face, saying in a soft, sweet voice, "Don’t be scared, Mommy. Ian’s okay."

Anne was at a loss for words.

She looked at the little guy, and for a moment, she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to cry. She hugged Ian and said, "You scared Mommy to death."

Ian said, "I’m okay. Don’t worry."

Nathan Fawcett glanced at Ian, then back at Anne.

He was worried about his son, too, but seeing that Anne was even more frightened than he was, he was suddenly at a loss for what to say.

Meanwhile, Ian had toddled off to play by himself in a shallow area.

Anne kept her eyes glued to him, not daring to relax her vigilance for a second.

Nathan looked at Anne and said, "It’s fine. If he were really hurt, he’d be wailing louder than anyone."

Anne glanced at Nathan. "I just think Ian is so precious. He’s so little, and yet his first instinct was to comfort me! How did I have such an adorable child?"

’Seeing him so adorable, it’s as if all the hardships of carrying him were suddenly worth it.’

Hearing Anne’s words, the corners of Nathan’s mouth lifted. "Should we soak for a little while longer, then head back home to sleep tonight?"

Anne nodded. "Let’s head back. I’m not used to sleeping in other places, and besides... I have to work tomorrow, so we have to go back regardless."

Nathan looked at Anne and nodded. "Dr. Sutton really is a workaholic."

Anne said, "Since coming here, I’ve realized how much competition there is. It’s very different from where I was before."

Veridia First Hospital has more doctors, and many of them are outstanding. Anne had felt she was quite capable back in Westhaven, but after arriving here, she realized she still had a long way to go.

Nathan looked at her. "Then study hard."

Perhaps because his own mother was also a doctor, Nathan was quite supportive of her career.

He would find a way to support her in whatever she wanted to do with her career.

Anne looked at the man before her, the corners of her lips turning up in a smile.

After finishing their soak in the hot spring, they returned to the hotel, collected their things, and headed home.

Ian fell asleep as soon as he got in the car.

Soaking in hot springs is exhausting.

Anne held him in the back seat while Nathan drove.

There was little traffic at night, and the drive down the mountain was quick. They were home in a little over an hour.

Once they arrived home, Nathan lifted Ian out of the car and said to Anne, "Your arms must be numb after holding him for so long, huh?"

Anne looked at him and said, "Not really."

As they walked in the door, they found someone was still awake.

Stella Shields was there.

Stella had returned that day, and she’d brought Faye Yorke with her—the very same girl who had been set up with Nathan and had later broken off their engagement.

Stella was sick. Instead of going to the hospital, she had Faye come over to put her on an IV drip.

Seeing Nathan and Anne return, Stella said, "You’re back?"

Nathan said, "Weren’t you filming? Why are you back?"

Stella said, "I’m sick, so I came here to rest for a couple of days. A few days ago, I had to film a scene where I fall into the water, and I caught a nasty chill."

Filming a water scene at this time of year is brutally cold.

Seeing her weakened state, Nathan’s gaze shifted to Faye Yorke, who was standing to the side. Anne saw her too.

Anne had met her a few times back when Faye and Nathan were being set up.

Now that Faye had broken off the engagement with Nathan, while she herself had grown so close to him and even moved into the Linden Family home, Anne couldn’t help but feel a little awkward.

Nathan asked, "Ms. Yorke, what brings you here?"

Stella said, "Ms. Yorke is a friend of mine. I wasn’t feeling well, so she came over to check on me."

Nathan said, "Since when were you two friends? I wasn’t aware."

Although the Yorke Family was on good terms with Anna Linden, Stella had only been with the Linden Family for a few years and hadn’t interacted much with Faye.

Stella smiled. "Ms. Yorke is so nice, anyone would want to be her friend. Did you two go out somewhere?"

Stella changed the subject, afraid Nathan would see that she had approached Faye on purpose.

’She couldn’t do anything to Anne herself because Nathan would get angry. She had no choice but to use other people.’

Nathan acknowledged with a simple, "Yeah."

Faye saw Anne and said, "Assistant Sutton, it’s you!"

Anne nodded. "Hello."

Faye glanced at Anne, then over at Nathan, and said with a meaningful tone, "I heard... you and Ethan Linden are together now?"

Hearing this, Anne wasn’t sure how to respond.

’It was obvious Stella had been running her mouth.’

Stella lay to the side, an IV needle in the back of her hand, an expression on her face as if she were enjoying a good show.

’She didn’t know what tricks Anne had used to make Faye give up on Ethan before, but...’

’Now she was eager to see how Anne would explain herself to Faye.’

’She would make sure everyone knew just what kind of woman Anne really was!’

’She couldn’t do anything that would make Nathan angry, but there were plenty of other people who could drive Anne away.’

Nathan, who was standing to the side, saw Anne hesitate, still figuring out how to answer, and replied for her, "That’s right. We’re together."

Faye glanced at Nathan and smiled. She walked over to Anne’s side and lowered her voice. "Girl, how did you let him snatch you up? He... can’t perform. You don’t mind that?"

When she heard Faye say Nathan "couldn’t perform," Anne’s mouth twitched. She could feel that Faye’s gaze was now full of pity.

Anne glanced at Nathan. Faye said, "Come on, let’s go talk in the next room."

She then unceremoniously dragged Anne away.

Nathan wanted to follow, but he glanced at Ian in his arms. Left with no choice, he carried Ian upstairs first.

Stella, still lying on the sofa, watched this scene unfold, her mood improving immensely.

’She might be sick, but seeing Anne in trouble made her feel much better.’

Anne followed Faye into the adjoining room. Faye looked at her, exasperated. "Are you nuts?! If you marry him, you’ll be throwing away a lifetime of happiness. Sure, the Linden Family has money, but with what you have to offer, what kind of man couldn’t you get? Why do you have to be with him?"

Since she already knew Anne, she clearly considered her an ally, and now she was worried sick.

Hearing her out, Anne just smiled and said, "I’m fine."

"How can you say you’re fine!" Faye exclaimed. "Sigh... it’s all my fault. By breaking off the engagement, I’ve doomed you! You poor, poor thing."

Anne looked at her and changed the subject. "Is Stella going to be all right?"

"She’s fine. She just has a slight fever and said it was inconvenient to go to the hospital. You know, she’s a celebrity! Hospitals are crowded, and she was afraid of being recognized, so I came over."

Hearing this, Anne thought about Stella. ’Being afraid to go to the hospital was probably just an excuse.’

’From the looks of it, she must have called Faye over on purpose.’

’She probably thought that Faye would make trouble for me after seeing me with Nathan.’

’But what she didn’t know was that, given Faye’s background, she couldn’t care less about a man like Ethan Linden.’

’After all, a wealthy heiress like her could have any man she wanted.’

Anne said, "That’s good."