Chapter 448: Can We Leave Now?

At the thought, she grew so emotional that tears welled up in her eyes.

Finn looked at Anna Linden. "Grandma, are you crying?"

The little boy’s words made Anna Linden smile. She curved her lips. "No, I’m just very happy to see you."

Finn smiled, a sweet expression that could melt anyone’s heart.

...

Anne Sutton was drifting off to sleep when the man beside her scooted closer and wrapped his arms around her.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight as his lips found hers.

He had thoroughly woken Anne Sutton up now.

She grabbed the hand on her waist and snapped at Nathan Fawcett, "What do you think you’re doing?"

"I just want to hold you," Nathan Fawcett whispered gently in her ear.

"I can’t sleep with you like this," Anne Sutton said.

"Honey, you’re rejecting me."

"You’re just being annoying!" Anne Sutton was still a little irritated with Nathan Fawcett.

Even after they’d talked through their argument, a lingering awkwardness remained.

Besides, she had to work tomorrow and really wasn’t in the mood for anything too intimate.

Nathan Fawcett said pitifully, "Are you planning to ignore me from now on?"

"When have I ever given you the time of day?"

"..."

"Do you really dislike Finn?" Nathan Fawcett asked. "Are you unhappy that I brought him home?"

Anne Sutton remained silent.

’Of course not!’

She didn’t particularly like Finn, but she didn’t dislike him either.

She was simply annoyed with the man right in front of her.

Hearing her silence, Nathan pressed, "You’re not planning to ignore me from now on, are you?"

"If you’d stop bothering me, I could certainly manage."

Nathan fell silent.

’He knew that the more he said right now, the angrier she would get.’

But he didn’t loosen his arms around Anne Sutton.

Being held by him, Anne Sutton felt uncomfortably hot.

’The countryside was so cool; it was comfortable at night even without AC.’

’But it was too hot in the city.’

’And on top of that, he was holding her.’

It made it hard for her to sleep.

"If you don’t like Finn calling you Mom, then have him call you Auntie. He won’t call you Mom anymore," Nathan said. "He actually knows the truth. I’ve told him I’m not his real father, but kids can be stubborn. It’s good for him to call me Dad, though. That way, when he goes to school, people won’t say he’s a kid without a father."

"..." Anne Sutton flicked on the light and stared at Nathan Fawcett.

She gazed at the man before her. "I know. I’m not that stupid. You don’t have to explain it to me; I get it."

"Then why are you still so mad at me?" Nathan Fawcett asked.

"I just hate how you make decisions without even talking to me, and then just inform me after the fact!"

’Remembering how jealous she had gotten that day because he hadn’t explained things clearly...’

Anne Sutton felt a surge of irritation.

’She realized she was just so deeply in love with Nathan Fawcett!’

’The moment she thought he might be with someone else, she’d become so jealous!’

’It was a miserable feeling.’

’After all, she had thought she’d never be able to love someone this much again in her entire life.’

’And yet, she found he had taken up residence in her heart once more.’

’Even though he had hurt her so badly in the past!’

This made Anne Sutton wonder if she was just a fool for love.

"It all just happened so suddenly, didn’t it?" Nathan Fawcett said defensively.

"What’s so sudden about it?" Anne Sutton shot back. "I think you just don’t respect me at all."

’Once he made a decision, he didn’t care what anyone else thought!’

Thinking about him, Anne Sutton found it almost laughable...

’Although, even if he had discussed it with her beforehand, he probably wouldn’t have taken her opinion into account anyway.’

’But she still hated being the last to know.’

"That’s not it!" Nathan said. "Oh, right, your birthday’s coming up. Let me take you out to dinner."

"I’m busy," Anne Sutton said flatly. "No time."

"You can’t be too busy for one meal! Just consider it my apology, okay?" Nathan pressed. "Besides, our Ian hasn’t even gotten to celebrate a birthday with you yet!"

"..." The mention of Ian made Anne Sutton think of her son. Suddenly, she found herself looking forward to her birthday after all.

Seeing he’d swayed her, Nathan smiled. ’I really can’t compete with Ian,’ he lamented inwardly, then said to Anne, "Then it’s a deal. I’ll make the arrangements and let you know when everything’s ready."

"...What kind of arrangements do you need for a birthday dinner?" Anne Sutton asked. "We can just cut a cake. Let’s just go eat at my mom’s restaurant."

"I’ll tell you when it’s all ready," Nathan said.

He was being deliberately mysterious, but Anne Sutton decided to just let him be.

...

They chatted for a little longer, successfully shifting the topic to Anne’s birthday. Seeing she was no longer as angry, Nathan started to fall asleep.

The next day, Nathan Fawcett took Ian to school and brought Finn along to get him enrolled.

Ian used to go to school by himself every day, but now with Finn, the two boys would go together.

And since they looked so much alike, everyone assumed they were twins.

That afternoon, when Anne Sutton returned, she saw Donna was there too. Ian and Finn were standing together in their school uniforms. It was a good thing she knew her own son so well; anyone else might have had trouble telling them apart.

Donna stared at Finn standing next to Ian, her brain tied in knots.

"What are you all doing out here?" Anne Sutton asked.

When Ian saw Anne Sutton, he affectionately walked over and took her hand. "Mom."

Ian’s affection for Anne Sutton was one of the big differences between him and Finn.

"Let’s go inside," Anne said.

"Donna’s dad is here," Ian said.

That was why Donna was hiding out here, and he was keeping her company.

As for Finn, he was new to the Linden residence and unfamiliar with everything. The only people he knew were Nathan Fawcett and Ian, so he stuck close to wherever Ian went.

...

Hearing that Ryan Linden had come over, Anne Sutton frowned but went inside to see what was happening.

She walked in and saw Nathan Fawcett and Caleb Summers, along with some people from the Linden Group. Of course, Ryan Linden and his father, Victor Linden, were there as well.

The Linden family’s house had already been sold.

They had wanted to sell, so Nathan had someone help with the process. It sold quickly, and now Ryan Linden was here to repay his debt.

Now that the house next door was sold, Ryan Linden and his father had to move out.

They wouldn’t be living here anymore.

When Ryan Linden saw Anne Sutton walk in, his expression darkened.

He hadn’t just sold the house; he had also finalized his divorce from Lana Langley.

From now on, he and Lana Langley were in two different worlds.

Lana Langley hadn’t asked Ryan for much money, just enough for living expenses, paid out from the proceeds of the house sale.

The child would be staying with Lana.

The main reasons were Ryan’s gambling habit and violent tendencies. On top of that, Donna didn’t like him, so he couldn’t be bothered to fight for custody.

To get all this settled, Lana Langley had even taken the day off from work. She was now standing off to the side.

Now that the divorce was final, she felt a sliver of relief.

Ryan Linden’s face was grim. "My dad and I, can we go now?"

He had repaid the eighty million he owed Nathan Fawcett and still had a good amount of money left over to start a business.

Nathan Fawcett looked at him. "Yes. You can go."

Caleb Summers stood to the side, watching Ryan Linden’s pathetic state. He had never seen the man look so utterly defeated.