Anne Sutton seized the opportunity. "Husband, rest assured, you're the only one in my heart now. I have no lingering feelings for Charles Prescott. Though I was his fiancée, he treated me horribly and was always chasing other women. I can certainly tell who the good guys are!"
Listening to the little flatterer, Nathan Fawcett glanced at her. "And you think I'd believe that?"
"Why not? Look at my eyes. Aren't they exceptionally sincere?"
Nathan Fawcett glanced at her wide eyes. 'Sincere?'
'I really can't see it.'
Anne Sutton said, "In that case, about my job… I can go back to work tomorrow, right?"
"No, you can't," Nathan Fawcett said. "From now on, you need to be on call for me every day. If you're at work, how will you have the mind to take care of me?"
"I can come back to cook for you," Anne Sutton said. "I've been doing this job since my internship. If you really make me quit, how am I supposed to support myself after you're gone?"
'Besides, she genuinely loved her job as a doctor.'
'It was only when she was working that she felt like a person of value.'
'Even though she wouldn't be short on money as long as she took good care of Nathan Fawcett, it would make her feel like a mere accessory, not a living, breathing person.'
Nathan Fawcett said, "If you take good care of me, is it likely you'll be short on money?"
'Could taking care of me possibly be harder than her job at the hospital?'
"But if I give up this career opportunity, I'll never be able to go back," Anne Sutton said. "Once I'm pregnant, I'll get maternity leave. I can stay home and keep you company then. What do you think?"
Nathan Fawcett rejected the idea without a second thought. "Absolutely not."
Anne Sutton lowered her head. "If that's how it is, then you'll just have to find someone else to have your baby. I will not give up my career, no matter what."
And that was the truth!
'She knew Nathan Fawcett was her powerful backer, but it was absolutely impossible for her to give up her career, even for him.'
Nathan Fawcett stared at her. He never expected she would actually…
'Threaten him?'
Nathan Fawcett said, "Aren't you afraid I'll actually replace you?"
"Even if you replace me, I'm not giving up my career."
The butler, standing to one side, couldn't help but admire Anne Sutton's courage as he watched her talk back to Nathan Fawcett.
'Anyone else would have been scared to death by Mr. Fawcett by now.'
Nathan Fawcett stared at the woman. Her demeanor wasn't aggressive and her tone was gentle, but…
'He realized her threat was actually working!'
'After all, who else was to blame? Right now… he could only stomach the food she cooked!'
'And she was the only one he allowed to touch him?'
'If she left…'
Nathan Fawcett had no choice but to concede. "Fine. But next time… if I call for you and you don't show up…"
'The way he said it… that means he's agreeing to let me keep working!'
Anne Sutton asked curiously, "Then what?"
Nathan Fawcett: "…"
'He was discovering that none of his threats had any effect on her.'
'After all, the moment she became unhappy, she'd just throw her hands up and quit!'
Knowing not to push her luck, Anne Sutton added, "Actually, what happened today wasn't my fault. I wanted to come back as soon as you all called, but Dean Walters… he's my boss. I had no choice."
The butler said, "We're well acquainted with Dean Walters. We'll give him a call and tell him not to schedule you for anything outside of your work hours. That should take care of it."
Anne Sutton asked, "Is that really possible? Wouldn't that be too much trouble?"
She had said it deliberately, hoping that Nathan Fawcett would help her.
After all, with Charles Prescott leveraging his relationship with Dean Walters, there was no telling how he would continue to make her life difficult.
But if Nathan Fawcett put in a word, the dean wouldn't dare make things difficult for her anymore.
"No trouble at all," the butler said.
Nathan Fawcett looked at the woman, realizing she was quite the schemer.
'She clearly wanted his help but hadn't asked directly, instead maneuvering the butler into making the offer himself.'
…
The next day at the hospital, Anne Sutton first went to get a check-up.
She was preparing for pregnancy, so she wanted to check on her own health.
No matter what, she had to conceive this child.
She never wanted to again experience the kind of humiliation Charles Prescott had subjected her to last night!
She couldn't afford for Nathan Fawcett to be gone before she even conceived a child.
…
After finishing her check-up, she had just stepped out the door when she received a call from the dean, summoning her to his office.
Anne Sutton entered his office. The dean was sitting there, and when he saw her, he was unusually enthusiastic. "Sutton, come, have a seat."
'This was a complete reversal from his attitude last night, when he barely wanted to acknowledge her after she'd broken up with Charles Prescott.'
Anne Sutton asked, "Did you need something from me, Dean?"
"The Fawcett family called me today. They said you're caring for Mr. Fawcett now?"
Anne Sutton didn't hide it. "Yes."
The dean said, "In that case, your priority is to care for Mr. Fawcett. For your hospital duties, handle what you can, and pass the rest on to others."
Anne Sutton couldn't resist a jab. "And here I thought I wasn't good enough to take to dinner."
Seeing she was still hung up on last night's events, the dean said, "Last night was Mr. Prescott's idea. You know he's donated a lot of equipment to our hospital. We can't afford to offend him, can we?"
Anne Sutton looked at the dean. She knew he wasn't in an easy position and that the real problem was Charles Prescott. "You know my past relationship with Charles. I don't want to be the one to deliver his girlfriend's baby. I'm hoping you can transfer her to another doctor."
The dean agreed without hesitation. "Done. I'll go speak with Mr. Prescott about it."
'Now that Anne Sutton had Nathan Fawcett backing her, he naturally couldn't force her to do something she didn't want to do.'
"Thank you, Dean."
'She had to admit, having a powerful backer like Nathan Fawcett was incredibly satisfying.'
'He might have a bad temper, but at least now she wouldn't have to suffer in silence, even when Charles Prescott tried to cause trouble for her.'
-
That afternoon, when Anne Sutton returned to the Fawcett residence after work, Sylvia Warren was sitting by the coffee table while a maid waited on her.
The maid poured her a cup of water. Sylvia took one sip and threw the rest in the maid's face. "It's scalding! Are you trying to burn me to death?"
Now that she was carrying Charles Prescott's child, she was acting incredibly entitled.
Anne Sutton frowned when she saw this. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded.
'That was going too far. Even if she's a maid, she's still a human being.'
'The maid is just getting paid for her work; it doesn't mean she's Sylvia's slave.'
Sylvia Warren's anger at that moment was entirely because of Anne Sutton.
Now, seeing the true object of her anger appear, she sneered, "Well, if it isn't Dr. Sutton?"
Anne Sutton said, "Just because you're in a bad mood doesn't mean you can take it out on the staff. Understand?"
"Are you ordering me around?" Sylvia Warren retorted.
"In this house, I suppose that makes me your senior. Is there a problem with me minding your business?" Anne Sutton then turned to the maid. "Next time she's like this, just ignore her."
"By what right?" Sylvia Warren shot back, incensed. "Do you have any idea whose child I'm carrying? You've got some nerve. Just yesterday, the dean agreed you would deliver my baby, and now you've somehow gotten him to change his mind."