She Was Never Just a Pretty Face novel Chapter 43

Early the next morning.

Hilda dropped Annie off at preschool.

The little girl held her mother's hand, skipping happily out of the car. Just as Hilda was about to hand her over to the teacher, she spotted the refined, middle-aged man from the night before—Colin Sutton, a senior figure in Luther's business circle.

Mr. Sutton was here this early.

Did he have a child attending this school too?

Colin Sutton hadn't slept a wink.

He had been tossing and turning all night.

His mind was entirely consumed by Annie's sweet, sugary smile.

—She had even called him Grandpa.

As soon as the sun rose, he tracked down which preschool the little girl attended and rushed over. He was desperate to see her again, to lay eyes on the precious bloodline of the Sutton family.

—Oh, she was just too adorable.

Those chubby little cheeks.

That fair, flawless skin.

She looked exactly like Soren did when he was a boy.

Surprised to see Colin, Hilda felt a bit awkward. She looked down at Annie. "Say hello to Mr. Sutton."

Annie offered a soft, sweet greeting.

Colin crouched down, gently patting her little cheek, his heart melting entirely. Annie was incredibly affectionate; like a sweet little puppy, she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. The older man wrapped his arms around her tiny shoulders and hugged her tight for a moment before realizing he was being overly familiar and reluctantly letting go.

Annie had to get to class.

She waved her little hand, her voice dripping with sugar—

"Bye-bye!"

Colin's eyes grew misty.

His reckless idiot of a son never came home, yet somehow managed to produce the most adorable little creature on the planet. How could anyone not instantly adore her? The only tragic part was that, thanks to worldly complications, she was still legally registered as Luther's child. But that didn't matter. It was obvious Luther and Hilda's marriage was a sham, destined for divorce. Even though a second marriage wasn't the most glamorous thing, this girl was clearly an elegant, decent woman. And beautiful, too. He liked her immensely.

Hilda realized with absolute certainty that he had completely misunderstood the situation.

She had no idea Soren came from this kind of wealth.

No wonder Annie had babbled about her 'brother' taking her to a beautiful mansion.

Hilda quickly tried to clarify. "Mr. Sutton, Annie is Luther's child. Soren and I are strictly landlord and tenant. There's nothing else going on."

Colin completely brushed off her explanation.

He knew Hilda was in a tight spot.

Women in her position were naturally bound by societal judgment. Luther treated her poorly, she spent her days with his reckless son, sparks flew, and a beautiful child was the result. He got it. He understood completely. Until they could finalize everything and make it official, it was best to keep things quiet. A woman's reputation was important, and Colin knew how to protect her.

As for the bank card, he practically shoved it into Hilda's hands before getting into his car and driving off.

Hilda stood there clutching the plastic, utterly helpless.

She decided she would just wait until Soren returned from overseas to hand it directly to him, and force him to clear up this colossal misunderstanding with his father.