Chapter 523 Unreasonable Demands
Carol spun around, her face like ice, and plopped down in the main seat.
Seb, Susan, Andrew, and Rylee all stood up, catching the vibe from Carol's pissed-off look, and felt a bit on edge.
Susan thought, 'Seb and I just got back from Averlake, is she gonna start drama again?'
Right then, Todd broke the silence. "Seb and Susan just got back from a long trip, what's your deal now? Think our family's been too chill lately?"
"What's that supposed to mean? You think I'm being a pain?" Carol snapped back.
"So, what's your plan?" Todd was done with Carol's attitude.
"You'll find out soon enough!" Carol pointed at the newspaper on the table.
Seb, looking suspicious, grabbed the newspaper, took a quick look, and his face darkened.
Seeing Seb's reaction, Carol couldn't help but sneer. "Seb, now you get why I was always against you marrying that woman. Marrying her has been nothing but a headache and a stain on your name. You're a big deal in Maple Valley, and now your rep is trashed!"
Hearing it was about her, Susan stepped up, snatched the newspaper from Seb, and quickly scanned it.
Rylee moved closer, grabbed Carol's shoulder, and frowned. "Mom, what's going on? What's this got to do with Susan? How's Seb's rep trashed?"
"It's all because of Susan's dad. He sued Seb and Susan, saying they ditched him, and called a press conference. Now every paper in Maple Valley is dragging their names, saying Seb and Susan live in a mansion, drive fancy cars, and are loaded, while her dad's broke and homeless. Now everyone thinks they're unfilial and heartless!" Carol ranted.
"How did this even happen?" Rylee frowned.
Meanwhile, Andrew sat there with a slight smirk, looking like he couldn't care less.
Susan skimmed the newspaper, and indeed, it was just like Carol said.
James had sued her and Seb, dragging the media into it, claiming he was sick, couldn't work, had no food or shelter, while Susan and Seb were living it up as billionaires, ignoring him. He demanded a mansion as nice as theirs, a luxury car worth over a million bucks, a monthly allowance of over fifty grand, and yearly payments for medical, health, and entertainment expenses.
Seeing this, Susan was fuming!
No wonder James had been so quiet lately, not even causing a scene at the wedding.
Right then, Susan felt totally humiliated in front of the Anderson family. Even though she never saw James as her dad and always wanted to cut ties, to everyone else, she'd always be James's daughter, a label she couldn't shake off.
Susan suddenly felt weak all over, her mind blank, and couldn't even react to Carol's snarky comments.
In her moment of helplessness, Seb stepped up, grabbed Susan's shoulder, and said, "It's no shocker he'd pull this crap. Don't let it get to you."
Hearing Seb's words, Susan looked up into his concerned eyes, finding no blame or complaint, just pure care.
Right then, Susan felt deeply moved.
Seeing Seb's face without a hint of anger or complaint, Carol was fuming. "Seb, this news is spreading like wildfire in Maple Valley, and soon it'll hit the central district. Our Anderson family is gonna be the butt of every joke. What's your plan?"
Carol finished and shot Susan a disdainful look.
Seb thought for a moment and said, "Mom, I'll handle it."
"Handle it? How? You gonna cave to James's ridiculous demands? Our family might be loaded, but we earned it through hard work. We could use that money for charity, not give it to some lowlife," Carol's face was full of disdain.
"Mom, what do you want Seb to do? Seb's in a tough spot too. After all, James is Susan's dad. Giving him some money isn't unreasonable," Rylee quietly spoke up for Seb and Susan.
"What do you know? Stay out of this!" Seeing Rylee siding with Susan, Carol immediately snapped at her.
Seeing Carol angry, Rylee felt wronged but didn't dare to speak.
"Mom, Susan and I are married now, and we have two kids. Her problems are my problems, and I'll handle them. Please don't blame the innocent," Seb said.
Seeing Seb contradict her, Carol angrily said, "Innocent? Who's innocent? If you hadn't married her, would her father have trashed our Anderson family's reputation? It's all her fault."
Carol pointed at Susan.
Susan knew Carol was pushing her to take a stand. She didn't want to drag Seb and Rylee into this, so she stepped forward and said, "Mom, even though I've never acknowledged James, he is my biological father, and that fact can't be changed. This mess is because of me, and I'll handle it myself. I won't drag the Anderson family into this."
Hearing this, Carol sneered and said, "Handle it? How? With our Anderson family's money?"
Susan frowned, about to say something, but Seb held her hand and looked up at Carol. "Mom, the situation's already happened. Getting mad won't help. Now's the time to fix it."
"I have an idea that could solve the problem immediately, but it depends on whether she's willing," Carol glanced at Susan.
"What idea?" Susan stared at Carol and asked.
Carol sneered. "Just publish a notice in the newspaper, saying you sever all ties with your family. From now on, neither your father nor your mother can come to you."
Hearing this, Susan stared at Carol in disbelief, hesitated for a couple of seconds, and then said emotionally, "It's all James's shamelessness, what does it have to do with my mom? You want me to cut ties with my mother? She raised me with great difficulty, and you want me to be ungrateful?"
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