Chapter 233 Mr. Abbott Has Never Sweet-Talked a Woman
Austin's face changed suddenly as he thought, ’Does Erica suspect something about Susanna's real identity? No, if she did, she'd act differently.‘
He quickly pulled himself together. "Really? Did you remember any clues from the orphanage days?"
Erica's expression turned a bit awkward. "Yeah, it just hit me recently. I ran into her at the university, and it felt like seeing an old friend. Only yesterday did I realize she might be the person you've been looking for."
"Then why didn't you tell us yesterday?" Austin's eyes narrowed slightly.
Erica tried to stay calm. "Because there have been so many misunderstandings over the years, and I didn't want you to be disappointed again. So, I secretly had someone investigate and confirm her identity before bringing you this news."
Seeing Erica's confident demeanor, Austin pressed on, "Who did you find?"
"Her name is Wendy, a student in the literature department. She was also from that orphanage. We talked about our childhood, and that's when I realized it was her," Erica explained.
Austin nodded. "I'll look into it."
"I'll call Edward right away and tell him the good news. Edward and Arthur should come over too, so we can all meet," Erica suggested.
Austin's eyes narrowed, a cold glint appearing. "Sure, why not?"
Erica felt relieved after Austin agreed. "By the way, Austin, I saw Susanna getting close to Brian at the concert in the university auditorium yesterday. Since when did she get so close to our family?"
Austin knew she was fishing for information, so he replied calmly, "I don't know why, but I felt very familiar with Susanna the moment I saw her, like a sister. I believe Brian feels the same way."
Erica's smile faltered for a moment. "I see! But now that we've found the real sister, Austin won't need a stand-in anymore."
Austin's eyes were thoughtful. "You're right. Once we find the real sister, the stand-in won't be necessary."
"Alright, Austin, I'll let you get back to work. I won't keep you any longer," Erica said, looking for the perfect moment to leave.
As Erica turned and walked away, a sly grin spread across her face. If Wendy could step into Susanna's shoes, her own place would be secure.
Wendy, confident as she was, seemed capable of anything, even taking over Susanna's role. But that wasn't the endgame; Susanna needed to be completely out of the picture! If Susanna vanished, Erica's position would be untouchable.
Erica walked outside and looked at her secretary. "You were supposed to investigate Susanna. Have you found anything yet?"
"I did find something. Susanna is indeed pregnant. These are the prenatal check-up records from the hospital, although they aren't under Susanna's name. But based on my inquiries and investigation, it was indeed Susanna who went for the check-ups," the secretary replied.
Erica's face changed instantly. "She's really pregnant? Whose child is it?"
"I don't know whose child it is. But Austin has been helping to cover up Susanna's pregnancy, and this false identity was also fabricated by Austin."
The news of Susanna's pregnancy hit Erica hard. Had she known earlier, she might have suspected that the child was Austin's. But now, she was convinced that Aaron was the father!
Based on the timing and the incident between Aaron and Susanna, everything fit perfectly!
Erica's eyes darkened as she muttered, "I really underestimated Susanna. Everyone thought she was faking the pregnancy to fool Maria, but who knew she was actually pregnant? She played us all!"
So, Susanna planned to secretly have Aaron's child in Novaria and use the baby to secure her position with Mrs. Abbott. That had to be her game.
And with the possibility that Susanna might actually be the rightful heir to the Jones family, it seemed like nothing could stop her.
Was Erica destined for a crushing defeat?
No way!
A murderous glint flashed in Erica's eyes as she turned to her secretary. "We need to get rid of Susanna and her unborn childASAP!"
"Susanna, you've left me no choice!" Erica seethed inwardly.
After Erica left, Austin thought for a moment and called Edward. "Edward, we need to talk."
Austin recounted Erica's probing. On the other end, Edward's voice was serious. "Erica might already be suspicious. She deliberately found an impostor to deceive us."
"Exactly. Erica doesn't want Susanna to return to the Jones family, so she found a fake. This means Erica knew Susanna's whereabouts all along and kept it from us, making us miss out on finding Susanna for years." Austin's tone turned icy. "Edward, Erica is unforgivable."
"Well, it's fine anyway. All the paperwork for Susanna is done. We should all come over, clear things up, expose Erica's lies on the spot, and make sure she gets what she deserves," Edward said.
"That's what I was thinking too."
After hanging up, Austin's lips curled into a cold smile. He would never let anyone who hurt Susanna get away with it.
In the days that followed, Susanna buried herself in her schoolwork, prepping for exams. But her curiosity often got the best of her, leading her to sneak glances at her WhatsApp messages. She couldn't resist sending multiple messages to Aaron: [Mr. Abbott, when can we discuss finalizing the divorce?]
Yet each time, there was no response.
In the Abbott Group's CEO office.
Aaron was fiddling with his phone, staring at the WhatsApp messages in a daze. He suddenly looked at Tyler beside him. "Any idea how I can avoid the divorce?"
Tyler hesitated before answering, "Maybe you should apologize?"
Apologize?
Aaron's face twisted in confusion. Apologizing to a woman was uncharted territory for him.
Back at school.
Susanna had been reading until evening when she packed up her things to go home. But as she reached the entrance, she noticed a crowd outside.
"Oh my God, that sports car looks so expensive, and that guy is so handsome."
"I wonder which girl is so lucky! With such a handsome guy, I'd even pursue him myself!"
Susanna was curious. Could someone be confessing their love outside the study room?
Wendy, bubbling with excitement, dragged Susanna into the crowd. "I have to see how handsome he is!"
Susanna didn't want to push through the crowd, but Wendy pulled her in, and they ended up in the front row. When she saw the man standing next to the sports car, she was utterly shocked.
Aaron was dressed casually, looking less stern and more elegant. Just standing there, his handsome and chiseled features were enough to captivate anyone.
When Susanna looked over, he suddenly turned his head to look at her.
In that instant, her heart skipped a beat.
