Chapter 300 When Envy Shows Its Face
Elaine saw Susanna getting all the attention and couldn't help but fume. "Aunt Maud, check out how everyone's all over Susanna today."
Maud snorted, "If you zip it, no one will think you're mute."
'I'm not blind!' Maud thought, rolling her eyes.
"Aunt Maud, I'm not wrong. To anyone looking, it seems like Susanna, not you, is the queen bee of the Abbott family. She's already ditched Aaron, so why's she the star of the show today?"
Maud knew the score, but Susanna was now the Jones family's golden girl, and she couldn't risk ticking her off!
Even as Mrs. Maud Abbott, she had to deal with Maria, let alone Aaron, who had zero respect for her. What else could she do?
Maud swallowed her pride and said awkwardly, "Alright, everyone must be tired of chatting. Let's go grab some grub."
Meanwhile, Susanna was feeling a bit peckish and headed to the food table.
Aviana slid up to Susanna with a smirk. "Susanna, did you catch Maud's sour face just now? I noticed her necklace has some history, but it can't hold a candle to yours."
"Maud loves to compare, so your words probably hit a nerve," Susanna said with a knowing smile, glancing at the delicate bracelet on her wrist. "Aviana, this bracelet is so precious, you never mentioned it before."
"This bracelet isn't even the best in my stash, so there wasn't much to say. I just gave it to you on a whim; I've got plenty more," Aviana said casually.
Susanna looked at Aviana, her eyes misty with emotion.
Brian came over and said, "Susanna, see how good Aviana is to you? I can't even borrow jewelry from her."
Justin nodded. "Yeah, I needed some of Aviana's jewelry for a movie, and she charged me a fortune."
Raising an eyebrow, Aviana quipped, "You guys are boys, can you compare to Susanna?"
Susanna flashed a tight-lipped smile; she always felt happy when her brothers bickered.
Suddenly, she felt a familiar, intense gaze on her. Casually, she turned her head and locked eyes with Aaron, his expression unreadable.
Susanna shot him a brief glance before quickly looking away, avoiding his direction. Yet, the weight of his stare lingered, unsettling her.
‘Why was Aaron fixated on me like this? The lingering gaze sent a shiver down my spine and made me feel distinctly uneasy.'
Lost in her thoughts, Susanna was a bit distracted as she ate. While heading to grab some fruit, a waitress accidentally bumped into her.
Reacting instinctively, she steadied herself by grabbing a nearby table. In the commotion, the waitress's wine glass tipped over, spilling its contents on the floor and splashing a bit onto Susanna's dress.
The waitress hurriedly knelt down to apologize, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." She apologized while trying to wipe the wine off Susanna's dress.
But the fancier the fabric, the harder it is to clean, and stains were inevitable.
Susanna's six brothers rushed over, their faces full of concern. "Susanna, you okay?"
Austin, the most worried, gently grabbed her wrist. "You good? Any pain or anything?"
Shaking her head, Susanna reassured them, "Nah, I'm fine. Just got spooked. I wasn't paying attention and bumped into her tray." Her mind had been all over the place thanks to Aaron's intense stare.
Edward shot a stern look at the apologetic, kneeling waitress. "Watch it next time!"
Tears welled up in the waitress's eyes as she pleaded, "I'm sorry, it was my fault. I really didn't mean to. I'm new here and can't afford to lose this job."
Susanna, always the softie, stepped in, "It's okay, really. I'm fine. Just a little stain on my dress."
She glanced down at the wine blotch and sighed. "Hope this isn't too hard to clean."
Aviana held her hand. "If it's stained, it's stained. You only wear these dresses once anyway. Just rock a new one next time."
Austin, still worried, suggested, "Susanna, let's hit the lounge and chill for a bit."
"Alright." Susanna agreed, feeling the need to deal with the wine stain on her white dress.
Her brothers escorted her away.
The waitress, still kneeling, slowly looked up at Susanna's retreating figure with a cold expression. As Susanna walked a few steps, she glanced back and saw the waitress picking up the glass before heading off. A weird sense of familiarity hit her; the waitress's posture reminded her of Wendy's distinctive way of moving.
But with the waitress keeping her head down, Susanna couldn't see her face clearly. Brushing it off, she thought, 'It must be a coincidence. The voice didn't match Wendy's anyway.'
Susanna shrugged off the incident and headed to the hall entrance with her brothers. Aaron approached and simply said, "I've arranged for a change of clothes."
Edward stepped forward, rejecting, "No need, I'll get someone to buy a new dress for Susanna."
The other brothers also blocked Aaron from getting close to Susanna.
Susanna stood still and looked at him. "No need, my brothers will handle it."
Aaron's throat moved slightly, and he said with difficulty, "You left some clothes here when you lived here. I mean, you can wear your old clothes. Grandma didn't let anyone touch that room; your stuff is still there."
Susanna didn't know what to say for a moment.
Aaron checked the time. "It would take time to buy a suitable dress now. Why not wear your old clothes?"
At that moment, Maria walked over, asking with concern, "Susanna, how did your dress get dirty? Go upstairs and change; there are still your clothes in the room."
Susanna could stand up to Aaron, but Maria was a different story. Caught in Maria's unwavering gaze, Susanna reluctantly nodded. "Alright."
Austin cut in, "Just have the servants bring the clothes down. We can change in the lounge." His tone made it clear he didn't want Susanna going upstairs, a subtle show of his disapproval.
Susanna followed her brothers to the lounge.
Maria fixed Aaron with a pointed gaze. "So, Aaron, any regrets now?"
