Chapter 334 Finally Not Pretending Anymore?
Aaron glanced at Susanna, and man, she looked just like the girl he remembered. It was like he got yanked back four years, seeing the Susanna who'd been MIA for so long.
For a sec, he got all choked up, even kinda happy. Guess he always hoped she was doing alright.
Susanna turned to him, her face all sad and distant, like she was trying to keep her cool.
She didn't move, her voice all wistful. "Surprised you still remember me after four years."
Aaron took a deep breath, locked eyes with her, and said, calm but with a bit of edge, "So, you finally dropping the act?"
He'd always thought Susanna was faking it, hiding her real self even though she knew who he was.
Susanna's eyebrows twitched. So, Aaron really thought she was pretending? Fine, she'd keep it up.
She replied, all indifferent, "Because it wasn't fun anymore."
"Susanna, you got any idea how long I've been looking for you?"
Aaron stared at her, a million things he wanted to say but couldn't. His throat tightened, his mind a mess, but he just couldn't spit it out.
He wanted to tell her he never thought she'd hurt Maria, not for a second.
Susanna dodged his gaze, pulled out a chair, and sat down, eyeing the steak in front of her. "Mr. Abbott, we were done the moment we divorced. Why are you still looking for me?"
From what she dug up, she used to be just some regular woman. He kept her info on the down-low 'cause he was scared she'd embarrass the Abbott family.
She was genuinely curious about this Aaron in front of her. What was his deal?
"Because I think some things need to be cleared up," Aaron said.
Susanna paused, knife and fork in hand. "Go ahead, what do you wanna explain?"
Aaron looked at her, feeling like something was off but couldn't put his finger on it.
Susanna raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Abbott?"
Aaron switched gears. "Why'd you fake your death and bail? Who's Lillian's dad?"
"Mr. Abbott, if you keep talking like this, we're done here," Susanna shot back.
She was pretending to be her old self to figure out what went down back then. She still didn't remember the past.
If she asked Edward and the others now, they'd freak out and might even fly straight to Radiant Valley.
Not wanting to stir the pot, Susanna decided to test Aaron. But just as she was about to dig deeper, Aaron switched it up and even asked who Lillian's dad was!
Looked like Edward and the others were right; Aaron was a jerk. She thought he was different. Nope, just like the rest.
Susanna lifted her eyelids, her tone super calm. "You know why I faked my death and left, don't you?"
Aaron pressed his lips together. Yeah, he knew why she left, and the fake death was probably her brother's idea. He never thought she'd actually vanish for four years!
He said in a deep voice, "I get your brother setting up the whole fake death thing, but I can't wrap my head around you ghosting for four years. If I hadn't bumped into you now, who knows how long you'd keep hiding?"
"So what?"
"So your dodging makes people think you were the bad guy back then."
Bad guy?
Hearing that, Susanna's mind went into overdrive, imagining all sorts of scenarios. She dropped her knife and fork with a loud clatter. "Hold up, you spent four years hunting me down just to find the real culprit? That's seriously messed up!" Susanna grabbed the steak knife and pointed it right at Aaron's face. "Mr. Abbott, why should anyone put up with your baseless crap?"
Even though she hadn't remembered everything yet, just hearing him talk like that made her blood boil.
If she ever found out how much she suffered back then and almost lost her kid, she wouldn't hesitate to burn the Abbott family to the ground. None of them were good people!
Aaron felt the cold blade on his face but didn't flinch, staring at her up close. "I just want the truth."
What happened back then was too sudden. Even though they caught someone later, all the surveillance was trashed, and it always felt like they missed something.
Susanna's eyes turned icy, and she pointed the knife and fork at Aaron's neck. "I suggest you shut up!" she said coolly.
She wasn't the weak, bullied girl she used to be.
"Stop, Susanna, what are you doing? You wanna kill Aaron?"
Vivian burst through the glass door, rushing in. Seeing the knife at Aaron's neck, she almost collapsed from fear.
Susanna saw Vivian and pulled back her hand, looking at Aaron with a mocking gaze.
Aaron frowned and snapped at Vivian, "Who let you in?"
"Aaron, if I hadn't come, you'd be in danger. This woman is ruthless, totally different from the old Susanna. You need to be careful," Vivian warned, her voice shaky.
Susanna laughed at Vivian's words, leaning back in her chair. She looked Vivian dead in the eyes. "You're missing the point, aren't you? This is all just a game to me, pure entertainment." As she spoke, her foot slid up Aaron's suit pants bit by bit. Aaron felt something was off, his body tensing up. He looked at her, surprised and confused.
Finally, he freed a hand and pressed her foot down under the tablecloth.
Aaron looked at Vivian with an unnatural expression. "You can leave now."
Vivian stared at Aaron in disbelief. She couldn't understand why he seemed so chill about Susanna pointing a knife at his neck and even asked her to leave?
Susanna's smile widened, a triumphant look in her eyes as she challenged Vivian, "Ms. Nguyen, you still wanna stick around?"
An angry glint flashed in Vivian's eyes as she shot a sharp look at Susanna. With visible reluctance, she turned to Aaron and muttered, "Aaron, your mom heard about a tsunami threat near Radiant Valley and is freaking out. Make sure to call her later." Susanna waved at Vivian, who stormed out, her high heels almost piercing the floor.
After Vivian left, Susanna casually lifted her other foot and planted it squarely on Aaron's thigh. Aaron stared at her with intense, brooding eyes, his profile etched with tension.
