Chapter 341 He Must Not Find Out
Aaron got a call from Tyler real quick. "Mr. Abbott, they're open to talking, but they wanna haggle over the price. Looks like they wanna jack it up!"
Aaron squinted a bit, glancing over at Susanna and Lillian chilling at the dining table. He kept it cool, "Don't budge on the price yet. Just play it cool and see how it goes."
If he caved too fast, Susanna might get suspicious.
Sam, who'd been eavesdropping, whispered, "Aaron, you setting up another deal with Nova?"
"Yeah."
"Good move. Nova's got it out for us and ain't gonna sell us that special medicine easy," Sam said, his shirt still showing the day's mess. "Aaron, I really don't think Nova's Susanna."
'She's got this wicked vibe, like a total witch!' Sam thought.
Aaron stayed chill. "Right now, the main thing is getting that special medicine for Grandma."
As for figuring out who Nova really was, that could wait. "Aaron, once the rain stops, they'll be on the first flight out. How we gonna track 'em then?" Sam asked.
Aaron replied, "I cut a deal with Connor. We'll know who she is soon enough."
In this world, nothing stays hidden if the stakes are high enough.
He looked back at Susanna and Lillian, his eyes deep in thought.
Not far off, Susanna finally saw Lillian finish her meal. She let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, let's pack up and head home. Your uncles haven't seen you in a while; they must be missing you."
"I miss them too! Mommy, can I bring them gifts?"
"Sure thing, let's go."
Susanna didn't stop Lillian. Knowing how much her brothers doted on the kid, even if Lillian picked up a random leaf, they'd probably post it all over social media.
While shopping with Lillian, Susanna's phone rang. Her face turned serious as she answered, "Michael, what's up? Everything okay with Charles?"
She'd had a rough pregnancy and gave birth to Lillian and Charles prematurely.
But Charles's health was way worse than Lillian's, and he'd been under Michael's care.
Lately, Michael's team had come up with a drug for Charles, but the side effects were wild.
Michael said, "The complications have kicked in."
Susanna's heart sank. "What complications?"
"Leukemia, with platelet issues. He needs a bone marrow transplant or cord blood."
Susanna got anxious. "Use mime."
"I've checked all your blood types; none match. That's why I'm calling. There's still one person we haven't tested," Michael said.
Susanna's mind raced to the untested person. She paused, took a deep breath, and asked, "Are you sure his father will be a match?"
"Usually, if none of you match, the father's the best bet."
"I get it."
Staring out at the endless sea, Susanna thought about how crucial it was for Aaron to agree to the bone marrow match. If it worked out, she'd need him to be willing to donate to Charles.
On the other end, Michael said, "If we do a bone marrow match, Aaron's gonna figure out who Charles really is."
"I'll handle it. I'll do whatever it takes to save Charles," Susanna said, trying to stay calm. "How much time do we have?"
"As soon as possible, no more than a month," Michael replied.
"Got it."
After hanging up, Susanna felt a wave of stress and rubbed her eyes. She thought leaving Radiant Valley meant no more Abbott family drama, but here she was, right back in it.
She quickly texted Abel: [The special medicine is off the market for now.]
With everything going on, Susanna decided to use the special medicine as a bargaining chip with Aaron. But she was dead set on keeping Charles's existence under wraps and needed a foolproof plan.
"Mommy, check out the gifts I picked!" Lillian came out with a bunch of stuffed animals, grinning from ear to ear.
Susanna forced a smile and walked over. "Are these for your uncles or for you?"
They were all stuffed animals, clearly something Lillian would love.
"Mommy, what's wrong? You look sad," Lillian noticed her expression and immediately put down the toys, gently touching her face. "Mommy, what's wrong?"
"Lillian, I need to talk to you about something," Susanna said.
She figured it was best to be upfront with Lillian. They never kept secrets from each other, and she didn't want to start now.
Ten minutes later, Lillian's eyes were red and she choked up, "Mommy, is Charles gonna die?"
Susanna hugged Lillian tight. "No, as long as the bone marrow match works out, Charles will be fine."
Lillian nodded, trying to be brave. "I get it, Mommy. Don't worry, I'll do my best to help!"
Susanna kissed Lillian's forehead. "Thank you, sweetie."
"For Charles, it's no big deal. I love him the most."
Lillian knew Charles wasn't well and couldn't do normal kid stuff like her. She really wanted him to get better soon.
As Susanna and Lillian finished up their shopping, Abel came over, saying, "Ms. Jones, the buyer's asking why you canceled the deal. They're pretty freaked out."
"No matter how freaked out they are, it's useless. Just tell them the special medicine's not for sale," Susanna said firmly, having other plans for it now.
Abel, with clear instructions, immediately turned down the buyer.
Aaron got the news fast, and his face darkened. He furrowed his brow and asked, "Did they say why?"
"They were firm, just said it's not for sale," Tyler answered.
Sam wondered aloud, "Think Ms. Ramirez found out we're the buyers?"
Tyler, standing nearby, replied, "I doubt it. We've been careful; we shouldn't have been exposed this quick."
Aaron was puzzled, trying to figure out what Susanna was up to.
Just then, Aaron's phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, he paused before answering, "Hello."
"Uncle Aaron, how's it going? Are you busy?" Lillian's sweet voice came through.
Aaron's voice softened instantly. "Not busy at all. What can I do for you?"
