Chapter 353 Is Vivian Lying to Herself?
Elaine's eyes lit up, knowing Susanna would totally dig for the Abbott family's preferences from her. Getting Maud's nod was the golden ticket to marrying into the Abbott clan.
Elaine shot back quickly, "Nova, chill. You're gorgeous, come from a solid family, and you're super generous. Aunt Maud's gonna love you."
In Maud's world, she always leaned towards Aaron marrying into rich families. If the family background was right, everything else would probably fall into place.
A flicker of sarcasm danced in Susanna's eyes. Maud's obsession with status made her an easy target.
Susanna went on, "But with Vivian in the picture, I'm still kinda worried. I mean, she's been with Aaron for years."
"Nova, Aaron's not into Vivian, not even a little. And Aunt Maud? She doesn't think much of Vivian's family. If it weren't for Vivian having a kid, she wouldn't even..."
Elaine stopped short, a flash of unease crossing her face, like she almost spilled something she shouldn't have. Susanna leaned in, pressing, "Elaine, that kid's Aaron's, right?"
"Actually, not necessarily."
Just as Elaine was about to drop some insider info, Maud's voice rang out from outside the room. "Elaine, having coffee without inviting me?"
Maud strutted in with Lvy, both flaunting designer bags and looking all high and mighty.
But Maud's face changed the second she saw Susanna, blurting out, "Susanna?"
On the way over, Maud thought Vivian was being dramatic. How could someone look so similar unless they had plastic surgery?
But staring at this woman who looked just like Susanna, if Maud didn't know Susanna was dead, she might've thought this was Susanna herself. Hearing this, Susanna's smile deepened, and she shot a deliberate look at Elaine, "Elaine, who's this?"
Even though she knew the middle-aged woman was Aaron's mom, she had to play dumb now.
Elaine piped up, "Nova, this is Aaron's mom, Mrs. Maud Abbott. Aunt Maud, we were just talking about you. And here you are, what a coincidence. Come on, have a seat."
A hint of caution flashed in Maud's eyes as she eyed the woman who looked like Susanna. "What were you saying about me?" she asked.
"Nova wants to know your likes and dislikes. Aunt Maud, let me introduce you. This is Nova Ramirez, Aaron's girlfriend," Elaine said.
With confidence, Susanna looked straight at Maud, her red lips curling into a subtle smile, "Mrs. Abbott, just call me Nova."
Maud stared at the face that looked like Susanna's, frowning. "Susanna, what are you up to now?"
Susanna chuckled, "Maud, you've got the wrong person. I'm not Aaron's ex-wife."
"That's right, Aunt Maud. Nova isn't Susanna. They're totally different, like night and day," Elaine quickly explained, thinking Susanna wasn't as generous as Nova.
Maud still found it hard to believe. Seeing this face was like seeing Susanna come back to life, giving her goosebumps.
Her demeanor turned icy, and she snapped at Elaine, "Elaine, look at your post. Future wife of Aaron? Don't overdo it. Aaron's kind of a big deal. Any scandal could mess things up for him."
Susanna got the underlying warning loud and clear, a clear message to not get any funny ideas.
She shot up with a frosty look, saying, "Since Mrs. Maud Abbott dislikes me so much, I'll bounce."
She grabbed her designer bag and left, not wanting to deal with any more drama.
Elaine quickly grabbed her arm. "Nova, don't take it to heart. Aunt Maud's just got strong opinions. She's reminding me, not you."
Maud kept her high-and-mighty attitude. "Ms. Ramirez, you've got quite the temper. Reacting like this to a few words might not be great for a relationship with Aaron."
Lvy chimed in, "Exactly. Aaron's the heir to the Abbott family. His wife needs to be generous, dignified, and most importantly, respect her elders."
Hearing this, Susanna smirked, "Too bad. I've always been spoiled by my family and can't stand any crap. I don't even know what it means to be generous and dignified."
Maud had planned to subtly flex her dominance over Nova, but Nova's confident vibe threw her off. Maud's displeasure was clear as she said, "Ms. Ramirez, I don't recall a prominent Ramirez family in Novaria. Care to enlighten me about your wealthy lineage?"
Susanna didn't back down, "Are you digging into my background?"
Lvy jumped in, "Ms. Ramirez, the Abbott family is top-tier in Lindwell. His future wife must come from a similar background. If you don't dare to reveal your family background, are you hiding something?"
Maud added, "In this society, many young women pretend to be wealthy. Do they really think rich families are blind and won't do background checks?"
"Aunt Maud, please, Nova isn't like that," Elaine interjected, feeling anxious. How could Nova have this super VIP card if she wasn't from a wealthy family? This card wasn't something just anyone could have!
But Maud cut Elaine off sharply, "Elaine, you're still too naive. A little gift can buy you off. Are you that unambitious?"
Susanna sneered, "Alright, I get it. I'll leave, is that enough?" Without another word, she turned and walked out.
Elaine was super anxious and looked back at Maud. "Aunt Maud, what are you doing?"
Maud replied, "Elaine, I'm reminding you not to be fooled by her. She's using her looks to get close to Aaron. If you're not careful, you'll be used by her!"
"Yeah, she doesn't even dare to reveal her family background. Clearly, she's a gold digger," Lvy echoed.
"Aunt Maud, Nova isn't a gold digger! Have you ever seen a gold digger using a DivineDynasty super VIP card to deceive people?" Elaine defended Susanna fiercely.
Maud was shocked. "What? You mean she has a DivineDynasty super VIP card?"
"Aunt Maud, why would I lie to you? We just came from DivineDynasty, booked the place for the whole afternoon, could choose any brand first, no reservations, no waiting! You have no idea how awesome that felt!" Elaine said proudly, as if she owned the VIP card.
Maud was still a bit skeptical. "Elaine, are you sure?"
Elaine remarked, "I'm absolutely sure. Look at this bag, isn't it the one you couldn't get from Mrs. Thompson last time? It's super rare, even harder to get than hers. I casually mentioned it, and the store manager brought it out for me."
Maud's face darkened. How could this be? Could it be that Vivian was lying to her?
