Chapter 360 Where is the Child's Father?
Aaron's face went from zero to sixty when he heard the test results.
He shot up from his chair and, with a voice that could cut glass, said, "I'm on my way."
With that, Aaron slammed the phone down, bolted out of his seat, and stormed out of the conference room, leaving a bunch of execs looking like deer in headlights.
Aaron was a workhorse; nobody dared to take a call during his meetings.
They'd never seen Aaron bail on a meeting for a phone call. Something big must've gone down.
Outside, Aaron snatched his suit jacket and barked at Tyler, "Get the VP to finish the meeting. I want answers by tomorrow."
"Yes, Mr. Abbott. Where are you off to?"
"The hospital."
Tyler had a pretty good idea who'd called Aaron.
Only Nova could make Aaron break his own rules.
Meanwhile, Susanna hung up and turned to the doctor, "You know what to do when Aaron gets here, right?"
The doctor adjusted his glasses, "Yes, Mr. Brown briefed us. Charles's blood sample is here, and we'll start the bone marrow match right away."
"Thanks."
Thinking about Charles possibly getting better, Susanna felt a wave of relief and hoped this time things would go smoothly.
Not long after, Aaron rolled up to the hospital.
He saw Susanna, eyes a bit red like she'd been crying.
Aaron said softly, "Where's the doc? Let's get this match done."
Susanna had a whole speech ready to convince Aaron to donate, but he was already on board. She was surprised. "Mr. Abbott, it's urgent, and we're in Lindwell, so we had to ask for your help."
"Yeah, I get it. Don't sweat it. I got the best medical team on the way. We'll fix this."
Susanna took a deep breath and looked at him. "This time, I owe you one."
If Aaron really went through with the bone marrow donation, she'd give him the last bottle of special medicine before leaving Lindwell.
Aaron followed the nurse to the blood collection room. Watching his blood fill the vial, he felt a pang of sadness for sweet little Lillian.
After the blood draw, he asked the nurse, "How soon for the match results?"
"In two days. But don't worry, the kid's dad usually matches pretty well."
Aaron paused, the kid's dad?
He glanced at the nurse, realizing she thought he was Lillian's father, but he didn't bother correcting her. He just got up and left.
Outside, he saw Susanna pacing, looking more worried and vulnerable than he'd ever seen her.
She looked more like a mom now.
Susanna walked over and handed him a piece of candy. "Did the blood draw hurt?"
Aaron looked at the candy and replied coolly, "Didn't hurt. I don't like sweets."
"But the doc said the match process might be uncomfortable."
She unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth.
Aaron almost instinctively ate it. The sweetness hit him, and he frowned a bit; it was way too sweet.
Susanna flashed a triumphant smile and said, "This is Lillian's favorite candy. She's terrified of needles and blood draws, so I got these to cheer her up."
Aaron glanced at the candy wrapper in her hand and made a mental note of the brand.
As they walked towards the ward, Aaron asked in a low voice, "Does Lillian know what's really going on?"
"No, I haven't told her. She just thinks it's a bad cold."
Susanna glanced at him and added, "Don't tell her either. She just thinks she's anemic and needs your blood."
Aaron nodded lightly, "Got it."
With that settled, they walked into the ward to see Lillian.
Nearby, Vivian was lurking in the shadows, watching the whole scene. Seeing Aaron being so good to Nova and her daughter made her blood boil. Why did Lillian get such special treatment from Aaron?
Vivian clenched her fists, trying to keep her cool by digging her nails into her palms. But when she thought about Lillian having leukemia, she couldn't help but smirk.
She maliciously thought, 'Serves her right.'
She finally pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Aunt Maud, it's me. Can we meet? I have something super important to tell you in person!"
No way was she letting Aaron donate bone marrow to Lillian.
Maud would never let a divorced woman with a kid like Nova marry into the Abbott family!
In the ward.
Lillian had fallen asleep after playing.
Susanna looked at Aaron with a complicated expression. "Thanks for being so patient with her. Lillian's been really attached to you since she doesn't have a dad around."
Seeing Aaron play so patiently with Lillian stirred something in Susanna's heart.
Could this be the pull of blood relations?
Aaron glanced at the sleeping Lillian and then looked at Susanna, saying in a low voice, "Last time you said you mistook someone, and the kid's dad isn't Sam?"
"Yeah."
Susanna was a bit surprised and secretly observed him. Did Aaron sense something?
Aaron continued, "If the guy you're looking for isn't Sam, is he from Lindwell?"
Susanna nodded and replied, "I think so."
"Where did you first hear that the kid's dad was Sam?"
Susanna felt the conversation was taking a weird turn. She hesitated for a moment and answered, "Mr. Abbott, why are you asking this?"
"If the kid's dad is from Lindwell, I can help you find him. There's no one in Lindwell I can't track down. The nurse just said that the success rate for the kid's dad in matching is very high. Given Lillian's condition, finding her real dad for a match would be better."
Hearing Aaron's explanation, Susanna's heart, which had been in her throat, relaxed a bit. So that's why he was asking; she thought he had figured something out.
Susanna was silent for a moment and then answered, "Actually, I accidentally learned from my brother that Lillian's dad is from Lindwell. I don't know much else."
"It seems you don't know Lillian's dad very well?"
Susanna stiffened and lied, "It was a one-time thing. Who remembers those details?"
After she finished speaking, she noticed Aaron's face darken.
She coughed and explained, "I was young and reckless. Everyone has their rebellious phase, right?"
Aaron's lips pressed into a thin, cold line. "Tell me everything you know. It might take some time to find him."
Susanna's expression stiffened.
