Chapter 370 She's Wrong
Susanna spun around and, sure enough, saw Maud strutting to the door, all smiles for Penelope. Maud was clearly thrilled with her.
"Nova, Ms. Sullivan's been chasing Aaron for years, and he's always been cold as ice. No way they're getting together."
Susanna raised an eyebrow. "But Mrs. Abbott set this whole thing up just to make me back off."
Susanna saw right through the scheme.
"Once Aaron shows up, he'll have your back. Ms. Sullivan's just gonna be green with envy. By the way, Nova, where's Aaron? Why didn't he come with you?"
"We were supposed to come together, but something urgent came up at his company, so I came first."
Susanna didn't care about that; she wanted to scope out her new Velvet Sky Ballroom early.
Maud was all warm and fuzzy with the Sullivan family, crucial to her plan.
Penelope, in her white evening gown, looked all noble and elegant. She pulled out a gift box and said, "Mrs. Abbott, happy birthday."
Inside was a necklace.
Lvy chimed in, "Maud, look how thoughtful Ms. Sullivan is, giving you such a pricey necklace. Unlike some people who came empty-handed."
Her words were a clear jab at Elaine and Susanna.
Maud waved it off. "Gifts are just a gesture. I don't don't need things from people who don't matter."
Just then, Elaine's mom, Jennifer, walked over. "Maud, Elaine actually got you a gift a while back but forgot it in her rush. I brought it for her."
Jennifer opened the box, revealing a rare purple DivineDynasty handbag.
Maud's eyes lit up. Wasn't this the limited edition handbag Elaine bought at the private show yesterday?
Elaine's eyes widened. "Mom, what are you doing?"
She didn't expect Jennifer to give away the handbag; she had planned to sell it!
Jennifer pressed Elaine's hand and calmly said, "Elaine, we've been so grateful for the Abbott family's care over the years. I know you haven't shown it, but deep down, you still care about Maud, right?"
Elaine wanted to argue but couldn't deny it in front of everyone. It was infuriating.
Maud took the rare purple handbag and said arrogantly, "No need to be so polite."
Elaine thought, 'Then just give it back to me!'
Before Elaine could say anything, Lvy interjected, "Maud, since it's Elaine's gesture, you should accept it. After all, you're all family."
Elaine watched Maud accept the handbag like it was hers and was furious! She had hoped to make a lot of money from that bag.
Susanna saw the high-quality fake bag being accepted by Maud, and a look of surprise flashed in her eyes. This was an unexpected twist.
She didn't expect the bag to end up in Maud's hands.
Lvy looked down at her and asked, "Ms. Ramirez, where's your gift?"
Now the Sullivan Family also looked at Susanna, but Penelope, upon seeing her face, exclaimed in surprise, "Is she Susanna?"
Penelope had done her homework and knew what Aaron's ex-wife looked like, so when she saw Susanna, she almost thought she was seeing things.
Everyone at the party who was tight with the Abbott family and had seen Susanna before also looked shocked. The resemblance was wild.
Susanna's red lips curled up. "Yeah, I know Mr. Abbott's ex-wife looks like me. Guess beautiful women just have that in common."
Penelope was thrown off and a bit freaked out. "Aunt Maud, who is this lady?"
Maud introduced her coldly, "She's Nova Ramirez, Elaine's friend."
Elaine jumped in, "Aunt Maud, you're wrong. Nova is Aaron's girlfriend."
"Elaine, what are you talking about? When did Aaron get a girlfriend? I don't know about it, and I don't accept it."
Maud made it clear, and Violet and Penelope's faces lit up. A daughter-in-law not accepted by the parents? No way she’s marrying Aaron.
Elaine shot back, "We'll see when Aaron gets here, won't we?"
Maud brushed it off and turned to Violet and Penelope, "Don't mind the kids. Let's take a stroll in this garden. It's gorgeous, and you can't see such a meticulously designed garden elsewhere."
Violet buttered her up, "I heard Velvet Sky Ballroom upgraded its private custom services just for you, with exclusive designs. We're all super jealous."
Maud beamed, "All thanks to Aaron's influence and the Abbott family's rep. The service at Velvet Sky Ballroom is top-notch, from the decor to the food. Everything was airlifted this morning, super fresh. If you want to throw a party next time, come here."
As they walked around, other rich ladies also gushed about Velvet Sky Ballroom.
Susanna, hearing all the praise, felt on top of the world and grinned. "It's just okay."
Was it really that good? She was starting to feel pretty proud.
Penelope suddenly turned to her and asked, "Ms. Ramirez, you think the decor here is just okay? You must have high standards."
For a moment, all the rich ladies stared at Susanna.
Especially Maud, who felt a bit miffed. "If Ms. Ramirez doesn't appreciate this place, you can leave anytime."
Susanna smiled and replied, "Sorry, that's not what I meant."
"Good."
Maud turned around and said, "Everyone, follow me. There's a patch of blue roses here that reportedly cost millions to cultivate. The blue roses elsewhere are dyed with ink, but these are the real deal."
Everyone started snapping pics of the blue roses.
Maud bragged, "You can buy seeds of these blue roses to plant at home, but no guarantees they'll grow."
Penelope said, "Growing blue roses is super tough, which is why they're so rare. The temperature needs to be kept at 77 degrees during breeding, and during flowering and pollination, the light exposure needs to be exactly 8 hours, not a second more or less."
Maud was thrilled. "Penelope, you even know this? You're so knowledgeable."
Penelope smiled smugly but tried to play it cool, "Not really, I just have a hobby of flower arranging and cooking, so I know a bit about these things."
Susanna said flatly, "She's wrong."
