Chapter 371 Let Me Introduce My Girlfriend
As soon as Susanna opened her mouth, Maud shot back, "Ms. Ramirez, no way! Penelope's a pro at this stuff!"
Susanna didn't wanna clash with Penelope, but if they bought seeds and planted 'em Penelope's way, no way they'd get roses.
Everyone would think Velvet Sky Ballroom's seeds were trash. Susanna had to call out Penelope's wrong planting method to save Velvet Sky Ballroom's rep.
Otherwise, she wouldn't even bother.
Penelope glared at her, clearly pissed. "If you think I'm wrong, Ms. Ramirez, go ahead and correct me. What's the deal?"
"First off, the temp you mentioned is off. It should be 78 degrees Fahrenheit when planting, and it needs tweaking during germination, growth, and flowering. It's not a fixed temp. And yeah, light exposure should be eight hours, but it's cumulative, not continuous. You gotta adjust it based on the roses' growth, or the leaves will fry."
Susanna finished, cool as a cucumber, and Penelope's face twisted. How could this be different from what she found online?
Was the online info wrong too?
Violet snapped, "Ms. Ramirez, none of us here are gardening experts. How can you prove you're right?"
Maud jumped in, "Yeah, Violet's got a point."
Susanna raised an eyebrow. "To see if I'm right or wrong, let's ask the garden staff."
Right then, a staff member rushed over. "Anything I can help with?"
Maud asked, "If we buy these blue rose seeds, how do we grow 'em?"
"The conditions are pretty strict. We offer free training for your garden staff."
Violet cut in, "Just tell us how to grow them. We wanna know the process."
"Alright, ma'am. The key factor is temperature, which needs to be 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Each growth stage needs different temps, and light exposure should be cumulative eight hours, adjusted to prevent leaf burn."
The staff member went on with more details.
But the vibe had already shifted.
After hearing this, Maud's face went pale. She didn't expect Nova to be right.
Turns out Penelope was wrong!
Penelope and Violet exchanged looks. Penelope was fuming, practically grinding her teeth.
Elaine smirked, "See, Nova was right. If you'd listened to Penelope, you'd have wasted your money."
Penelope was on the verge of tears; she didn't expect the online info to be wrong.
Violet quickly tried to smooth things over. "My daughter only knows a bit. It's normal to get some details wrong; she's not a pro."
Maud nodded, "Yeah, exactly."
Susanna stayed calm, "Ms. Sullivan, pretending to know stuff when you don't can mislead others."
Penelope shot back, "Ms. Ramirez, you seem to know a lot. Are you a pro gardener?"
Violet added sarcastically, "In families like ours, we have gardeners for that. We don't have to know as much as they do."
Susanna caught the shade from Violet and Penelope and kept her cool, "It's just a hobby. I know a bit, just like Ms. Sullivan."
"Nova, you're practically an expert. Aaron's lucky to have such a well-rounded girlfriend," Elaine chimed in, throwing a side-eye at Penelope, who was all show and no substance.
"Hey everyone, Aaron, the flowers here are stunning," Vivian's voice rang out. She stood tall next to Aaron, eyeing the wealthy ladies.
Aaron strolled in, his eyes immediately landing on the woman in the bright red evening gown—bold and beautiful, just like her.
Susanna noticed Aaron's gaze and smirked. Finally, he was here.
Maud beamed, "Aaron, done with work? Come, let me introduce you. This is Ms. Sullivan, remember?"
Penelope's heart raced as Aaron walked towards her, thinking, 'He's coming, he's coming!'
Aaron moved gracefully, his handsome face drawing everyone's attention. But he stopped in front of Susanna, looking down at her. "Bored?"
"Not really. The garden's gorgeous, and those rare blue roses are a treat. Plus, I heard there's a surprise performance later. Super exciting," Susanna praised Velvet Sky Ballroom without holding back.
Penelope's face turned pale with anger. Aaron was clearly heading towards her; why did he stop in front of Nova?
Maud was fuming too. "Aaron, I asked you to greet Ms. Sullivan. What are you doing?"
Susanna watched Aaron with a half-smile, curious about his next move.
In the next second, Aaron wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.
Susanna felt the weight of Aaron's arm and the warmth of his palm, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
Aaron led her to Maud, who looked ready to explode.
But Aaron stayed calm, "Mom, let me introduce you to my girlfriend."
Susanna smiled politely, "Mrs. Abbott, happy birthday."
Maud was livid. She had invited Penelope to set her up with Aaron, expecting him to play along. But here he was, introducing Nova as his girlfriend. Infuriating.
The atmosphere turned awkward, especially with Penelope on the verge of tears.
Maud couldn't hold back, "Aaron, come with me. We need to talk."
Aaron narrowed his eyes and looked at Susanna, "The party's about to start. Go grab something to eat."
With that, Aaron followed Maud away.
Susanna watched Maud's angry retreat, feeling a bit better.
Elaine laughed, "Nova, or should I say Mrs. Abbott?"
Lvy cut in, "Elaine, that's not appropriate. In families like ours, a girlfriend doesn't hold much status."
Penelope added, "Exactly."
"Some people try so hard and still can't become Aaron's girlfriend!" Elaine remarked wistfully.
Penelope snapped, "Elaine, you're flaunting a bunch of fake stuff. Did you really think no one would notice?"
When Susanna heard "fake," she felt a pang of guilt. Had she been found out?
No way!
