Chapter 382 "Mr. Abbott, let's lay it all out today."
Susanna's heart skipped a beat; she never saw it coming that he'd suggest Lillian stay in Lindwell for treatment!
Totally blindsided her.
She thought about those pics Aaron had shown her earlier. Aaron must be suspicious of her, which is why he threw out the idea of Lillian staying in Lindwell.
Looks like Aaron wasn't buying her story at all.
But she couldn't afford to mess things up with Aaron just yet. If things went south, what if Aaron bailed on the bone marrow donation?
She didn't want to stir the pot.
Susanna mulled it over for a sec and nodded. "Alright."
Aaron noticed how quickly she agreed, his eyes narrowing a bit. He thought throwing that condition out there would tick her off.
Surprisingly, she went along with it.
What game was she playing?
Both had their own agendas. Susanna kept munching on her ice cream and suddenly said, "Oh, by the way, Mr. Abbott, Elaine mentioned that Vivian's pretty banged up, broken leg and all?"
Aaron gave her a long look. "You and Elaine tight now?"
Susanna and Elaine never got along before!
Susanna flashed a knowing smile and said, "Mr. Abbott, don't dodge the question. Since we're laying it all out today, there's something I've been dying to ask."
"Shoot."
"What's the deal with you and Vivian? Is that kid yours?"
Aaron put down his fork and asked, "You jealous?"
Seeing Aaron's smug face, Susanna faked a smile, "Of course I'm jealous. Word is, you split with your ex-wife because of Vivian. I don't want history repeating itself!"
Aaron's lips thinned. "It was complicated back then, but my thing with Vivian isn't what you think. And the kid? Not mine."
"If the kid's not yours, why's Vivian still crashing at the Abbott place, and why does Maud act like the kid's yours? There's gotta be a reason, right?"
Susanna had tried to get the scoop on Ramond's identity from Elaine before, but Elaine was clueless too.
Susanna looked seriously at Aaron, wanting the truth.
Aaron's voice was low, "I can't spill the kid's identity. But he's definitely not my secret son."
Aaron's words didn't give away much.
Susanna didn't push it. She'd asked enough, and if he still wouldn't spill, no point in digging further.
Pushing more would make her look genuinely jealous, and she wasn't that petty.
She just remembered the tattoo on Vivian's ankle and felt something was off, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Maybe when she got back to Novaria, she should see a shrink again.
She wanted to get her memory back and figure out what went down back then.
Susanna quickly got a message from her secretary: [The Abbott Group wants to team up with Velvet Sky Ballroom. Should we pass?]
Seeing the message, Susanna raised an eyebrow. Didn't see that coming.
She thought for a moment and replied: [Don't rush to pass. Send me the proposal first.]
After all, the Abbott family was loaded in Lindwell. Teaming up with them could help Velvet Sky Ballroom break into the Lindwell scene.
Aaron quickly finished his lunch and said to her, "I'll drop you back at the hospital first. I'll swing by after my meeting this afternoon."
"Alright, let's grab dinner tonight." Susanna shot Aaron a complicated look. "Don't burn yourself out. You can't make all the money in the world, you know."
Aaron's eyes narrowed, his voice smooth. "You worried about me?"
"Don't you like being cared for?"
Susanna wanted to smack him. If he overworked himself, it might mess up the bone marrow donation.
She wasn't worried about Aaron's health; she was worried about the surgery timeline.
After they left the restaurant and got in the car, Tyler reported, "Mr. Abbott, Velvet Sky Ballroom replied that they're considering the collaboration. We've sent the proposal and they said their boss needs to review it before deciding."
Hearing this, Susanna felt a bit pleased. She did need to get back to the hospital to check out the Abbott family's proposal.
Aaron rubbed his temples and said in a low voice, "Have we figured out who the boss of Velvet Sky Ballroom is?"
Susanna blinked. Seriously? Digging into the boss's identity just for a collab?
She felt a bit panicked.
After all, Aaron had already found out about her trip to Madison. She couldn't underestimate his skills and was worried her cover might get blown.
Tyler replied, "We haven't nailed it down yet, but the builder of Velvet Sky Ballroom is the Jones Group."
"The Jones Group?"
Aaron's eyes suddenly widened, looking at the woman beside him.
Susanna put on an innocent face. "The Jones Group? Yeah, I know them. The rich Jones family from Novaria, right? Their real estate game is global and pretty solid. Makes sense for Velvet Sky Ballroom from Novaria to team up with them."
Edward was indeed impressive!
Aaron said in a low voice, "You seem to know quite a bit."
Susanna smiled. "Just a little. After all, I'm from Novaria too."
"In that case, do you know the boss of Velvet Sky Ballroom?"
"I don't. I've heard the person is super mysterious."
Susanna would never spill her identity. She'd been hiding it for years to avoid being found out by Aaron, always having others handle things for her.
Aaron didn't push further, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After getting back to the hospital, Susanna immediately pulled out her phone to check the Abbott Group's proposal. It looked pretty solid.
But she had another big issue to deal with.
Aaron had suggested that Lillian stay in the hospital for treatment. To dodge his suspicion, she had temporarily agreed.
So how should she handle this now?
Should she really bring Charles to Lindwell?
Susanna thought it over and went back to the ward to talk to Lillian, "Lillian, I need you to help me with one more thing."
"Okay, I'll be brave and help Charles get better."
Susanna patted Lillian's little head. "This time, he'll get better, just like a normal person."
Her eyes darkened. No matter the cost, she would make sure the bone marrow donation went smoothly this time!
In the evening, Aaron showed up at the hospital as promised.
Susanna smiled and walked over. "Your room's upstairs. Come down for dinner later."
Ten minutes later, Aaron came downstairs, holding a pink gift box, clearly meant for Lillian.
Seeing the gift box, Susanna paused. "Your gift's right on time. I couldn't cheer her up earlier."
"What happened to her?"
