Chapter 393 I Have Some Bad News to Tell You
Susanna stood there, cool as a cucumber, eyeing the freaked-out Elaine. "What did you just say? Didn't quite catch that. Mind repeating?"
Elaine's face went ghost-white. "I'm part of the Abbott family. Mess with me, and they'll come for you."
Susanna smirked, "Oh really? Let's see about that. I'll strip you both down and wait for the Abbott family to show up!"
With that, her bodyguards circled around, trapping Elaine and Vivian.
Elaine shrieked, "You can't do this! Aaron won't let you get away with it."
Susanna, already in a foul mood, decided to teach them a lesson. "Alright, you two. Figure out who stays and who goes."
Vivian shot back, "Ms. Ramirez, trying to pit us against each other? That's low."
"Low, but effective. Ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight..."
Elaine, sweating bullets, looked at Vivian. "I'm young, gotta get married someday. I'll go, you stay. Aaron will be grateful."
Vivian snapped, "Elaine, are you nuts? She won't dare do anything in public! Don't be such a wimp!"
"If you're so brave, you stay. I'm outta here."
Elaine shoved Vivian aside and bolted, leaving her heels behind.
Susanna laughed. "You went all out for Elaine, and she's a total waste."
"Don't get cocky! The Abbott family knows what you're really like. You don't stand a chance."
Susanna raised an eyebrow. "Not interested. Only fools pin everything on a man."
"Big talk. What if you had nothing?" Vivian eyed Susanna's luxury stuff, feeling bitter.
"Not so high and mighty without your money, huh?" Susanna sneered.
"Admit it, you love money. Without it, could you still be this arrogant?" Vivian retorted.
Susanna wasn't fazed. "If I had no money, at least I wouldn't be as low as you."
"Stop pretending. Maybe your money's dirty. You and your sick daughter should leave Lindwell. The Abbott family has no place for you!"
Susanna stepped forward and slapped Vivian hard, her hand stinging.
Vivian clutched her face, screaming, "How dare you hit me?"
"Forgot about feeding the sharks at Radiant Valley?"
Susanna grabbed Vivian's hair. "I warned you, don't mess with me. My daughter is off-limits. This slap is a warning; next time won't be so nice."
She let go and walked away, done wasting time.
Vivian stood there, a mess, licking her lips. "Your precious daughter, huh? You'll regret this! I'll make you beg!"
Back at her villa, Susanna called Michael. "The plane lands in Novaria tomorrow morning. I'm counting on you."
"What about you? What if Aaron finds out?"
"Don't sweat it. Aaron already knows. This is Abbott territory; it's hard to keep secrets. But hey, Lillian and the bone marrow made it back safe."
"Did Aaron give you any trouble?" Michael's voice was tight.
Susanna thought about the rooftop showdown with Aaron and said coolly, "Nothing major. I handled it. I'm still Ms. Jones. What can Aaron do to me?"
"Susanna, you should get back on the private jet ASAP."
"Yeah, that was the plan. But I wanna see Aunt Madison first. It's too late today, so I'll visit her tomorrow morning, have a meal, then head back. Since Aaron already knows, a few hours won't make a difference."
"Leaving Lindwell this time, it'll be months before I'm back. I wanna have a meal with Madison before I go. I haven't been around much these past four years."
Michael was quiet for a moment, then said, "Alright, take care. If the Abbott family gives you any trouble, call us right away."
"I know. Please look after Charles."
"Don't worry, he's not just your kid. I've watched him grow up; I care about him as much as you do."
After chatting a bit more, Susanna hung up.
Even though Aaron found out she sent the bone marrow and Lillian back to Novaria and knew she was playing him, she wasn't scared.
Compared to what the Abbott family did to her, what she did to Aaron was nothing.
Susanna rubbed her temples. Lately, some weird memories had been popping up, and the people in them seemed tied to the Abbott family.
Looked like her memory was coming back.
The next morning, Susanna bought a bunch of stuff to visit Madison. Since she was leaving after lunch, she wanted to have a good meal and chat.
When she got to Madison's place, Madison was thrilled. "Susanna, you didn't have to buy all this."
"I should. It's all healthy stuff, especially since I haven't been around."
"Susanna, your brother sends people with nutritious food every year. I'm in good health. Just had a check-up, and the doc said not to eat too well and to exercise."
Susanna sat on the sofa, chatting with Madison. "Aunt Madison, I'm heading back to Novaria today. I'll come see you soon."
Madison looked a bit bummed but quickly perked up. "It's okay. Next time, let me know so I can cook your favorite dishes."
Susanna held Madison's hand, feeling the warmth of family.
Once Charles was better, she'd bring both kids to visit Madison, or maybe bring Madison to Novaria.
But near lunchtime, she got a call from Michael.
She stepped into the garden and said calmly, "Lillian should be there by now, right?"
"Lillian's here, but there's bad news."
"Spill it."
"The box with the bone marrow is empty."
