Chapter 40 Aaron Got Jealous
Susanna and Justin were chatting intimately, completely ignoring Aaron, whose face was growing darker by the minute. 'It is this guy again!' he clearly thought.
Erica, slightly surprised, said, "I’m really jealous of you two."
Susanna set her cake aside, her expression calm. "Yeah, well, you should be."
After all, she had six brothers.
The four of them entered the private dining room together. The room was quiet, filled with an odd tension.
Suddenly, Erica spoke up, "Aaron, I contacted Austin. He might be abroad right now, but I'll push him to come to Novaria soon."
Aaron nodded. "Okay."
He glanced at Susanna, who was busy texting on her phone, oblivious to the conversation.
Susanna heard Erica mention Maria's surgery, knowing she was hinting at her. But then Justin chimed in, "Really? I thought he was in Lindwell."
All eyes turned to Justin, especially Erica, who quickly regained her composure and asked, "Is that so? I didn't know. I always thought you were distant from our family. Didn't expect you to know Austin's whereabouts."
Without looking up, Justin continued wiping Susanna's utensils. "He's a famous doctor. Hard not to know."
Erica kept smiling. "Maybe he didn't have signal on the plane. I'll contact him later."
The conversation died down. Justin opened a cake for Susanna, watching her eat happily, a doting smile on his face. When no one was looking, Justin sent Austin a Facebook message: [Don't come for dinner, Erica's here.] He even attached a sneaky photo.
Soon after, Austin messaged Susanna on Facebook, saying he had a last-minute job and couldn't make it.
Susanna showed Justin the message, and he put on a regretful face. They seemed to be sharing a secret, shutting out Aaron and Erica.
As the dishes arrived, Erica picked up her fork with a smile. "Let's start eating."
But Justin was quicker, grabbing the biggest piece of fried chicken. "Susanna, try this."
"Susanna, you have to taste this. The first piece is the best," Justin continued. "Susanna, are you thirsty? Let me pour you a drink."
Susanna's plate quickly filled up. She tugged on Justin's arm. "That's enough. You should eat too."
Justin reluctantly put down his fork. "I'm not that hungry. You should eat more. You've lost weight."
Susanna, who had actually gained a few pounds, retorted, "You’re lying."
"How? You look better with a bit of weight. Your round face is so cute."
Aaron couldn't take it anymore and put down his fork. He'd lost his appetite.
Seeing this, Erica quickly said, "Aaron, try this!"
She tried to serve him some food, but before it reached his plate, he stood up, announcing he had something to deal with, and left without looking back.
Erica felt uncomfortable, staring at the untouched food. She had forgotten Aaron's cleanliness obsession in her attempt to provoke Susanna. She hurried after him. "Aaron, wait for me."
The door closed, leaving Susanna and Justin alone.
Susanna finally relaxed, her earlier tension affecting her appetite.
Justin put down his fork. "Susanna, why are you sitting with them?"
He had thought he was in the wrong room when he saw Erica and Aaron.
Susanna explained, "I used to be a caregiver for Maria. I've met Aaron a few times. He appreciated how well I took care of Maria, so he suggested we have dinner together."
Justin frowned. "Stop dealing with the Abbott family. You're the princess of the Jones family, not a servant. The past is the past; things are different now."
"Justin, I know," Susanna replied.
With everyone gone, Susanna enjoyed her meal in peace.
When they got home that night, they found Austin lounging on the couch, complaining loudly, "What took you so long? I'm starving! What did you bring me?"
Susanna looked at Austin in shock, then looked at the takeout on the floor. "Austin, I brought you some food. Just heat it up. Weren't you supposed to be working?"
"Oh, I finished early. It was getting late, so I came home to wait for you. Susanna, you're the best. You brought all my favorites."
Austin sniffed the food and, not minding that it was takeout, started eating right away.
Justin chimed in, "Susanna, I've arranged for the movers. They'll be here tomorrow morning. Pack your important stuff tonight."
"Got it," Susanna replied.
After packing, Susanna lay in bed, ready to sleep, when her phone buzzed. She picked it up and saw a message from Aaron: [Yes.]
Susanna didn't reply, just put the phone back and closed her eyes.
The next morning, the movers arrived on time.
Justin walked into the living room. "I've arranged for a car to take Madison over. We don't really need to bring much; the new house is fully furnished."
They had the place remodeled just so Susanna could move in without any hassle.
Susanna smiled and nodded. "I'll stay to handle the rest. Once Madison sees the new place, she won't want to come back for anything."
Justin patted her head. "Let's go."
Dragging her suitcase, Susanna took one last look at the place before leaving without looking back.
She had to look forward, whether it was a house or a relationship.
An hour later, they arrived at the new neighborhood.
Susanna and Justin got out of the car and walked in. Madison was thrilled with the new place, especially the dining area.
That evening, the four of them cooked dinner at home and video-called their other siblings to share the meal.
After all, Novaria was quite far from Lindwell, a five-hour flight. She didn't want to disrupt her brothers’ lives.
The next day, Susanna slept in.
When she checked her phone, she saw a message from Flandre: [Susanna, you're trending again! Be honest, is he really the famous actor?]
Susanna clicked the link Flandre sent: [Famous Actor Moving in with Girlfriend!]
The headline made her laugh and cry at the same time. She quickly forwarded the link to Justin: [Sorry, we got photographed again. Can you explain to the public?]
She patted her small belly. It was still early, so it wasn't showing yet.
Looking around the new place, Susanna felt it needed more decorations. She decided to go shopping for some.
After telling Madison, she took a cab to a home goods store.
While browsing, she saw a large group of people approaching. Leading them was a man in a linen suit, looking elegant and handsome.
She didn't expect to run into Aaron here. For some reason, she kept recalling their previous encounter in the bedroom. She quietly moved to the side, planning to slip away, but she was caught after just a few steps.
Susanna turned around in a panic, only to see Aaron holding her arm. She frowned. "What are you doing? People are watching."
Aaron didn't care about the onlookers. He furrowed his brow and demanded, "Flirting with me while dating other men? Susanna, you've gotten bold!"
