Chapter 415 From Now On, I'll Keep You Locked Up in the Hospital
Susanna shot him a look. "Dude, I'm literally saving your butt here!"
With that, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the hospital, not even glancing back at Aaron.
She'd done more than enough for him already.
Hopping into her car, she barked at her secretary, "Get Aaron a ticket back to Lindwell. Make sure he's outta here by tomorrow."
Right now, all she cared about was sticking close to Charles and helping him get better. Aaron's drama was the last thing she needed.
After leaving the hospital, Susanna headed straight to the private clinic to check on Charles, who was still out cold.
Michael met her at the door. "He woke up for a bit this morning but knocked out again. He's looking good, though. Should be fully awake by tomorrow and ready to move from ICU to a regular room."
Susanna let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank God. I've been waiting for this."
"Austin mentioned Aaron's in Novaria too?"
"Yeah, he showed up. Even got into a scrap with Brian at the airport yesterday. Aaron's still in the hospital."
Michael's face twitched a bit. "You still got a thing for him?"
"Are you serious? No way. I'm not the same Susanna anymore. There are plenty of fish in the sea; why would I care about my ex?"
Michael seemed to relax a bit, though his face stayed pretty blank. "If you're free tonight, let's grab dinner."
"Sure, but I gotta hit the office first. Been away in Radiant Valley and Lindwell, and there's a ton to catch up on."
"Alright, do your thing. I'll swing by after work."
Susanna headed to the office, diving into the mountain of work that had piled up.
Just as she was about to leave, her phone buzzed. It was Michael. "Sorry, got an emergency patient. Dinner's off tonight."
Susanna was used to this. "No worries, we'll do it another time."
Michael's a doctor, after all. His job was always crazy busy.
After hanging up, Susanna spun her chair a few times and then looked at her secretary. "What's the deal with Aaron? When's his flight?"
The secretary made a quick call and then said, "Mr. Abbott hasn't left yet."
Aaron hadn't left?
Susanna's eyebrows shot up. "Didn't you tell him to get lost?"
"Ms. Jones, we gave him the ticket, but Mr. Abbott refused to go."
Susanna felt a headache coming on. Aaron got his butt kicked and still had the nerve to stick around?
After mulling it over, she stood up. "Find his secretary and bodyguard"
Aaron probably didn't want to leave because he'd look like a fool going back alone.
"Ms. Jones, there's one more thing. Mr. Abbott said he wants to talk to you personally."
What the heck did Aaron want now?
With nothing else on her plate that evening, Susanna decided to head back to the hospital.
She barged into Aaron's room. "Alright, spill it. What do you want? I got you a ticket outta here, but you didn't take it. You wanna stick around and get more beatings? If Edward finds out you're still here, it won't just be your hand that's messed up."
Seriously, she couldn't wrap her head around what Aaron was thinking.
Aaron was propped up against the headboard, looking way better than yesterday.
He said calmly, "I came to be with Lillian for her treatment. I'm not leaving Novaria until she's better."
His head was still wrapped up, and his arm was in a cast, but he had this infuriatingly calm vibe going on.
"You can't even pay your hospital bills, and you still wanna stay in Novaria? You might as well go back and bring more backup next time."
Aaron raised an eyebrow. "If I leave now, coming back won't be a walk in the park."
"You're smart enough to know staying here alone is even riskier."
"For Lillian, I'll take that chance."
Susanna was fuming. Why was Aaron so damn stubborn?
She nodded. "Fine, do whatever you want. Your choice, not my problem."
She turned to leave, but Aaron's voice stopped her. "You're really gonna leave me here?"
Susanna thought she must've misheard. How could Aaron say something so ridiculous?
She spun around, looking incredulous. "What do you mean by leaving you here? I got you a ticket and even offered to see you off, but you refused. How's that on me?"
"This is your turf. You gotta make sure I'm safe."
Susanna was floored.
She rubbed her forehead and glared at Aaron. "How did you get so shameless? Why should I protect you?"
"Because I'm your ex-husband and Lillian's dad. If something happens to me in Novaria, I'll tell the media you ditched me!"
"Are you serious? You think anyone would buy that? This is Novaria, not Lindwell."
But Aaron stayed cool, which made Susanna uneasy. Why was he so confident?
Aaron's lips curled into a smirk. "I heard your company has a movie coming out soon. It's a feel-good flick, right? Any bad press about you could tank the box office, am I right?"
Susanna's face turned serious. "Didn't expect you to be so clued in, even from a hospital bed."
She tried to stay calm, but inside, she was a bit rattled.
Aaron couldn't even pay his medical bills. How did he know this?
Aaron raised an eyebrow slightly. "Thanks to your fame here. Just watching the entertainment news on TV gives me all the scoop I need."
Finally, Susanna got where Aaron was getting his info.
She smirked. "So what if you know? From now on, I'll keep you locked in this room. You're not going anywhere. What can you do about it?"
