Chapter 463 Unless You Apologize to Susanna
"Shut up, man. Seriously, zip it. How the hell am I supposed to figure this out?"
Roman was losing it. He thought this deal was in the bag, and the Thornberry family was about to make a comeback.
But now? What a freaking joke.
Who would've guessed that the broke-looking bodyguard next to Susanna was actually the president of the Abbott Group? How the hell were they gonna fix this mess now?
Sam shot a look at Kayle and Roman. "You think just canceling this deal is gonna make everything cool?"
Kayle snapped back, "What’s your game here? Trying to screw over the Thornberry family? This is Philly, not Lindwell. We ain't pushovers."
Today was supposed to be the big signing ceremony for Thornberry Corporation. They'd invited a ton of friends and family to show off their new international partnership.
But now, they were getting humiliated, and the deal was about to go up in flames.
And Sam was throwing out threats. Kayle wasn't having it. Even though the Ross and Abbott families were big shots in Lindwell, this was Philly.
Kayle wasn't about to back down and lose face.
Sam sneered at Kayle. "What you got? I could crush your company in a heartbeat. Once the Abbott Group's acquisition team gets rolling, Thornberry Corporation will be bankrupt by tomorrow. Believe it?"
Kayle was fuming. "You bastard! You think you can just bankrupt Thornberry Corporation like that? Not happening."
Roman's face went white. "Mr. Ross, this is all a big misunderstanding. Please, let's not make this worse."
He'd done his homework on the Ross and Abbott families in Lindwell and knew they were way out of the Thornberry family's league. That's why he was so desperate to lock in this deal with the Abbott family.
They needed the Abbott Group's clout to boost the Thornberry family's standing in Philly.
And if they could snag some investment from the Abbott Group, even better.
Now that the deal was off, they couldn't afford to piss them off more. Thornberry Corporation couldn't handle that kind of heat, especially now.
Sam chimed in, "If you want us to drop this, it's simple. Apologize to Susanna and clear up those BS rumors about the arranged marriage."
Kayle was confused. "Why should we apologize to Susanna?"
Weren't they in hot water with Sam and Aaron?
What did Susanna have to do with this?
Susanna glanced at Sam and said, "No need to apologize to me. The Thornberry family has already made fools of themselves today. They've dug their own grave. That's punishment enough."
She didn't give a damn about their apology.
Now that the Thornberry family's deal with the Abbott family was dead, she was gonna make sure Thornberry Corporation paid. No way Kayle and Roman were gonna keep strutting around.
Plus, Edward wasn't gonna let Thornberry Corporation stick around either.
So, no matter what, the Thornberry family's fate was sealed.
Sam cleared his throat. "It's different, Ms. Jones. Your thing with Aaron is special. When the Thornberry family disses you, it's like they're dissing the Abbott family. So if they wanna apologize, it’s gotta be to you."
As Sam said this, he shot Aaron a look, practically screaming with his eyes, 'Dude, this is your shot. Don’t blow it.'
Aaron wasn’t dumb. He glared at Kayle and Roman. "If you apologize to Susanna right now and clear up those BS rumors about the arranged marriage, I might think about letting the Thornberry family off the hook."
Kayle, still stubborn, snapped, "Mr. Abbott, what’s so special about Susanna that you’re so head over heels?"
Kayle always thought Susanna was just a divorced woman with a kid. Even if she was the Jones family heir, her stock had dropped big time!
But Aaron was into Susanna, even playing the role of a broke bodyguard for her.
Aaron’s eyes were ice-cold. "Because I want to."
Kayle was so mad he nearly choked!
Seeing Kayle fuming, Roman quickly jumped in, "Mr. Abbott, you might not know, but Susanna’s been married and has a kid. With your status, you could have any woman you want. Why go after Susanna? There are plenty of rich heirs, and many in Philly have backgrounds just as good as the Jones family!"
Aaron’s eyes flashed with impatience. "Because none of them are her."
Sam jumped in, "So this is what love looks like."
The reporters nearby started chanting, "Mr. Abbott and Ms. Jones are a match made in heaven!"
Susanna was stunned. What were these people even talking about?
She glanced at Aaron standing in front of her, her eyes flickering. She casually addressed the reporters, "Sorry, I’m not easy to catch."
Kayle sneered, "Susanna, you’ve got quite the ego. Mr. Abbott is the president of the richest company in Lindwell."
Roman, trying to suck up to Aaron, added, "Susanna, don’t be ungrateful. Mr. Abbott liking you is your good luck!"
Susanna raised an eyebrow. "I don’t care at all."
Four years ago, when she was with the Abbott family, Aaron had hurt her deeply. She wasn’t about to make the same mistake again.
Hearing this, Aaron looked at Susanna, his gaze deep and silent.
His throat moved slightly, but he couldn’t say a word.
Seeing Aaron’s expression, Roman thought he was pissed and immediately had an idea: If he could stir up trouble between Susanna and the Abbott family, and if the Abbott and Jones families clashed, no one would care about the Thornberry family’s embarrassment today!
Roman kept pushing. "Susanna, it’s one thing if you don’t like me, but Mr. Abbott is willing to give up his position as president of the Abbott Group to be your bodyguard. That’s not something just anyone would do. If you refuse again, it’s on you."
Susanna’s eyes turned icy. "What, you guys think just because you do something that moves yourselves, the woman has to agree?"
"Exactly!"
"Why? Just because you’re a man, you think you have that privilege? Men like you, ordinary and overconfident, need a do-over from birth."
Kayle’s voice was sharp. "Susanna, what makes you so arrogant?"
Aaron spoke calmly, "Because she’s my wife."
