Chapter 479 An Apology That Arrived Many Years Too Late
Susanna was trippin' over how Maud had totally mixed up Vivian's kid, Ramond, with Aaron's, and treated the dude like royalty.
Honestly, it wasn't just Maud; even she thought Ramond was Aaron's kid at first.
After all, she saw Vivian's pic on Aaron's computer back in the day and figured Vivian was Aaron's crush.
But man, Susanna never saw this twist coming.
Aaron chimed in, "She’s still in the dark about this, and I’m keeping it that way."
Susanna nodded, "Gotcha."
If Maud found out, she'd be wrecked.
Susanna shot Aaron a look and blurted, "So why'd you have Vivian's pic on your computer? Did you already know your dad's secret kid was with her?"
Aaron gave her a serious look, "When did you snoop through my computer?"
Susanna defended herself, "Hey, I wasn't snooping. I needed to sketch something real quick and used your study's computer. I stumbled on that pic. But you flipped out like I did something terrible. I thought Vivian was your unattainable crush."
Aaron frowned, "That really happened?"
"Yeah, it did. You’ve got so much on your plate, you probably forgot, but it was a big deal for me."
Aaron coughed, "Sorry. I was too harsh back then."
"Don't apologize; it feels weird."
Susanna saw something deep in Aaron's eyes and quickly switched gears. "So, if Vivian's with your dad's secret kid, why were you so mad?"
"I always looked up to my dad, thought he was perfect. Then I found out he wasn’t. I didn’t want anyone to know about the secret kid, especially not my mom."
Aaron pressed his lips together, "And I felt ashamed in front of you."
"So when you found out I saw Vivian's pic, you freaked out to hide the truth. But if you’d just asked me to keep it a secret, I would have."
Aaron was quiet for a sec, then said, "I'm sorry. Back then, I didn’t trust anyone, so I kept it all in."
"Wow, an apology from you. I’ll take it."
With that, Susanna stepped into the elevator, but Aaron followed. "I'll sort this out."
"Yeah, right. You said that last time. Now look at the mess we're in. Vivian got out of prison, came to Philly, and your mom showed up at the party. Is this your idea of handling things?"
Susanna gave him a hard look, "It's been four years, Aaron. Maybe the old orphan Susanna needed your explanation, but not me now."
The elevator doors slid open, and Susanna walked out without a second glance.
She hadn't expected to bump into Vivian when she went upstairs to see Owen and found out about Vivian's connection to him. Now, she knew she had to play the long game and not act on impulse.
She didn't care about the project's success; she just wanted Vivian to pay for her actions.
Aaron caught up, "Susanna, hear me out."
"I don't wanna hear it."
Just then, Maud rushed over, "Aaron, what are you doing here?"
Ivy chimed in, "Aaron! Look at what she did to me. You gotta stand up for me."
Susanna hadn't expected Maud and Ivy to still be around.
She stopped and gave Aaron a smirk, "I hit Ivy 'cause she wanted to take Lillian away. You know I’ve got a short fuse, and I won’t hold back when someone disses my kid. So tell your family to back off, especially in Philly. Or else, they might not make it back!"
Ivy yelled, "Aaron, did you hear that? She threatened us! She’s not fit to be Lillian’s mom."
Maud nodded, "Aaron, I agree. Susanna isn’t suitable to be Lillian’s mother. You need to get Lillian’s custody back."
Aaron shot back, "Mom, I’ve already told you about Lillian’s custody. I’m not taking it away. She’s better off with Susanna."
"You're confused. How can Lillian be better off with Susanna than with you? You're the CEO of the Abbott Group. Everything in the Abbott family will be Lillian's someday. Susanna might look fancy, but all the Jones family wealth goes to her brothers. How much could she really get? If Lillian stays with the Abbott family, she inherits everything. How can that compare?"
Susanna couldn’t help but laugh at Maud’s greedy logic. It made sense for someone like Maud to think that way.
She turned to Aaron, "You should find a woman to marry and have a kid ASAP, preferably a son. That way, the Abbott family gets an heir, and your mom will stop trying to take Lillian."
She knew Maud had her reasons. Earlier, outside the restroom, Maud had made it clear. It was all because Aaron wasn’t married and had no kids. Maud was worried about the Abbott Group having no heir, so she wanted Lillian.
Aaron looked straight at Maud, "Mom, shouldn’t you be in Lindwell doing your time?"
