Chapter 480 Get Back to Lindwell Right Now
Maud, feeling all kinds of guilty, blurted out, "I came to Philly to sort out Calum's mess."
Aaron's face scrunched up. "I'll handle it. You shouldn't be here, especially since you're still on probation. If the cops find out, you're toast."
He couldn't believe Maud had snuck into Philly!
Ivy jumped in, "As long as you keep it on the down-low, no one will know Maud's here. But watch out for snitches who might spill the beans. It could get her in deep trouble." Susanna caught the hint that Ivy was talking about her.
Like that was gonna make her back down.
Susanna grinned and said, "You're right. I'll just call the Lindwell cops and let them know Maud's here without permission."
Maud freaked out. "Susanna, why are you being so harsh? I'm just here for personal stuff, nothing shady. Why can't I be here?"
Ivy backed her up, "Yeah, why can't she? She's not breaking any laws."
Susanna shot back, "According to Lindwell's rules, leaving your designated area during probation means more punishment, and you could end up in jail."
Maud's face went white. Seeing Susanna about to make the call, she grabbed Aaron's arm and yelled, "Aaron, stop her! I don't wanna get locked up!"
If she ended up in jail, she'd lose all her dignity.
Her probation was a secret; no one knew. Everyone thought it was Vivian who got punished.
Aaron looked at Maud and said, "You knew this was illegal, so why'd you come? I'll have someone send you back right now."
"No way, I can't go back. I haven't fixed Calum's problem yet. I can't let him go to jail. Unless you promise to get him out and secure his project, I'm not leaving."
Maud was still focused on her mission.
Susanna then spoke into the phone, "Hello, I'd like to report someone who left their designated area during probation and came to Philly."
"Susanna, are you nuts? You're really gonna report me? What do you gain if I get locked up? Do you want Lillian to have a grandma in jail?"
Maud lunged forward, grabbed the phone from Susanna, almost smashing it.
She looked at Susanna and said, "I know we had beef before, but I didn't know Lillian was part of the Abbott family. If I had known, I wouldn't have swapped the bone marrow. It was to save Lillian's life. No matter how much I dislike you, I wouldn't do that."
Susanna didn't expect Maud to apologize.
"But you did it, and you gotta pay for your mistakes."
Maud clutched the phone, totally lost on what to do next. She finally softened her tone and said, "Susanna, we were family once, right? Lillian's my granddaughter too. I know I messed up. I wanna make it up to Lillian, bring her into the Abbott family for care. Can you please not call the cops on me? I mean, I'm her grandma."
Maud's voice was as humble as it could get.
Susanna stared at Maud, never thinking she'd see the day when the high-and-mighty Maud would bow down and apologize.
But she didn't want Lillian to have a grandma in jail.
If word got out, people would gossip about Lillian.
Susanna took a deep breath and said, "I won't call the cops, but there's a catch."
"I'll agree to anything."
"The deal's simple. You don't get custody of Lillian, and you better not try. Don't pull any stunts in front of her. If I find out, I won't let you off the hook again."
Maud was still a bit reluctant, but she had no leverage.
Finally, Maud nodded and said, "Fine, I agree. I won't bring it up again."
She originally came to handle Calum's mess.
Fighting for Lillian's custody was secondary. She knew it wouldn't be easy to take custody from Susanna; she just wanted to try.
Susanna continued, "There's one more thing."
Maud looked up and asked, "What now?"
"It's simple. While you're in Philly, don't do anything illegal. I'll give you three days to leave. If you're still here after three days, I won't be nice."
Maud gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, I agree."
After all, handling Calum's matters had nothing to do with Susanna, and three days should be enough.
After Susanna finished speaking, she grabbed her phone and turned to leave.
Maud watched Susanna leave, stomped her foot in anger, and turned to Aaron. "Aaron, you just stood there and let Susanna bully me. Do you really want to see me go to jail?"
"Coming to Philly secretly was against the rules. If this gets out, it'll hurt the Abbott Group. You're my mom, and everything you do reflects on the Abbott Group. Do you want to drag us down just for Calum?"
Aaron's tone was cold; he didn't want Maud to be dragged down by Calum.
Maud replied guiltily, "It's because of you. Why did you stop Calum from working with the Thornberry family? If you hadn't, Calum wouldn't be in this mess."
"I stopped Calum from working with the Thornberry family for the Abbott Group's sake. Calum was using our name to scam investment funds for the project. Luckily, I stopped it early. If I hadn't, Calum would be facing jail time, and I wouldn't be able to help him. I have no pull in Philly."
Maud knew she was in the wrong, but she couldn't ignore Calum's plight.
Aaron said, "I'll arrange for someone to take you to the airport. You're going back to Lindwell tonight."
Maud protested, "No, I won't go back until this is resolved. Besides, Susanna gave me three days."
At that moment, the elevator door opened, and Vivian walked out.
