Chapter 497 Scheming
Charles didn't even blink, "Hell yeah, Arthur's the man."
Deep down, Arthur was the real deal for him. Aaron? Yeah, he had some skills, but he was no Arthur.
Meanwhile, across town.
Aaron and Sam were still hashing out how to keep Charles hooked for the next story.
Just then, the secretary walked up, "Mr. Abbott, Mr. Richardson wants to set up a meeting."
Aaron shot back, "No problem."
"Aaron, what's Owen want with you? Is he nuts? Trying to team up against the Jones family? He knows about you and Susanna, right? And he still wants to stir the pot?"
Aaron drummed his fingers on the table, "We'll figure out his game when we meet."
"And what about Maud? She's here 'cause of Calum, right?"
Sam let out a sigh.
Aaron went quiet for a sec. He wanted to send Maud packing, but she was dead set on sorting out Calum's mess first.
"Alright," he said, "let's deal with it once and for all."
He couldn't let Maud be stuck because of Calum, and she couldn't stay in Philly either.
Time to make a move.
Soon enough, Susanna got wind that Owen and Aaron had a secret meet-up, but she had no clue what they were cooking up.
The secretary asked cautiously, "Ms. Jones, should we prep for anything? Mr. Richardson hasn't said squat about that project, and we didn't get an invite for next week's meeting. Are we already out of the game?"
"Getting an invite is no biggie. I don't give a damn about that project. But Owen openly dissing the Jones family? That's a no-go."
She couldn't wrap her head around why Owen would go after the Jones family for Vivian. Did he really think teaming up with the Abbotts meant he could mess with them?
Whether Aaron teamed up with Owen or not, she wasn't letting Owen and Vivian off the hook.
If he wanted to mess with the Jones family, he'd have to pay up.
After laying it out, Susanna turned to her secretary, "How's the scoop on Vivian coming along?"
"Turns out, Vivian's been hitting up malls, beauty salons, and jewelry stores a lot lately."
Susanna smirked, "So now that Vivian's the president's daughter, she's showing her true colors."
Back when Vivian was broke, she acted all high and mighty. Susanna once thought she was the real deal.
But now, with Owen and some cash, Vivian was splurging left and right, not hiding her love for the fancy stuff at all.
"Find out when Vivian usually hits the mall."
It was time to make a move.
Susanna hit up Amelia, and the call connected fast.
But Amelia sounded bummed out. "Hey, Susanna, what's up?"
"Not much, just checking in on you."
Susanna had dropped hints about Vivian to Amelia before, but days had passed with no news, and nothing about Vivian and Owen's relationship had blown up online. Weird.
To take down Vivian, she needed Amelia's help.
But Amelia's moves weren't cutting it. Maybe Vivian had pulled something sneaky?
Amelia sighed and said, "Not great. The stuff you told me made me feel like I never really knew him."
Owen had always been the family guy, but everything flipped when Vivian showed up.
"How about we hit the mall, chill, and chat?"
"Yeah, sounds good," Amelia agreed right away.
After Susanna hung up, the secretary chimed in, "Vivian's going shopping this afternoon. She's eyeing the latest DivineDynasty handbag."
"Nice work."
The secretary nailed it. Digging up dirt on Vivian was a piece of cake; just mention a new handbag, and she'd be at the mall in no time.
In the afternoon, Susanna went to meet Amelia at the mall. As soon as she got out of the car, she spotted Amelia looking rough.
She walked over and gave Amelia a pat on the shoulder. "Look, this stuff happens in big families. You gotta stay strong. If things go south, make sure you keep the assets. It's the best move for you and your mom."
Susanna wasn't sure if Amelia knew the whole deal about Vivian, so she had to tread carefully.
As soon as Susanna finished, Amelia's eyes welled up. "I never thought my dad would have another woman, let alone a kid. I know he always wanted a son, but my mom's health tanked after having me. They tried for years, but no luck."
She never expected Owen to have a son on the side.
Susanna shook her head. "Some guys' obsession with having a son is just nuts."
Amelia scoffed, "Yeah, I used to think I was special. I worked my butt off to impress my dad. But in the end, I couldn't compete with a gender."
How messed up.
Women can have kids, yet they get trashed for their gender.
"Don't beat yourself up. You're amazing, just as good as any guy. If that woman really has a kid, he's gotta be young and can't compete with you."
Amelia sneered, "That kid's only about four. Compared to me, he's a baby. By the time he grows up, I'll have already taken over everything from my dad. But Vivian's definitely gonna fight me for it."
Susanna thought about Vivian's personality. Yeah, Vivian would totally go head-to-head with Amelia for the inheritance.
This was her chance.
