Chapter 585 These Are All What You Owe Me
Susanna watched Ivy and Maud wrestling around and couldn't help but glance over at Aaron. She thought this whole thing was a secret, just between her, Aaron, and Maria. But Maud had somehow found out.
This was supposed to be something Aaron couldn't even talk about. But Aaron looked totally unfazed, like it didn't bother him at all.
He turned to Susanna and said, "Take the kids into the private room and wait for me. I'll join you after I deal with this."
Susanna hesitated, not sure what to say in front of the kids. Finally, she nodded. "Alright." Thinking Aaron might need some space, Susanna didn't push it and took Charles and Lillian away.
Charles and Lillian were quiet. Charles took a few steps, then looked back at Aaron, surprised by how complicated his life was.
Once they were in the private room, Susanna handed the menu to Charles and Lillian. "Pick out what you want to eat."
Lillian, clearly upset, looked up. "Mom, is he really sad right now?"
Susanna patted Lillian's head. "Anyone would be upset in this situation, but don't worry too much. He's known about this for a while. He's an adult and can handle it."
Charles, however, wasn't satisfied and asked, "If he knew he was an illegitimate child, why didn't he say anything earlier?"
Susanna looked at Charles. "He didn't know his background back then. He was switched to the Abbott Family when he was really young, and Maria only found out later. But by then, Maud had struggled to have a child. If she knew her child had died, she would have been devastated.''
She added, ''And as you saw, Maud's family has always valued boys over girls. Without a son, she would have been under a lot of pressure. That's why Maud chose to keep it a secret after learning the truth."
Lillian asked innocently, "If she's a woman too, why does she look down on women?"
Susanna sighed. "A lot of people think that way. They've been oppressed for so long that they believe having a son is the only way to be happy, and life without a son is miserable."
Charles paused and then asked, "After he found out about his identity, did he do nothing?"
"Not exactly. After he found out, Maria probably talked to him. Since then, he's acted like a proper heir. And he's proven to be very capable."
After explaining Aaron's situation to the kids, Susanna still felt a bit worried. Aaron had just learned that Maud knew he wasn't her biological son, making things even more complicated.
Lillian held her hand and said, "Mom, why don't you go check on him? I'm worried he can't handle it alone."
Susanna instinctively glanced at Charles, who was seriously looking at the menu without saying a word. She stood up and said, "You two go ahead and order. I'll be right back."
Susanna stepped outside, where the fight had already ended. Maud was the only one left standing there, her clothes wrinkled and her hair a mess. The once elegant lady now looked like any other person.
Aaron looked at the disheveled Maud and said, "I'll have my secretary take you to the hospital for a check-up."
Maud looked at Aaron and asked, "When did you find out about your true identity?"
Finding out that Aaron, whom she had lovingly raised, was actually the child of a mistress, left Maud feeling utterly humiliated and devastated.
Maud and her husband had a business marriage with no real feelings involved. She only wanted a son to inherit the family fortune so she could live well on her own. But she had trouble having children, and the child she finally had was switched by her husband.
Even when Maud found out the truth, she didn't dare to reveal it. If she did, she might lose everything, so her feelings for Aaron were always complicated.
Seeing Aaron's calm expression earlier, Maud could guess that he had known all along, which she didn't expect. Maud said coldly, "It was that bitch Susanna who told you, right?"
Susanna, standing nearby, was confused. She didn't know about this until recently when Aaron explained Raymond's identity and revealed this secret.
Aaron said calmly, "I found out five years ago."
"So, Vivian's husband is your biological brother?"
Aaron nodded. "That's right."
Maud seemed to collapse. "You people are too much. Not only did you kill my child, but you also used a mistress's child to humiliate me."
Aaron said nothing, waiting for Maud to finish her outburst. Then he said calmly, "I investigated. Your child died due to health reasons."
"You're lying. You killed him."
"I'll arrange for someone to take you to the hospital now."
"Why should I? Living like this is worse than death. You must be very pleased, right? All these years, you've been laughing at me, thinking that Calum and the others are just burdens, and believing that I'm vain and incompetent, only using my Mrs. Abbott status to show off."
Aaron's throat moved. "No."
"Really? If I were your real mother, would you treat me like this?"
Maud slapped Aaron. "You're just like your heartless father!"
Aaron didn't retaliate, standing there silently. But Susanna couldn't stand it anymore. She walked over to Maud and said, "Even after knowing the truth, he treated you the same. He didn't wrong you in any way."
Maud shot back, "If he felt guilty, why didn't he help when Calum was in trouble? Why didn't he take custody of the child as I asked? Why didn't he divorce and marry someone else as I wanted?"
"Do you want a biological son or someone that obeys your every command?"
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