Joanna asked flatly. Her attitude was far from polite. She looked like she was ready for a fight.
She was not the old Joanna anymore. She did not have to be considerate of Susan's feelings now. If Susan dared to make a scene, she would definitely retaliate!
However, to Joanna's astonishment, Susan actually smiled at her warmly.
"Can't I just come to see how my daughter-in-law is doing? I don't really need a specific reason to come here."
"Huh?"
Joanna's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
Did Susan forget to take her meds today? She had always just called Joanna the harbinger of tragedy and she had never been kind to her, yet today…
Nancy said happily, "Miss Joan, Miss Susan is so kind. She even brought you a gift. Do you want to open it and have a look?"
"Uhh, I…"
Before Joanna could respond, Nancy had already opened the beautifully packed present.
"Wow, it's a sapphire necklace. It's so beautiful! It must be really expensive!"
Nancy was just like a mood maker at a party. She thanked Susan for her generosity, said the necklace would look perfect on Joanna, and said the two of them were truly mother and daughter, they understood each other so well!
Joanna was perplexed. 'What is Nancy doing?! She knows Susan and I are at odds with each other!'
Susan smiled and said, "It's not that expensive. It only cost a few hundred thousand dollars. I thought it suits you, so I bought it for you."
Susan's words still contained a sense of superiority as the lady of a prestigious family, but compared to the past, she was like a completely different person.
The main reason for that was because of the abrupt change in her attitude towards Joanna!
Rather than feeling happy, Joanna just felt scared. She subconsciously took a step back. "Ms. Susan, I hope you can behave normally. Just call me the harbinger of tragedy like you always do. Also, if you want anything, just say it. Don't scare me by doing all this."
"You…!"
Susan was about to lose her temper, but for the sake of her precious son's lifelong happiness, she managed to keep it down. "Don't be silly.You're my daughter-in-law, so we're like mother and daughter. As your mother, I don't need a special reason to give you a present."
"I don't need it!"
Joanna rejected the gift and pulled out her phone. "Ms. Susan, if you keep behaving like this, I'm gonna call Ace."
"Don't!"
Susan's expression immediately turned back to normal. She said truthfully, "I actually came here today to talk to you about you and Ace."
"We're divorced. What's there to talk about?"
Joanna's face was disdainful.
That almost made Susan lose her temper again, but she endured.
"I can see that you and my son still have lingering feelings for each other. It's not easy for my son to accept a woman. I've thought long and hard about it – I'm not gonna make him marry another woman. I hope you two can reconcile…"
Susan added, "You already know that Alice is still alive. She has a bad nature, so I'm going to make her leave after she gives birth to the baby. I don't want her to have anything to do with the Moran family. However, my little grandchild needs to grow up in a normal family – in other words, he needs a mother. I think you're very suitable for that."
"Hahaha!"
Joanna immediately laughed after hearing Susan's proposal. "You want me to be a stepmother at my age?"
"The child wouldn't know. Although you're not related by blood, there won't be any difference."
Susan promised, "If you agree, the Moran family will take good care of you. Ace will also be very grateful to you, so you two will surely live in harmony. You might even be able to have your own children in the future… What do you think?"
Susan felt that, since she had humbled herself considerably to make this suggestion, Joanna would surely be grateful and agree to it.
After all, not long ago, she would do anything just to remain in the Moran family…
Joanna did not respond. She merely laughed so hard that she had tears in her eyes.
She never knew that the high and mighty Susan had so much talent as a comedian. Joanna simply could not stop laughing!
Susan was a bit unhappy. She finally could not keep up the pretense anymore. Her tone was impolite as she asked, 'What are you laughing at? Give me an answer! Let me tell you, this is a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity. If you miss it, it's gone. Don't be ungrateful!"
Joanna fought back the laughter. Her curved eyes gradually turned cold. She replied equally impolitely, "Ms. Susan, I thought I've made it clear to you. I never thought of going back after I dumped your son. Even if your son kneels down and begs me, the possibility is still zero. And I sure as hell ain't gonna go back to being a stepmom!'
"You… are you serious?"
Susan did not expect Joanna to refuse the offer.
It seemed Ace was telling the truth. Joanna had already moved on and no longer had any feelings for Ace. Naturally, she would not go back.
Looks like the daughter-in-law she detested was really going to run away. What would happen to her son, then?
Susan suddenly felt a bit anxious. She wished she could tie Joanna down with a rope!
"Don't be so hasty to refuse. Sleep on it. You used to love Ace so much, there's no way you can move on that easily. You're just saying that because you're angry, aren't you?"
Susan remained patient and continued, "How about this. Let's have an honest talk between mother- in-law and daughter-in-law. Has your taste changed? Do you not like the iceberg type like Ace anymore?"
"What type do you like now? The warm type or the artistic type? Or maybe someone who's a bit wild? Honestly, Ace has many sides to him, so he has a little bit of every kind of personality. I'll talk to him and get him to change!"
Joanna said coldly, "Don't waste your time. When I liked him, I liked him even if he's a scumbag. Now that I don't like him, I wouldn't like him even if he sacrifices his life for me…"
"If I have to pinpoint the exact moment my heart died, it was probably the moment he drove me out of the house for Alice. I can accept his cruelty, but I can't accept his unfaithfulness!"
Susan said, "Men make mistakes. There was no love between you two before, so it's understandable that he would have an affair. But isn't it fine as long as he has you in his heart now?"
"There's rarely true love in a marriage between wealthy families. Even if there is, it won't last long. Why are you so obsessed with that?"
Joanna said, "Since a marriage between wealthy families is so terrible, why would I want it? Unless Alice disappears, it's impossible for Ace and I to get back together!"
She did not say that because she hated Alice, but to remind herself that Ace was someone who was unfaithful to her, so she must never fall for him again!
"You mean, there can be only one between you and Alice?"
Susan thought she finally understood Joanna's condition. She took a deep breath and said, "Okay. I'll discuss with Ace later about how we should deal with Alice.'
At first, Joanna wanted to explain, but then, she felt like there was no need. She said, "If that's how you want to interpret it, go ahead. Alice is indeed the reason why I don't love Ace anymore."
Nancy was a bit worried when she saw that the two of them were going to part on bad terms.
In truth, she sincerely wished Joanna would reconcile with Ace. After all, it was a marriage that the late Robert Pierce tried his best to make happen before he died. There must be a reason for that.
"No need to be hasty, Miss Susan. Any woman who gets cheated on would be unhappy. If she's not, it can only mean that she doesn't love the man…"
Nancy whispered to Susan, 'Don't worry, I'll try to persuade Miss Joan later. Also, I hope Mr. Moran won't disappoint Miss Joan a second time."
Susan nodded and told Nancy arrogantly, "Not bad. Even though you're a servant, you have good perception. I'll definitely treat you well in the future. Let me tell you…"
Susan lowered her voice and whispered into Nancy's ear, teaching her ways to make Joanna change her mind.
They were both very immersed in the discussion! Joanna was speechless.