Chapter 106
Fresh off her post-competition interview, Aubree received a text from her teacher: she was expected back in class the next day.
Aubree let out a scornful laugh. “If the principal can still keep his job after that investigation, I’ll eat my hat!”
While Aubree was riding high, the Wilson household was drowning in misery.
Ronald had gone all out, booking a luxury venue, expecting praise and admiration. Instead, he got nothing but utter humiliation.
On the sofa, Carmen sat with her face buried in her hands, sobbing, while Alice sat beside her, gently comforting her, her heart aching for her.
Ronald, irritated by Carmen’s crying, snapped, “Stop blubbering! Just look at the mess you’ve made; you’ve completely disgraced me!”
Ronald was obsessed with his reputation and desperate to save face among his friends. Once news of Carmen’s cheating scandal at the competition broke, it spread like wildfire. Internet sleuths quickly identified her, and with her previous viral scandal, everyone realized it was the same girl again.
Before Carmen even arrived home, the scandal had already spread.
Ronald’s rage kept building as he remembered the awkward, mocking looks from his friends at the hotel. He snapped at Carmen, “Weren’t you supposed to be good at art? Don’t you always get top marks? How could you be so stupid as to get caught?”
Carmen’s eyes were red-rimmed, but she didn’t dare respond. She thought, ‘I don’t know. I just copied Aubree’s painting. How was I supposed to know the judges would immediately question if it was really mine when I submitted it?’
“I… I don’t know. It was all Daxton’s idea…” Carmen mumbled, keeping her head lowered in a timid manner.
“Alright, alright,” Alice said soothingly, “this isn’t Carmen’s fault. You know how Daxton is with these things; someone must have interfered. He’s already checking the security footage.”
“Not her fault?” Ronald nearly choked on his rage.
When it didn’t affect his own interests, he could dote on his daughter all he wanted. But now, things had gotten out of hand.
People on the internet were mocking the Wilson family for raising such a “fine” daughter, who was a habitual plagiarist.
But it was too late for words now. Seeing Carmen’s eyes swollen and red from crying, Ronald’s heart softened. “Hasn’t Daxton come back yet?”
Daxton had just finished checking the security footage. The moment he returned home, his expression was thunderous. “I found out,” Daxton said grimly, “It was Aubree.”
The moment that name was spoken, a heavy silence instantly fell over the Wilson household.
“I knew it was that little witch!” Alice hissed through gritted teeth. “What does she want? Won’t she be satisfied until she drives my Carmen to the brink?”
“Sure, she’s out there basking in the glory of her award, but look at my poor Carmen, she’s been crying her eyes out!”
Alice held Carmen in her arms, her eyes burning with genuine malice, as if she truly wished her own biological daughter would just drop dead.
Ronald only knew about Carmen’s cheating scandal. Hearing this, he looked puzzled and asked, “What award did she win?”
“Aubree competed in the International Mathematics Competition. She won a bronze medal,” Daxton reported.
“A bronze medal?” Ronald’s eye twitched. He had truly underestimated her.
First, she got in with the Turner family, then won championships, and now she was medaling in international competitions.
Ronald’s eyes darkened, his expression unreadable. No one noticed the shift in his demeanor.
Daxton continued sharing his findings. “I checked all the surveillance footage from around that time; no one else appeared. The only person was Aubree, who passed by the corridor to the restroom just before I went to see Alec. I had someone test it. Conversations in the hallway can be heard from inside the restroom.”
The evidence aligned perfectly with his earlier suspicions. Daxton was now certain that Aubree had known Carmen was participating in the art competition and had deliberately orchestrated the whole scheme.
As for how Aubree managed to overhear his bribery conversation with Alec, Daxton didn’t even bother to think about it. In his eyes, she was so calculating that she must have pulled some tricks this time.
Alice spat, her voice trembling with rage, “That ungrateful brat! After the Wilson family raised her for three years, this is how she repays us?”
Carmen buried herself in Alice’s arms, her body trembling with sobs. “Did I do something to upset my sister?” she choked out, “If she thinks I’m in her way at the Wilson family, I can just leave…”
Alice said to Carmen, “My darling, what nonsense are you saying? If anyone’s leaving, it’s Aubree, not you. You’ll always be Mommy’s precious treasure.”