Chapter 140
“Aubree, how could you treat Emery and Mom like this? We’ve all been waiting for you at the door since early this morning, and even prepared a special meal just for you. How can you be so ungrateful?” Carmen stepped forward, her voice full of indignation.
She made it sound as if skipping this meal was an unforgivable crime against the family.
But the moment Carmen was done with her words, Aubree slapped her hard across the face. A sharp, clear crack rang out.
Aubree rubbed her stinging palm. ‘Figures. Caly is thick-skinned; my hand actually hurts from slapping her,’ she thought with contempt.
Carmen was utterly dazed by the slap, while the rest of the Wilson family stood there, completely dumbfounded.
The moment Aubree walked in and spotted Carmen, she’d been itching to burn all bridges with the Wilson family. She owed it to herself to settle every last score.
Daxton was the first to snap out of his shock, bellowing in rage, “Have you lost your mind?”
Aubree didn’t hesitate for a second. She spun around and slapped Daxton hard across the face. Daxton looked like he wanted to fight back, but the bodyguards standing nearby made it clear that wasn’t an option.
Aubree’s eyes burned red with raw hatred. “Yes, you drove me crazy.”
Apart from Carmen, the person she hated the most was Daxton.
Sure, everyone in the Wilson family had a hand in her death in her old life, but the real masterminds were Carmen and Daxton.
As the family doctor, Daxton was always the first to review the Wilson family’s medical reports, which meant he knew about Aubree’s early signs of organ failure all along. But he deliberately tampered with her reports, making every checkup look perfectly normal.
So whenever Aubree said she felt unwell, the Wilson family just thought she was faking it and punished her more severely. That was how they drove Aubree to an early grave before she even turned thirty in her old life.
Rubbing her wrist, Aubree shot a cold, mocking look at Carmen, who had shrunk into Daxton’s arms. She sneered, “An adopted daughter will always be an adopted daughter. You’ll never truly amount to anything more.”
The words cut Carmen to the quick. Fury blazed within her, nearly shattering her composure. Yet, with the crowd watching, she swallowed her rage and quickly donned a pitiful mask.
Carmen forced a smile and said, her voice laced with feigned pain, “Aubree, if hitting me brings you joy, I’ll gladly endure it. Just please don’t take your anger out on everyone else.”
Daxton snapped, “Carmen, stop wasting words on her. Aubree's gone completely mad.”
Aubree smirked to herself. ‘Well, Carmen actually got that right. Hitting her really does make me happy,’ she thought. ‘How impressive. She can still keep up appearances after being slapped in front of everyone.’
“Carmen, what a performance,” Aubree sneered. “I’ve got other things to do today, but don’t worry. We’ve got all the time in the world. We’ll play this game nice and slow.”
As for Daxton, Aubree couldn’t be bothered with him. He was, hands down, the biggest moron in the entire Wilson family.
In the past, such behavior would have earned Aubree a beating. But now, even if the Wilson family loathed Aubree, they had to put up with it. After all, Ronald still coveted the company in Aubree’s hands.
Alice’s jaw tightened. Through clenched teeth, she demanded, “Aubree, what exactly are you here for today?”
“Enough. Stop making a scene. Come with me to the study.” Ronald’s face darkened. He assumed Aubree had come back to talk about company matters related to Playzy. He decided to tolerate her for that reason.
“Why go to the study?” Aubree smiled sweetly. “Isn’t it better to talk right here with everyone watching? That way, you can’t suddenly develop selective amnesia and flip-flop on what was said.”
Only then did Ronald sense that something was off. He shifted his gaze to Bryan.
Bryan took a deep breath. “Dad, Aubree never mentioned coming back to discuss Playzy.”
“What?” Ronald was thunderstruck. He frowned at Aubree, who wore a mocking smile. “So, what exactly did you come back for this time?”