Chapter 245
All eyes snapped at Alice, and she panicked.
"Aubree, like I told you last time, no way I'll sign this. You're Wilson by blood, and you can't just walk away from this family!" Alice blurted out, scrambling for an excuse. Her eyes flashed a warning glare, clearly threatening Aubree not to say anything reckless.
But that's exactly why I'm here to stir up trouble, Aubree thought.
Aubree curled her lips, thinking. 'Ronald built his empire from scratch, but Alice didn't. Alice is the daughter of the Diamonde family in Südlichen Strand. In the business world of Lumanon, the saying goes: Turner in the North, Diamonde in the South. Although the Diamonde family has declined in recent years, a fallen titan is still a titan. Ronald has remained devoted to Alice even after reaching his current status because the Wilson family's success has, to some extent, relied on the Diamonde family.
'Back then, Ronald was already a rising star in business circles. The Diamonde family saw his potential and intended to marry Alice to him. They believed Ronald had the potential to grow stronger, making the match fairly well-suited. Second, Ronald wouldn't outdo them and thus wouldn't dare mistreat Alice. Therefore, to take on the Wilson Group, confrontation with the Diamonde family is inevitable.
'I must come up with something to make Ronald and Alice turn on each other. Although I haven't found anything solid to spark a real fight between them, the fact that Alice had known I was in the orphanage back then but pretended not to know and insisted on bringing Carmen back to the Wilson family is already a perfect crack to exploit. Ronald is arrogant and paranoid; he'll definitely dig to the bottom of this. I don't even need to lift a finger; Ronald will lay the truth bare all by himself.'
Aubree scoffed at Alice, "Easy for you to say that. If not because Ronald was against it, you would've signed that document happily, wouldn't you?”
She lowered her gaze, sweeping a glance at the papers scattered across the floor, and smiled with sarcasm. "Rumor has it that after the human traffickers abducted me, you were so distraught, couldn’t eat or sleep, and even had a mental breakdown. That's why the Wilson family adopted Carmen. But now that I, the real daughter, have returned, why do you cast me aside like a worn-out shoe?" Aubree said, smiling.
But to Alice, that smile was utterly terrifying. How dare she say these things? she thought. Ronald was also present, and Alice was no fool. If she hastily interrupted Aubree now, Ronald would be suspicious and start questioning her. But if she let Aubree finish speaking, he would still end up investigating and asking questions anyway.
"In any case…" Alice thought, face ashen, her fingernails digging deep into her palms.
Speaking of which, both Carmen and Ronald were puzzled. When Aubree first returned, Carmen had been on high alert, treating her arrival like a mortal enemy, mainly because everyone knew how much Alice loved her daughter and nearly lost her mind with grief when the girl went missing. So naturally, everyone assumed that when Aubree came back, her mother would surely protect her like the apple of her eye. But no one would have expected that, out of everyone in the Wilson family, Alice was the harshest toward Aubree, unlike a mother and daughter, but more like sworn enemies.
“By the way, you’re in the dark, aren’t you?" Aubree gazed at Ronald with a sly smile. Despair filled Alice’s eyes; she bit her lip so hard that it started to bleed, yet she seemed completely oblivious.
Ronald frowned in confusion. “What are you getting at?” he asked.
Aubree shot Alice a cold glance. "Rightfully, I was abandoned twice."
“What do you mean?” Ronald asked, his eyes filled with bewilderment. Alice shrieked, “Enough! Stop it!”
Alice's unusual outburst instantly drew Ronald's sharp, suspicious gaze. "You knew what she was going to say?” he said.
Faced with Ronald’s interrogation, Alice panicked. Aubree gave a slow, mocking clap and said, “Why bother pressuring her? I'll just say it myself."
"When I was five, I was kidnapped by traffickers. And when I was ten, Alice abandoned me in the orphanage," Aubree said.
"What?" Ronald's face paled instantly. Carmen froze, utterly bewildered. What does that mean? she wondered.
"I've given you a chance. It's been over a month since you first came to me. Did you think I just made empty threats when we met?" Aubree asked.
Alice’s face turned deathly pale. She couldn't imagine what Ronald would do when he found the truth.