Chapter 267
Aubree’s interview was finally wrapping up. Honestly, every single one of her achievements could be an inspirational story. For quite some time to come, Rithol City would likely be buzzing with Aubree’s name.
After the interview, Aubree planned to leave with Bowen to pick up Alvin from school.
Bowen whispered in her ear, “No matter what you do or who you go up against, I’ll be the sharpest blade in your hand.” Aubree’s heart skipped a beat as she met his gaze.
Aubree smiled confidently. “I will.”
The entrance was still swarming with parents and reporters, so Aubree pulled Bowen toward the auditorium’s back exit, planning to slip out unnoticed.
“Looks like someone just couldn’t wait any longer,” Bowen murmured, tightening his grip on Aubree’s hand as his eyes narrowed at the figure blocking the back exit.
It was Bryan.
Aubree stopped dead in her tracks. Seeing her pause, Bryan cautiously approached her, his face etched with hesitation. “Aubree,” he pleaded softly, “Can we just talk for a moment?”
His tone was humble, his expression pleading.
Aubree sneered inwardly and thought, ‘Well, isn’t this a surprise. If someone had told me that the almighty Bryan would one day humble himself and beg me just for a civil conversation, I wouldn’t have believed it, not even in my wildest dreams.'
Upon seeing Bryan looking utterly distraught, Aubree curled her lips into a sneer. “You are seriously laughable,” she scoffed. “Or is being this shameless just in your blood? Back when I was bending over backwards to please you, all I got were insults and beatings. Now that I’ve turned the tables, you’re all crawling back to lick my boots. If I’d known this was your style two years ago, I would’ve given each of you a good, hard slap across the face the very first day I came back to the Wilson family!”
When Bryan heard Aubree’s words, a searing pain surged from his heart, radiating through every fiber of his being. It was unbearable.
'One never knows what one has got till it’s gone,' Bryan thought bitterly. When Aubree first returned to the Wilson family, her clear eyes had looked up at him with such pure admiration. Now, every time he remembered that look, a sharp pang of regret twisted in his chest.
If only he hadn’t been so blind and heartless back then, he could’ve had an extraordinary little sister–Aubree–who looked up to him with pure admiration shining in her eyes.
“Aubree, I came to tell you that Dad and I are already investigating what happened back then,” Bryan said softly. “As your brother, I swear I’ll uncover the truth about your abduction…” He trailed off, as if there was more he wanted to say.
Aubree had heard enough. She rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Does it even matter? Just being an adopted daughter was enough for you to treat me like dirt. Even if I hadn’t been abducted, my life would’ve been just as miserable. Maybe I should thank those traffickers for taking me away. Otherwise, who knows, I might’ve ended up like Carmen.”
Aubree fixed Bryan with a cold stare. “You must have heard what I said in the auditorium earlier, right? Did you think I was just making empty threats? Every single word I said was deadly serious. Bryan, I crawled back from hell just to make you pay.”
“Aubree!” Bryan was stunned. The face-to-face confrontation laid bare Aubree’s hatred for them, which was raw, intense, and utterly unhidden.
“It’s not like that,” Bryan pleaded desperately. “I just want you to know. We truly regret what we did, and we’re changing. Could you give us another chance, please?”
“Enough.” Aubree cut through Bryan’s self-pitying act. “Even if you really regret it now, so what? Surely you haven’t forgotten what all my pleading apologies ever got me before.”
Bryan’s face suddenly drained of color. How could he possibly forget? He was, after all, one of her tormentors.
The first year after Aubree returned to the Wilson family was a relatively peaceful period. But after that, a series of so-called accidents began to occur, incidents that somehow always ended up being pinned on her.