Chapter 277
Dead center at the reception, the sign for the Südlichen Strand Branch of Bree Technology stood out prominently. A smile flickered in Aubree’s eyes. If someone had told me three years ago, when I’d just returned to the Wilson family, that I’d one day cut ties with them, strike out on my own, not only build a successful business but even open a branch office, I would’ve said they were out of their mind, she thought.
Yet here she was, living out what once seemed like pure fantasy. The impossible was now real before her eyes.
“Prime location,” Aubree remarked with a smile.
Südlichen Strand’s thriving economy attracted waves of migrant workers. While the elite indulged in lavish lifestyles, most residents were just ordinary workers struggling to make ends meet.
That made it the perfect launchpad for her GrabCheap platform. Its focus on rock-bottom prices aligned perfectly with the city’s working-class majority in Südlichen Strand.
Aubree spent a week in Südlichen Strand, where she and Birgitte networked with numerous wholesale and e-commerce entrepreneurs under the guidance of Turner Group’s local representative.
September was harvest season. The fresh produce was flooding the markets everywhere. For Aubree, it was the perfect time to kick off her GrabCheap project.
After Aubree established all the necessary connections, she partnered with other e-commerce platforms using a group-buying model, primarily focusing on selling fresh fruits through group purchases. Profits earned were split 3:7 between her and the partner platforms.
Having laid the groundwork, it was time to let the project grow. Aubree needed to return to Rithol University for military training, so she left the rest in Birgitte’s capable hands.
Aubree’s flight touched down in Rithol City late that evening. She decided to head straight to her place. She could just go to school to report the next morning.
After starting university, Aubree hired her chauffeur and bodyguards, though they couldn’t measure up to the elite, handpicked staff that old-money families like the Turner family cultivated.
Aubree was surprised to see Bowen at the airport. “Why are you here? I thought I told the chauffeur to pick me up.”
Bowen arched an eyebrow, a smug smile on his lips. “What kind of boyfriend would send a chauffeur to pick up his girlfriend after a business trip? Of course, I had to come myself.”
Bowen was downright smug about being Aubree’s boyfriend. In those days, he couldn’t stop mentioning that he was “a taken man.”
Even when Ollie and the others invited him out at night, he’d just brush them off with, “I’m spoken for now. How could I go out carousing at night?” His sappiness made everyone’s teeth ache.
Mark said that Bowen always had a few screws loose. It was like his brain finally turned to mush. He completely lost it.
Aubree slid into the passenger seat of Bowen’s car.
Bowen asked, “So, how was the trip to Südlichen Strand this time?”
“Not bad. I didn’t run into members of the Diamonde family,” Aubree replied. “Looks like Alice hasn’t told them about what happened in Rithol City yet.” Honestly, Aubree had expected the Diamonde family to try to make things difficult for her on the trip.
Aubree wasn’t exactly a stranger to the Diamonde family. Shortly after she’d been brought back to the Wilson family, the Diamonde family sent someone to Rithol City to fetch her, Carmen, and Alice back with them.
As old memories surfaced, a frosty glint flashed in Aubree’s eyes. ‘I thought my grandparents and uncles wanted to see me,‘ she thought bitterly. ‘But when I arrived at the Diamonde family, I realized it was just another Wilson family all over again!
The Diamonde family had three sons. Alice was the eldest daughter, with two younger brothers. The Diamonde family were even colder than the Wilson family. Her so-called maternal grandparents‘ marriage was purely a family alliance. After the wedding, they kept up appearances in public. Their illegitimate children were never allowed home. Each led their own private lives. In their old age, they lived completely apart.
The two elders spared what little affection they had for Alice, their eldest daughter, though “little” was indeed the operative word.
Alice’s marriage? Just a bargaining chip to bag Ronald, their golden ticket.
The one who went to Rithol City to fetch them was the second son of the Diamonde family. He saw the positions that Aubree and Carmen held in the Wilson family. For the Diamonde family, interests always came first. Bringing them back served two purposes. Firstly, to warn Alice not to be blinded by so-called family ties. Children were a dime a dozen, but interests were not. Secondly, to back Carmen up and remind Aubree to know her place.