Chapter 46
Aubree woke up right on time, her internal alarm never failing her, even after a night of heavy drinking. She woke up clutching her pounding head. The hangover hit her like a sledgehammer to the skull, sending sharp, throbbing pains through her. Aubree sat on the bed in a daze for a long moment before gradually coming to her senses.
“Carol must have changed my clothes last night,” Aubree muttered to herself, glancing down at her outfit before scanning the room. She vaguely remembered Bowen was the last to show up.
“What happened next?” Aubree wondered.
Still holding her head, Aubree paused, her gaze suddenly blank as confusion washed over her face. “Wait… Did I actually kiss Bowen?”
As the memories came flooding back, the scene in the car replayed in her mind with painful clarity. Aubree buried her face in her hands and let out a mortified scream.
Aubree thought in horror, “Oh my God! What the hell did I do? I can’t believe I actually flirted with Bowen while I was drunk. What the hell was I thinking? Bowen must have taken pity on me; he actually let me off the hook instead of strangling me on the spot!”
Her mind raced through the logistics. The esports club was already in its formation stage. While Alvin’s place could accommodate a pro team, it wasn’t spacious enough for the entire club. She needed to find a new venue first, then move on to recruiting staff and coaches, and finally announce open tryouts for new talent for the youth training program. With the prestige of being the Autumn Finals champion, none of these would be difficult.
But there was one more important thing. Aubree thought, "I need to move out of Ellis Heights."
"Now that the tournament’s over and I’ve got my prize money, I’m financially secure enough to rent a high–security place. But after last night’s incident, even if Bowen didn’t mind, there’s no way I could keep living at Ellis Heights; I’d just die of embarrassment. I’d die of embarrassment if I ran into Bowen anytime soon!”
Seeing it was about time, Aubree scrambled out of bed. As a senior in high school, she no longer had the freedom to skip classes at will since the new term began. With little appetite, Aubree only managed a few sips of breakfast. She didn’t see Bowen around. She’d planned to mention she was moving out if he was there.
She thought, “After all, I’ve been staying at his place for quite a while. It just wouldn’t feel right to leave without saying a word.”
She didn’t ask, but Carol saw right through her. “Looking for Bowen, Aubree?” she asked gently, “There was an urgent matter at the Odionland branch, so he left urgently last night. He probably won’t be back for a while.”
Carol said with a knowing smile, “Don’t worry, Bowen said he’ll definitely be back before your birthday.” Aubree shifted uncomfortably; Carol must have guessed something.
Aubree scratched the back of her head. “I just wanted to…” she started, but then thought, “Forget it, Bowen’s not even here right now; there’s no point telling Carol I’m moving out.”
Aubree said, “Never mind, I’m off to school. Bye, Carol.”
Aubree grabbed a sandwich, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and saw Zachary already waiting.
“Hey, Zachary,” Aubree said, “I’m moving out of Ellis Heights soon, so from now on you won’t need to pick me up anymore.”
“Ms. Miller,” Zachary said firmly, “Mr. Turner’s orders are clear. I’m responsible for your transportation and protection.” This meant that her moving wouldn’t change his assignment.
“But I’m not living at Ellis Heights anymore,” Aubree said with a hint of helplessness, “I’ll be a hassle for you to keep following me.”
“I need direct orders from Mr. Turner. Before leaving, Mr. Turner only told me to protect you,” Zachary added firmly.
“Why does he have to be so damn stubborn?” Aubree thought in frustration.
Aubree gave up trying to persuade Zachary. After spending some time with him, she realized that if this were ancient times, he’d be the very definition of blind loyalty. He only took orders from Bowen. Nobody else’s words would count…
“When is Bowen coming back, anyway?” Aubree thought, gazing absently at the scenery whizzing past, her mind completely blank. The image of Bowen’s smiling face suddenly flashed before her eyes. Aubree shuddered and thought, “Did that damn kiss mess with my head? OMG! I can’t believe I’m actually thinking about Bowen!”
That thought was absolutely horrifying. Aubree shook her head vigorously, as if trying to physically shake the idea loose, and began silently reciting Odionlandian vocabulary, anything to distract herself. Aubree muttered under her breath, desperately trying to focus on her vocabulary list instead of that infuriatingly handsome face.
As usual, Zachary parked the car in a less crowded spot some distance from the school.
The moment the car stopped, Aubree snatched her backpack and scrambled out. “Zachary, skip the pickup tonight, I’ve got stuff to do.”
Aubree usually didn’t arrive at school early, so at this hour, the front gate was typically quiet. But today was different; the entrance was completely blocked by an unexpected crowd. She also saw a few camera crews in the crowd.
“What’s going on here?” Aubree wondered, frowning at the unexpected crowd.
As Aubree approached with her backpack, a sharp–eyed reporter suddenly shouted, “Hey, that’s Aubree! She’s here!”
All at once, the crowd surged forward. Several reporters blocked her path while gawking students closed in from all sides, leaving her trapped with no way to escape.
Aubree was completely baffled. "Since when did winning an esports tournament warrant this kind of media frenzy?" she wondered.
The moment the reporters started asking questions, Aubree realized just how dead wrong she was.
A person asked, “Hey Aubree, are you Phoenix, the mid laner who just won the League of Legends Autumn Finals?” They shoved a microphone right in her face, nearly hitting her.
Aubree frowned and stepped back defensively, “Yeah, that’s me,” she replied, her tone guarded.
A reporter asked, “Aubree, as a pro-gamer, how do you respond to the cheating allegations in the finals?”
Another asked, “Aubree, rumor has it you’re the long–lost heiress of the Wilson family. Were you kicked out due to your misconduct?”
A third asked, “Aubree, did you really cheat in the tournament?”
Someone else asked, “Aubree, rumor has it you bullied your stepsister Carmen so badly that your family disowned and kicked you out. Any response to these allegations?”
A reporter asked, “Aubree, did you know it was your own teammate who publicly accused you of cheating in the tournament?”
“What the hell is all this?” Aubree thought, completely bewildered.
Aubree’s mind reeled from the barrage of questions, "Who cheated! And who reported me?" she wondered, completely bewildered.
She thought, "Isn’t this all that dumbass Daston’s fault? How the hell did my teammate get dragged into this now? And how the hell did my family get dragged into this?"
Aubree was just reaching for the nearest microphone when a sudden shout cut through the chaos, “It’s Ms. Alice!”
Just then, a fur clad socialite in a designer miniskirt, Alice Wilson, stepped forward, extending her meticulously manicured hand to snatch the microphone, while her bodyguards cleared a path through the crowd with practiced efficiency. Alice strode right up and took her place beside Aubree.
She said, “Good day, friends from the press. I’m Alice, Aubree’s mother. I deeply regret that my daughter has become someone so unscrupulous. As her mother, this is my failure.”
Alice’s words instantly had every reporter turning their questions on Aubree.
A reporter asked, “Ms. Diamonde, are you admitting that Aubree cheated in the tournament finals?”
“While I’m not entirely clear about this particular incident, I wouldn’t put it past my daughter to do something like this.”
With even her biological mother giving such a damning evaluation, the looks directed at Aubree shifted instantly. With an artfully crafted look of helpless resignation, Alice appeared every inch the long–suffering mother driven to her wit’s end by her daughter’s rebelliousness.
Aubree watched with cold detachment, thinking, "If these reporters aren’t in cahoots with Alice, I’ll eat my hat."
A reporter asked, “So, are those online rumors about Aubree bullying her stepsister Carmen and getting kicked out of the family true as well?”
Alice replied, “Though it pains me to air our family’s dirty laundry in public, my answer is yes. In fact, I’m here today to plead with my dear daughter to mend her ways.”
After finishing her little performance with the reporters, Alice finally turned to Aubree. “Aubree, Mommy is willing to forgive all your past mistakes. Just apologize in front of these reporters today, and I’ll take you home right away. All I ask is that you never bully Carmen again.”
“How touching," Aubree thought sarcastically.
Someone in the crowd couldn’t help but sigh, “I wish I had a mom as understanding and kind as Alice!”
Another said, “Wow, totally! Rich, beautiful, and so gentle, she’s exactly the kind of mom I’ve always dreamed of!”
Compared to Alice’s first attempt to confront her, this time she had clearly upped her game, playing a far more calculated hand. She leveraged public opinion to guilt–trip her, while everyone else remained clueless about the truth.
If Aubree argued back now, just like she did last time, it would only play right into her hands and make her look like the unreasonable brat she claimed she was.
“Well, she is my mother, after all," Aubree thought bitterly.
Aubree let out a scoff and thought, “Who says I’m afraid to make a scene just because of this? I’ve got nothing to lose, so who the hell should be stopped?"