Chapter 478
Since Wilson Group acquired BeeShare, Carmen’s name had once again come into the spotlight. Back when her MindDrift streaming platform failed, all she got was ridicule. But now, people were telling a different story. She had become the next big name in young entrepreneurship after Aubree.
A person commented, “I knew she was something special ever since MindDrift! Back then, everyone was just copying each other with their streaming platforms, but only MindDrift dared to break out of Playzy’s old formula and try something fresh. Sure, there were some hiccups with management later, but her idea was spot on! Didn’t you notice how even Playzy started following her lead afterward?”
Another person replied, “The Wilson family really is something else. First there was Aubree, now there’s Carmen. Tons of people probably wanted to get in on the shared e-bike project, but only she had the guts and intelligence to pull it off. She even thought ahead to fix all those hidden risks.”
Someone else said, “Carmen’s already got one foot in the door at Wilson Group, and she’s even got shares in the company. For an adopted daughter to make it this far, that’s seriously impressive!”
All those old scandals had become nothing more than milestones on her path, and now praise was flooding in from every direction. Universities were scrambling to invite Carmen to speak at their orientation events, hoping her story would inspire the incoming students. The key point was that not only was Carmen so successful, but she had obtained that success at such a young age.
On Aubree’s very first day back at campus, she happened to catch Rithol University inviting Carmen to give a speech. For someone her age to have achieved so much, all while double-majoring in finance, her story was honestly a huge inspiration. Aubree had given speeches before, but her attitude toward them was different from Carmen’s. To outsiders, Aubree’s success always seemed smooth and inevitable, as if everything she did was destined to succeed. But Carmen was different. Her achievements were built upon setbacks and failures, making her story feel more relatable and genuine.
When Carmen gave her speech, Aubree went to watch. On stage, Carmen shared her experiences. Even though she tried her best to hide it, the pride in her eyes was impossible to conceal. Aubree let out a wry little laugh. Carmen was still young and fresh. In the future, though, Carmen would be unbreakable. She could shove someone down the stairs one moment and, in the next breath, act like nothing ever happened, never leaving a single crack for anyone to find.
Giving this speech was definitely a win for Carmen. She’d sold BeeShare to Wilson Group, but she was still the one running it. If the project took off, all the credit would go straight to her, which would make it way easier for her to get a solid footing at Wilson Group down the line. The speech was just another way to hype herself up. She was more than happy to brag about her success.
Carmen said, “Failure isn’t scary—I’ve picked myself up from the dirt. I’ve failed, been looked down on, and spent time in the dark with no hope in sight. But I still came out on top. We’re still young! We’ve got the chance to mess up, to try new things, to chase after what’s next.”
Her words fired up the new students. After all, everyone at Rithol believed that they were geniuses. If she could make it, they felt that they could as well. Aubree smiled and thought, ‘Sure, being young means you can afford to make mistakes, but can they really handle the fallout when things go wrong?' Nothing really stood out to her, so Aubree decided to leave.
Just as she was about to slip away from the back of the crowd, a voice stopped her in her tracks. “Aubree, what are you doing here?” That was a ridiculous question. Aubree thought, “This is my school. If Carmen can be here, then I have every right to be around. “Daxion, that was a really stupid thing to say,” Aubree rolled her eyes.