Chapter 489

In his mind, the whole mess between Aubree and the Wilson family happened because of Carmen. He felt that Aubree was jealous that everyone in the family loved Carmen and ignored her. If she hated anyone, it was definitely Carmen.

Worst case, he could just toss Carmen to Aubree and let her deal with her however she wanted.

After all, Carmen was just an adopted daughter. He’d given her a good life for over ten years, so Ronald felt that it was about time for Carmen to pay him back.

He’d actually thought about using Carmen as a peace offering to Aubree before, but Carmen had talked him out of it, saying she could win over Alvin instead.

That was the only reason he held off. If she hadn’t been doing well with her recent projects and finally gotten a bit closer to Alvin, he would’ve sacrificed her without a second thought.

“Alright, the investment meeting is settled. Bryan, you handled the marriage alliance with the Lawson family well. It really made a difference when it mattered. You both can go get some rest now,” Ronald said.

Bryan agreed, but the moment he turned away, his face went completely dark. ‘So now my only value is landing a decent marriage alliance?’ he thought.

Carmen didn’t feel the same sense of crisis as Bryan. All she could think about was how furious she was at Aubree for ruining her plans and making her lose face in front of Ronald.

Bryan left the study with a grim look, his steps quick as he headed straight for his room. The moment he got inside, he called Elizabeth.

“Things aren’t looking good right now,” he said.

Their marriage alliance had its own purposes: One was Aubree, and the other was Bowen.

But no matter what their personal motives were, they both wanted to take down Aubree and crush the Turner Group.

“My dad’s acting like he’s under some kind of spell. Even after all this, he can still laugh when it comes to Aubree,” Bryan said.

Elizabeth still had a partnership with Carmen. She learned from Carmen that Ronald was planning to make a move against Aubree. She could tell that Bryan probably had the wrong idea about Ronald.

However, she rolled her eyes thoughtfully. She wasn’t exactly a saint, and whether she ended up helping Bryan or Carmen, having Ronald out of the picture would be a win in her book.

At that moment, it was obvious Bryan was starting to hold a grudge against Ronald.

“Bryan, have you ever considered that as long as Aubree’s still around, your dad will never fully trust you again?” Elizabeth said.

He said, “You mean go after Aubree? We’ve tried that before. She’s not easy to deal with, and now she’s got Bowen watching her back. You didn’t see what happened at the detention center last time. Many big names showed up for her. If we make a move now, it’s just going to blow up in our faces.”

Elizabeth let out a soft laugh. “If you can’t deal with the person causing the problem, then just deal with the problem itself.”

Bryan froze, and that fleeting thought he’d had back in the study suddenly roared back to life.

“Alright, just don’t forget about our partnership,” Bryan said.

Elizabeth smiled. “Of course not, my dear fiancé. How could I ever forget about helping you take down Aubree?”

The call ended, and Bryan’s expression was impossible to read.

After leaving the study, Carmen didn’t rush to contact her partner as frantically as Bryan did, but honestly, she was almost just as anxious.

Since Daxton was home today, she went straight to his room.

When she walked in, Daxton was poring over the latest lab results, his brows tightly knit and a cloud of worry hanging over him.

“Daxton, is something bothering you?” Carmen asked with concern.

Daxton replied. “Carmen, it’s nothing serious. It’s just that there’s always this one hurdle we can’t get past with the new drug we’re developing in the lab. Just came from Dad’s study? What brings you here so late?”

Daxton, who was usually so distant with their parents, couldn’t help but soften the moment he saw Carmen. His expression instantly turned gentle.

It was like watching ice melt in the spring sun—his coldness vanished, replaced by a gentle warmth just for her.