Chapter 49 Althe Wilson Group.
Bryan rubbed his temples in frustration. The deal with Harding had been snatched by competitors, making this quarter’s financial report look dismal.
Flipping through the documents submitted by his subordinates, Bryan felt relieved. At least it was only the new project that had issues. Everything else seemed fine.
Bryan tapped his fingers rhythmically on the desk as he pondered, if it really came down to an all-out war, even the Turner Group wouldn’t be unscathed. Since Bowen hadn't made any other moves elsewhere, Harding’s deal was clearly just a warning shot.
The assistant knocked and entered, reporting, “Mr. Wilson, I’ve completed the task you assigned. Everything at Pithol Art School has been arranged, and the person has already been sent abroad as planned. However, I’m not sure if we should make it public now, so I wanted to check with you first.”
He slid the tablet across the desk to Bryan.
To cover up Carmen’s plagiarism scandal, Bryan arranged a scapegoat!
Just like in her previous life, when the Wilson family pushed Aubree out as a scapegoat for Carmen’s plagiarism.
This time, Bryan targeted one of Carmen’s sidekicks at Rithol Art School, someone eager to curry favor with the Wilson family, since Carmen had never hidden her identity after enrolling.
Bryan promised to sponsor that girl’s overseas education, with all expenses covered by the Wilson family, a tempting offer she couldn’t refuse. Her job was to publicly claim she was close to Carmen and, in order to ingratiate herself with the Wilson family, had tampered with Carmen’s art assignment without Carmen’s knowledge.
Once this story was out, whether people believed it or not, at least the Wilson family would save face. With a bit of clever PR, Carmen could come forward with a tearful apology and voluntarily withdraw from Rithol, transforming from a shameless plagiarist into an unwitting victim.
The public would take pity on Carmen for being forced to quit school because of someone else’s mistake.
Bryan frowned and thought, ‘Did they really need to bother me with something so trivial?’ He took the tablet and saw a video of the incident at the school.
“What is Mother up to now?” he thought, exasperated.
The assistant carefully observed Bryan’s expression and cautiously said, “Sir, ever since Mrs. Wilson made a scene at Aubree’s school this morning there’s been a surge of new speculation online, especially because, in the video, Aubree claims that many of Carmen’s competition pieces were actually ghostwritten by her. With Carmen just exposed for hiring a ghostwriter, there’s already a heated discussion about it online. If we release our statement now, public opinion would likely turn against Aubree.”
In the past, the assistant always knew exactly what to do when it came to Carmen and Aubree.
But now, the assistant wasn’t so sure anymore.
The boss’s preference was clear-cut.
Bryan smiled bitterly. If he made a move, Trevor would surely step in, too. With hundreds of millions of devoted fans, once Trevor publicly took a stand, his fanbase would become an unstoppable force.
Then, Aubree would truly be trapped in an inescapable predicament.
“Should I release it?” Bryan thought.
If he didn’t, it wouldn’t sit well with his mother, and both the company and the family’s reputation would suffer. But if he did, Aubree would bear the brunt.
Even as he weighed his options, Bryan already knew the answer in his heart.
“Release it,” he said. He’d find other ways to make it up to Aubree.
Bryan’s voice was rough as he said, “I remember that necklace we acquired at the auction, it’s still here, right? Have it packaged for me.”
Just as Bryan had anticipated, as soon as his assistant contacted the influencer accounts, Trevor’s studio immediately released an official statement.
As the youngest one to have already won the Best Actor Award, Trevor’s influence online was overwhelming, especially by now that the so-called “evidence” was circulating.
A person wrote online: [This drama keeps getting juicier, now even Carmen has weighed in.]
Another asked: [So what’s really going on? Is the Wilson family mistreating Aubree, or is Aubree falsely accusing Carmen?]
A third person said: [I trust my Trevor! Carmen, we’ve got your back!]
Someone else said: [Even her own mother and brother are presenting solid evidence against Aubree. The truth is obvious.]
No one would believe Aubree was innocent if her own blood relatives chose to side with the adopted daughter.
At a café in Golden Industrial Park, Aubree finalized the details of the leased space with the manager and signed her name on the contract.
Tucking away the signed contract, the manager showed not the slightest underestimation toward the young woman before him. She had achieved in less than a month what many of her peers might never accomplish in their entire careers.
She then went on to become a club owner herself.
As for the online drama, it was none of the manager’s business.
The client was the most important.
He said, “Miss Miller, since the contract is signed and there are no other issues, I’ll take my leave now.”
“Thank you for your help,” Aubree responded with a polite smile.
After seeing the manager out, Aubree glanced down at her silenced phone as another unknown call flashed on the screen.
This time, she didn’t hang up.
“Hello?” Aubree answered, her voice calm.
“See that, Aubree? This is what happens when you disobey me!” The call came from Alice, her voice dripping with smug satisfaction.
Aubree set aside her phone and searched for updates. She thought, ‘So much for their supposed brilliance, just the same old scapegoat routine.’
Who knows these tricks better than I do? In my previous life, I lost count of how many times I was made Carmen’s sacrificial lamb.
So when I decided to expose Carmen as unworthy of her role, it was no surprise that the Wilson family would pull the same predictable move.
“So is this what I get for having a thriving life?” Aubree smirked, amusement flickering across her lips.
She glanced at the freshly signed contract. Starting her own club, developing software, and founding a company were things she’d never dared dream of in her previous life, but this time, she achieved them all.
Alice never expected Aubree to react like this. Aubree had been kicked out of school, and public opinion online was clearly on Carmen’s side. She felt that Aubree should be sobbing her eyes out and begging her to let her off the hook by now.
“Mom, what did Aubree say?” Carmen stood right next to Alice, fidgeting like she was on hot coals. Seeing her mother stay silent made her even more anxious.
She’d already been kicked out of Rithol Art School, though she hadn’t even set foot on campus yet. At this point, all she could do was pay attention to Aubree. Otherwise, she’d become the laughingstock.
Carmen thought fiercely, ‘That can’t happen!’
“It’s all Aubree’s fault! She just has to compete with me. Even after leaving the Wilson family, she can’t stay out of trouble, always playing the victim card to win my brothers’ sympathy.”
A barely noticeable smirk flickered across her lips. As long as Bryan and the others saw Aubree for who she really was, things would go back to the way they used to be.
“Once this blows over, who’ll ever remember the ghostwriting scandal? They’ll just say Aubree set me up out of spite,” Carmen thought, her face regaining its usual shape.
Carmen urged Alice, eager to know if Aubree was truly in dire straits. Alice, however, mistook her urgency for genuine concern about Aubree’s predicament.
Her eyes softened with maternal warmth, but then her anger surged. “Fine! If you’re going to be this defiant, let’s see what tricks you have left. Even if you end up begging on your knees at my doorstep, I still won’t let you set foot in this house again!”
Aubree held the phone away from her ear and rubbed it. “Just a friendly reminder, Mrs. Wilson, getting angry all the time will give you wrinkles,” she said with a smirk, “Just make sure you’re not the one begging me to come back later.”
With a click, the call ended. Alice’s face twisted in fury as she hurled her phone to the ground, shattering it into pieces.
“That ungrateful brat!” Alice fumed. “How dare she even imagine I’d beg her to come back? Was she out of her mind?”
Carmen raised her voice, frustration clear. “Mom! Weren’t we supposed to coax Aubree back?” Now that Aubree was getting out of control, Carmen couldn’t relax unless she had her where she could see her.
Still fuming, Alice didn’t notice Carmen’s odd reaction. She snapped, “Carmen, from now on, whatever happens to her is no concern of our family. I know you’re kind-hearted, but someone like her doesn’t deserve our concern.”
Seeing Alice’s angry expression, Carmen swallowed the rest of her words.
Chapter 50