Emery looked at her, his eyes earnest.
Aubree looked back at him and thought, if you’d said this to me before, I would’ve been over the moon, probably too excited to sleep for days. But now! He'll get nothing. If anything, it is almost laughable. Now you put on this act? Where were you when it actually mattered!
‘So what were those three years of suffering for? Was I just a glutton for punishment?
“Are they seriously trying to lure me back just so they can keep trampling all over…"
“Like he’d really rush to help just because my startup club lacks anything. Who knows, maybe after all this “helping” God’s Fury would just end up being renamed Apes Squad.”
As soon as the thought took root in Aubree’s mind, it spiraled out of control. Her previously scornful expression instantly hardened into seriousness.
Aubree shot Emory a guarded look, her whole body tense with suspicion.
She thought, ‘Didn’t the Wilson family say they wished I’d just die out there? Why do they keep taking turns showing up to find me! If before it was just about keeping Carmen at Rithol Art School, what’s their excuse now everything that’s happened? Is Emery really here because they’re plotting something new against me?”
“Emery,” Aubree snapped, “wasn’t I clear enough last time? Your whole family is a joke. What exactly do you want from me, coming after me one after another? If you got all that pent–up family affection and nowhere to put it, just give it all to Carmen. Trust me, she’ll lap it up. As for me? I’m not your emotional dumping ground.”
Emery watched as Aubree regarded him with wariness and annoyance. It felt as if a thousand knives were stabbing into his heart, the pain so sharp it stole his breath away.
Aubree used to treasure nothing more than her family, these very people. But now, she cast aside what she once held dear like worthless trash.
“Wait, Aubree,” Emery blurted out urgently, “I genuinely want to help you. Did you see my posts online? You’re new to this, now’s when you need support the most. My team can get your operation running smoothly in no time. In esports, I guarantee even Bowen doesn’t know the industry as well as I do.”
The more earnest Emory became, the more suspicious Aubree grew; she could practically smell something fishy.
“Help me?” Aubree echoed, her tone laced with irony. That word held no good memories for her; the last time Emery had offered his help, it was all for Carmen’s sake.
Aubree’s expression turned even more sardonic at the memory. “Seriously, don’t you see how absurd this is?” she scoffed. “Let’s be honest, in the three years spent with the Wilson family, I got scraps of kindness but a full course of suffering. So I’m begging you, just have some mercy and stay the hell out of my life.”
Emery was completely caught off guard by Aubree’s reaction. “No, it’s not like that. If you don’t trust me, I can have my team sign a formal contract. That way, you’ll know I’m serious, okay?”
As a premier esports organization, Apex Squad was such a powerhouse that everyone from star players to support staff became highly sought after by other clubs, unless they’d been dismissed for breaching their contract.
“Don’t even start. I wouldn’t dare accept even a crumb of your “kindness,” who knows what price I'd have to pay for it later? You give me some lousy little leftovers, then expect me to go back and slave away for Carmen, right?” Aubree cut him off, already wary of this family. Three years had taught her that the price of any favor from the Wilson family was more than she could ever bear.
“No, Aubree, this has nothing to do with Carmen,” Emery stammered, his words cut off in her rush to explain.
Chapter 54
Aubree was already losing her patience. “Do I really have to rip off every last mask and lay everything bare before you’ll finally back off? Are you seriously going to deny that during my first New Year with the Wilson family, you brought me some lousy freebie that was actually meant for Carmen, called it my present, and then made me take the fall for her? Wasn’t that you?”
Emery froze, his face draining of color as the memory hit him; he remembered it.
Aubree saw his reaction and knew he hadn’t forgotten. Her voice turned ice cold. “For a moment, I almost thought you’d forgotten. Your precious little Carmen is a treasure, while I’m nothing but trash, is that it? Did you even count how many lashes I took that day? While your whole family was cozy and festive inside for New Year, I was locked alone in the basement, not even given a drop of water!!!"
If Wendy hadn’t remembered her after preparing the Wilson family’s New Year’s dinner and brought her some food and supplies, she might have frozen to death in that basement that night.
Aubree’s voice trembled as she said, “Emery, do you know how cold winters get in Pithol City! That kind of cold, I’ll never forget it. It felt like the chill seeped into my bones, running through every inch of me. I was so cold, so, so cold.”
Emery’s lips went pale and trembled slightly. He couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze.
It was Aubree’s first New Year back with the Wilson family. Yet it seemed everyone had forgotten about their newest addition. Each family member had carefully prepared a New Year’s gift for Carmen, and Emery was no exception.
The Wilson family’s original plan for that day was to have a big dinner together, then take the kids and Aubree around to visit some important friends and relatives, a way to make up for not throwing her a proper welcome party when she first came home, and to finally introduce her to everyone.
While the entire family was busy with New Year preparations, Carmen accidentally deleted the new collection designs that Alice had saved on the computer. It was the worst fiscal year for Alice’s brand, which was why she had personally created this exclusive holiday collection, with no backups. Panicked at her mistake, Carmen turned to Emery for help.
Emery’s solution was to pin the blame on Aubree. He handed her the freebie perfume that came with Carmen’s gift, pretending it was a New Year’s present.
He still remembered the look of surprise on Aubree’s face as she held the gift. “Emery, is this really for me!”
Emery remembered how Aubree’s face had lit up with pure, radiant joy. Now, just thinking about it, all he felt was a deep, burning shame.
A bone–deep chill seized Emery.
What he did back then was absolutely disgusting; not only did he pass off a cheap freebie as a special New Year’s gift, but he even had the audacity to use that so–called favor to pressure Aubree into taking the blame.
Not only that, while Aubree was being harshly beaten by their furious mother and locked in the basement as punishment, Emery was too busy comforting Carmen to even spare her a thought.
While Carmen was being introduced to everyone by her parents and receiving a flood of compliments, Aubree was locked away, completely forgotten. If it hadn’t been for Wendy, who kept worrying about her and sent Alice a message, they might not have remembered her until the next morning.
It suddenly dawned on him just how deeply he’d hurt her, far more than he’d ever allowed himself to acknowledge.
All he could recall was muttering some half–hearted words of comfort. Had Aubree not brought it up, that memory would likely have been buried deep in the recesses of his mind.
All along, he had never truly cared. All that mattered to him was making sure Aubree took the blame to spare Carmen from their mother’s wrath; he never once considered just how brutal the punishment would be for Aubree, already the family outcast.
Emery felt as if his heart were being crushed in a vice; he could barely breathe.
Chapter 54
“Aubree, I... I’m sorry.” The words were so empty and powerless.
Aubree curled her lips in a mocking sneer. “Emery, didn’t you say you wanted to make amends and help me? Giving me people and resources means nothing. If you’re really serious, I dare you to sign over the entire Apex Squad to me."
“Didn’t you say you named this club so that when the team finally reached the top, I'd be able to find my way back home?” Aubree’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “If that’s really the case, then just hand the whole team over to me.”
Emery’s face drained of color in shock; Apex Squad was his life’s work, built over decades with blood, sweat, and tears. Over the years, he’d spun numerous ventures from the star power of his players. He could not possibly just hand it all over to her.
“So you can’t bear to part with it, right?” Aubree’s expression turned icy in an instant. “Then shut the hell up! Take your phony affection and get out of my face!” Of course, she knew Emery would never agree.
Aubree thought bitterly, I was willing to sacrifice everything for the Wilson family.
She did exactly that, only to pay with her very life.
Aubree turned on her heel and started to leave. Behind her, Emery reached out, trying to grab her.
Just as his fingertips brushed against her sleeve, Emery’s vision suddenly blacked out. His tall frame stiffened, then collapsed straight to the ground.
Aubree turned to see Emery collapsed on the ground, unconscious, his cheeks flushed an unnatural crimson.
Hesitating for a brief moment, she reached out and pressed her hand against Emery’s forehead. “Running a fever?”
Aubree thought with a hint of irony, ‘Emery’s burning up with a fever, and yet no one noticed'.
Aubree let out two gleeful laughs, looked down at him for a moment, then kicked him hard. “Serves you right!”
With that, she turned and walked away without a backward glance.
As for Emery lying on the ground, it was none of her business. She couldn’t care less.