Chapter 84
At the 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 subordinate, 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 escape 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 Rithol 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 for her, 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, thinking, “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 gate.
“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, the boss’s preference was clear-cut.
But now, the assistant wasn’t so sure anymore.
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 won the Best Actor Award, Trevor’s influence online was overwhelming, especially now that the so-called “evidence” was already 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.