Chapter 14
A sleek Rolls-Royce pulled up at a semi-mountain villa. Far from the urban hustle, it was surrounded by serene and elegant scenery. The villa’s style mirrored Bowen’s persona: seemingly tranquil with pavilions and terraces, yet deeply cold.
“The domestic helpers here live in the secondary villa; they don’t come to the main one unless needed,” Bowen briefed Aubree on the general setup. As he spoke, he pointed to the middle-aged couple who had been waiting at the door. “This is Hugh Watson and Carol. They’re a couple and different from the others hired—they’re part of the Turser family. Hugh is the butler, and Carol manages everything in the main villa.”
Aubree nodded, indicating she understood. Clearly, Bowen had already briefed them, as they greeted her politely with a “Miss Miller” without any surprise. It was a common trait among the wealthy—preferring those they had personally trained. In prestigious families in Rithel, they used such people for internal affairs. Like the butler and nanny in the Wilson family, they were all “part of the family.”
Aubree knew these families also had their own “bodyguards,” sourced from a security company that, in reality, exclusively served them. The two bodyguards following Bowen were likely such.
“Just tell Carol if you need anything,” Bowen said with a smile, his eyes crinkling. Then, he leaned down to glance at Aubree, unbothered by her dazed expression. He reached out, messing up her already disheveled hair even more before chuckling. “Good night, then.”
Aubree’s first night at Els Heights was peaceful. Everything she needed was there, and Carol only appeared when needed, never overstepping.
At Forth Bay, meanwhile, just back from the team, Alvin heard Bowen was staying here tonight and thought to himself that the old man had finally lost it. Especially when he overheard the conversation in the study.
“Magnus’s mouth was tight; we couldn’t get anything. I restored his phone data, but only found these chat logs,” said Zachary. There were nine people working for his uncle, all surnamed Turner.
Alvin hid outside the door, his back against the wall. Listening to the conversation inside, he had more or less pieced the whole thing together. Aubree’s cheating scandal at school had been big news, and Alvin had heard about it.
‘But why was Uncle Bowen, supposedly on a business trip in another city, back because of Aubree? On top of that, sending Zachary to hassle a high schooler…’ Putting it all together, Alvin concluded: his uncle was finally about to go full psycho.
As Zachary left, Alvin appeared at the study door, one hand in his pocket. “Uncle Bowen, just a reminder, Aubree’s two months shy of adulthood.”
Bowen, puzzled by Alvin’s sudden appearance, asked, “What do you mean?”
“Minor, illegal,” Alvin deadpanned.
When he realized Alvin’s implication, Bowen’s expression turned complicated. He let out a long sigh. “Alvin, I didn’t realize I came across as such a beast in your eyes.”
Alvin remained skeptical. “Better not be.”
Chapter 14
During her stay at Els Heights, Aubree had a dedicated driver arranged by Hugh to take her to and from school.
In the Wilson family, Bryan was waiting for Aubree to beg to come back. While Emery wanted to find Aubree, he was swamped with the voice of the Autumn Split, where the opponents were no joke. Overwhelmed with team stuff, he could only ask his assistant to try to locate Aubree.
A few days passed smoothly, and soon it was the weekend.
“Why not rest a bit more on weekends, Aubree?” Carol smiled as she watched Aubree come down from the second floor. After getting familiar with Hugh and Carol, Aubree had asked them to just call her by her name.
“Got stuff to do today,” Aubree replied.
Even though it was unclear whether she’d wake up early on weekend mornings, breakfast was still prepared for her on the table. The beef sandwich was thick and rich, and the pancakes looked so delicious that they were almost drool-worthy. After filling up, Aubree touched her noticeably rounder cheeks and sighed at Carol’s irresistible cooking. She wondered if Bowen would let her take Carol if she got rich someday.
Aubree arrived at Forth Bay around the time she had agreed with Alvin. As soon as she got out of the car, she received a message from Alvin.
All Star: [Where should we meet?]
All-Star: [You’re not backing out, are you?]
The messages kept coming, showing the anxiousness of the person on the other end.
It made sense, with the finals of the Autumn Split next Saturday. If she couldn’t sign with God’s Fury, Alvin’s team might not even make it to the game. She remembered when Alvin established his esports team in her previous life. While it wasn’t opposed by the Turner family, they didn’t offer any support either. The so-called base of God’s Fury was just a villa under Alvin’s name that he had converted. If Alvin wasn’t rich, the team might not have even been formed.
Aubree raised an eyebrow, chose not to reply, and upon entering the door, she found Alvin on the living room sofa holding his phone, looking rather displeased.
“I don’t need any tutoring. The money will be paid as usual. As for what you do here during this time, do whatever,” Alvin said without even looking up.
Aubree chuckled and walked in front of him. Alvin was already irritated by Phoenix not replying to his messages. He looked up impatiently, “I thought I said–”
Before he could finish, Aubree flashed her phone in front of him, saying, “Here’s where we meet, Shrek.”
Instantly, Alvin’s poker face cracked as he gave Aubree a thorough once-over, still unable to believe this seemingly malnourished girl could be the Phoenix who pulled off those slick moves. Or maybe he’d just assumed Phoenix was male from the start. It couldn’t really blame him, though—that was just how the esports scene rolled.”
“You really are Phoenix?” he asked in disbelief.
Chapter 14
“Wanna play a round?”
That lit a fire in Alvin’s eyes. “Let’s go. Gaming room on the second floor.”
Alvin’s setup at home was even better than most internet cafes. Once in-game, Aubree pulled Alvin into a 3v3 map.
“I main jungles. You might be at a disadvantage here,” he said.
“No prob. If you can gain an edge, you’re the boss.”
First blood decides it.
In-game, Aubree locked in Ahri. This champion boasted multiple displacement skills and swift jungle clearing speed, ranking among the faster mages in the mid-lane. In the 3v3 map, letting go of the jungle resources would put one at a considerable disadvantage. She wasn’t bad at playing junglers, but since she was aiming for pro mid lane, gotta show off the skills.
Alvin wasn’t too surprised by Aubree’s pick. At the start, both sides were clearing their jungle and minions as usual. After a skirmish, Alvin provided a fake vision and then crouched in the bushes. That was how he got his nickname—always popping out from unexpected spots, catching opponents off guard.
Aubree noticed and smirked, estimating Alvin’s hiding spot in the bushes, then maneuvered her champion closer. When the distance felt right, Alvin made his move.
A golden figure appeared on the map, accompanied by the sound of glass shattering, heading straight towards Aubree. Without haste, Aubree deftly dodged to the side with a well-timed second skill.
Perfect prediction. Alvin threw out his combo, but Aubree simply dodged it like it was a piece of cake. Timing and distance control were spot on.
Alvin initially thought it was just a coincidence and didn’t pay much attention. After missing his attack and taking a set of damage himself, he used his skills, only to have his opponent vanish from sight.
This scenario kept playing out in the subsequent rounds. As he thought of their previous match, Alvin’s breath hitched—this wasn’t coincidence; it was Aubree’s deliberate move.
“How did she do it?!” Even after watching her highlight reels countless times, Alvin still marveled at her countless escapes from the brink and her almost dead counter-kills. Before, he thought it was just Aubree’s amazing skills, but what if all of it was her calculation? That was just terrifying. As he thought about it, Alvin wondered if this was even something a human could achieve.
With the dimming of his screen, Alvin found himself increasingly unable to sit still as he gazed at the gold disparity on the post-game summary page. There was only one kill difference, and he was a pro player. Yet, the gold gap was so huge on a 3v3 map!
“How do you always dodge my ambushes?” he asked.
Aubree laughed. “Simple. I just need to know the range of your attack, right?”
Alvin choked on his words, thinking to himself, Would I have made a move without being certain that Aubree was within my attack range? This is a game map, after all! Such precise distance control—is she even human?
Taking a deep breath, Alvin stared at Aubree with an unusually intense gaze. “Come on, join my team!”