Chapter 268
The image of Aubree, tearfully apologizing in utter confusion and helplessness, flashed before Bryan’s eyes. His face grew even paler as he recalled his own actions—standing by indifferently, hurling cruel words at her, or even laying hands on her himself.
Aubree clapped her hands and burst out laughing as she looked at him. “Bryan Wilson, current CEO of the Wilson Group, eldest son of the Wilson family. You used to be the envy of everyone. Who didn’t praise you as a young prodigy or respectfully address you as Mr. Wilson? Yet even someone like you could stoop so low—bullying and framing your utterly powerless sister.
“Even the cruelest caretaker at the orphanage wasn’t half the monster you are!
“Did it make you feel powerful, watching me struggle like that? Every time I dared to defy your orders, you made sure I suffered worse than death. The poor wretch had to grovel at your feet just to gasp for air.
“Bryan, karma’s a bitch. You treated me like dirt back then, and now you expect forgiveness with just a few hollow words? Don’t you find that laughable?”
Bryan’s heart lurched violently. Though he had sought out Aubree many times before, this was the first time her hatred struck him with such crystal clarity.
They thought a simple apology could erase the past, but the scars they carved into her heart would never heal.
The light in Bryan’s eyes slowly dimmed. ‘Right,’ he thought, ‘how could I possibly have the nerve to come here and beg Aubree for forgiveness?’
Bowen had been listening intently, his loathing for the Wilson family reaching a new peak. ‘If only I’d known sooner,’ he thought bitterly, ‘I would’ve done whatever it took to pull her out of that hellhole.’
Bowen’s big, warm hand enveloped Aubree’s. She startled slightly, then looked up to meet his gaze. “I’m fine,” she said, her voice firm.
She couldn’t bring herself to say she’d let go of the past, because she hadn’t. She was hell-bent on revenge. But honestly, she didn’t even care that much anymore. She just wanted to twist the knife into Bryan’s wounds. ‘Well, you want to repent?’ she thought. ‘I’ll remind you, over and over, just how despicable you are.’
Aubree put to good use the remainder of her summer break by signing up for driving lessons. While getting by without a car was manageable in high school, she knew she’d need her own wheels once college started.
Aubree thoroughly enjoyed her summer break. With Aidan overseeing the simultaneous launch of Zappy’s overseas version, the platform received rave reviews both domestically and abroad. Thanks to her partnership with Peace Entertainment and the strategic promotion by their cultivated artists and influencers, Zappy quickly gained solid traction.
Aubree said, “Next, we can explore partnerships with existing e-commerce platforms.
“It’s such a hassle for influencers to search for products on other platforms every time they run ads. Why not just build our own Zappy Marketplace with one-click redirect? That way, it’s a win-win for both sides.
“Charging a deposit for merchant onboarding is another way to expand our marketplace business.
“Actually, existing e-commerce platforms like ChumBuy and JinnCee haven’t fully dominated the market yet. There’s still a huge slice of the pie up for grabs in the e-commerce sector.”
Platforms like ChumBuy marketed themselves as affordable and consumer-friendly, but in reality, they were far from genuine bargains.
The Zappy operations manager chimed in, “So, are we building an e-commerce section right into Zappy, then?”
“No,” Aubree said, “Zappy’s current e-commerce mainly links in-video ads. That’s just a small part. My plan is to build an entirely new e-commerce model from scratch.”
Even when Zappy launched, Aubree already had future plans brewing. There was still plenty of room for Zappy to grow, but the timing just wasn’t right yet. As for gaming, with studios like Marlin Studios, Randall’s team spearheading otome games, she didn’t need to worry at all. She’d brought together the very same talents she’d hand-picked from her past life. They knew the drill.
At most, she merely needed to keep an eye on things to steer clear of the pitfalls she’d faced in her past life. With all that extra time, she naturally focused on developing new ventures.