Chapter 336
“If Aubree truly had to resort to those so-called tactics you accuse her of just to gain your family’s recognition, then this is nothing short of tragic. You’re destroying a rising star in the art world. Just how blind must your entire family be to mistake a priceless pearl for a worthless stone?”
As he spoke, Stan’s anguish was palpable. He was truly sad. He’d heard of Aubree, a brilliant entrepreneur with remarkable achievements. Given all her current success, he knew she’d never pursue painting again.
‘If only I’d met Aubree sooner,’ Stan lamented inwardly.
This only intensified Stan’s growing disgust for unscrupulous individuals like Carmen. The Wilson family, who blindly took her side, earned his utter disdain.
Stan’s words caused the crowd’s expressions to shift repeatedly.
Stan was the president of the Art Association, renowned for his fairness and obsession with art. Anyone who got a single word of praise from him was destined for greatness. And now, he was actually praising Aubree to the skies.
Then again, true talent spoke for itself. If Aubree could earn such high praise with just one painting, would she really need those underhanded tricks Carmen mentioned to get noticed?
Besides, if Aubree really cared that much about the Wilson family, why would she have left and switched to regular academic studies? That just didn’t add up.
Suspicious gazes drifted over Carmen, even causing Percival’s authority to waver. After all, Percival was Carmen’s mentor. Surely he would side with his protégé.
Seeing the tide turning, Alice scoffed and said, “Mr. Frazier, you might be a master in the art world, but I doubt you really understand the minds of young girls.
“Aubree is my biological daughter. She lived in an orphanage, and after coming home, she grew jealous of the way my adopted daughter, Carmen, was doted on by the family. Naturally, she wanted to seek attention.
“People will stop at nothing to get what they want. Knowing we’d never forsake Carmen just because Aubree is our biological daughter, when Aubree couldn’t chase Carmen out, she resorted to every spiteful act imaginable to make us hate Carmen.
“She’s utterly scheming, Mr. Frazier. Don’t let yourself be manipulated by her.”
Alice leveraged her status as Aubree’s mother. In the eyes of others, a mother’s words would always carry significant credibility, regardless of how fractured their actual relationship was.
The standoff continued, neither side willing to yield.
Carmen pretended to be put on the spot.
Stan’s eyes widened in shock at Alice’s words. He was appalled that such parents existed. They couldn’t even tell right from wrong.
Even as an outsider, Stan could see that Carmen was rotten to the core. Yet, Alice stood there in front of everyone, adamantly declaring her biological daughter, Aubree, to be a scheming villain.
The rest of the crowd remained silent, too.
Aubree reached out and gently tugged on Stan’s sleeve. “Mr. Frazier, thank you for speaking up for me.”
Aubree lifted her face and beamed with a radiant smile. Stan’s heart ached for her. He thought, ‘What a wonderful girl she is.’
Then, Aubree turned to Ronald. “Mr. Wilson, don’t any of you have something to say?”
Ronald hung his head in shame. He couldn’t speak up. If he did, the Wilson family’s reputation would be damaged. He hadn’t realized this was exactly what Alice had in mind when she called them here.
Their silence served as an implicit endorsement for Carmen.
Bryan, for his part, wanted to speak, but seeing Ronald’s silence, he too had no choice but to hold his tongue. He could only convey his apology through his eyes alone.
Aubree laughed. “You’re all truly sickening. Wasn’t it just a short while ago you were begging for me to come back, pleading for my forgiveness? And this is how you expect to earn it?
“You all know perfectly well that Ms. Diamonde is slandering me, yet not a single one of you speaks up. Every action you take only reinforces my conviction that leaving the Wilson family is the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Ronald’s face drained of all color as he thought, ‘I didn’t mean for this to happen. Why can’t Aubree try to see things from my perspective?’