Chapter 36
“I’ll do it,” Aubree said through clenched teeth. Lying to Boston would ruin her future in esports, and she hadn’t planned on staying in the pro scene long-term anyway.
But if she refused, Hector and the others would get hurt. Championships could be won again, but if her teammates got injured, there was no fixing that.
Daxton finally looked a little satisfied. He handed her his phone. “Record it yourself; if I don’t see it posted by tomorrow, I’ll do it for you.”
Aubree’s hands shook as she took the phone and opened the voice recorder. "I-"
Before she could speak, a familiar voice cut in, calm but mocking, "I was starting to wonder what was taking so long. So this is where you’ve been, catching up with Dr. Wilson, huh?"
Bowen’s cold eyes locked onto Daxton as he walked forward slowly. He glanced at the bodyguards. “Dr. Wilson, what’s this about? Did my nephew piss you off or something?”
Histone was casual at first, but then it turned sharp. “Or are you acting on behalf of the Wilson family to stir up trouble with me? Bullying my sweetie?”
That last part was something else. Aubree wasn’t sure why, but she knew Bowen was talking about her.
She snuck a few glances at Bowen, puzzled. “Why is he stepping in like this? Why is he defending me so hard?” she wondered.
Alvin rolled his eyes in disgust.
The bodyguards hesitated, unsure of what to do next. They looked to Daxton for a signal.
Daxton ground his teeth in frustration. Just a little more time, and this would’ve been over. He thought Bowen had shown up at the worst possible moment.
Trying to keep control of the situation, Daxton waved his hand and told the bodyguards, “Let the others go. But Aubree stays with me.”
He had to keep a hold on Aubree for now and figure the rest out later.
He grabbed her wrist, tight enough to leave a red mark on her skin. He didn’t care if it hurt. Anyway, Aubree wasn’t going anywhere.
Unlike Bryan, Daxton wasn’t into playing games like “pick one.” Aubree had Wilson blood, and there was no way he’d let Bowen take her. "...and we’ll sort everything else out later.”
But Bowen didn’t back down. “Dr. Wilson, maybe you didn’t hear me. I’m taking everyone with me."
Daxton’s expression darkened. After a moment, he let out a low, angry laugh. “Who does he think he is? He isn’t family. Who is he to interfere with how I deal with my own sister?" he thought.
“Aubree is a Wilson,” Daxton said coldly. His voice dropped into a low, threatening growl. “She’s one of us.”
Ollo let out a short laugh at that. It had been a while since he’d seen anyone dumb enough to threaten Bowen. Today was really something. He’d known Bowen a long time and could tell that Bowen was furious.
Ollo looked Daxton up and down, wondering if this so-called scientist could take a beating.
After all, back when Bowen’s older brother was alive, Bowen might’ve seemed cold, but he’d been the wildest one in their group. He only toned it down after the Turner family's fall.
“A Wilson!” Bowen repeated, pretending to be confused. “You mean the Wilson family that signed a document cutting ties with her, huh? She was your blood relative, and you kicked her out. How exactly is she still part of your family?”
His words hit hard. Aubree, still held tightly by Daxton, thought every word Bowen said was spot on. If she could, she would’ve clapped.
The Wilsons were ridiculous, always talking about her coming home, like she was still one of them. But to her, they were no longer her family after what they’d done.
As the argument heated up, Chris finally showed up with backup. The Turner family’s bodyguards quickly lined up behind Bowen.
With his team now in place, Bowen stopped pretending to be polite. He’d been stalling because he wasn’t sure he could keep Aubree safe in a full-blown fight. But now? No more worries.
He thought about the scene he’d just walked into and narrowed his eyes. They were bullying his girl. There was no way he was gonna sit back and do nothing.
He took off his tie and dropped it.
He started undoing his cufflinks. “Whether she stays or goes isn’t your call.”
Daxton was caught off guard, and Aubree used that moment to strike. She bit down hard on his wrist. Her whole body still ached from when he’d thrown her earlier, and she wasn’t the type to let things slide.
She bit down as hard as she could, only letting go when Daxton cried out. Then she slipped away like a fish and ran straight to Bowen.
“Aubree!” Daxton roared. He grabbed his wrist, which was already turning red and bleeding where her teeth had broken the skin.
Before he could react, a hand clamped down on his shoulder, and then Bowen’s fist slammed into his gut…
Bowen’s eyes were dark and sharp. His voice was low and cold. “So, how about we settle things now, for putting your hands on my sweetie?”
Daxton’s bodyguards moved in to help, but Chris and his team stepped in, blocking them with easy smiles. “Let the bosses sort it out.”
They didn’t throw punches unless Bowen gave the order, but they sure weren’t about to let Daxton’s men mess things up either.
Daxton’s bodyguards were stuck. They could only stand there, fuming.
Bowen didn’t waste the moment. He landed a few hard punches before stepping back, calm as ever. He straightened his sleeves and clipped his cufflinks back into place, looking like he hadn’t even broken a sweat.
On the other hand, Daxton was left on one knee, gasping and clutching his stomach. His face had gone pale. All that smugness from earlier was gone.
Bowen looked down at him and warned, “Dr. Wilson, next time won’t be just a couple of punches.” He had wanted to stay out of Aubree’s fights with the Wilsons—let her handle things herself. But clearly, they didn’t know when to quit, even with him backing up Aubree.
Then he looked over at Aubree. He gently pulled her collar down and saw the bruises. His jaw tightened. Now he really wished he’d hit Daxton harder. He should’ve left Daxton in a hospital bed.
“I’m fine. It just looks bad,” Aubree said quickly, trying to push his hand away. But the small movement made her wince.
Bowen shot her a glare. “You call this fine, huh?”
Without saying anything else, he crouched down and scooped her up onto his back, ignoring her weak protests.
“I’m taking her to the hospital. You take care of the rest,” he told Alvin.
Alvin gave a firm nod. “Got it.”
Once they were gone, Chris stepped aside and finally let Daxton’s bodyguards come help him.
Daxton leaned on his men, glaring at the spot where Bowen and Aubree had just been. His face twisted with rage. He’d never been this humiliated. Never felt so powerless.
Just then, Emery showed up. He saw Bowen walking off with Aubree on his back, and his face changed. ‘She’s hurt? Where’s Daxton?’ he wondered.
He scanned the area, not spotting Daxton right away. His face grew even darker. After a moment of hesitation, he rushed toward the parking garage.
Aubree saw him and let out a quiet, bitter laugh.