Chapter 47

The accusations against Aubree grew louder and more relentless.

“What a letdown! I actually thought our school had a champion,” someone muttered.

Another said, “So a cheating champion still counts, right?”

“I couldn’t believe Aubree would stoop so low at the competition,” a bystander remarked. “But now even her own mother is publicly denouncing her character…” They shook their head in disdain.

Some sighed in sympathy, while others spat in disgust.

One of the onlookers scoffed, “Some people just don’t know how to appreciate the good life they’ve got.”

Another said, “Wasn’t it said on the forums that Aubree got kicked out of the Wilson family for pushing Carmen down the stairs out of jealousy? Then they proved it was actually Carmen who stated it herself, and honestly, I totally believed her back then. But now? Guess where there’s smoke, there’s fire; she’s no saint either.”

If it were just reporters stirring up trouble, people might still have their doubts. But now that even Alice had spoken out against her, suddenly everyone believed it.

If Aubree hadn’t crossed the line, people felt that Alice would not publicly condemn her own daughter like this.

Aubree heard all the scathing comments, and of course, Alice heard them too.

Alice shot Aubree a taunting smile, her eyes full of challenge. She thought, ‘So you refused to help Carmen and even got her expelled from Rithol Art School? You’re so capable that you don’t even need to come home, right? Let’s see how you get yourself out of this mess now.’

“To err is human, please don’t judge my daughter so harshly,” Alice said, putting on a magnanimous front. “I believe my Aubree simply made a mistake in the heat of the moment. As long as she’s willing to admit her wrongdoing and return the trophy that was never rightfully hers, I’m still willing to take her home and guide her properly.”

The crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Some parents dropping off their kids couldn’t help nodding in agreement; if their own child had done something so disgraceful, a beating would be letting them off easy. They felt that Aubree sure had a great mother.

The planted reporter, seeing how things were unfolding, quickly thrust the microphone forward and said pointedly, “Aubree, since your mother is being so forgiving, why not take this opportunity, with everyone watching, to show your resolve and apologize right here and now? We’ll all bear witness!”

Aubree thought sarcastically, “What a perfect little scheme!

I didn’t know exactly what was going on, but could make an educated guess.

It must be the Wilson family colluding with someone to smear me online, claiming I cheated in the finals. Then Alice brought in reporters to corner me, and now she’s making her grand entrance to put on this little act with them.

Alice gets to play the saintly, selfless mother, while I’m cast as the rebellious, wayward daughter.

If I apologize now, Carmen’s little scandal could easily be swept under the rug. After all, nothing someone like her does would surprise anyone.

Not only that, but Alice would seize this chance to keep me under her thumb."

Aubree grabbed the reporter’s wrist and yanked the microphone to her own mouth. “Me? Apologize?” she scoffed. “Why the hell should I?

“Cheating in the finals? Excuse me? I don’t even know how that rumor started. Let me make one thing clear: I won that championship on my own; my trophy is completely untainted!”

The reporter struggled to reclaim the microphone, but Aubree tightened her grip even further, gave the reporter a cold look, and said lightly, “What’s the matter, Miss Reporter? I wasn’t finished speaking.”

Aubree flashed a cold, toothy grin, her gleaming teeth making the reporter freeze in fear, all struggle forgotten in an instant.

Aubree swept her gaze across the crowd. “Or should I apologize for being a ‘difficult daughter’ too?”

At this point, Aubree couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. She thought, ‘Unless I’d actually killed someone, how could I ever be worse than the Wilson family?’

Aubree stared straight at Alice and demanded, “Ms. Wilson, do you admit that I’ve already severed all ties with your family?”

Alice parted her lips, instinctively ready to deny it. But then it struck her that her husband had indeed signed those legal documents. Even if she tried to deny it, Aubree had concrete proof. So she chose silence, facing Aubree with an exaggerated look of helpless resignation.

Aubree thought, ‘If she wants to keep pretending, I’m not playing along.’

“Blackmail? Sorry, I don’t have a moral compass. If that’s how you want to play, then let’s all lose face together.”

She said, “You’re not silent because you don’t want to answer, you’re too scared to. I have the legal severance agreement right here. You’re no longer my mother. I can have it authenticated in court. I drafted it myself, which means I was the one who initiated the severance.”

Aubree’s words made the sharper minds in the crowd start connecting the dots.

As far as the Wilson family was concerned, Aubree wasn’t driven out for any wrongdoing. On the contrary, she chose to leave of her own accord.

The Wilson family were Rithol’s top-tier elite; no one would walk away from that kind of fortune.

People felt that it must be because she’d reached her absolute breaking point.

Aubree glared at Alice. “You stand there as my mother, accusing your daughter of rotten morals and an incorrigible nature. But have you ever stopped for even a moment to consider if you are fit to be a mother?

“For three years in the Wilson family, I never had a single proper meal! Do you even know I developed a chronic stomach condition? Have you ever truly looked at the scars all over my body? Every single one of them was caused by the Wilson family!

“Did you even bother to count how many times I was hospitalized in those three years?

“Did you ever even care whether I was freezing or burning up?”

Aubree shouted, “Never!

“For three years, all I ever got from you, my so-called mother, was nothing but scolding and beatings. You accuse me of having no morals, so tell me, exactly where did I go wrong? As a designer, Alice, don’t you understand what plagiarism means to a creator? Yet you forced me to ghostwrite for Carmen in so many important competitions, and even enabled her to hire others just to keep herself from being expelled from Rithol Art School. And after all that, you still call Carmen a ‘good kid’?”

“If I’ve done anything wrong, it’s only because you drove me to it over these past three years!”

All the injustices of the past three years came pouring out in that moment, and Aubree felt a sense of liberation she hadn't experienced before. Watching Alice pale and stumble backward only intensified the triumphant satisfaction surging through her.

“I…” Alice started to retort. But when she met Aubree’s undisguised look of hatred, her words died in her throat, a chill running down her spine.

Alice thought, “She hates me?

“Why does she hate me so much? Sure, maybe I neglected her meals at the Wilson household, but in every other respect, haven’t I treated her well?

‘She had top-tier clothes and luxury goods. Other than asking her to yield to Carmen, what exactly did she have to complain about?’

That sliver of guilty conscience Alice had felt just moments before vanished instantly, replaced by fury.

Alice thought venomously, ‘What an ungrateful wretch!

“She keeps going on about how the Wilson family wronged her, but what has she ever done for us?

Aubree never measured up to Carmen in any way. Isn’t it only natural for the family to dote on her more?"

The tension was so palpable, it began to ripple through the crowd.

Perhaps it was Aubree’s raw and genuine resentment that…

The crowd’s murmurs gradually shifted in tone, their certainty wavering as they struggled to tell who was actually in the right.

“Will Jennings! Stop crowding at the entrance! Shouldn’t you all be in class by now?” the principal, Will Jennings called out from afar, arriving late after hearing the news, urgently herding the students back to their classrooms.

He thought, ‘Reporters are everywhere! How can I let this go on?’

Seizing the final moment, Aubree fixed Alice with a piercing glare. “I’ve repaid my debt to you. As for your so-called ‘nurturing’? I was trafficked at five, and after three years under your roof, I ended up malnourished. If I haven’t retaliated for that kind of care, it’s only because I’m being merciful!”

“You there, the girl in front! I see you. Come to my office, now!” Will strode over and firmly grabbed Aubree by the arm. As he looked up, his eyes landed on Alice standing nearby.

Will recognized Alice because she had visited the school several times due to Carmen and was a bit dumbfounded. He thought, “What on earth is going on here?”