Chapter 56

Bowen stepped off the plane through a V.I.P. passage, dressed casually in loose black pants and with his face shielded by sunglasses. With his impeccable poise and striking presence, he could easily be mistaken for a celebrity.

Kelvin was already waiting for him at the exit. After escorting him into the car, he began, "Boss, Miss Miller just sent me a message." He then relayed all the tasks she had assigned him.

"Just do as Miss Miller says." Bowen didn't even bother to ask any questions.

Hearing this, Kelvin wasn't surprised. He thought, 'Miss Miller's stock just went up another notch in my book. Guess I'll need to take her requests more seriously from now on.'

He asked, "Boss, should we head back to Turner Group now, or—"

"Go to…" Bowen was about to give Aubree's address when he abruptly changed his mind. "Let's head back to Turner Group first."

Kelvin was a bit taken aback. To his knowledge, Bowen had rushed back this time specifically for Aubree.

Before Kelvin could respond, Bowen’s voice mused from the back seat, “Kelvin, do you think I’ve been a bit too clingy lately?”

Kelvin nearly choked on his own saliva, barely suppressing a cough. 'Damn, why can't I have temporary deafness right now? Was I really supposed to hear that? Boss, do you even hear yourself?' he thought.

Kelvin stole a furtive glance at the rearview mirror, catching Bowen's serious, thoughtful expression. Testing the waters, he ventured, "So…absence makes the heart grow fonder?"

Bowen gave him an approving look. On his last flight to Odonland, he had carefully studied the book "360 Ways to Raise A Daughter" that Chloe had sent him. The book emphasized giving her some personal space and letting her miss him a little, so she'd realize just how much he meant to her.

He reflected on himself and realized it was true. When he suddenly returned to Odionland this time, Aubree didn't even bother to ask. She just moved right away, as if afraid he'd stop her.

Bowen nodded to himself. 'This time, I won't rush over. I need to let Bree realize how much she needs me,' he thought.

Bowen asked, "Did that master tailor I asked you to reach out to last time get back to you?" Since Bree had been handling everything so well on her own lately, and with her birthday coming up soon, he decided to start preparing her gift.

Hearing this, Kelvin looked troubled. "Boss, Ms. Clarke said no amount of money could bring her out of retirement. She only makes dresses for those she deems worthy."

"Make the arrangements. I'll go invite her myself."

Even though Carmen had been expelled from Rithol Art School, she couldn't just stay cooped up at home forever. To make sure no one at her new school dared to bully or mock her, Alice made the call that the entire Wilson family would escort her.

The scene was truly spectacular.

With a wave of his hand, Ronald completely upgraded all the teaching software and equipment for the entire art class.

A motorcade escorted them to school, where Baston and Trevor personally walked Carmen into her classroom. Alice handed out gifts to every student, a gesture that, while appearing generous, was actually a calculated display of the Wilson family's influence.

Except for Emery, who remained adamant in his refusal to come, even Bryan couldn't defy their mother's orders and showed up to make a show of force for Carmen. As the real power behind the Wilson Group, someone many of the students' parents would go out of their way to curry favor with, his mere presence ensured that no one in their right mind would dare provoke Carmen and risk bringing trouble upon their own families.

Students from modest backgrounds at least knew better than to speak ill of their benefactor.

When Carmen returned to campus this time, even the school administration made an appearance and held a special assembly for her, cautioning students against being misled by unfounded rumors.

"Carmen," Alice said, stroking Carmen's hair, pride shining in her eyes. "Just focus on your studies. Your only goal now is to get into Rithol Art School. Leave anything or anyone else that might affect you to Mom."

'Such a thoughtful and intelligent girl is my daughter,' she thought proudly.

Daxton stood by with a gentle smile, his gaze so tender it could melt anyone's heart. He said softly, "Carmen, don't worry about those negative voices. We have it all planned out. The local art competition is coming up, and I'll make sure everything goes smoothly for you. Once you win that award, no one will dare question your talent again."

"Mom, Daxton, you don't have to do this. I can handle things myself," Carmen said, looking genuinely overwhelmed.

"What do you mean you can handle this alone? You've got your whole family backing you up! The Wilson family's power and wealth are there to make sure no one ever bullies you. Don't worry, sweetheart, in my eyes, you'll always be my one and only daughter," Alice said firmly.

Carmen's eyes welled up with gratitude. "Mom, Daxton, you're both so good to me. I promise I'll make you proud!"

Daxton said, "Silly girl, it's okay if you don't try hard. I will pave the way for you."

Alice beamed with joy: "Carmen is always so thoughtful and sweet. Just do your best, darling—your health matters most."

Bryan watched with a bitter taste in his mouth. Everyone was preoccupied with making sure Carmen wouldn't face any judgment after being expelled from Rithol Art School and returning to Rithol High, pulling out all the stops to ensure she commanded respect.

Yet not a single person seemed to care that Aubree couldn't even go back to school.

'She was suspended and sent home to reflect. Without her mother's approval, Will wouldn't dare let her return,' Bryan thought. 'Some big brother I am. I promised to look out for Aubree, but what have I actually done for her so far? Nothing that really matters.'

'Even Emery had more backbone than me. He flat-out refused to get involved, no matter how much Mom and Dad pressured him!'

Aubree was swamped. Though suspended from school, she wasn't about to sit idle. She had signed up for an academic competition while juggling responsibilities at both her company and her esports club.

After confirming that everything at the club’s base was ready, Aubree contacted Hector and her teammates to let them know they could move in.

For now, she planned to focus the esports club on League of Legends, and would gradually expand into other competitive games after her SAT.

According to his contract, God's Fury’s coach was supposed to leave after the autumn finals. But Aubree offered him a hefty salary to extend his contract for another year.

"Coach, the club is still developing and we're short-staffed. Could you stay on for one more year? With Matilda here to help, your workload will be much lighter, won't it?" The coach now bitterly regretted being fooled by Aubree’s innocent, doe-eyed plea back then.

He could handle his coaching duties now, but all the extra work, including running daily operations, recruiting new players, and building up and strengthening the second team, was dumped squarely on his shoulders.

He thought, 'If it weren’t for the fat paycheck, I would’ve quit long ago!'

Turner Group's HR had completed the preliminary screening, and the pre-screened resumes had landed on Aubree's desk. All that remained was for her to conduct the final interviews herself.

Aubree selected several people, offered them competitive salaries, and formed a software development team with a clear mandate: they had to deliver an initial prototype of the Playry app on an accelerated timeline.

As for the app’s features and interface, they would make adjustments after she reviewed them. Once everything was finalized and the app passed debugging and testing, it could go live.

She planned to launch the app right after the League of Legends transfer window, so club members could use and promote it, a win-win for both. But these things couldn’t be rushed, so Aubree set them aside for now and focused fully on her studies and the upcoming competition.

Aubree signed up just in time. With the preliminary round starting in less than two days, all she could do was cram at the last minute.

"I'm not aiming for first prize, just winning any award would make me content," Aubree thought.