Chapter 94
Emery looked at her, his eyes earnest.
Aubree looked back at him and thought, "If you’d said this to me before, I would’ve been over the moon, probably too excited to sleep for days. But now? I feel nothing. If anything, it’s almost laughable.
"Now you put on this act? Where were you when it actually mattered?
"So what were those three years of suffering for? Was I just a glutton for punishment?
"Are they seriously trying to lure me back just so they can keep trampling all over me?
"Like he’d really rush to help just because my startup club lacks anything. Who knows, maybe after all this ‘helping,’ God’s Fury would just end up being renamed Apex Squad."
As soon as the thought took root in Aubree’s mind, it spiraled out of control. Her previously scornful expression instantly hardened into seriousness.
Aubree shot Emery a guarded look, her whole body tense with suspicion.
She thought, "Didn’t the Wilson family say they wished I’d just die out there?
"Why do they keep taking turns showing up to find me? If before it was just about keeping Carmen at Rithol Art School, what’s their excuse now, after everything that’s happened? Is Emery really here because they’re plotting something new against me?"
“Emery,” Aubree snapped, “wasn’t I clear enough last time? Your whole family is a joke. What exactly do you want from me, coming after me one after another? If you’ve got all that pent-up family affection and nowhere to put it, just give it all to Carmen. Trust me, she’ll lap it up. As for me? I’m not your emotional dumping ground.”
Emery watched as Aubree regarded him with wariness and annoyance. It felt as if a thousand knives were stabbing into his heart, the pain so sharp it stole his breath away.
Aubree used to treasure nothing more than her family, these very people. But now, she cast aside what she once held dear like worthless trash.
“Wait, Aubree,” Emery blurted out urgently, “I genuinely want to help you. Did you see my posts online? You’re new to this; now is when you need support the most. My team can get your operation running smoothly in no time. In esports, I guarantee even Bowen doesn’t know the industry as well as I do.”
The more earnest Emery became, the more suspicious Aubree grew; she could practically smell something fishy.
“Help me?” Aubree echoed, her tone laced with irony. That word held no good memories for her; the last time Emery had offered his “help,” it was all for Carmen’s sake.
Aubree’s expression turned even more sardonic at the memory. “Seriously, don’t you see how absurd this is?” she scoffed. “Let’s be honest, in the three years I spent with the Wilson family, I got scraps of kindness but a full course of suffering. So I’m begging you, just have some mercy and stay the hell out of my life.”
Emery was completely caught off guard by Aubree’s reaction. “No, it’s not like that. If you don’t trust me, I can assign my team to you directly. We can sign a formal contract. That way, you’ll know I’m serious, okay?”
As a premier esports organization, Apex Squad was such a powerhouse that everyone from star players to support staff became highly sought after by other clubs, unless they’d been dismissed for breaching their contract.
“Don’t even start. I wouldn’t dare accept even a crumb of your ‘kindness’; who knows what price I’ll have to pay for it later? You give me a few lousy little favors, then expect me to go back and slave away for Carmen, right?” Aubree cut him off, already wary of this family. Three years had taught her that the price of any favor from the Wilson family was more than she could ever bear.
“No, Aubree, this has nothing to do with Carmen, I…” Emery stammered, his words cut off in his rush to explain.
Aubree was already losing her patience. “Do I really have to rip off every last mask and lay everything bare before you’ll finally back off?
“Are you seriously going to deny that during my first New Year with the Wilson family, you brought me some lousy freebie that was actually meant for Carmen, called it my present, and then made me take the fall for her? Wasn’t that you?”
Emery froze, his face draining of color as the memory hit him; he remembered it.
Aubree saw his reaction and knew he hadn’t forgotten. Her voice turned ice-cold. “For a moment, I almost thought you’d forgotten. Your precious little Carmen is a treasure, while I’m nothing but trash, is that it? Did you even count how many lashes I took that day? While your whole family was cozy and festive inside for New Year, I was locked alone in the basement, not even given a drop of water!”
If Wendy hadn’t remembered her after preparing the Wilson family’s New Year’s dinner and brought her some food and supplies, she might have frozen to death in that basement that night.