Chapter 99
“Carmen,” Alica 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 and managed 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 prescreened 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 Playzy 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 sides.
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.