Orphan To Unbreakable Queen - Chapter 106: Chapter 106

"Uncle Bowen, something's off with Aubree," Alvin said.
Bowen closed his eyes briefly. "Keep Aubree safe," he ordered.
Aubree was completely numb to her surroundings now, her vacant eyes fixed on the pool of blood on the ground. 'After two lifetimes... Have I killed someone?' she thought, stunned.
The thought haunted her. Just as she was on the verge of breaking down, someone draped a suit jacket over her head. The metallic tang of blood in her nose faded, replaced by a scent she knew all too well.
"Bowen, I killed someone!" Aubree sobbed uncontrollably, her voice breaking with panic.
"No, he's not dead," Bowen replied, his unwavering certainty instantly bringing her a sense of relief.
Bowen added, "Don't think about a thing now. I'll handle everything."
Aubree's taut nerves suddenly relaxed, her body going limp as she collapsed into unconsciousness.
Bowen had Aubree and Isla sent to the hospital for examination. As for the three thugs, they barely had a few minutes of relief before their scalps prickled with dread.
Bowen fixed his murderous gaze on them. They didn't doubt for a second that he truly wanted them dead. A shiver ran down their spines.'Who are the real desperadoes here?' they wondered in terror. 'Us, or this usually so refined and respectable Mr. Turner?'
Alvin knew what his uncle was planning. "I'll post some men at the entrance. Make it quick. The cops are almost here."
Bowen grunted in response. With deliberate, unhurried movements, he pulled at his tie and undid his cufflinks. Under the stark garage lights, he radiated an incredibly menacing aura.
The three men, forced to crouch on the ground with their calves trembling uncontrollably, were already starting to regret taking this job.
"What exactly did you guys do?" Bowen rolled his wrists as he asked, his unnervingly casual tone sending a chill through the room.
"W-we didn't do anything, I swear!" one of the thugs stammered.
Ethan was about to say, "Maybe we should check the surveillance footage," but the words died in his throat because Bowen had already sprung into action.
Bowen moved lightning fast, grabbing the nearest thug by the throat and lifting him clean off the ground. His crushing grip cut off the man's air supply like a death sentence, and within moments, the thug's face turned purple from lack of oxygen. "Not talking, huh?" Bowen asked coldly.
"P-please, spare us! W-we're just hired hands. We only meant to kidnap her," the man replied, voice trembling with fear.
"Is that so?" Bowen cocked his head. "I don't buy it. If all you wanted was to kidnap her, why was she so terrified she fought you tooth and nail?"
Bowen thought coldly, 'If these bastards hadn't revealed their sick intention to assault her, Aubree wouldn't have fought back so desperately, for her safety and to protect Isla. She'd already called the police and alerted others anyway. She could've just waited calmly for backup.'
The man's face went white. Being the closest to Bowen, he felt the full, chilling intensity of Bowen's rage.
The other thugs, pressed down by Ethan and his men, trembled uncontrollably, their teeth chattering in terror, too frightened to speak.
Bowen's lips twisted into a sinister smile. "Still not talking?"
His other hand loosened for a split second, then clenched tight as he drove his fist straight into the man's face.
The man choked on a cry of pain as his neck got seized once more, no sound able to escape his lips. He slumped, limp and powerless, like a dying animal.
"I-I'll tell you! We were just overcome with lust the moment we saw her, and we wanted to..." he stammered.
Bowen didn't need to hear the rest. It lined up with what he'd already guessed. His eyes darkened with fury, a violent glint flashing as he suddenly lashed out with a kick.
This brutal kick sent the man sprawling across the floor. He lay there, gasping for breath, completely winded and unable to get up for a long moment.
Bowen fixed them with a cold stare. "Are you going to tell me yourselves, or do I have to make you? Tell me, who exactly sent you?"
With the brutal lesson of their comrade's fate still fresh in their minds and surrounded by Bowen's men, the remaining thugs quickly cracked. One of them blurted out, "It was the Timberlake family! They sent us. Gareth asked us to kidnap Aubree."
Bowen let out a cold, mocking laugh. 'Well, isn't that just perfect? If the Timberlake family had a death wish, I'd be happy to oblige,' he thought.
"Drag them aside and teach them a lesson. Then, hand them over when the cops arrive," Bowen ordered.
Before they had a chance to plead for mercy, Ethan and his men, quick as a flash, clapped hands over their mouths and dragged them off to the side.
Alvin said to Bowen as he emerged, "Aubree was in distress, so the hospital gave her a sedative. She's resting now."
Bowen gave a curt nod, his gaze growing even icier and more unhinged.
He said, "Go keep an eye on Aubree at the hospital. I've got some business to take care of."
'Keeping an eye on her for him? What's that supposed to mean?' Alvin wondered but brushed off the odd phrasing the next second. "Did they say who sent them?" he asked.
Bowen said coldly, "The Timberlake family."
'So it was the Timberlake family after all,' Alvin thought.
Curling his lips into a mocking sneer, he said, "They must have a death wish."
Meanwhile, at the Timberlake family, Gareth paced anxiously back and forth in the living room. 'Why hasn't there been any news yet? Did today's operation succeed or not?' he wondered.
He knew full well this would cross the Turner family, but he'd already made plans. Once he got his son out, he'd take his family and leave Rithol City altogether. 'If I can't fight them, at least I can flee,' he thought.
Gareth gnashed his teeth in fury. 'Bowen shows no regard for our ties at all. He's having Jacob thrown in jail over what I consider such a trivial matter!' he fumed inwardly. 'Even if Jacob did something to Aubree, would she lose out by being connected to the Timberlake family?'
Just as he was thinking this, his wife Mandy came downstairs. The moment she saw him still at home, her temper flared. "What are you still doing here?" she fumed. "Why aren't you doing something to get Jacob out? He's your only son!"
Gareth, already irritated, snapped, "Can't you see I'm working on it? If the plan succeeds, we'll get Jacob out, alright?"
"What do you mean by that?" Mandy asked.
"I sent men to kidnap Aubree," Gareth replied.
"What did you just say you did?" Mandy's voice shot up in disbelief. "Bowen only went after Jacob because of Aubree, and you still dare to mess with her?"
Gareth thought she was overreacting. "What's all the fuss about?" he scoffed. "I've got it all planned out. Once we trade Aubree for Jacob, our whole family will leave Rithol City. We can develop in other cities anyway. We've already compromised. Given our daughter's connection to them, the Turner family will have to give us a pass."
He took it for granted and thought smugly, 'Over the years, I've reaped plenty of benefits from the Turner family thanks to my daughter. Do the Turner family people not know? Of course they do. But since they owe the Timberlake family, they have to pretend not to see.'
Mandy hesitated. "Will they let us off? I heard Bowen is running the Turner family now. He's a heartless bastard."
"Relax. It's all under control." Gareth had barely finished boasting when thunderous pounding erupted at the front door.
"Who's there?" Mandy called out nervously.
Gareth said nonchalantly, "That must be my people coming back."
With that, he stepped forward to open the door. The moment it cracked open a sliver, someone outside landed a brutal kick with explosive force, sending the door flying inward.
If Gareth hadn't reacted with quick reflexes and dodged, that brutal kick would have landed on more than just the door.
Mandy's face drained of all color the moment she recognized the intruder.
Gareth was just about to unleash a torrent of curses, but the moment he looked up, he froze completely on the spot.
Bowen strode in, flanked by bodyguards. "Mr. Timberlake, long time no see," he said.
"B-Bowen!" Gareth was stunned.
Bowen strode up to him, his gaze coldly assessing. "Mr. Timberlake," he said, "don't you have anything to say to me?"
Gareth had been running himself ragged trying to get Jacob out of trouble, and his hair had grown noticeably grayer. Now, face to face with Bowen, the once arrogant and self-assured man was reduced to a haggard, cowering figure, shrinking back, not daring to say a word.
Bowen sneered, "Cat got your tongue? I only greeted you politely out of respect for your daughter. Did you think you were hot stuff, Gareth?
"How dare you lay a finger on what's mine? Who the hell gave you the nerve?
"I might've let Jacob off with just a few months in jail if I were feeling generous. But you just had to go begging for death, didn't you?"
With each word Bowen uttered, Gareth's face grew paler. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered.
Gareth flatly denied it.
Bowen let out a chilling laugh. "Playing dumb, huh?"
In the next second, Bowen swung a vicious backhanded punch that smashed into Gareth's face, sending him crumpling to the ground, his body going limp from the blow.
Bowen sneered, "Do you need a reminder?"
Gareth's face contorted in sheer terror as he stumbled backward. He was genuinely terrified, afraid that Bowen might just beat him to death right there.