Orphan To Unbreakable Queen - Chapter 115: Chapter 115

Emery's face darkened as he shot up from his seat. His abrupt movement instantly alerted the media crew, who smelled a breaking story. Every camera swiveled toward the giant screen on stage.
The video played.
First came a nervous inquiry from Caleb. "Can we start now? What should we say? What can we say to let my son rest in peace?"
On screen, Caleb looked uncertainly at someone off-camera.
"Just tell the truth."
"Hello, everyone. My name is Madelyn. My dad is Logan. You probably don't know us. These are my grandpa and grandma. My dad is a construction worker, and he's amazing. He helped build so many skyscrapers in the city. But before he ever got the chance to take me to see any of the buildings he worked on, I lost him forever.
"Not long ago, Dad was working at a Rosepoly construction site. He fell from high up. I didn't even get to see him one last time. All that came back to our hometown was his ashes. I miss my dad so much."
Madelyn's clear, childlike voice tugged at everyone's heartstrings.
Her thick rural accent made her words even more raw. The room fell deathly silent.
Her grandmother pulled her into her arms, tears streaming down her face. "The Wilson Group has no conscience! They bribed my daughter-in-law and gave her money to keep quiet! How could a company this big steal from workers' safety funds?"
Over the past few days, Birgitte had explained Logan's death to the family. They didn't understand all the technicalities, but they knew that their son died because the company cheaped out on safety equipment.
Caleb choked out, his voice heavy with grief, "We don't want money. We came here with our granddaughter for one reason. We want the people who killed my son to pay!"
The screen faded to black, plunging the annual gala into absolute silence, until the room erupted in a frenzied discussion.
"What's going on? Did someone actually die?"
"That's the embezzlement case involving Anthony, right?"
"Didn't the Wilson Group claim they immediately brought in Emery to replace all the defective safety equipment before any major accidents could happen?"
"Who's to say what really happened? Construction sites are remote. If the family doesn't kick up a fuss, who'd even find out?"
Emery had ordered the equipment to be replaced the moment he took over. But Rosepoly had too many sites, and Anthony's corruption ran too deep. The upgrades took time.
Logan died before his site's turn came, and his fatal fall from a height sent shockwaves through the site. Emery, who had prepared for just such an emergency, immediately sealed off the scene and handed out hefty payoffs to the workers present, desperate men just trying to make ends meet. The generous hush money ensured their silence.
Once the scene was cleared, Emery wasted no time bundling up and sending away everyone who had witnessed the incident that day. He brought in a fresh crew to replace them, and construction resumed as if Logan's death had never occurred.
Next up was Logan's wife, and she was handled just as smoothly.
Had Aubree not instructed Vincent to keep a close eye on the situation beforehand, the truth might never have come to light.
The scene erupted into chaos as reporters swarmed forward, abandoning all decorum. If not for the swift intervention of security, Emery would have been mobbed by a sea of microphones.
"Mr. Wilson, care to explain?"
"Does your company value profits over lives?"
"If you replaced the equipment, why did this happen? Have you really taken absolutely no action since taking office? Was your predecessor, Anthony, just a scapegoat?"
Emery's composure shattered. He never expected Logan's death to be dragged into the spotlight like this.
Emery wondered, 'How could anyone else know about this? Wasn't his wife already gone? How did these broke, backwater peasants even get to Rithol? How did they find journalists?'
His head snapped toward Bowen, who lounged in his seat, watching with cold amusement. Emery snarled, "You did this?"
Bowen raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, this wasn't my doing."
Bowen came here to stop Emery from sweeping this under the rug, but he clearly overestimated Emery. Emery had crumbled without him lifting a finger.
Reporters, blocked from reaching Emery, turned on the nearby Rosepoly staff instead.
Rosepoly Group's annual gala was live-streamed.
Even before the media could report on it, the news had already gone viral online.
Online platforms were swamped with viral reports of Rosepoly Group's deadly negligence, right at the height of Christmas. The news sparked outrage among blue-collar workers like Logan. Though they were strangers, the shared bitter fate and heartbreak hit home, as any one of them could have been next.
This time, there was no way even the Wilson Group could bury this.
Aubree lounged back, watching Rosepoly Group's annual gala descend into chaos on the livestream. 'An unscrupulous company that harms both others and itself really ought to go bankrupt sooner rather than later.'
She sent a message.
Aubree: [Execute the plan.]
On the scene, seeing everything unfold exactly as Aubree had planned, Bowen didn't linger. Meeting Emery's dazed gaze, he delivered a soul-crushing blow. "I didn't do this. It was Bree.
"She thinks Rosepoly is disgusting. And frankly? She thinks you're disgusting too."
He gave a faint, mocking smile.
Emery staggered as if struck, nearly collapsing. Had he not grabbed the armrest, the public humiliation would have been complete.
Whether his feelings were genuine or just a front, at this moment, the only person Emery truly cared about was Aubree.
Hate would've been preferable. At least it meant she still cared.
But now Bowen revealed the cruel truth. The very sister he cared about and so desperately wanted forgiveness from, found him utterly repulsive. Even worse, she'd known he was taking over Rosepoly... and destroyed it anyway.
Emery could no longer care about the circling reporters. A bitter, resigned smile touched his lips. 'So all those things before... were Aubree's doing too. She is truly something else. We did underestimate her before.'
She worked with ruthless efficiency. Exposing everything at the annual meeting must have been part of her plan from the start.
After this, Rosepoly Group would undoubtedly face investigations. If deeper secrets came to light, the company would be lucky to survive intact.
Bowen took a moment to savor Emery's expression before leisurely exiting the scene.
The scene descended into utter chaos. Some, realizing Emery had lost control, seized the chance to slip away, only to give reporters an opening.
Cameras and microphones swarmed, shoving into Emery's face.
"Mr. Wilson! Mr. Wilson!"
"Mr. Wilson! Mr. Wilson!"
His vision blurred as the voices merged. 'Whatever. So what if I am ruined? Maybe it is the least I owe Aubree.'
"Why is everyone standing around? Security, clear the press! Senior management stays, emergency meeting, now!"
The hall doors burst open. Bryan marched in with a team of bodyguards.
Order was restored in minutes. Bryan strode to Emery and slapped him hard across the face. "Snap out of it!
"Is that all you've got?
"Aubree doesn't know any better, but you're enabling the disaster. If Rosepoly collapses, Dad won't let Aubree off the hook."
Emery snapped back to reality. 'Right, the real trouble is what comes next. If Dad finds out Aubree is behind this, he'll definitely take it out on her."
"Since our little sister is so capable, we ought to show her what we are made of, don't you think?" Bryan hauled Emery to his feet.
"PR works overtime. Suppress online backlash. Contact Logan's family. Whatever it takes, silence them. And keep Anthony under watch."
Decades in the business sharpened Bryan's commands into weapons.
Rosepoly Group launched into damage control.