Orphan To Unbreakable Queen - Chapter 126: Chapter 126

The Wilson Group faced significant losses, leading to increasing dissatisfaction among shareholders with Ronald. Consequently, pressure was mounting for him to resign as chairman in favor of Bryan.
Ronald seethed with anger, while Carmen, filled with guilt, stammered, "Dad, I saw how busy you were back then, so I didn't want to disturb you. I thought I could handle it on my own. Dad, I'm so sorry—it's all my fault. I guess I'm just not as good as Aubree. I don't have what it takes like she does."
While the reactions of others were unclear, Daxton and Alice felt a deep ache for her. "Ronald, Carmen only wanted to spare you the trouble. She never intended for things to turn out this way—why are you directing your anger at her?"
As the owner of her own company, Alice understood that a title was merely an aesthetic label; in truth, she was every bit a businesswoman. Deep down, she recognized that Carmen was largely to blame, yet she struggled to bring herself to scold her.
She could only blame Aubree, convincing herself that it was entirely Aubree's fault—that Aubree couldn't stand to see their family happy and was deliberately causing trouble for them, never considering who had started it all.
Daxton interjected, "Yeah, Dad, Carmen always thinks about the family, and you still treat her like this? What's the point of losing your temper now that things are already this way? Instead of wasting time blaming everyone, shouldn't we focus on how to fix the situation?"
Ronald was so furious that he nearly lost his balance, staring in disbelief at Alice and Daxton. 'It's unbelievable—my company's stock keeps plummeting because of Carmen, but the moment I lose my temper, I'm suddenly the one in the wrong?' he thought.
A suffocating sense of injustice, unlike anything he had ever felt before, clogged Ronald's chest. He gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently as the weight of regret pressed down on him, haunted by the realization of having driven Aubree away.
They made a valid point. At this stage, damage control was what truly mattered. Ronald rubbed his forehead, overwhelmed by exhaustion. He felt the weight of age pressing down on him and resolved that once the chaos was settled, Bryan would return to the board and take over managing the group.
Ronald stated emphatically, "This situation has escalated into a significant crisis. Since Aubree is closely tied to it, she undoubtedly possesses substantial evidence. With Playzy already facing its issues, it is essential to make a public acknowledgment of the mistake and announce a thorough revamp of MindDrift. Once Playzy falls, I'll leverage my connections to help get MindDrift back on track."
Ronald, practical as ever, knew how to prioritize. Scheming against Aubree was nearly impossible now, and as sworn enemies, he couldn't let her thrive. Although Carmen was average, she was better than anyone else. With some guidance, she might recover.
Carmen listened to the suggestion, her heart sinking. 'A public apology? Wouldn't that mean admitting defeat to Aubree?' she thought bitterly. 'How could I allow her to walk all over me?'
Carmen clenched her fists and gritted her teeth in frustration. Under Ronald's warning glare, she reluctantly nodded and forced herself to say, "Got it, Dad. I'll do what you say."
Ronald knew that Carmen would never dare to defy his wishes. He nodded, considering the matter resolved, and then instructed, "Call the doctor to examine her."
After all, Carmen was the daughter that Ronald had cherished since childhood. Although recent events had begun to tarnish his view of her, he still cared for her deep down. Instinctively, he reached out to comfort her, but halfway there, he hesitated and withdrew his hand.
"Don't overthink it, Carmen. Once this situation settles, I'll have the Wilson Group invest significantly in MindDrift and create new media ventures around it. After that, you'll be in charge of everything."
Carmen was stunned and said softly, "Dad, as long as it means you have less to worry about, nothing else matters to me."
A glimmer of satisfaction danced in Ronald's eyes. No matter how capable Aubree was, she could never offer him the same comfort that an obedient daughter like Carmen could.
With urgent matters accumulating, Ronald excused himself. That left only three of them—Carmen, Alice, and Daxton—at home.
Alice quickly called a doctor to treat Carmen's wounds. Gently cradling Carmen's face, she murmured, "Oh, you silly girl—when your dad tried to hit you, why didn't you try to dodge? Did you stand there and take it?"
Carmen snuggled into Alice's arms with a pout, whining, "Mom, it hurts so bad." Her pitiful whimper immediately broke both Alice and Daxton's hearts.
Carmen's eyes darted nervously as her voice trembled. "Daxton, Mom, I don't want to do what Dad says. I know I'm not as good as Aubree. I'm not your real daughter, and I'm scared you might not want me anymore. I want to help with the family business to secure my place." Her tears fell like burning droplets, piercing their hearts.
Alice softly brushed Carmen's hair and reassured her, "Hush now, sweetie. How could I ever leave you? You're my precious daughter."
Daxton quickly reassured her, "Carmen, as long as I'm part of this family, you will always have a place here."
However, Daxton still wanted Carmen to adhere to Ronald's plan. While he didn't fully grasp the intricacies of the business world, one thing was sure—this situation needed to be resolved promptly. Although Ronald's plan may not have been perfect, it was undoubtedly the most practical solution for the time being.
"Carmen," Daxton said with hesitation, "regarding MindDrift, perhaps you should follow Dad's advice."
Carmen's eyes filled with tears. "Is there truly no other way?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Alice gritted her teeth. 'I can't let Aubree keep gloating. Most importantly, she already knows a bit about what happened back then. What if she uncovers even more?'
The more Alice thought about it, the angrier she became. She seethed inwardly, 'Damn it! Aubree is a ticking time bomb. Why didn't I cover my tracks better back then to ensure she could never return to the Wilson family?'
Alice seethed internally, a clever glint flickering in her eyes. "Carmen," she said, "the root of all this MindDrift trouble is that death. That streamer, Nick, is the source. We should investigate him and see if we can silence his family.
"Everyone loves money, and we have more than enough to spare. Let's pay off those online troublemakers and turn the tables on Aubree—get them to testify that it was Aubree who bribed them to defame MindDrift."
As rivals, that scenario had been entirely possible; it only required those self-identified victims to alter their narrative.
Carmen's eyes sparkled with delight, but she quickly concealed it with a look of uncertain concern. Pretending to be innocent, she asked, "Do we have to do this? Won't it hurt Aubree?"
Upon hearing this, Daxton nodded in agreement. "Carmen, you're too kind for your good. The business world is ruthless—you're preoccupied with Aubree's well-being, but has she ever shown concern for you?"
"Fine... I suppose," Carmen said with a hint of insincerity.
"I'll look into that streamer's family for you," Alice said.
"You're the best, Mom," Carmen said with a bright smile as she nestled into Alice's embrace.
With MindDrift now facing the consequences of the scandal, Playzy's issues hardly received any attention. Aubree managed the situation with unexpected calmness. This moment wasn't just about the events—it was Aubree stepping into her growth.
Aubree's investigators had already found some leads regarding Arthur's family. Lynn was pregnant and already well along in her pregnancy.
The family had carefully crafted an image of ideal parents, claiming their only concern was their child's well-being and refusing any financial help. This facade left Playzy defenseless when the scandal broke. The issue wasn't the pregnancy itself, but the more profound implications it revealed.
Aubree smirked at the collected materials. 'Just as I suspected,' she thought.