Orphan To Unbreakable Queen - Chapter 129: Chapter 129

"What're you watching?" In a classroom at Rithol High School, Matilda leaned over to peek at Aubree's phone and asked.
The live footage on the screen made her gasp. 'Isn't that Carmen?' she thought.
Aubree smirked and said, "Vincent is sharing with me a live feed of Carmen's current situation."
Carmen barely walked out of the hotel before the crowd surrounded her. Her assistant stepped forward, attempting to pacify them, but to no avail. Then, out of nowhere, someone picked up a stone and threw it at her.
In an instant, as if inspired, the crowd began throwing whatever they could grab, and a barrage of objects fell mercilessly. Carmen scrambled for cover, clutching her head, and frantically dodging under the protection of her bodyguards.
The crowd was massive, but the Wilson family's bodyguards were not pushovers. With the help of hotel security and staff, they finally brought the situation under control.
Carmen tidied up her appearance and thought to herself, 'Everything will be fine as long as I shift the blame to Aubree. I've bribed the Mansell family, so the timing is just perfect.'
She gave her assistant a meaningful glance, signaling him to usher Nigel's parents out of the private room, and turned to face the press.
"I'm truly heartbroken by what has happened. However, our investigation has uncovered some new developments. I've arranged to meet with Nigel's parents here today. Why don't we invite them out to address your questions?" Carmen said.
The area was crowded with reporters and onlookers. As soon as Carmen spoke, her words were instantly broadcast across major online platforms.
When Ronald, having just finalized a deal with the Lawson family, saw this, his blood boiled. "This idiot!" he cursed.
'She'd barely stepped out of the hotel when they ambushed her. Can't she tell that someone must have been watching her? They let her speak because they've set a trap and are just waiting for her to fall in,' he thought.
"Bring people over here," Ronald told his secretary while dialing Carmen's number. His eyes remained glued to the live stream online.
Seeing Ronald's call coming in, Carmen hesitated briefly before declining the call.
'She hung up on me? Yes, she did!' Ronald thought, his chest heaved with rage. "Idiot! Didn't I tell her to stay home and lay low after apologizing? Does she have a brain?" Ronald cursed.
'What the hell is she thinking?' Ronald fumed thinking about this.
Meanwhile, Carmen was brimming with confidence. The reporters were excited when they heard her say Nigel's parents were present.
After publicly confirming the incident when it first broke out, Nigel's parents had since refused all interviews with the media. If anyone could interview them and uncover something new, the front page would be theirs.
Time ticked by, and everyone was eagerly waiting. Some began to grow impatient and said, "Didn't she say Nigel's parents are here? Why haven't we seen them yet after so long?"
Once somebody started making a fuss, others quickly joined in. Carmen started to panic. 'Where are they?' she thought.
Just as Carmen was struggling to keep the situation under control, her assistant rushed out, pale-faced. 'Miss Wilson, Mr. Lawson and the others are not here."
'What does it mean by they're not here?'' she thought, anxiety spiking. 'Weren't they just in the private room when I left?'
"All the hotel staff were mobilized to handle the chaos at the entrance. No one noticed when they lef," the assistant said.
The assistant's words were loud and clear; everyone heard it but no one believed. To them, it was just Carmen's another lame excuse.
Anger and hostility surged simultaneously and needed only a single spark to explode. "Look at the phone!" someone suddenly shouted. "Nigel's parents just posted a video on social media!"
Carmen instinctively looked at it, her hands shaking uncontrollably. 'What the hell is going on?' she thought anxiously. 'Didn't they already accept the money? What game are they playing?' she thought.
In the video, Nigel's parents were expressionless, speaking in a mechanical tone as they described how Carmen had bribed them and asked them to accuse Aubree. The balance on the bank card Carmen had given them was the best evidence.
Moreover, Carmen had also just admitted meeting Nigel's parents. The scene erupted into chaos again, and the situation was completely out of control. In the chaos, Carmen took several hard slaps to the face.
Ronald closed his eyes wearily. "Forget it. Just send some bodyguards to bring her back alive."
'Carmen...' Ronald sighed, a wave of resignation washing over him.
Ronald pondered, 'The Wilson family has raised her for so many years. Now her studies are ruined, she's useless in other areas, and she's even started to defy me. It's better to marry her off; at least she'll have some value that way.'
Aubree switched off the video and thought, 'Carmen's doomed.'
"This time, I want to make sure Carmen never gets back on her feet again," Aubree said.
"Got it, Miss Miller. Leave it to me," her assistant said.
After Carmen bribed Nigel's parents to smear Aubree, negative news about Carmen and MindDrift began to surface on the internet.
The Wilson Group tried to suppress it, but to no avail. The family members of the victims looked utterly pitiful in interviews. The more tragic their stories, the more they resonated with the public.
The incident in which Carmen bribed Nigel's parents significantly impacted MindDrift while providing Aubree with a considerable advantage. This led people to question if Arthur's family had also been bribed to set up Aubree.
In the days that followed, Carmen was overwhelmed and exhausted, while Aubree attended her classes in peace. It was a good day.
Ronald's bodyguards rushed to Carmen's rescue, but amidst the crowd's rage, Carmen still ended up hospitalized. She was struck on the forehead with a stone and lost consciousness on the spot.
The situation escalated to the extent that the relevant authorities ordered MindDrift to cease operations and remove all its apps from app stores. They also issued a penalty notice demanding billions in compensation.
That wasn't all. When Carmen woke up, multiple lawsuits were awaiting her. Ronald couldn't just stand by and watch her go to jail.
Fortunately, Carmen wasn't the legal representative. After pulling some strings, Ronald managed to get her out of it and found a scapegoat to take the fall.
Carmen might have avoided imprisonment, but that didn't mean she was off the hook. Now, whenever she showed up, she would drown in public outrage. The money she made was nowhere near enough to cover the damages.
The school's disciplinary action had also escalated from a mandated suspension to outright expulsion.
After school in the afternoon, Bowen's car was already waiting at the school gate.
The winter uniform at Rithol High School was also very stylish. The girls had the freedom to choose between a skirt and pants. Of course, if any boys wanted to wear a skirt, that could be accommodated too.
Many fashionable students chose to wear skirts. Aubree, however, was afraid of the cold and wore pants. Even though there was a heater in the classroom, she would still bring a long down coat to wear over her uniform when leaving school.
Tucking her chin into her collar and carrying her backpack, Aubree was completely swallowed up by an oversized down jacket, looking adorably small and tender.
Bowen sat in the car, his gaze openly greedy and unrestrained as he stared at Aubree. Only at moments like this could he reveal all his thoughts without holding back.
As Aubree approached, he gradually suppressed the expression in his eyes, softening his gaze and lifting the corners of his lips into a gentle smile, transforming into the figure everyone praised as the refined gentleman.
"Cold?" Bowen asked as he got out of the car to greet her, instinctively reaching to touch Aubree's face.
"A little chilly," Aubree replied.
Aubree, not used to this kind of touch, instinctively tried to dodge. However, Bowen was quicker, gently enveloping her hand in his and said, "It's warm in the car."
Wait, is this okay?' Aubree thought to herself. Her rational mind told her that she should break free, but the circumstances didn't allow it, as Bowen was holding on tightly.
He walked so slowly as if dragging out the few dozen feet into an eternity. All eyes turned toward them, filled with various emotions.
Aubree was considered a school celebrity. She was talented, successful, and beautiful. Among all the words used to describe her, "beautiful" was the most insignificant.
In those gazes, there was more or less a trace of shock if Bowen was beside her?