Orphan To Unbreakable Queen - Chapter 137: Chapter 137

After leaving the ward, Ronald went to see the director.
"Mr. Wilson, you want me to run a DNA test between your wife and Miss Wilson?" The hospital director's eyes widened in shock, thinking, 'Carmen is your adopted daughter; why on earth do you need the test?'
"That's right, go ahead and do it," Ronald said, his eyes darkened. He needed to find out once and for all if Carmen was Alice's illegitimate child with some scumbag. When Aubree returned to the Wilson family, a DNA test was conducted to confirm that she was Ronald's biological daughter. Aside from that, he couldn't understand why Alice had abandoned her own daughter to bring Carmen into the family.
"I'll be waiting right here for the results," Ronald said. "Once it's ready, deliver directly to me. You'll personally conduct the test; no one else is supposed to access the information."
The hospital director sighed and thought to himself, 'Clearly, something serious has happened, but I'm not in the position to ask.
Meanwhile, in the ward, Carmen's face appeared deathly pale. Although her injuries had mostly healed, she now looked even more ghastly than when she was first rushed to the hospital.
Carmen looked at Alice, who sat slumped dejectedly by the bedside, her voice quivering uncontrollably when she said, "Mom... Mom, I—I don't want to go through this arranged marriage."
There was a world of difference between voluntary and forced marriage alliances. Some heirs to family businesses, for the sake of the company's growth, would choose to marry someone from a matching background. It was a union of strength and influence.
But for those who were no longer useful to the family, their only worth was a pretty face, and they would be brought along to attend various functions. As long as both families approved, that became their sole value.
Carmen had never imagined this would happen to her. 'Aren't those rich young men dragged to marriage alliances matchmaking having all kinds of bad habits? Some of them don't even make their sexual orientation clear!' she thought. 'If I have to go for this, I'm doomed!'
"I know. Carmen, don't be afraid," Alice, gently stroking Carmen's hair, said. Her eyes darkened with resentment when she thought, 'Ever since Aubree was born, all she did was try to hurt me! Back then, it was, and it still is now. I shouldn't have brought that wretched girl into this world!'
"Carmen, listen to me," Alice coaxed gently. "Don't you have feelings for Alvin? In your father's eyes, ordinary wealthy young men can't compare to Alvin as a match. Convince your father; tell him you're willing to pursue Alvin and seek a marriage alliance with the Turner family."
As Carmen was listening to Alice, a glimmer of hope gradually lit up in her eyes. 'That's right. As long as I can prove my worth, I can still turn this situation around. I still have Mom on my side!' she thought.
Carmen clung tightly to Alice. After what had happened, she was at least sure of one thing. Even if everyone else in this family abandoned her, Alice would still stand by her side and always choose to help her.
"Mom, what Aubree's said..." Carmen probed cautiously.
Alice's expression changed. "It has nothing to do with you; stay out of it. I'll handle your father myself," she said. Carmen held back her remaining words and nodded.
News of Aubree's hospital visit soon reached the other members of the Wilson family. Daxton and Trevor caught wind of it but didn't give it much thought. 'With Mom there, there's no way Aubree could bully Carmen,' they thought.
Bryan knew a bit more than the others. When he heard that Ronald was planning to do a DNA test at the hospital, he rushed over immediately. He arrived just as the results came out.
"Dad, you…" Bryan's voice trailed off when he saw Ronald sitting in the chair with his head down, no longer the confident, commanding CEO who once strategized with ease. Surrounded by a sense of defeat, Ronald's whole demeanor drained and spiritless.
Ronald Wilson looked up, his gaze slightly unfocused when he called out, "Bryan..."
"Dad, what exactly happened? I heard Aubree came to the hospital. What did you all talk about?" Bryan asked.
The hospital director emerged with the report and handed it to Ronald. Seeing Bryan, he discreetly withdrew, allowing the father and son their privacy.
"Have a seat," Ronald said, looking utterly drained, not physically, but mentally. Bryan took the seat next to him as told.
The test results were now in his hands, but Ronald suddenly hesitated to look. He had built his empire from scratch, and he had never encountered failure.
While Alice's social standing had played a part in their relationship, the truth was, after all these years, he had remained faithful to her. It would be a lie to claim there was no affection between them.
He reflected on himself. As a person and as a father, he had fallen short in many ways. But as a husband, he had a clear conscience.
Ronald looked at Bryan and said, "Do you know what Aubree said?" Bryan keenly noticed the subtle shift in the way his father referred to Aubree.
Ronald told Bryan everything Aubree had revealed. Bryan was stunned. "No way! That can't be true!" he blurted out.
"So, Dad, you did the DNA test to see if Carmen is Mom's illegitimate daughter?" Bryan asked.
Ronald didn't intend to keep this from Bryan. In fact, he wanted Bryan to investigate why Alice had done all this.
"Let's see the results," Ronald said and flipped open the test report in his hand. As his gaze landed on the very last line, the heavy weight that had been pressing on his heart finally lifted. Alice wasn't Carmen's biological mother.
'No matter what other reasons may be behind all this, at least the outcome is still a good one,' Ronald thought.
Ronald let out a long sigh of relief and said, "Since that's not the case, it's a good outcome."
'At least she didn't cheat on me, and I didn't dote on my wife's illegitimate daughter and raise her for over ten years,' he thought.
"Bryan, please spend some time looking into why your mom has been treating Aubree this way."
"I know," Bryan said. 'Even if you didn't mention, I'll look into it,' he thought.
And lately, he kept thinking about the time when Aubree was abducted by human traffickers. After all these years, he thought he had mostly forgotten about it, but looking back now, that memory still haunted him.
The indelible memory also made Bryan sense that something was off.
When the traffickers abducted Aubree, he wasn't exactly a child anymore, but he still didn't have the strength to fight back. He was with Aubree at the time. The traffickers had snatched her right out of his hands by force.
But if they were human traffickers, why didn't they take me away too? It was as if they were specifically targeting Aubree,' Bryan thought.
A thoughtful look crossed Bryan's face. 'The traffickers back then have not been arrested. I must find them,' Bryan thought.
After receiving the results, Ronald had no intention of speaking with Alice any further. 'She clearly won't reveal anything; there's no point. I might as well investigate it on my own and wait until I have something concrete,' Ronald thought.
Carmen didn't dare stay in the hospital any longer. The following day, she was discharged and returned to the Wilson family residence. The first thing she did was discuss the marriage alliance with Ronald.
"Dad," her voice trembled as she spoke. Seeing Ronald not show any sign of displeasure, she mustered her courage and continued.
"Dad, about the marriage alliance that you mentioned, I thought it through. It's the right thing to do. The family has raised me for so many years. I should at least be of some value."
Ronald stared at her coldly as if she were a stranger.
Carmen's heart tightened, but she continued, "Ordinary people wouldn't bring much benefit to the Wilson family. Dad, I was expelled from school, but all those years I spent studying art weren't for nothing.
"You can transfer me to another school so I can still take the college entrance exam. Alvin is going to apply to Rithol Art School. Even if I can't get into Rithol Art School, I can still get into a nearby school, right?
"I will do whatever it takes to secure a marriage alliance between the Wilson and Turner families."
Ronald's eyes flickered. What he cared about wasn't the alliance between the two families, but if Carmen succeeded, it would grant him another way to get closer to Aubree.
"This is your last chance," Ronald said. He then called his assistant to arrange Carmen's school transfer.
There was one more thing. Back then, to appease Carmen, he had given her a portion of Wilson Group's shares and real estate that rightfully belonged to Aubree. 'I must find a way to get them back,' Ronald thought to himself.
Back then, Aubree was still a minor. The shares and properties hadn't been fully transferred to her yet, so Ronald could easily reassign them as he pleased.
'But now, since everything was legally registered under Carmen's name, getting them back will require some serious maneuvering,' Ronald thought.