Orphan To Unbreakable Queen - Chapter 151: Chapter 151

The next day, Bowen took Aubree and Alvin to Rithol University to get them registered for the new semester.
Alvin wasn't staying in the dorms, and Aubree had quite a bit of luggage. Bowen, keenly aware of his dual role as both the boss and an elder, wasted no time directing Ethan, Samson, and Alvin to haul everything.
Ethan had just returned from Yastraria. He'd never been tanned to begin with, but now the sun in Yastraria had roasted him to a crisp.
Anyone registering at Rithol University was greeted by an unforgettable sight: a sun-darkened, burly man hauling two ultra-girly pink duvets, while another burly guy and a cool, aloof young man beside him were also loaded down with equally pastel-colored items.
The scene? Absolutely priceless.
Samson hung his head low, his voice full of disgust. "Ethan, I gotta stay away from you. This is just humiliating."
Ethan's eye twitched. "You think hugging that pink stuffed cat makes you look any better? I haven't even called you a sissy yet."
Aubree carried her backpack and trailed behind, grinning from ear to ear with her pearly whites on full display. 'I've got to snap a pic of this for the memories,' she thought, pulling out her phone.
With classes starting tomorrow, all of Aubree's roommates arrived today.
Besides Karlie and Sally huddled together, there was another girl who was stylishly dressed and exuding elegance. One leg crossed as she chatted away on her phone. Aubree figured she must be Natalie, the roommate Aubree hadn't met before.
The door swung open, and all three girls looked over as one, their eyes doing a double-take, first in surprise, then with growing delight.
Natalie already knew from Karlie that their last roommate was Aubree.
Natalie's eyes instantly lit up when she spotted Aubree with the younger Alvin and the elder Bowen by her side.
Natalie was the first to greet them, but before she could even finish a sentence with Aubree, she immediately flashed a dazzling smile at Bowen and Alvin.
Alvin gave a brief nod in greeting, while Bowen resumed his practiced facade of polite detachment, responding with a courteous smile.
Leaning against Karlie, Sally kept her head lowered, her eyes darting nervously. Each time she dared to glance up, her gaze would invariably land on Bowen.
Before leaving, Bowen treated Aubree's roommates to a meal. With practiced ease, he casually asked them to "look out for Aubree a bit", while conveniently adding all three to his contacts. "Just report directly to me if anything comes up," he added.
Aubree rolled her eyes as she listened from the side. 'He makes it sound like they should go to him if anything comes up, but let's be real. He just wants them to keep tabs on me at school,' she thought.
Military training at Rithol University started in the second week of the semester. Aubree was staying in the dorms, though her three roommates each had distinct personalities. They got along surprisingly well overall.
Sally came from modest means and was rather introverted and insecure.
Although Karlie wasn't a local, her family was comfortably well-off. She was outgoing and made friends easily.
Natalie was the heiress to a mid-sized enterprise in Rithol City, her every gesture exuding an air of superiority. In the dorm, only Aubree was deemed worthy of her inner circle. The other two, especially Sally, could barely be bothered by her.
On the first day of the semester, Aubree went straight to her counselor to explain her situation. "My company is still in its growth phase, so business trips are inevitable for me," she explained. "Constantly requesting leave would be too much trouble."
She thought to herself, 'It would be a hassle to keep asking for time off.'
The counselor readily assured her, "I'll talk to your professors. As long as you don't fail any finals, you'll be fine."
With Bowen's backing, Aubree found it a breeze to establish a firm foothold for GrabCheap in Südlichen Strand. Breaking into the local market was no big deal.
In the very first week of the semester, Aubree went straight to school and requested an entire week off.
Her counselor, who had just told her she could take leave whenever she wanted, was beside himself. "No one told me she'd take it this far!" he groaned.
Blissfully unaware of her counselor's meltdown, Aubree had flown to Südlichen Strand with Birgitte, who had arrived early to scout out the local market, reported proudly, "Ms. Miller, I've secured the entire office building for us."
Dead center at the reception, the sign for the Südlichen Strand Branch of Bree Technology stood out prominently. A smile flickered in Aubree's eyes. 'If someone had told me three years ago, when I'd just returned to the Wilson family, that I'd one day cut ties with them, strike out on my own, not only build a successful business but even open a branch office, I would've said they were out of their mind,' she thought.
Yet here she was, living out what once seemed like pure fantasy. The impossible now was real before her eyes.
"Prime location," Aubree remarked with a smile.
Südlichen Strand's thriving economy attracted waves of migrant workers. While the elite indulged in lavish lifestyles, most residents were just ordinary workers struggling to make ends meet.
That made it the perfect launchpad for her GrabCheap platform. Its focus on rock-bottom prices aligned perfectly with the city's working-class majority in Südlichen Strand.
Aubree spent a week in Südlichen Strand, where she and Birgitte networked with numerous wholesale and e-commerce entrepreneurs under the guidance of Turner Group's local representative.
September was harvest season. The fresh produce was flooding the markets everywhere. For Aubree, it was the perfect time to kick off her GrabCheap project.
After Aubree established all the necessary connections, she partnered with other e-commerce platforms using a group-buying model, primarily focusing on selling fresh fruits through group purchases. Profits earned were split 3:7 between her and the partner platforms.
Having laid the groundwork, it was time to let the project grow. Aubree needed to return to Rithol University for military training, so she left the rest in Birgitte's capable hands.
Aubree's flight touched down in Rithol City late that evening. She decided to head straight to her place. She could just go to school to report the next morning.
After starting university, Aubree hired her chauffeur and bodyguards, though they couldn't measure up to the elite, handpicked staff that old-money families like the Turner family cultivated.
Aubree was surprised to see Bowen at the airport. "Why are you here? I thought I told the chauffeur to pick me up."
Bowen arched an eyebrow, a smug smile on his lips. "What kind of boyfriend would send a chauffeur to pick up his girlfriend after a business trip? Of course, I had to come myself."
Bowen was downright smug about being Aubree's boyfriend. In those days, he couldn't stop mentioning that he was "a taken man."
Even when Ollie and the others invited him out at night, he'd just brush them off with, "I'm spoken for now. How could I go out carousing at night?" His sappiness made everyone's teeth ache.
Mark said that Bowen always had a few screws loose. It was like his brain finally turned to mush. He completely lost it.
Aubree slid into the passenger seat of Bowen's car.
Bowen asked, "So, how was the trip to Südlichen Strand this time?"
"Not bad. I didn't run into members of the Diamonde family," Aubree replied. "Looks like Alice hasn't told them about what happened in Rithol City yet." Honestly, Aubree had expected the Diamonde family to try to make things difficult for her on the trip.
Exactly. Targeting her.
Aubree wasn't exactly a stranger to the Diamonde family. Shortly after she'd been brought back to the Wilson family, the Diamonde family sent someone to Rithol City to fetch her, Carmen, and Alice back with them.
As old memories surfaced, a frosty glint flashed in Aubree's eyes. 'I thought my grandparents and uncles wanted to see me,' she thought bitterly. 'But when I arrived at the Diamonde family, I realized it was just another Wilson family all over again.'
The Diamonde family had three sons. Alice was the eldest daughter, with two younger brothers. The Diamonde family were even colder than the Wilson family. Her so-called maternal grandparents' marriage was purely a family alliance. After the wedding, they kept up appearances in public Their illegitimate children were never allowed home. Each led their own private lives. In their old age, they lived completely apart.
The two elders spared what little affection they had for Alice, their eldest daughter, though "little" was indeed the operative word.
Alice's marriage? Just a bargaining chip to bag Ronald, their golden ticket.
The one who went to Rithol City to fetch them was the second son of the Diamonde family. He saw the positions that Aubree and Carmen held in the Wilson family. For the Diamonde family, interests always came first. Bringing them back served two purposes. Firstly, to warn Alice not to be blinded by so-called family ties. Children were a dime a dozen, but interests were not. Secondly, to back Carmen up and remind Aubree to know her place.