Orphan To Unbreakable Queen - Chapter 156: Chapter 156

Aubree's "lost" wasn't just about a single round. It meant the whole match.
Even though Aubree wasn't actively managing the club anymore, she knew their track record was consistently stellar. They had won numerous championships and had never finished below the semifinals. Under normal circumstances, there was simply no way they should have lost this match.
Bowen glanced at the screen again. On the TV, Matilda sat with her head lowered, seemingly lost in thought. She was distracted.
Bowen advised, "Look into her. Even if you two are close, sometimes, circumstances force people's hands.
"Don't let this affect the upcoming matches."
Aubree took the matter to heart. Checking the club's official social media account, she found it flooded with scathing criticism of both the players and the coaching staff. That's when she realized that their only win in the match had come when the midsolo ignored Matilda's instructions, picked a different APC, and won purely on skill.
The team's conflict comms were leaked.
She trusted Matilda, but there were still some leeches in her family that hadn't been dealt with yet.
With a sinking heart, Aubree texted Alvin about the situation. Fortunately, as a major shareholder of the club, he had been following the issue and immediately stepped in to take care of it.
The two-day break flew by. Aubree had spent the past two days at Ellis Heights, and early this morning, she was heading back to Rithol University.
Her off-campus living application was still under review. It wouldn't be approved until Wednesday at the earliest.
"Bowen, mind if I borrow Zachary for a while?" asked Aubree.
Bowen looked at her and said with a hint of sarcasm, "How thoughtful of you to still remember Zachary. Did you dislike the person I assigned you that much? When I said I wanted him back, you didn't even try to keep him around?"
Honestly, when Bowen asked Zachary to come back, Aubree agreed without hesitation. Her total nonchalance utterly infuriated him. How desperately did she want to avoid him?
Aubree pouted. "He's your guy. You were set on taking him back. What was I supposed to do, stop you?"
After those two scandalous posts, Aubree had become utterly notorious at Rithol University. When she stepped out of the car with Zachary, they were met with a barrage of scrutinizing gazes. But Aubree couldn't care less. She already had all the evidence she needed. Today, she was there to settle the score.
Aubree had tipped off the dorm supervisor. With Zachary in tow and a crowd hungry for drama trailing behind, she strode up and delivered a decisive kick, forcing the dorm room door wide open.
"Oh my god! Aubree, you're back! You scared the hell out of me!" Karlie clutched her chest dramatically, still visibly shaken. She froze as she took in the fury on Aubree's face. "Aubree... What's all this about?"
The other three roommates were all present. Natalie looked straight at her and asked, "Is this about the forum?"
Aubree still had a fairly good impression of her. At least she wasn't causing trouble. She nodded sharply and said, "Spreading rumors about me? And with such cheap tactics. Do you think I got to where I am today by sleeping my way to the top?"
Her eyes were dark and menacing, radiating an intensity far beyond her years. Every word she spoke was blunt and to the point.
Sally had been cowering with her head bowed from the start, now trembling visibly.
Karlie's eyes darted nervously, her smile stiffening into something forced.
"I had someone check. The post was sent from our dorm's IP address. But it looks like you don't need that info anymore," Natalie stated bluntly, hoping to help Aubree out and maybe earn herself a favor in return.
Aubree didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 'Seriously? She just says it out loud like that? Isn't she worried she'll piss me off?' thought Aubree.
A crowd had gathered outside, eager for drama, but Aubree paid them no mind. She wanted to use today's incident to send a clear message: think twice before messing with her. Her studies alone consumed enough of her time. She had no energy to waste on these childish games.
Natalie sighed and looked at Sally. "I always thought you were poor, but at least you had some decency. You'd better admit it now. Otherwise, you could end up in jail for a few days for spreading rumors."
Sally's face went ashen as she stammered, "No, no. It wasn't me! The one on the forum wasn't me."
"My goodness! So it was you, Sally. No wonder I've seen you with a new phone and all those designer clothes these past couple of days. Your monthly allowance is only a few hundred bucks. Even with the errand money from Natalie, there's no way you could afford all that!" Karlie covered her mouth in exaggerated shock as she presented more "evidence."
Aubree watched, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Sally grew even more panicked, giving Aubree a desperate, pleading look. "Aubree, I swear. It wasn't me! My money has nothing to do with any of this... I mean it!"
Karlie feigned exasperation. "We're roommates. How could you do something like this? Don't we all know exactly what's going on between Bowen and Aubree? What were you thinking, spreading that nonsense?"
The moment those words were spoken, the onlookers' eyes flickered with speculation. Whispered murmurs spread through the crowd. "So there is something going on? Could those rumors actually be true?"
Karlie pressed Sally, urging her to apologize to Aubree. With feigned concern, she said, "Aubree, don't be upset. Maybe Sally was just put up to it by someone else. Why not just forgive her?"
Aubree finally spoke up, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Of course, I'll forgive her. She hasn't done anything, has she? Why would I even bother making trouble for her?"
Karlie froze. "Aubree, what do you mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like," Aubree said. Without another word, she swung and landed a sharp slap across Karlie's face. The resounding crack sent a collective shudder through the gawking crowd outside the dorm.
Honestly, to those sheltered undergrads, dorm conflicts rarely went beyond shouting matches. Reporting to their counselor was considered the nuclear option.
Who had ever seen someone like Aubree storm in with a bodyguard and immediately start throwing punches?
Karlie exploded with rage, but before she could strike, Zachary stepped in, grabbed her hands, and pinned them behind her back.
Aubree stepped closer, grabbed Karlie by the collar, despite the girl's considerable size, hauled her clean off her feet. Zachary released his grip at the right moment. Aubree snarled, "Who gave you the nerve to pull these dirty tricks?
"Stalking me? Secretly photographing me? Spreading rumors about me? And now framing me, too? Quite the impressive repertoire you've got there."
Natalie was completely stunned by the sudden turn of events. "So it was Karlie all along?"
"Sally isn't the only one in this dorm, you know," Aubree said, her tone deceptively light. Karlie's face instantly drained of color.
Her feet dangled helplessly in the air. No matter how hard she struggled, she just couldn't break free from Aubree's grip.
"Do you think I'm that gullible, or just naive enough to let this slide?" Aubree pressed close, her lips nearly touching as she hissed for their ears only, "Why did you do it? Jealousy? Or is there someone you're after?"
Karlie's face was a mask of sheer terror.
Aubree smirked. "So you're the one who took those photos, huh? Saw something interesting that night? Or is it Bowen you've got your eyes on?"
Aubree let her go and sneered, "You're not just stupid. Your methods are downright pathetic. I built my empire in digital media. Did you think you could pull this amateurish stunt on me and my team would just sit around doing nothing? Tracing an IP address and pulling up security footage, which is child's play for us."
Aubree added, "I've handed all the evidence over to the university. They'll deal with you." In fact, Aubree already knew that Rithol University was going to give Karlie a permanent disciplinary record, a black mark that would haunt her and affect everything she did in the future.
Karlie finally dropped all pretense, glaring at Aubree with venom in her eyes. "You think I actually want to suck up to you? Stop acting all high and mighty! If it weren't for the Turner Group backing you, do you think you're some kind of genius?"
"You're actually right," Aubree said. "If the Turner Group hadn't invested in me from the start, I wouldn't have achieved what I have now."
Aubree's blunt admission only fueled Karlie's fury, making her eyes blaze.
She downright hated Aubree. They were the same age. How could Aubree achieve so much, be the center of attention, and even have someone like Bowen by her side? Of course, she loathed Natalie, too. Why should she get to steal her spotlight and shine so brilliantly among the freshmen?
There were people like that. They saw themselves as the main character and just couldn't stand to see anyone else doing better than them.
Karlie was exactly that kind of person.