Orphan To Unbreakable Queen - Chapter 83: Chapter 83

Aubree did end up using the USB drive. She handed it to Declan—he knew what to do.
By the time Aubree left the club, nightfall had already descended.
Hidden in the night shadows was a Maybach, its window slightly ajar to reveal nothing but a hand holding a cigarette.
His gaze was fixed squarely on the main entrance of Golden Industrial Park.
Bowen couldn't help but scoff at himself.
Bowen thought to himself, 'God, I'm pathetic. She's desperate to distance herself from me, yet here I am, still worrying about her safety at night.'
"Um, Mr. Turner, aren't we leaving yet?" Samson, sitting in the front seat, asked hesitantly, glancing about in confusion as he wondered who they were waiting for.
Samson thought, 'If we're really waiting for Miss Miller, why can't Mr. Turner just wait openly? Why hide in the car like some shady character?'
Bowen choked up for a moment, then came up with a lame excuse that wouldn't fool a soul. He muttered weakly, "Oh, I told Zachary to come back. We're waiting for him before leaving."
'Wait for Zachary?' Samson thought skeptically, exchanging a glance with Ethan. 'Mr. Turner must be lying.'
Ethan and Samson exchanged a knowing glance, their eyes ablaze with the fire of gossip.
Samson wondered, 'Was he just dumped by Miss Miller?'
Ethan thought, 'Absolutely. He even called Zachary back—he must've really been dumped.'
Samson wondered, 'Mr. Turner must be worried about Miss Miller's safety at night and wants to follow and escort her home on the sly.'
Ethan thought, 'Hey, why don't you ask him?'
True to his word, Samson cautiously ventured, "Mr. Turner, it's not really safe for Miss Miller to be alone this late at night. Maybe we should escort her home together?"
Bowen gave a dry chuckle. "The Yastraria project is short-staffed. Why don't you two go check it out?"
Ethan and Samson clammed up at once, groaned inwardly, 'Mr. Turner just loves to pick on us.'
Bowen exhaled a slow stream of smoke as he reclined in his seat. Even his subordinates could tell how deeply he cared about Aubree.
No, to be precise, everyone around him could see it—everyone except himself, clinging to self-deception and refusing to dwell on it.
'Walk away, or—' he wondered. Before Bowen could reach a decision, a sharp rap on the car window startled him.
Zachary reported, "Mr. Turner, as you instructed, I've stopped following Miss Miller."
Bowen rolled down the window and stared at Zachary, stunned. "What are you doing here?"
Zachary's usually impassive face showed a hint of confusion. "I told Miss Miller I'd leave after seeing her home, but she said I could go now. She headed back on her own."
Bowen was so furious he could feel his chest tightening. 'Is he made of wood or what?' he wondered.
Bowen fumed, "I told you to escort her home before leaving—so why the hell are you back here?' He wondered, 'Damn it, what if she encounters danger on her way back? Or gets lost?'
The more Bowen dwelled on it, the wilder his imagination ran. He could already picture Bree getting bullied.
Bowen snapped, "Don't just stand there—get in the car. Ethan, drive."
"Go back and face your punishment," Bowen said sharply, his final command directed at Zachary.
Even though his rational mind told Bowen the odds were slim, the mere thought of Aubree being in danger filled him with a gnawing unease.
Bowen thought, 'I feel like I'm losing my mind a little. I can't pinpoint when it started—maybe before I went to Odionland, or maybe after I got back.
'But whenever Bree isn't within my sight or I don't know where she is, this irrational panic just takes over, and I'm terrified something might happen to her.'
Bowen knew better than anyone how messed up his state of mind was—constantly suppressing inappropriate thoughts, and forcing himself to remove all restraints when it was time for Bree to spread her wings.
But he couldn't stand it, and it was only just the beginning.
Bowen let out a bitter chuckle, thinking to himself, 'Serves me right.'
Streetlights cast the shadows of trees onto the ground as the black Maybach crawled through the night, its occupants' eyes darting anxiously from side to side.
The cool autumn breeze brushed against her skin, desolate, yet strangely liberating.
Pedaling her bike against the biting wind, Aubree's face had gone numb. "Once senior year is finally over, the very first thing I'll do is get my driver's license," she grumbled to herself.
Aubree tightened her jacket against the chill, completely oblivious to the red-haired figure staggering out from the bar she'd just passed.
Jacob's bloodshot eyes locked onto the retreating figure. Before his alcohol-clouded mind could process what was happening, he'd already swung onto his motorcycle and roared off in pursuit.
Jacob thought to himself, 'Well, I hadn't even gone looking for her yet, and she just fell right into my lap.
'Aubree, huh? So you've got some so-called connection with Bowen. Well, that paltry little acquaintance won't mean a damn thing in *his* world.'
The roar of a motorcycle engine suddenly erupted beside Aubree's ear. Before she could even identify the rider, a dark blur shot past—then, a bike skidded sideways, abruptly blocking her path.
Everything happened in a split second—Aubree had no time to brake and crashed head-on into the motorcycle's front.
The impact sent Aubree reeling.
Aubree barely managed to steady herself, narrowly avoiding an embarrassing faceplant. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Jacob didn't even care about his motorcycle, reeking of alcohol, his bloodshot eyes fixed on her. He drawled menacingly, "Well, well, if it isn't Aubree. Long time no see."
"What do you want?" Aubree demanded. He'd been digging into her past.
Jacob scoffed, "What do I want? Wasn't it obvious last time? Stop playing dumb. You're just an orphan girl kicked out by the Wilson family—how the hell did you suddenly get so capable?
"Looks like you've already been passed around by Bowen and Alvin. I'm from the Timberlake family. Do you know my sister? She's married to Bowen's older brother. Even Alvin has to call me uncle. Stick with me, and I'll treat you right."
"Are you out of your mind?" Aubree was genuinely taken aback by Jacob's family connections.
No sooner had Aubree fallen out with Bowen than she ran straight into Jacob, hitting on her. She thought to herself, 'Just my luck.'
Most importantly, even in her previous life, she knew that Bowen deeply respected his elder brother, and, by extension, his sister-in-law too.
To make matters worse, there wasn't a soul in sight.
Aubree thought to herself, 'Jacob is drunk—he might not actually be able to overpower me.'
The drunken man staggered closer, reeking of alcohol. Aubree's muscles tensed. Seizing the opportunity, she lashed out with her backpack, slamming it straight into Jacob's face.
Jacob clutched his face, howling in pain. "Fuck. When I get my hands on you, you're dead meat."
Aubree didn't hesitate—she bolted.
"Fuck." Jacob lunged forward in pursuit, but just as he moved, a blinding beam of headlights suddenly cut through the darkness. Instinctively squinting against the glare, he heard the sharp clunk of car doors opening nearby.
The next moment, a powerful kick slammed into him, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Aubree fled without a backward glance, completely unaware of the violent scene unfolding behind her.
Jacob scrambled to his feet, clutching his sore ass. "Who the fuck just sucker-punched me?" he roared. But when he finally saw the three hulking men closing in, his blood turned to ice—he was scared out of his wits.
'Did I piss anyone off lately?' he wondered. Before he could even process it, Ethan, Samson, and Zachary instantly swarmed him and started beating the crap out of him.
Jacob shouted, "Agh. Who the hell are you guys?. Do you even know who I am?"
Jacob scrambled for cover, about to shout out his identity, then suddenly froze. 'Wait. Isn't this the guy who punched me last time?' he thought. Aren't they Bowen's right-hand men?'
Ethan sneered, "Huh? Cat got your tongue? Who the hell are you?"
Samson barked, "Think you can get drunk and harass a girl? Beat the crap out of him."
Ethan and Samson traded taunts as they beat him, each blow landing harder than the last.
Zachary stayed silent, only grunting in acknowledgment as his blows grew heavier.
"Fucking stop. Ethan, Samson, open your damn eyes and see who I am. I'm Jacob." Jacob's pleasure-seeking, frail frame was no match for the three-man beating, and he kept howling in pain.
'Huh? They stopped?' he wondered.
The moment Jacob bellowed, the rain of punches abruptly stopped.
'Now they're scared, huh? Too late,' Jacob thought with a chilling sneer, 'Just wait till I see Bowen. I'll make sure he makes those bastards pay dearly.'
Before Jacob could straighten up, a powerful kick slammed into his gut, sending him flying three feet backward. "B-Bowen?"