‘Since none of them are willing to stand by her, then I will!’
With steely determination in his eyes, Emery swept his gaze across the faces of his family, once familiar, now utterly alien. “I refuse. If this is what you want, do it yourselves. From today on, I won’t do a single thing to hurt Aubree again.”
With that, he cast a mocking nce at the now-cold dinner on the table, his lips curling in disdain. “Let’s be real, Mom, Dad, this so-called ‘family dinner’ was never about a reunion. You just wanted an excuse to call Bryan and me back for a lecture. In that case, there’s no need for me to stay and eat.”
With a stiff bow, Emery turned and walked away without a backward nce, leaving behind the suffocating prison that was the Wilson mansion.
The Wilson family usually lived together at the family mansion, though each maintained their own ce in the city. But after leaving home, Emery didn’t go to his own apartment, instead, he drove straight to a luxury apartmentplex.
His car came to a stop in the shade of a towering tree.
From this vantage point, he only needed to nce up to see the window of Aubree’s apartment.
Ever since the police report revealed news about Aubree, Emery had his assistant keep a close eye on her whereabouts. Minor matters could be ignored, but anything important had to be reported to him right away.
When Emery first learned that Aubree had moved out of Ellis Heights, he was ecstatic. Bowen had recently left Rithol City for Odiond, and shortly after, Aubree moved out too.
He wasn’t sure what had happened between them, but to him, this was the perfect opportunity to win Aubree back. ‘When she was living at Ellis Heights, I never really got a chance to talk to her or make amends,’ he thought.
Somehow, Aubree’s club friends got wind of her move to her new ce and insisted on throwing a little housewarming celebration. She had just returned from dinner with them.
Walking home, Aubree spotted a familiar silhouette standing under a streetlight in the distance, his gaze seemingly fixed on her apartment building.
Aubree frowned and thought, ‘Emery? What’s he doing here?
What on earth possessed Emery to suddenly defend me online? Does he really think a few petty favors will make me grateful? How delusional.
‘He really is dreaming.
‘I’m not the same Aubree anymore.’
Aubree snorted inwardly. ‘Let him wait if he wants, it’s none of my business,’ she thought, making it clear she had no intention of acknowledging Emery.
Pretending not to see him, she headed straight inside.
Just as Aubree tried to slip by, Emery whirled around, as if he had eyes in the back of his head. Their eyes met, his alight with joy, hers dark with annoyance.
“Aubree, you’re back! Did you just have dinner out?” Emery asked, his eyes hopeful, as if he hadn’t seen her in ages.
Emery thought, ‘She looks a little fuller. She’s really taken good care of herself since she left home.
+20)
How could I have been so blind before? How did I never realize what a wonderful sister she was?’
Aubree shot him a look of pure disgust, deliberately pulling away to put clear distance between them. ‘I broke your precious family rules by eating. Are you mad now? Did youe here just to punish me?’
He thought, ‘No, I’m not here to lecture her. I just wanted to see how she’s doing, and if there’s anything I can help with
Emery froze for a second before hurriedly exining, “Aubree, you’ve misunderstood… I realize now how wrong I was…”
Aubree snapped, “Don’t you dare act like we’re family!”
Seeing that Aubree outright denied their rtionship, Emery felt as if his heart were being ripped out of his chest while he was still alive.
Pale-faced and vacant-eyed, Emery said meekly, “Alright. I heard you started a club. I’ve got experience with clubs, Aubree. I can help with operations, recruitment, and anything you need. My connections and resources are all yours, just say the
word.
As he spoke, Emery was treading carefully, his tone ingratiating and almost pleading, terrified that even the slightest misstep might upset Aubree again.
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