Daxton had already made discreet arrangements. “Just paint as you normally would, Carmen,” he said gently, “I will make sure you get whatever you want.”
“If Aubree were still here, with her skills she’d surely have made it to the finals,” Carmen remarked, her tone deceptively
wistful.
Carmen’s words instantly froze the air.
Daxton gritted his teeth. He thought, ‘I almost forgot about her! I still haven’t settled the score for her online attacks against Carmen.’
Daxton snapped, “Why bring her up? If it weren’t for Aubree, you’d still be at Rithol Art School without a care, getting ready for your SAT and heading to your dream university!”
The mere thought of it infuriated him. ‘If it weren’t for that petty, backstabbing brat Aubree, who couldn’t stand to see Carmen seed and deliberately smeared her, ruining her reputation at Rithol Art School and making her worry about being rejected from college, would she really need to win an award just to boost her credentials?’
Alice’s face darkened with displeasure. “Does she really think she’s hot stuff now? Just started some club and suddenly thinks she’s grown wings!”
She thought, ‘If I hadn’t been so busy preparing for Carmen’s birthday party, I would’ve taught that girl a lesson already! So what if she has the Turner Group backing her? The Wilson family isn’t some pushover either!
‘Does she really think Bowen would take on the Wilson family for a nobody like her?’
After subtly reminding the Wilson family not to let Aubree off the hook, a glint of triumph shed in Carmen’s eyes. With feigned innocence, she asked, “Did I say something wrong?”
“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart,” Daxton said with an adoring smile, “Thepetition’s about to start, go on in now.”
After Carmen entered thepetition, neither Daxton nor Alice left. Instead, they got back in the car and waited for her there.
Time ticked by slowly. Daxton reviewed the medical records again, his eyes growing weary. Finally, he looked up and gazed out the window.
Today, both the International Mathematics Competition and the Painting Competition were taking ce here simultaneously. The mathpetition ended a bit earlier, so now test-takers were streaming out of the venue, gathering in the square, and waiting for the results.
To prevent any cheating attempts, all the finals were graded and the results announced right there on the spot.
Daxton’s gaze swept across the crowd. Suddenly, his eyes froze as he thought, ‘Aubree again?
‘Ifst time was just a coincidence, then how do I exin away this?
Daxton nudged his mother and asked, “Mom, is that Aubree? She’s actually here for the mathpetition?”
Alice followed his gaze, her eyes widening in disbelief. “That really is her? Since when was she capable of something like this?”
Daxton knew Aubree used to have good grades, but after missing two years of school, he doubted she still had it in her. He sneered, “She probably just got a lucky break to make it to the finals. Some people reallyck self-awareness, signing up for a
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28)
Alice nodded in agreement, her voice dripping with disdain. “Thank goodness we adopted Carmen as my daughter. Having that disgrace around every day would probably shave years off my life.”
The two exchanged sneering remarks about Aubree, every wordced with contempt.
While the mathpetition results were being reviewed, the paintingpetition was also drawing to a close, with participants starting to file out one after another.
Alice said, “Daxton, hurry! Carmen’sing out!”
She quickly opened the car door, and the two of them hurried toward Carmen. “Mommy’s precious, you must be exhausted after all that painting. Are you tired? There are drinks and fruit in the car, would you like to have some together?”
“Don’t worry, Carmen. You’ll definitely win, you’re the best,” Daxton said, ruffling her hair affectionately. In stark contrast to the biting sarcasm he’d shown Aubree just moments before, he now showered Carmen with praise without reservation.
He aded, “Dad heard you werepeting and went out of his way to invite some friends over and book a party hall. We’re all just waiting for you to win so we can celebrate together!”
Alice was beaming with excitement, but neither she nor Daxton noticed that Carmen’s face had gone ghostly pale, her lips drained of color, and she looked utterly absent-minded.
“Mom, Daxton… I can’t win the award,” Carmen choked out, her voice trembling on the verge of tears. Her face was a picture of utter devastation as the memory of what had just happened overwhelmed her. Suddenly, she turned to Daxton, her eyes boring into him with desperate intensity.
Daxton’s heart skipped a beat. “Carmen, what’s wrong? What happened?”
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