Chapter 19
Chapter 19
A sleek Rolls-Royce pulled up at a semi-mountain villa. Far from the urban hustle, it was surrounded by serene and elegant scenery. The villa’s style mirrored Bowen’s persona-seemingly tranquil with pavilions and terraces, yet deeply cold.
“The domestic helpers here live in the secondary villa; they don’t come to the main one unless needed,” Bowen briefed Aubree on the general setup.
As he spoke, he pointed to the middle-aged couple who had been waiting at the door. “This is Hugh Watson and Carol. They’re a couple and different from the others hired; they’re part of the Turner family. Hugh is the butler, and Carol manages everything in the main villa.”
Aubree nodded, indicating she understood.
Clearly, Bowen had already briefed them, as they greeted her politely with a “Miss Miller” without any surprise.
It was a common trait among the wealthy-preferring those they had personally trained.
In prestigious families in Rithol, they used such people for internal affairs.
Like the butler and nanny in the Wilson family, they were all “part of the family.”
Aubree knew these families also had their own “bodyguards,” sourced from a security company that, in reality, exclusively
served them.
The two bodyguards following Bowen were likely such.
“Just tell Carol if you need anything,” Bowen said with a smile, his eyes crinkling. Then, he leaned down to glance at Aubree, unbothered by her dazed expression. He reached out, messing up her already disheveled hair even more before chuckling, “Good night then.”
Aubree’s first night at Ellis Heights was peaceful. Everything she needed was there, and Carol only appeared when needed, never overstepping.
At Forith Bay, meanwhile, just back from the team, Alvin heard Bowen was staying here tonight and thought to himself that the old man had finally lost it.
Especially when he overheard the conversation in the study. “Magnus’s mouth was tight; we couldn’t get anything. I restored his phone data, but only found these chat logs,” said Zachary.
There were nine people working for his uncle, all surnamed Turner.
Alvin hid outside the door, his back against the wall. Listening to the conversation inside, he had more or less pieced the whole thing together.
Aubree’s cheating scandal at school had been big news, and Alvin had heard about it.
‘But why was Uncle Bowen, supposedly on a business trip in another city, back because of Aubree? On top of that, sending Zachary to hassle a high schooler.’ Putting it all together, Alvin concluded: his uncle was finally about to go full psycho.
As Zachary left, Alvin appeared at the study door, one hand in his pocket. “Uncle Bowen, just a reminder, Aubree’s two months shy of adulthood.”
Bowen, puzzled by Alvin’s sudden appearance, asked, “What do you mean?”
“Minor, illegal,” Alvin deadpanned.
Chapter 19
When he realized Alvin’s implication, Bowen’s expression turned complicated. He let out a long sigh. “Alvin, I didn’t realize I came across as such a beast in your eyes.”
Alvin remained skeptical. “Better not be.”
***
During her stay at Ellis Heights, Aubree had a dedicated driver arranged by Hugh to take her to and from school.
In the Wilson family, Bryan was waiting for Aubree to beg to come back. While Emery wanted to find Aubree, he was swamped with the upcoming finals of the Autumn Split, where the opponents were no joke.
Overwhelmed with team stuff, he could only ask his assistant to try to locate Aubree.
A few days passed smoothly, and soon it was the weekend.
“Why not rest a bit more on weekends, Aubree?” Carol smiled as she watched Aubree come down from the second floor.
After getting familiar with Hugh and Carol, Aubree had asked them to just call her by her name.
“Got stuff to do today,” Aubree replied.
Even though it was unclear whether she’d wake up early on weekend mornings, breakfast was still prepared for her on the table. The beef sandwich was thick and rich, and the pancakes looked so delicious that they were almost drool-worthy.
After filling up, Aubree touched her noticeably rounder cheeks and sighed at Carol’s irresistible cooking.
She wondered if Bowen would let her take Carol if she got rich someday.
Aubree arrived at Forith Bay around the time she had agreed with Alvin. As soon as she got out of the car, she received a message from Alvin.
All-Star: [Where should we meet?]
All-Star: [You’re not backing out, are you?]
The messages kept coming, showing the anxiousness of the person on the other end.
