Standing before Bree Technology, Bryan gazed at the now well–established company, his heart filled with both awe and unease,
‘Who would’ve thought that the plain little duckling from back then could achieve all this?‘ Bryan couldn’t help but worry, ‘Will Aubree even want to see me? And if she does, will she still trust me?‘
For a fleeting moment, Bryan’s eyes glazed over as he recalled the simple, unassuming girl from three years ago who always stood behind him, gazing up
at his back.
She used to say, “Bryan, you’re amazing! Running such a huge company! Can I study finance when I grow up? Then I could help you at your company.”
She also said, “Bryan, I heard Dad started from scratch, and you are already a successful young man. If I, as your little sister, build my business empire one day, will people mention me alongside you and Dad when they talk about our family?”
“But now… Bryan’s throat went dry as he thought, a bitter ache rising within him.
True to his word, Ronald had Bryan relieved of his position as chairman. When his father told him about Playzy streamers inducing minors to spend money, Bryan, being a businessman himself, knew all too well that if they couldn’t handle it properly, Playzy could collapse.
Bryan let out a sigh.
He understood his father’s intentions. ‘I don’t want to hurt Aubree again, Bryan thought. ‘But this matter had to be dealt with. I’ll return to the Wilson family first. As for everything else, there’ll always be a way.‘
With these thoughts in mind, Bryan agreed when Ronald asked him to talk to Aubree.
Vincent soon came over and told Bryan to go in.
Hearing this, Bryan hurried to follow Vincent’s lead.
Vincent said, “Who would’ve thought the young boss of the Wilson Group would visit our company in person? Mr. Wilson, you must be here to discuss some Playzy collaborations with Ms. Miller, right?”
Hearing this, Bryan shifted uncomfortably and replied, “Sort of.”
Vincent then said, “You’re too modest, Mr. Wilson. Partnering with Wilson Group is our privilege, though that’s just my personal opinion. The final decision rests with Ms. Miller. It is her office. Please go right in.”
Vincent assumed Bryan was just like those other company bosses sniffing around Playzy for a piece of the pie now that it was booming, coming to Aubree to discuss a partnership.
He couldn’t help but feel smug, thinking, ‘This job just keeps getting better. With the Turner Group backing us, even the Wilson Group is now actively seeking us out for collaboration.”
But Bryan was filled with a bitterness too profound for words.
‘Collaboration?‘ Bryan thought bitterly. ‘Even if I were genuinely here to discuss a partnership, even if it were the Wilson Group, she still wouldn’t agree.’
Truth be told, when his father told him to take Aubree back home, he didn’t hold out much hope. ‘The only real possibility is that Aubree can’t bear to see her life’s work destroyed and, for the sake of Playzy’s hidden crisis, may relent and go home with me,‘ Bryan thought.
Vincent held the door open and motioned for him to enter.
Inside, Aubree sat at her desk, her computer screen displaying Playzy’s recent analytics dashboard.
“Aubree,” Bryan called out. “Playzy’s been thriving lately. As your brother, I’m so proud of how far you’ve come.”
Aubree turned to look at him, her expression laced with disgust. “Proud? Are you serious?
“I remember back then, every time I outshone Carmen, you’d get angry and call me pretentious, like I was just trying to steal the spotlight. Honestly, I always thought that you’d never let me surpass her in your eyes.”
Bryan’s mind screamed, ‘No, it’s not like that!‘
He wanted to explain, but every excuse sounded hollow and pathetic, even to his ears.
The truth was, he was afraid, afraid that if Aubree grew beyond his reach, it would only make his past mistakes even more unbearable.
Bryan hung his head in defeat. “I… As your brother, of course, I want you to be better.”
Aubree scoffed, her voice dripping with contempt. “Brother‘? That’s a title you don’t deserve in front of me, Bryan. Get to the point, what do you want today?”
Bryan’s heart clenched. Even though he’d braced himself, facing Aubree’s cold, disdainful demeanor still left him breathless. He struggled to get the words out, “It’s about Playzy. Dad’s been watching it closely lately and found that some streamers are inducing minors to spend money. It’s not an isolated incident. If this blows up, the consequences could be disastrous.”
He hesitated before continuing, “If things get serious, you might need to shut down the entire Playzy platform. Dad wants you to come home so we can all figure out a solution together.”
“What?” Aubree burst into laughter. “Ronald? ‘Discussing solutions‘? Are you sure it’s not just another ploy to make me hand over my company?”
Bryan caught sarcasm in Aubree’s tone, yet found himself powerless to counter it.
‘That’s exactly what Dad intends,’ he thought bitterly.
Aubree sat back in her chair, legs casually crossed with an air of effortless elegance. She looked at Bryan and said coolly, “Don’t tell me you don’t know exactly what would happen if I went back to the Wilson family.”
Bryan was too ashamed to look her in the eye.
“You knew it!” Aubree spat out.
She added, “You pulled this stunt before! After I switched to art studies, even with excellent grades, you still looked down on me. I truly felt I didn’t belong with the Wilson family, so I went back to the orphanage. But soon after, when Carmen had a competition coming up and her painting skills weren’t good enough for first prize, you, Bryan, went all the way to the orphanage to bring me back to make sure she’d take the top spot.
“How pathetic I was to believe your lies! You pulled some strings to swap my competition painting with Carmen’s. She got all the fame, while I got threatened into silence.”
Aubree looked at Bryan with a mocking smile and asked, “When you were all celebrating Carmen’s first prize, did it ever occur to you that the painting was mine?
“I confronted you, and all you did was accuse me of being dramatic and making a scene. Wasn’t I justified in making a fuss? Bryan, do you even remember what you said back then?”
Bryan’s face twisted in shame as he lowered his head, unable to meet Aubree’s gaze.
Of course, he remembered every single word he’d said.
At that time, he said, “Aubree, the only reason I brought you back was to secure Carmen’s first place. Did you think you deserved to return to the Wilson family for any other reason?”
“I’m sorry!” Bryan apologized, his voice rough with emotion.
But it was already too late. Aubree no longer needed his empty apology.
With a chilling smile that didn’t reach her eyes, Aubree said, “I don’t need this. You may have forgotten the past, but I remember every single detail for you.”
Bryan took a deep breath. “My apologies. I’ll take my leave now.”
Just as Bryan was about to leave, Aubree spoke up, “But I do need to go back. You tell Ronald I’ll be returning to the Wilson family this afternoon. Some things still need to be made clear.”
Bryan had no idea what Aubree was talking about, but an inexplicable sense of unease settled over him.
A voice in his head warned, ‘You can’t let Aubree go through with this. You’ll regret it.‘
Yet when he opened his mouth, all that escaped was, “Alright.”
‘What right do I have to stop her now?‘ Bryan thought.
“See yourself out,” Aubree said, not even bothering to look up.
Bryan walked out of Bree Technology’s towering headquarters and stood on the street, a bone–deep chill settling in his chest.
Every icy glare, every cutting word from Aubree stripped away their self–deceptive facade.
He thought making amends would let them start over, but broken things didn’t magically mend.
The harm they had done to Aubree was beyond repair.
“What monstrous things have we done to her all these years?‘ Bryan sighed.
He turned back for another look at the building, bitterly aware that he, too, was complicit.
Then, he thought bitterly, ‘Aubree’s hatred for me likely far exceeds even her resentment toward Emery.‘
Aubree remained focused on the analytics dashboard on her screen.
Her secretary, Vincent, knocked and entered, presenting a file. “Ms. Miller, as you requested, here are the streamer accounts we’ve identified as encouraging underage spending.”
Aubree looked at Vincent and nodded. “How’s the underage spending prevention system we discussed coming along?”
“The development team says it’s all ready,” Vincent replied.
“Good,” said Aubree. ‘Underage spending caused a massive uproar in my past life,‘ she thought. ‘We even had to implement a minor refund system because of it. Did they think I wouldn’t take precautions? I don’t need Ronald’s fake concern.‘
