The Queen They Buried

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Aubree was done with the Wilsons. No way was she sticking around their swanky mansion anymore.

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She took a cab back to their place-empty, quiet as a graveyard. In her room, she dragged an old, beat-up suitcase from the corner and stuffed it with everything she’d brought from the orphanage.

Under her bed, she found a bank card.

One grand sat on that card, a goodbye gift from some guy named “Mr. Quinn” when she left the orphanage. She’d told him she didn’t need his help, but he never asked for it back. Now, that money was her way out.

Aubree swapped her Wilson clothes for an old orphanage outfit. Good thing years of barely eating kept her small enough to fit.

With a bitter chuckle, she grabbed her suitcase and headed out, running smack into Wendy Carter, the housekeeper.

Wendy’s gut twisted. “That suitcase? Aubree is bolting?’

ID and luggage in hand, Aubree caught a bus to Rithol City’s rough edges. The city was pricey as hell-only the sketchy suburbs had rentals she could afford. Three hundred bucks got her a tiny room.

Small, but it had the basics. Cozy, even.

Back at the Wilson house, the mood was worlds apart.

Carmen swept in like a queen, her usual posse hyping her up.

Wendy hesitated, then spilled. “Mr. Wilson, Aubree came by. Grabbed a bag and split. Hasn’t been back.”

“What?!” Mr. Wilson’s face went red, his mind racing. ‘Is she serious?’

Daxton smirked, arms crossed. “Oh, please. First, she ‘cuts us off,’ now she’s pulling this runaway stunt? Thinks we’ll beg her to come back? Lame. Bet she’s back in three days, crying.”

“She’ll regret this,” Ronald snapped. “When she drags her sorry butt back, I’ll deal with her.”

Carmen played sweet, batting her eyes. “Should we look for her? What if she’s in trouble?”

made the Wilsons roll their eyes at Aubree even harder. They told Carmen to chill-Aubree

his eyes.

settling in. She grabbed some cheap sheets, made the bed, and felt a

was nothing like the Wilsons’ palace, but it was

up: school,

away, and senior year would start with a review

self-study and

stuck Aubree on a strict diet- tiny meals to keep her weak, so she

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Chapter 5

scrape by, never enough to

meals? Nope. The staff

stomach-soothing meals for Daxton, who’d skip food for his experiments. She kept his stomach happy while hers was

thanks to her. But no one cared

got the old-school herbal

She was skin and bones-thinner than her orphanage days. Her chin was sharp as a

hustle that won’t tank my grades.” Aubree mumbled, frowning. Then it hit her. One killer

esports went huge. Games made it to the Olympics, and pro

They rode that wave, turning into an esports dynasty. Later, they cashed

Beat them to it. The internet was always a safe

Apex Squad was up against GOD’s Fury, a scrappy rookie

out with a hand injury,

This was Aubree’s shot.

tournament cash and invest it. Player to team owner? Hell yeah, she

idea,

the market for fresh food to fix her health, nights at the internet café grinding LOL,

Aubree crashed

clue the school’s online forum

heiress” drama-fighting over inheritance-blew up. Bored teens

pushing someone down stairs, getting kicked out-the juicier the story, the faster it

Aubree’s name was the talk of Rithol

straight to her old art