The Queen They Buried

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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

20

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?”

eyes at Aubree even harder.

worry clouding his eyes. ‘No

grabbed some cheap

was nothing like the Wilsons’ palace, but it was

school, money,

year away, and senior year would start

and

they stuck Aubree on a

1/3

55%

+20)

Chapter 5

by,

those meals? Nope. The staff

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

now, thanks to her. But no one

can stack some cash, I’ve got the old-school herbal tricks from my old life to

the dingy mirror. She was skin and bones-thinner than her orphanage days. Her chin was sharp as a knife,

my grades.” Aubree mumbled, frowning. Then it

her old life, esports went huge. Games made it to the Olympics, and pro gaming was the place to be. Betting on a team was like hitting the

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

plan? Beat them to it. The internet was always a safe bet, no

fall finals. Emery’s Apex Squad was up against GOD’s Fury, a scrappy rookie team of

Fury’s mid-laner was out with a hand injury, and they were hunting for

This was Aubree’s shot.

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

the idea, Aubree dove

at the market for fresh food to fix

crashed early, ready to crush her

had no clue the school’s

vs. fake heiress” drama-fighting over inheritance-blew up. Bored teens hyped it

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

the talk

went straight to her old art class to get her name off