The Queen They Buried

Chapter 228

Carmen was stunned and said softly, “Dad, as long as it means you have less to worry about, nothing else matters to me.”

A glimmer of satisfaction danced in Ronald’s eyes. No matter how capable Aubree was, she could never offer him the same comfort that an obedient daughter like Carmen could.

With urgent matters accumulating, Ronald excused himself. That left only three of them-Carmen, Alice, and Daxton-at home.

Alice quickly called a doctor to treat Carmen’s wounds. Gently cradling Carmen’s face, she murmured, “Oh, you silly girl- when your dad tried to hit you, why didn’t you try to dodge? Did you stand there and take it?”

Carmen snuggled into Alice’s arms with a pout, whining, “Mom, it hurts so bad.” Her pitiful whimper immediately broke both Alice and Daxton’s hearts.

Carmen’s eyes darted nervously as her voice trembled. “Daxton, Mom, I don’t want to do what Dad says. I know I’m not as good as Aubree. I’m not your real daughter, and I’m scared you might not want me anymore. I want to help with the family business to secure my place.” Her tears fell like burning droplets, piercing their hearts.

now, sweetie. How could I ever leave

quickly reassured her, “Carmen, as long as I’m part of this family, you will

to adhere to Ronald’s plan. While he didn’t fully grasp the intricacies of the business world, one thing was sure—this situation needed to be resolved promptly.

Daxton said with hesitation, “regarding MindDrift, perhaps you should follow Dad’s

tears. “Is there truly no other way?” she asked,

Aubree keep gloating. Most importantly, she already knows a bit about what happened back then. What if she

thought about it, the angrier she became. She seethed inwardly, ‘Damn it! Aubree is a ticking time bomb. Why didn’t I cover my tracks better back then to ensure she could never return to

internally, a clever glint flickering in her eyes. “Carmen,” she said, “the root of all this MindDrift trouble is that death. That streamer, Nick, is the source. We should investigate

pay off those online troublemakers and turn the tables on Aubree-get them to testify that it was Aubree

had been entirely possible; it only

with delight, but she quickly concealed it with a look of uncertain concern. Pretending to be innocent, she asked, “Do we

this, Daxton nodded in agreement. “Carmen, you’re too kind for your good. The business world is ruthless- you’re preoccupied with Aubree’s well-being, but has she ever shown concern

said with a