Chapter 386 - 475: Differential Treatment
Chloe had also prepared many gifts for Joel Quincy, and she sent them along with one hundred of Gabriel’s autographed photos.
In a word: ostentatious!
Less than a day later, Joel Quincy received his package.
He also sent Chloe a message.
"How do I convince my niece these autographs are real?"
A moment later, Chloe dropped a video into the chat.
"Video proof."
After watching the video, Joel Quincy immediately thanked her and sent her a digital red envelope, treating it as New Year’s lucky money.
Chloe accepted it without a second thought. When she opened it, she was surprised to see it was for 1,888 yuan.
While that amount might not seem like much for a distinguished academician, Joel Quincy frequently supported his students financially and made large monthly donations. This sum was nearly equivalent to his entire monthly living expenses.
It was proof of just how much he valued her.
The next day, Chloe helped Uncle Warren clean the house.
This task was usually Aunt Warren’s, but ever since the major incident with Tiana, Aunt Warren had felt she had let the Sinclair family down. Despite Mr. Sinclair’s attempts to persuade her otherwise, she resigned the day after Tiana went to prison, leaving behind one hundred thousand yuan.
Chloe refused to accept it and had the one hundred thousand yuan transferred back to Aunt Warren’s account.
Aunt Warren hadn’t done anything wrong, so she had no reason to apologize, much less use her own retirement savings to pay for Tiana’s mistakes.
"Miss, how about we hang the spring couplet here?"
Uncle Warren held the spring couplet and gestured to a spot.
Chloe thought it was a good spot and nodded. Together, they hung it on the main gate.
On the third day, Chloe spent a relaxing day at home, flipping through a few books in the study.
In the afternoon, Chloe threw on a thick coat, grabbed a mask, and got ready to head out.
Just as she reached the foyer, she ran into Gabriel, who was also preparing to head out.
Chloe asked, "Didn’t Ms. Mayfield tell you not to go out?"
The moment Chloe said that, Gabriel unleashed his inner drama queen. Looking utterly wronged, he whined, "I’ve been stuck at home for almost half a month! If I don’t get out soon, I’m going to die of boredom."
Chloe let out a dry laugh.
Her smile was unreadable.
She didn’t call him out on the fact that he snuck out almost every day.
Besides, they had just been out on the town together two days ago.
Gabriel sensed a deeper meaning behind her laugh. He watched Chloe warily and explained, "It’s just... New Year’s is tomorrow, and I wanted to buy a couple of new outfits."
If his manager hadn’t confiscated eight of his suitcases, he wouldn’t be in this position of needing to go out and buy clothes.
"Your closet is already overflowing with clothes!"
The corner of Chloe’s mouth twitched.
Although Mr. Sinclair didn’t give his sons much of an allowance, all their monthly necessities were provided for. In terms of clothes alone, they received ten new outfits every month. And that wasn’t even counting Gabriel’s status as a celebrity—brands were constantly begging him to accept free clothes and accessories for his public appearances.
His closet was already stuffed to the brim!
And he had the nerve to claim he had nothing to wear!
For a moment, Chloe was at a loss for words.
"A lot of those are sponsored outfits. They’re fine for events, but a little too much for everyday wear."
Gabriel thought for a moment. "Why don’t you come to the mall with me?"
’It’s been a while since I bought my little sis any clothes, anyway,’ he thought.
And just like that, Chloe was practically dragged to the mall by Gabriel.
Gabriel was a fast shopper. He had pre-arranged everything with the store staff, so all he had to do was try on the reserved items. If he liked them, he took them.
It was a different story with Chloe, however. Gabriel insisted on getting a complete outfit for his little sister for every single item he thought looked good on her.
As a result, Chloe spent the entire afternoon in the fitting rooms.
It wasn’t until seven in the evening that a pale-faced Chloe finally emerged from the mall.
Gabriel, on the other hand, was in high spirits. Ms. Mayfield had been calling and texting him daily, warning him not to cause any trouble. She’d told him the company staff was already on their New Year’s holiday, so he’d better not make any waves.
He could only nod with a sense of grievance, and he kept his mask on for the entire shopping trip.
When they returned home, the rest of the family was already back, sitting at the dining table waiting for them.
Gabriel walked in first, and Mr. Sinclair’s brow furrowed. "Gabriel, you went clothes shopping again? Just last month, Aunt Warren was asking me if we should clear out your closet, and now you’ve bought this much more. You really spend money like it’s water."
Gabriel’s smile froze, his expression turning into a perfect picture of grievance.
Chloe, walking in behind him, heard her father scolding her brother. She paused behind them and tilted her head.
Sinclair glanced at the bags in Gabriel’s hands, a flicker of exasperation in his eyes. "Your closet is already bursting, and you’re buying more?"
Seeing his brothers and father ganging up on him like this, Gabriel blurted out, "They’re for Chloe."
The moment the words left his mouth, he saw the expressions on his father and two brothers soften considerably.
Mr. Sinclair’s demeanor, in particular, did a complete one-eighty. "They’re for Chloe?" he asked.
Ethan cleared his throat softly. "A young lady is at an age where she cares about her appearance. There’s nothing wrong with buying a few more clothes, especially since Chloe hasn’t had a chance to get any new outfits for the holiday yet."
Even Landon, who had been silent until now, pushed up his glasses and asked, "Is that all you bought? Maybe I should take Chloe to the mall again on New Year’s Day."
Chloe shook her head vigorously. Recalling the grueling ordeal of trying on clothes, she secretly swore to avoid malls like that in the future.
Gabriel’s eyes widened as he watched this scene unfold in disbelief.
With a wounded look in his eyes, his lip trembling and fingers twitching, he stammered, "You... all of you!"
’So I really have the lowest status in this family, huh?’
’When the son buys clothes, his own father nags him to death. But when the daughter buys clothes, it’s treated as the most natural thing in the world.’
"I’m going to my room to cry my eyes out!"
Gabriel felt he ought to be angry. The inconsolable kind of angry!
However, without even looking up or sparing him a glance, Mr. Sinclair said, "Go on, then."
Gabriel: "???"
When his son didn’t move, Mr. Sinclair finally looked up. "Weren’t you going to your room to cry? Go ahead."
For a moment, Gabriel was so utterly speechless that he just stood there, stunned.
Chloe, who had already settled onto a small sofa to the side, saw Gabriel’s teary-eyed expression and chimed in at the perfect moment. "Not only did my brother buy me lots of clothes today, but he also carried all these bags back by himself. He must be exhausted. Why don’t we eat first?"
Gabriel was instantly overwhelmed with emotion.
"See? Now that’s a good sister."
"Love you, sis!"
Chloe stumbled and couldn’t help but cringe.
’To be honest,’ she thought, ’that was actually kind of gross.’
When they sat down to eat, Chloe made sure to choose a seat far away from Gabriel.