Chapter 147: New Environment
"Fine, fine, fine!" Miles let go of the car door. It slammed shut in front of him with a BANG.
Miles watched the car drive off, a grin spreading across his face. As long as Chloe agreed, she would definitely follow through.
His little golden goose hadn’t slipped from his grasp.
"Wow, young lady, your dad is so good to you. Such a loving father and daughter!" the driver remarked, unable to help himself after seeing and hearing their exchange.
Chloe did not agree with the driver’s assessment.
Meanwhile, Brooke York and Alice Cole sat in their car, both feeling utterly humiliated about the apology they had just made.
"We never should have come today," Brooke was the first to speak.
"I know. We shouldn’t have. We just came here to be humiliated by Chloe York." The more Alice thought about it, the angrier she became, especially since Chloe now had a video of their apology.
"She... she wouldn’t just post that video everywhere, would she?" Brooke said, a sudden worry creeping into her voice.
’If Chloe posts it in the class group chat or online, wouldn’t I be humiliated all over again?’
At that thought, Brooke quickly opened her phone to check the class group chat. Seeing it was quiet and that Chloe hadn’t posted anything, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well? Is it there?" Alice asked.
She was also afraid of being humiliated. She was a grown woman; it would be mortifying if those kids saw someone her age apologizing so meekly.
"No! It’s not in the class group chat. But I don’t know if she’ll post it online."
"If she posts it online, we can just use her own methods against her. Posting a video of us like that is also a form of defamation, damaging our reputations."
"Right, we can do that too. We’ll just see if she has the guts to post it." Hearing Alice say that, Brooke felt another wave of relief.
After a long day of travel, the car stopped in front of her rented apartment building.
She had actually found this place and signed the lease while she was still on vacation.
It was a twenty-minute walk from Southbend University, which would be a nice bit of daily exercise. She had no intention of living in the dorms.
In her past life, she had lived in the dorms. Back then, she had envied her wealthier classmates who could afford to live off-campus. Unlike the dorms, their apartments didn’t have a curfew.
But she’d had to work part-time jobs every day to pay for tuition and living expenses on top of her studies. Several times, she’d come back late at night only to be locked out by the dorm matron, barely managing to get back in. So this time, she was determined to experience what it was like to live off-campus.
She moved her things into the rented apartment piece by piece, not finishing until the middle of the night. Lying in bed and looking around at her own little corner of the world, Chloe felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
The apartment she’d rented this time was a two-bedroom. Of course, she would still set aside a room here for Stella Winters.
As if on cue, just as Chloe finished unpacking, a video call came in from Stella.
"Chloe, are you in your new apartment now?"
"Yeah, I just finished unpacking when your call came through."
"Show me your new place!"
"Sure!"
Chloe flipped her camera, stood up, and started walking around the apartment.
The apartment she rented this time also had a large balcony where she planned to grow some flowers and plants. The building was in a very quiet area; even the nearest shopping district was a walk away in the university town.
"Look, this is the room I saved for you. It’s not set up yet, but it’ll be ready by the time you have a chance to come visit."
Chloe made a point of going to the door of the room she’d set aside for Stella, opening it, and panning the camera around for her to see.
"Oh my gosh, that’s my room? Chloe, you’re the best! Even after moving all the way over there, you still thought to save a room for me." On the screen, Stella was practically bursting with playful pride.
In reality, she was ecstatic that Chloe had thought of her. After all, she was about to go abroad, and once she left, they had no idea when they would see each other again.
It was even possible that by the time she returned, Chloe would have already graduated from college and moved out of this apartment. The fact that Chloe still saved a room for her, even knowing she might not come, proved that she held a very important place in Chloe’s heart.
"Of course I had to save a room for you! Didn’t we already agree? Wherever I live, there will always be a room for you."
"Chloe, don’t you worry. When I have my own place someday, whether it’s rented or bought, I’ll definitely save a room for you too," Stella promised.
"Okay. By the way, when are you leaving the country? I’ll come see you off."
"It’s not that soon. Besides, you’ve already moved, so there’s no need for you to come all the way back. It’s too much trouble. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely come find you during a summer or winter break."
’My parents told me not to come back for a few years and just focus on my studies abroad,’ Stella thought, ’but there’s no way I’m listening to them. I’m definitely coming back.’
"Alright then. You can let me know when you’re coming back. You can just fly directly here, right?"
"I can! Oh, why didn’t I think of that? I was still thinking I’d fly back to the old city and have you pick me up. I’m such an idiot." Stella was a little amazed at her own foolishness.
"No you’re not! You’re not an idiot at all!"
"Chloe, has that Zoe Roland contacted you at all since we last saw her?" Stella’s question was tentative. She had run into Zoe and her parents two days ago, and they had been arguing.
Remembering how strange Zoe’s attitude toward Chloe was, Stella had ultimately walked over and eavesdropped a little.
She hadn’t heard much, and there wasn’t a lot of useful information, but she did learn one thing: Zoe Roland wasn’t as sweet and well-behaved as she acted in front of Chloe. In fact, she seemed irritable and unreasonable.
"No, she hasn’t. Why do you suddenly ask about her?" Chloe said as she left the bedroom, closing the door behind her and sitting down on the sofa.
"I just feel like there’s something weird about her. It’s like she has other intentions toward you."
"Really? Well, if you have that feeling, then there probably is something weird about her. Okay, I’ll keep my distance from her from now on."
"Chloe, how come you’re taking my side even when I say something like this? Don’t you think I’m being mean, or too possessive? Like I only want you to be friends with me and not let you hang out with anyone else?"
"Of course not. You’re my best friend—my only friend. Why wouldn’t I trust you?"
"Chloe, don’t worry. I absolutely won’t make any other friends while I’m abroad. You’re my only friend, too."
"Okay. We’re each other’s best friend."