Chapter 95: Disgraceful Brooke York
The three of them stepped into the estate, where a tour cart was already waiting. A servant gestured for them to get in.
"Oh, so there are tour carts after all," Alice Cole said to the servant in a passive-aggressive tone as she boarded. "Last time I came, I was surprised such a large estate didn’t have any. I was planning to give the lady of the house some friendly advice and tell her to buy a few."
Miles York hadn’t expected Alice Cole to suddenly say that. It was too late to stop her. He shot Alice Cole a glare, warning her to stop talking nonsense, then turned back and gave the servant in the back row an apologetic smile.
The servant’s expression remained completely neutral, as if they hadn’t heard Alice Cole’s words at all, and they kept their eyes fixed straight ahead.
Annoyed by Miles York’s glare, Alice Cole didn’t say anything more, turning her attention to Brooke York instead.
As the tour cart started moving, a gentle breeze washed over Brooke York, making her feel slightly better.
Soon, the cart stopped in front of the castle. The servant got out first and said to the three, "This way, please."
Getting out of the tour cart, Brooke York’s state of mind was completely different from her last visit.
’Last time, I came here to conquer. This time, I’m going to grind them all under my heel.’
"Mrs. Prescott, we’ve brought this disgraceful daughter of ours to apologize to you. We hope you can be magnanimous and forgive her, and that you’ll ask Mr. Prescott to go easy on the York Family." After speaking, Miles York nudged Brooke York, urging her to quickly follow his lead and apologize to Sophia Quinn.
"Mrs. Prescott, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight and did something to wrong you. I’m truly sorry. Please, forgive me." Brooke York said with a sincere tone, finishing with a deep bow to Sophia Quinn.
The vast living room fell silent. Sophia Quinn sat on the sofa without a word, and Miles York and the others didn’t dare to speak either.
"Mr. York, you call this an apology?" Sophia Quinn suddenly asked.
Miles York assumed Sophia Quinn was dissatisfied with their apology. If she wasn’t satisfied, then he just had to make her so. "Mrs. Prescott, if you have any demands, please state them directly. Or just tell us what we need to do for you to forgive us. We’ll do anything."
Realizing Miles York had misunderstood her, she said, "Forcing a girl to bake under the sun, telling her she can’t leave until she’s allowed inside to apologize... Are you trying to emotionally blackmail me?"
Not expecting this from Sophia Quinn, Miles York quickly explained, "Mrs. Prescott, that wasn’t our intention at all, absolutely not! It’s just that Brooke, this child, felt she did wrong. So, she wanted to apologize properly to you. But since you wouldn’t see her, she felt guilty and just kept standing there. We weren’t trying to emotionally blackmail you!"
After speaking, Miles York shot Brooke York a look. Brooke York picked up his cue. "Miss Prescott, it’s not emotional blackmail. I know I did something wrong and want your forgiveness. That’s why I stood at the gate."
’After saying her piece, Brooke York felt incredibly wronged. Emotional blackmail? Me, feeling guilty? What did I have to feel guilty about?’
’This was all caused by them! It had nothing to do with me. I’m the most innocent one of all.’
"While it’s true you played tricks and did something wrong, I’m not the one dealing with your York Family. So, you’ve come to the wrong person." After Sophia Quinn finished speaking, she gave the servant a look, signaling for her to show them out.
"The three of you, our lady needs to rest. Please leave!"
’If she was going to say that, why didn’t she say so from the start? She waited until after we had apologized and explained everything, and only now she says she can’t make the decision and tells us to find Arthur Prescott?’
Now it was Miles York’s expression that soured. To be honest, it had been a long time since he’d been so humiliated.
While the York Family couldn’t compare to the Prescott Family, they were still far from insignificant. Plenty of people wanted to get on the York Family’s good side.
"Sophia Quinn, what is the meaning of this? We came here with good intentions to apologize, what more do you want? Brooke is just a child, and you’re a washed-up old hag! How can you be so petty with a kid!" Alice Cole couldn’t take it anymore and unleashed a tirade against Sophia Quinn.
She was already angry that her daughter had messed up. Then she found out Sophia Quinn preferred Chloe York. On top of that, her daughter had been baking in the sun for so long. The combination of all these grievances made her finally explode.
"Alice Cole, shut your mouth!" Miles York roared, his hands trembling. ’She has no idea what that outburst will do to my company.’
"Why should I shut up? Am I wrong? The kid just made a mistake because she wasn’t thinking! It’s not like anything happened to that Sophia Quinn, right? Why can’t she just let our Brooke go!"
Brooke York felt not the slightest bit of gratitude toward Alice Cole for speaking up for her and taking her side.
’When I was baking at the gate, where was she? Sitting in an air-conditioned cart.’
’Now that we’re indoors, in a place with air conditioning, she’s putting on this act of a loving mother, pretending to care about me.’
"That’s right. I’m a washed-up old hag, and I’m being petty with a child. That’s exactly the kind of person I am. So what?"
The servant clapped her hands, and several bodyguards entered immediately. They restrained Miles York and the others, forcing them outside.
Brooke York struggled. ’I can walk by myself! You don’t have to drag me like this, it’s humiliating!’
But the bodyguards held them firmly, escorting them out of the castle.
Even after they were outside the castle, the bodyguards didn’t release them, forcing them onto the tour cart.
"You lackeys, let us go!" Alice Cole struggled the entire time, but the bodyguards acted as if they couldn’t hear her.
Miles York and Brooke York, however, were silent. Miles was wondering what to do now, while Brooke was simply overwhelmed with humiliation.
’How did it come to this! I was supposed to be living the life of a rich young heiress, but now? I don’t look like an heiress at all!’
"Oh my, really," Sophia Quinn said after they had left, patting her chest, still shaken. "Thank goodness we’re not becoming in-laws. Otherwise, my life would be so pitiful, so frustrating, so miserable! Such unreasonable people are truly terrifying."
"No, no, this won’t do. I need to call Chloe. Hearing her voice will soothe my poor, fragile soul."
Saying that, Sophia Quinn called Chloe York.
At that moment, Chloe York’s class had just ended, and she was about to go for lunch. Seeing the call from Sophia Quinn, Chloe York hesitated, wondering if she should answer.
’Miles York came to see me today, and now Sophia Quinn is calling. Did she really decide to let him off the hook because of me? Is she calling to tell me about it?’
"Chloe, why aren’t you answering your phone?" Stella Winters asked, noticing the phone had been ringing for a while while Chloe York just stared at it.
Finally, Chloe York answered the call. "Auntie!"
"Chloe, did Auntie interrupt your studies?" As soon as the call connected, Sophia Quinn’s kind voice came through, tinged with a bit of concern.
She had seen it ring for a while without an answer and was about to hang up. After all, if someone doesn’t pick up, it means they’re busy. But just as she was about to end the call, Chloe York answered.