Chapter 87: Brooke York’s Plot
"Are you out of your mind? I already said, just tell me how much your clothes cost and I’ll pay for them."
"I don’t want your money! I want my clothes to be perfectly clean."
In the plaza, Sophia Quinn couldn’t believe she’d run into such a scoundrel just by wanting to do some shopping alone. He was the one who had walked into her and bumped her drink, yet he was insisting it was her fault.
He refused her offer to pay and simply wouldn’t let her leave.
The man’s shouting had already drawn a crowd.
Sophia Quinn wasn’t used to being gawked at and wanted to leave, but the man was blocking her way.
"You spilled a drink on my clothes, and you think you can just walk away?" the man said, blocking Sophia Quinn’s path.
"I already told you I’d pay for it. You’re the one who said no."
"You think you’re so rich? This shirt is priceless to me; it’s my favorite." The man stroked his shirt as if he truly cherished it. Sophia Quinn thought, ’How fake. If he really loved it that much, he should have just hung it up at home and admired it from afar.’
’Even if he did wear it out, he’d be extremely careful to protect it and not let anyone get it dirty, instead of just walking around so carelessly.’
"What exactly do you want?"
"I don’t know! You dirtied my shirt, so you’re not going anywhere!" As he spoke, the man grabbed Sophia Quinn’s arm.
Sophia Quinn’s heart sank. ’This guy... this was planned!’
Just then, a young woman’s warning voice cut in. "What do you think you’re doing? Let her go! I’m telling you, I recorded the whole thing. The video clearly shows you bumping into this lady’s drink. If you dare keep trying to frame her, I’ll post it online for everyone to see your true colors."
Brooke York walked out holding her phone, glaring fiercely at the man.
When the man saw the phone in Brooke York’s hand, he threatened, "You actually dared to record that? Delete it right now!"
"I will not. And why wouldn’t I dare? You’re the one in the wrong, and you think you can act all high and mighty?" At that moment, Brooke York looked like a strong, brave, and kind-hearted girl.
"Fine. You’ve got guts." The man spat out the threat and turned to leave.
The crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause. They hadn’t spoken up before because they didn’t want to pass judgment without knowing the full story. But now that this girl had video evidence, it was clear the woman was innocent and the man was the one at fault.
As the man left and the crowd applauded, Brooke York acted a little shy. She suddenly seemed to remember Sophia Quinn and hurried over. "Ma’am, are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Sophia Quinn subtly sidestepped Brooke York’s attempt to help her up.
Her hand fell on empty air, and Brooke York felt a flash of annoyance. ’I just helped her, and this is how she treats her savior?’
’It seems I’m not the one with a character flaw—Sophia Quinn is. It’s only natural that I don’t like her. If she weren’t Mrs. Prescott, I wouldn’t give her the time of day.’
"Ma’am, that man was really aggressive. I’m afraid he might call for backup and come back for us. We should get out of here quickly!"
"I’ve already called my bodyguards. They’ll be here any minute."
She had called her bodyguards the moment she realized something was off, but it took time for them to arrive. She hadn’t expected Brooke York to suddenly charge in.
No sooner had she spoken than two men in sharp suits ran up. "Ma’am!"
"Thank you for your help just now. I’ll be going," Sophia Quinn said politely, preparing to leave.
"Ma’am, are you really okay?" Brooke York asked, stopping her again. She still wanted to make a stronger impression.
"I’m really fine. I’ll have a generous gift sent to the York family in the next day or two to thank you properly." After speaking, the two bodyguards escorted Sophia Quinn away.
Watching Sophia Quinn being escorted away by her bodyguards, Brooke York’s face instantly darkened. The sweet, worried expression from moments ago was completely gone.
’So, Sophia Quinn... you won’t fall for either the hard or the soft approach. Just you wait. I refuse to believe I can’t win you over.’ Just then, her phone chimed with a notification. She frowned at the message and headed in the direction the man had gone.
"Give me the car keys. I’ll drive back myself. You two, go find the manager of this plaza right now and have them pull the surveillance footage of what just happened."
Back in the car, Sophia Quinn immediately got to work. If Brooke York hadn’t shown up, she wouldn’t have suspected a connection. But since she had appeared so conveniently, Sophia was now certain she was involved.
"Yes, ma’am!"
Brooke York walked to a secluded corner. After scanning her surroundings to make sure no one was watching, she briskly entered a stairwell.
The man who had been harassing Sophia Quinn was waiting just inside the stairwell. As soon as he saw Brooke York, he hurried over.
"So, little lady, how did I do? I played my part well, right?"
"You did," Brooke York agreed with a nod.
"So, when do I get the other three thousand?"
"Right now." Brooke York took out her phone and transferred three thousand to the man.
Seeing the three thousand hit his account, the man broke into a grin that stretched from ear to ear.
He couldn’t believe he’d just earned six thousand so easily.
"Little lady, if you ever need this kind of work done again, you know who to call. Just send a text, and big bro will be there."
"Alright."
The man left happily. Brooke York clenched her phone; she had come up with this plan long ago and had just been waiting for a chance to catch Sophia Quinn alone.
Sophia Quinn was always flanked by two bodyguards whenever she went out.
So when she noticed Sophia Quinn dismiss her bodyguards to shop alone today, she put her plan into action. She hadn’t expected it to be so easy.
’Oh, Sophia Quinn, you owe me a favor now!’
「Prescott Manor」
When Arthur Prescott got home, he found Sophia Quinn reclining on the sofa. She was so still that if her eyes hadn’t been open, he would have thought she was asleep.
"What’s wrong? I thought you went shopping today. You don’t look very happy. Didn’t find anything you liked?"
Usually, when Sophia Quinn came back from a shopping trip, she was anything but listless. She would be happily organizing her new clothes, insisting on doing it all herself.
"I was set up today."
"What?" The playful look on Arthur Prescott’s face vanished instantly. "Who would dare set up my wife?"
Sophia Quinn told Arthur Prescott what had happened. "It’s just a guess, but I’m ninety-nine percent sure. Now I’m just waiting for Al to send over the footage."
No sooner had she spoken than her phone chimed. She unlocked it and saw it was a message from Al, just as she’d expected.
The message contained several video clips and photos—some from the main plaza, others from the secluded corner.
After reviewing the footage and photos, Sophia Quinn’s expression was one of vindication. "I really underestimated Brooke York. To think she’d dare to play her little mind games on me... She really doesn’t know her place."
Arthur Prescott took the phone from her. Seeing the photos, he let out a cold laugh. "It seems scheming is in the York family’s DNA."