Chapter 85: Brooke York’s Fighting Spirit
"Mrs. York, it’s a bit premature to call me your daughter’s future mother-in-law. Nothing is set in stone yet, after all."
"Oh, come now, Mrs. Prescott. My daughter is the *real* heiress of the York family, so the marriage alliance is with Brooke, isn’t it? Didn’t you say before that you looked forward to our families being joined by marriage? Now that Chloe York is no longer a stumbling block, our two families can finally be properly united, don’t you think?"
Sophia Quinn knew that life wouldn’t be easy for Chloe York once it was revealed she wasn’t the York family’s true heiress, and Alice Cole would undoubtedly be the most obvious source of her troubles.
It seemed her guess had been spot on. ’This is exactly why I can’t stand Alice Cole. She’s going on and on as if I’m the one who’s unhappy with Chloe York, completely oblivious to the fact that it’s not Chloe I’m displeased with—it’s her.’
"Mrs. York, I believe I understand your daughter well enough; no further introduction is necessary. I have other matters to attend to, so I’m afraid I can’t entertain you." Sophia Quinn had no desire to say more and was showing them the door.
She really couldn’t stand being in the same room as Alice Cole. The woman was exhausting to talk to.
"No, wait! Don’t be in such a rush, we haven’t finished talking! We still haven’t discussed the marriage contract!" Alice Cole had come here for the sole purpose of changing the contract. ’It’s not settled, so why would I leave?’
"Mom, stop it. Let’s go home!" Brooke York tugged at Alice Cole again, trying to get her to leave. Her mind was a mess, and she was utterly mortified. All she wanted was to escape the awkwardness and figure things out.
"Mrs. York, it seems your daughter is eager to leave too. Why don’t you go home for now?" With that, Sophia Quinn stood up and walked away.
"Mrs. Prescott, wait!" Alice Cole lunged forward to stop Sophia Quinn. ’This is the perfect opportunity. I have to get the name on the marriage contract changed to my daughter’s! If I let this drag on, complications are bound to arise. I refuse to let Chloe York benefit from this for no reason.’
But she had only taken two steps before a maidservant stepped in her way, blocking her and making a firm gesture toward the door. "Mrs. York, Miss York. This way, please."
Seeing the maidservant block her path, Alice Cole shot her a glare. ’What is it with me and the hired help today? Every last one of them, from the guards to the maids, is disrespectful and working against me.’
’Don’t they know who I am? I’m the mother of their future mistress!’
"Do you people have any idea who I am? I’m your mistress’s future in-law! How dare you stand in my way?"
A flicker of disdain passed through the maidservant’s eyes. ’This woman is supposed to be the lady of the York family, so how can she be so dense? Can’t she see that our mistress isn’t impressed with her daughter?’
’Plus, she’s so desperate and utterly devoid of grace. Our mistress would never deign to be in-laws with someone like that.’
"It doesn’t matter who you are. My lady said to show you out."
"Mom, let’s go!" Brooke York stepped forward, took Alice Cole’s arm, and started leading her out of the mansion. Even she could see the disdain the staff had for them.
"What is wrong with you? That was the perfect chance to make a good impression on your future mother-in-law, but you were just timidly standing there! They’re going to compare you to Chloe York, you know."
Alice Cole had been holding her tongue, but the moment they were outside, she started laying into Brooke York, wondering why her daughter had suddenly become so spineless.
"Mom, I’ll handle this. I’ll get Mrs. Prescott to agree to change the marriage contract. Just don’t get involved."
"But why not? It was the perfect opportunity! You saw how difficult it was for us to even get into this estate. Who knows when we’ll be able to get in again?"
Alice Cole, for her part, was convinced that the longer they waited, the more could go wrong. It was better to get the contract switched as soon as possible.
Brooke York didn’t dare tell Alice Cole what had happened that morning. She had a gut feeling that if she did, her mother would be disappointed in her. For a family of their status, her behavior had been far too rude; Sophia Quinn would surely look down on her now.
If Alice Cole became disappointed with her, she might even switch her support back to Chloe York.
"Mom, don’t you worry. I will become the future lady of this estate," Brooke York said, her gaze sweeping over the vast, luxurious grounds.
Before coming here, she’d thought the York family’s villa was impressive enough. But after seeing this estate, she knew better. The York family was nothing; *this* was a true powerhouse family.
Seeing Brooke York so full of confidence, Alice Cole’s anger subsided a bit. "Brooke, are you really sure you can do it?"
"I am. I’m your daughter, after all. You can rest assured, I will absolutely succeed," Brooke York said, her voice brimming with confidence.
She was a completely different person from the girl who, just moments ago inside the mansion, had been so embarrassed she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.
"That’s right. You’re my daughter. You will absolutely succeed."
After hanging out with Stella Winters in the living room until a little after ten, they both went to their respective rooms to sleep.
Chloe York took the evening to relax and didn’t study at all.
She opened the gift Sophia Quinn had sent her. ’This must be worth at least a hundred thousand,’ she thought. ’The rewards from the Godly Rich System aren’t the real prize. The real prizes are the gifts from the people I’ve helped.’
She placed the new gift alongside the one Miss Prescott had given her. Looking at all the expensive presents and the two-million-yuan card, Chloe York felt incredibly content.
’Once I graduate high school, I’ll be a rich woman with money, looks, and Wisdom.’
「The next day」
Her internal clock woke Chloe York up right on time. After getting ready, she stood in front of her full-length mirror and studied her reflection. ’My looks have definitely improved.’
She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had changed, but the overall effect was dazzling.
After packing her bag and slinging it over one shoulder, Chloe York left her room. Just then, the door across the hall opened, and Stella Winters emerged, backpack on and yawning. When she saw Chloe, she said, "Chloe, good morning!"
"Good morning, Stella."
"Huh? Chloe, is it just me, or did you get even prettier overnight?" Stella Winters rubbed her eyes, wondering if they were playing tricks on her.
"What? Are you saying I wasn’t pretty before?"
"No, no! You were pretty before, but now you’re *especially* pretty. Wait, that’s not quite right either... It’s just..." Stella Winters trailed off, unsure how to put it.
The main issue was that she didn’t know how to describe it. Chloe York’s features were the same, but her overall look was so much more beautiful. And yet, she’d been beautiful before, too!
"Alright, alright, I get what you mean. But, my dear Stella, we haven’t eaten breakfast yet. If we don’t eat now, we’ll be late, and if we’re late, we’ll have no time for breakfast at all."
The moment the words left Chloe York’s mouth, Stella Winters shrieked and scrambled to put on her shoes, ready to rush to school.
Stella Winters was extremely particular about breakfast. In her own words, you could be casual about lunch and dinner, but breakfast had to be a good, proper meal to keep your energy up for the rest of the day.
The two of them grabbed a bite at a breakfast shop in their residential complex before heading to school together.