Chapter 148: Argument

Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Argument

This time, her chat with Stella Winters lasted until three or four in the morning, only ending when her phone ran out of battery. After plugging her phone in to charge, Chloe York went to take a shower.

Meanwhile, at the Prescott Family residence, a heavy feeling weighed on Sophia Quinn and Miss Prescott.

"So Chloe really went to Southbend," Miss Prescott confirmed with Sophia Quinn again.

"Yes. She left today without even saying a word to us. It seems Chloe really is keeping her distance from us now." Sophia felt incredibly unsettled.

Of course, she wasn’t blaming Chloe York for leaving without saying goodbye. After all, Chloe wasn’t related to her in any way; she had just hoped Chloe could become her daughter.

She was blaming herself for not paying closer attention to Chloe, for not even knowing that Chloe was planning to leave the city and head south.

’And I claimed I wanted her to be my daughter. If I were her real mother, how could I have been so neglectful?’

"Sigh, the York Family is just shameless. The things they’ve done are a complete disgrace. Let me tell you, Sophia, no matter what, I will not allow that girl, Brooke York, to enter the Prescott Family’s doors."

"Mom, I feel the same way. I will absolutely not allow that girl into our family. If Ethan Prescott still has ideas about her and tries to bring her into our home, then I will disown him as my son," Sophia declared harshly.

"Exactly. If he still insists on it, then this old woman will disown him as her grandson." Miss Prescott gripped Sophia’s hand, her cloudy eyes filled with determination.

"That’s right. Neither of us will acknowledge him," Sophia said, her voice and expression equally firm.

Meanwhile, Ethan Prescott was completely unaware of all this. He still thought Chloe York hadn’t moved and was waiting downstairs from her apartment, hoping to stage a "chance encounter" when she came down.

It wasn’t until someone called the landlord to report a young man constantly loitering there that Ethan Prescott finally learned Chloe York had already moved out.

「York Family Residence」

"I want to go to Southbend University," Brooke York said, walking up to Miles York and stating her intentions directly. No matter what, since she couldn’t go abroad, she was determined to study at Southbend University.

If Miles could get Chloe into high school back then, he could get her into a university now.

Besides, for the past few days, Miles had been giving her the cold shoulder regarding her education, never clarifying what she should do. Was she supposed to repeat her last year of high school or go abroad?

She was afraid Miles was deliberately dragging things out, hoping the issue would just fade away without a resolution.

It was just as Alice Cole had said: they had wanted to marry Chloe off for profit. Now that Chloe had escaped the York Family, Miles might decide Brooke was useless. Since she hadn’t grown up with them and they had no emotional bond, he might send her away or marry her off to someone random for his own gain. If that happened, her life would be ruined.

"You’re dreaming!" Miles York’s tone was mocking when he heard her. He was ridiculing her for being completely clueless about the situation. The entire internet knew she was the person who scored zero on the college entrance exam.

And she still had the gall to dream about studying abroad after scoring a zero. Maybe she hadn’t been laughed at enough, but he certainly had.

He refused to suffer any more of this humiliation. If he could, he would take back his decision to acknowledge her as his daughter. Although Chloe had also been a disgrace before, at least it wasn’t a humiliation known to everyone.

"If you could stuff Chloe into a high school back then, why can’t you stuff me into Southbend University?"

"How is that the same? The college entrance exam is watched by so many people! Besides, you’re already famous for scoring zero. What more do you want?"

Brooke York hadn’t considered that, but she quickly came up with a solution.

"You can just say there was a mistake with the scores. That I didn’t get a zero!"

"Even if that were true, how would I get you in? This is a university, not a high school." Miles felt like he couldn’t get through to Brooke. ’Wasn’t she supposed to be smart? Why is she acting so dense now, like she’s completely thick-headed? I’ve made it so clear, how can she still not understand?’

"Brooke, your situation now is truly different from Chloe’s back then. At that time, she was just going from middle school to high school, so not many people were paying attention. But this is different. This is the college entrance exam. It naturally draws a lot of attention, and on top of that, Chloe was the top scorer, while you..."

Alice Cole didn’t finish, but her meaning was obvious. Brooke was the one who scored zero. If she hadn’t gotten a zero, it would have been fine; not so many people would have noticed. But she just had to score zero, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Brooke York, let me tell you, stop thinking about it. Going abroad is impossible, and it’s unrealistic to think I can get you into any university."

Hearing Miles’s words, Brooke’s face filled with disbelief. ’Is he giving up on me?’

Miles continued, "The only things you can do now are either quit school and come work as an assistant at the company, or go back to your original plan and repeat the year. But let me warn you, if you repeat the year and get a good score, fine. But if you score zero again, you can go right back to where you came from. I won’t be disgraced by you again."

With that, Miles had laid out Brooke’s options and cut off any other escape routes.

Before Brooke could say anything, Alice Cole shot to her feet, furious.

"Miles York, what do you mean by that? Brooke is our daughter! Where we are is where she belongs. What do you mean, ’go right back to where you came from’? Where do you want her to go? Is that her home? That’s where Chloe York should go back to, not my daughter!"

"If you keep this up, you’re going to ruin Brooke one day! The way she is now is all your fault."

"How is this my fault again? Miles York, oh, Miles York, I’ve finally seen you for who you are. You’re a man who takes no responsibility at all! Every time something happens, no matter whose fault it is, you say I didn’t raise her right. What, are you not part of this family? Did I give birth to this daughter all by myself? Don’t you have any responsibility in this?"

Alice Cole pointed a finger at Miles. They had spent the better part of their lives together.

But Alice felt like she was only just now, in this moment, truly getting to know Miles and seeing his true colors.

"I have to go out and earn money every day! I’m managing a huge company! Have you ever lifted a finger to help? The employee issues, the partnership deals—which one of those isn’t my responsibility? Have you ever managed things for a single day? All you do is stay at home all day, and you can’t even handle the simple task of raising a child properly."

"Oh, so that’s it. In your eyes, I’m that useless. If it weren’t for raising your child, if it weren’t for being your support, would I be like this now?"