Chapter 236: Meeting Stella Winters

“Oh, my dear Chloe! I missed you to death these past two months. You have no idea how bored I was all by myself abroad.” The moment Stella Winters saw Chloe York, she excitedly threw her arms around her.

Chloe hugged her back tightly. She really did miss her. It had only been two months, but it felt like two years.

“I missed you, too!”

They held onto each other for a long moment before finally pulling apart.

“Let me tell you, I’ve been eating foreign food every single day for the past two months, and it’s awful. You’d better prepare yourself.”

Thinking about her two months here, Stella felt like she had been chewing on cardboard every day. She desperately missed spicy, flavorful dishes.

“It’s fine. I brought a head chef with me.”

If Chloe hadn’t mentioned it, Stella wouldn’t have even noticed the person standing behind her. Now, she finally spotted a woman in her forties.

“She’s a chef?”

“Yep, a specially hired one.”

“You hired her?” Stella asked in confusion. The Chloe she knew wasn’t the type to meticulously prepare a private chef just to study abroad.

“No, my godmother and god-grandmother did!”

Hearing this, Stella pulled Chloe to the side, looking somewhat guarded against the female chef.

The chef didn’t mind in the slightest; she simply watched the two girls with a constant smile.

“Ethan Prescott’s mom and grandma hired her for you?”

“Yeah. When they heard I was going abroad, they worried I wouldn’t get used to the food here, so they specifically hired her. Not only does she cook delicious meals, but she’ll also take care of me.”

“Oh my god. Those two really dote on you like you’re their own daughter. They practically treat you like family.”

“True.” Chloe couldn’t deny it.

To be honest, she originally thought they were just saying that to be polite. She never expected them to actually bring someone over right as she was preparing to leave the country. They managed to find and finalize the chef in just two or three short days—it was obvious how urgently and quickly they had arranged everything.

“Does Ethan know his mom and grandma are treating you this well?”

“I’m not sure if he knows, but it doesn’t seem like his business anyway. I’m practically their daughter and granddaughter now, too!”

“Fair point!”

“Oh, look at me! I was just so excited to see you that I made you stand here chatting this whole time. Come on, I’ll take you to my place. My mom actually prepared a small two-story villa for me.

“We can each have our own room, and the chef you brought can have her own room, too. I finally don’t have to eat the foreign meals my maid prepares anymore!” Stella’s tone was brimming with joy.

“You already have a maid in the villa you’re staying at?”

“Yeah, but she was hired locally. My mom said since I’m studying abroad, it’s easier to just hire a maid here instead of bringing one from home. My maid only knows how to make Western food, so your chef arrived at the perfect time. I’ll just have my maid handle the cleaning, and your chef can be in charge of cooking.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

The two girls happily made their way to the villa Stella mentioned. It was located in an exclusive residential area. The scenery was genuinely lovely—the road was lined with lush trees, and the villas were nestled among the woods.

“Are you sure which school you’re going to yet?” Stella suddenly realized she still didn’t know which university Chloe would be attending.

“It’s confirmed. I’ll be at the same one as you.”

“Really?!” Stella’s voice pitched up, beyond thrilled.

“Of course it’s real. Why would I lie to you?”

“That’s wonderful! We can finally commute together again.”

If they weren’t in a car right now, Chloe suspected Stella would literally be jumping up and down with joy.

“Yeah, we can go to school together and come back to live under the same roof at night.”

“Oh my god, just thinking about it makes me so happy! Last month, I was still all alone here, dreading having to suffer through three whole years. It felt too hard and miserable. But now, I feel like three years is way too short!”

“If you think three years is too short, you can just do your internship here.”

“No, no, no. I’m not doing my internship here, and you definitely won’t be either. You’re an exchange student, so you’ll probably have to go back for your fourth year.”

Chloe couldn’t deny Stella’s words; she would definitely have to return home for her internship.

“But if we can actually secure internship positions here, we could stay. Since we’re together, we’d at least have company. We’ll see how things go when the time comes!”

Stella felt it was best to play it by ear. After all, nobody could predict what would happen a few years down the line.

“Alright.”

Chloe suddenly remembered something and said, “Oh right, I made a new friend.”

“What?!” Stella’s voice shot up again. “You actually made a friend? No wonder you only contacted me on your own once to say you were coming over. Before and after that, you barely reached out to me at all! Turns out you were busy with a new friend!”

Stella’s tone sounded noticeably sour.

She was genuinely a bit angry, though. She hadn’t expected Chloe to make a new friend behind her back. Her previous joy vanished in an instant—she had deliberately held off on making any new friends for the past two months!

“Hey, just because I made a friend, why aren’t you asking what kind of friend she is?”

“Fine. What kind of friend is she?”

“She’s a lot like you. Your personalities are practically identical, and her last name is also Winters. I think you guys would get along great.”

It would have been better if Chloe hadn’t said that; the moment she did, Stella became even more furious.

“Chloe York, you found a replacement! Did you just find a body double who’s exactly like me? How could you do that? I’m still alive, you know! It’s not like I cut ties with you and you’d never see me again. I just went abroad! How could you find a stand-in?

“And how unfair is that to her? Think of how heartbroken she’ll be when she finds out she’s just a replacement!”

Hearing Stella’s outburst, Chloe didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “No, what are you talking about? She’s not a replacement. She’s also a good friend of mine. When I said you two were alike, I just meant you both have the last name Winters and somewhat similar personalities. But you two don’t look alike at all! Plus, I didn’t become friends with her because of you. Her straightforward personality is what made me want to be her friend.”

“She’s straightforward?”

“Yeah, super open. She just marched right up to me and said she wanted to be friends. How could I say no to a girl who’s that bold and straightforward?”