Chapter 208: Seeing Zoe Roland Off
Except for the store-bought fried dough sticks, it was obvious that both types of porridge were freshly cooked, and the corn, sweet potatoes, and eggs were also boiled by Wendy Winters.
“Oh, it’s all very simple. You just have to keep an eye on the porridge and the eggs. As for the sweet potatoes and corn, you just put them in and steam them,” Wendy said.
“That’s still impressive.”
Hearing Chloe York praise Wendy Winters, Zoe Roland felt uncomfortable, but she also knew she had indeed lost to Wendy.
“No, no. I was just thinking about Zoe. It’s her first time here, and she’ll probably be heading back today. Since you covered her accommodation yesterday, Chloe, I figured I should at least do my part as a host and make her a proper breakfast!”
Wendy’s words were impeccable. Zoe broke into a smile. “Then thank you, Wendy.”
“You’re welcome. Eat up.” Wendy sat down and served Zoe a piece of corn.
Zoe said no more and quietly ate her breakfast. From time to time, Chloe and Wendy would exchange a few words, mostly Chloe praising Wendy. Her porridge was cooked to perfection and tasted delicious. The sweet potatoes were incredibly sweet and tender, leaving them wondering where Wendy had bought them.
After breakfast, Chloe and Wendy accompanied Zoe to the airport.
“Chloe, I’m leaving.” At the boarding gate, Zoe held Chloe’s hand, completely reluctant to let go. This parting meant they didn’t know when they would see each other again. Zoe had originally set a goal for herself: to get good grades and get into Southbend University. Southbend University had been her ultimate target. But now that Chloe was going abroad, her new goal was to go abroad too.
The thought flashed through Zoe’s mind. “Right, I can go abroad too!” she thought.
At that realization, Zoe instantly beamed with joy, her miserable expression vanishing completely. “Goodbye, Chloe!”
Zoe’s sudden shift caught Chloe off guard. She wondered why the girl who had been so reluctant to part just a moment ago was suddenly beaming, and whether she had thought of something to cheer herself up. However, she didn’t ask any questions. “Goodbye!”
Zoe let go of her hand and went to get her ticket checked. Chloe watched as she passed through the gate and left.
“Let’s go too!” Chloe turned around, and Wendy quickly caught up.
“Chloe, what do you think of Zoe?” Wendy asked, feigning casualness.
“What do you mean?” Wendy’s question caught Chloe slightly off guard.
“I mean her personality. Don’t you think she’s a bit strange?” Wendy still wanted to know if Chloe had sensed anything, because she certainly had. If Zoe turned out to be a good person, it would be fine. But Wendy was worried that she might have bad intentions. If so, the girl was quite cunning, and Chloe would need to be careful.
Chloe thought about it for a moment. Other than being a bit clingy, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong. But her clinginess was understandable. She was an only child, and she was still quite young. Although her own current body was only eighteen, the soul residing within it belonged to a twenty-seven-year-old. Because of this, she felt that such childish behaviors were completely normal. “Strange? I don’t think so!”
Wendy was about to say something but suddenly stopped herself. What could she say? It just proved that Zoe acted perfectly normal in front of Chloe and only showed her true colors when she was alone with Wendy.
“Alright, if you say so. Let’s head back! Your departure date is getting closer and closer, so we really need to cherish the time we have left together.”
“Yeah. I’m actually starting to feel a bit sad,” Chloe replied, her tone slightly melancholy. Truth be told, she really hated the thought of leaving Wendy behind.
“It’s fine. I can just go abroad to visit you when I have time. It’s not like I don’t have the money for a ticket. That’s a minor issue. Besides, I’m curious to see Stella Winters. I want to know exactly how much she looks like me.”
“Yeah! I’m telling you, you two look super alike.”
Chatting, the two arrived at the airport’s main entrance, hailed a taxi, and headed back to campus.
However, shortly after returning to school, Chloe received a call from the Prescott family asking her to come over for a visit. She figured they must have found out about her upcoming trip abroad. Now that she thought about it, she really ought to pay a visit to the Prescott family before leaving. So, she specifically picked a morning when she had no classes and headed to the Prescott’s villa.
“Chloe, you’re going abroad. I’m going to miss you so much!” Sophia Quinn grabbed Chloe’s hand as soon as she saw her, refusing to let go. She hadn’t expected the goddaughter she had only recently acknowledged to be moving so far away so soon.
“Mom, I’ll come back to visit. Even though I’m going abroad, transportation is so convenient nowadays. I can just buy a ticket and be back in a few hours.” Chloe had now fully adapted to calling Sophia “Mom.”
“Oh, now that you mention it, that’s true! Hahaha!” Hearing Chloe’s words, Sophia realized she was right. Her sadness evaporated, replaced by a hint of embarrassment. It was true; going abroad didn’t mean they would never see each other again. The Prescott family even had a private jet. If they ever missed Chloe, they could simply fly out to see her. There was no need to feel so heartbroken!
“Here, Chloe. Take this card. There’s a million in it.” Miss Prescott suddenly pulled out a bank card and handed it to Chloe. “From now on, Grandma will give you a million every month for your living expenses. If you go abroad and find that a million isn’t enough, just let me know, and I’ll increase it to two million a month.”
Her words gave Chloe quite a scare. A million a month, and two million if that wasn’t enough? How could she possibly accept so much money!
“No, no, no, Grandma. I can’t accept this money. Besides, the university said they would cover my tuition, food, and accommodation. I won’t really have any need for money,” Chloe hastily declined, explaining that the school would be taking care of all her expenses.
“The school is the school, and I am me. You are a child of the Prescott family now. How can a child of the Prescott family go abroad without any pocket money, relying on others to provide? That is out of the question. Take it.” Miss Prescott’s tone was forceful; she was determined to make Chloe accept the money no matter what.
“Chloe, just accept it. It’s Grandma’s goodwill. If you don’t take it, it won’t sit well with her,” Sophia chimed in, urging her to accept the gift.
“Alright, then!”
“Well, since you’ve accepted your grandmother’s gift, shouldn’t you accept money from your mother as well? Here is a million from me.” As she spoke, Sophia also pulled out a bank card and pressed it into Chloe’s hand.
“One million is already more than enough. Two million is just too much.”
“Chloe, when I first acknowledged you as my goddaughter, I didn’t even give you a proper gift or token of appreciation as your mother. So, you must accept this million no matter what. Or are you saying you’re only willing to accept your grandmother’s money and not mine? If that’s the case, I’ll be quite upset.” Sophia deliberately put on an angry face.
Chloe finally realized what was going on. So, Sophia had only helped Miss Prescott persuade her to accept the money earlier so she could pull this trick on her now!