Chapter 144: Brooke York on the Hot Search

Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Brooke York on the Hot Search

That very night, Chloe York found out just what Stella Winters’s plan was, and what she had in store to make Brooke York’s life difficult.

That night, Brooke York’s name was trending again.

#Zero-ScoreBrookeYorkGoingAbroadForAVanityDegree?#

#IsItCommonplaceForRichKidsWithZeroScoresToJustGoAbroadForADegree?#

Beneath these trending topics, the comment sections exploded.

[Are you serious? A zero on the college entrance exam, and she’s still going abroad to get a vanity degree? The world of the rich is something we can’t even imagine!]

[I guess no amount of hard work beats being born into a wealthy family. Just look at her. Scores a zero, but she’s still getting some impressive gilding!]

[So unfair! This world is so unfair! Why couldn’t I have been born into a rich family too!]

[To the poster above, you’re missing the point. It’s just incredibly ironic. Our own parents are great, let’s not make these kinds of comparisons.]

No one expected Brooke York’s name to stay on the trending list all night without dropping. In fact, the buzz around it only grew stronger.

It even surpassed the buzz Chloe York had once generated. In a way, Brooke York had finally achieved what she’d always wanted: she was getting more attention than Chloe.

Brooke York, still fast asleep, was shaken awake by Alice Cole.

"Mom, it’s the middle of the night. Why are you waking me up?" Brooke York was clearly annoyed at being woken up, her brow tightly furrowed.

"Oh, stop sleeping, Brooke! You’re number one on the trending list right now! Everyone online is mocking you, saying you’re about to go abroad to get a fancy degree. They’re saying even someone who scored a zero can do it. Your father’s company stock is dropping like a rock!"

Alice Cole had been asleep as well, but Miles York’s phone had suddenly rung. His secretary, in a panic, told him that several companies were moving to terminate their contracts and that their stock price was in freefall. Now, all the company’s key executives were rushing to the office.

"What? How could this be happening?" Brooke York wasted no time, immediately grabbing her phone to see for herself.

Sure enough, everyone online was talking about her studying abroad, laughing at how someone with a zero on their exam could still do so. They were all mocking the rich, and not a single comment was positive.

"How did this happen? How did they find out?"

Brooke York started to panic. The more comments she scrolled through, the paler her face became.

"Brooke, did you tell anyone about going abroad? You must have told someone, right? They got jealous of you and deliberately posted it online!"

Alice Cole voiced her suspicion. She hadn’t told a soul, and it was impossible that Miles had. Miles had insisted they keep it a secret. Their plan was to wait a few years until everyone online and in real life had forgotten about the incident. Then, Brooke York would return with her foreign degree and take over the company directly.

"I..." Brooke York was about to say she hadn’t told anyone when she suddenly remembered. ’I think I mentioned it in the student group chat.’

The color drained from her face, leaving it completely pale. A classmate from the group chat had sold her out. Brooke York’s very first suspect was Chloe York.

"It has to be Chloe York! Mom, it must be Chloe! She’s jealous that I get to go abroad! She’s jealous of me, so she’s trying to ruin me! She deliberately posted it online!"

"Chloe York? How do you know it was her? Did she know you were going abroad?"

"I... I..." Brooke York seemed hesitant to say. ’She never imagined Chloe York, who had acted so indifferent, would stoop to such a dirty trick behind her back.’

"Stop stuttering. Did you or did you not tell Chloe York?"

"Yes, I told her."

"That Chloe York... what an ungrateful wretch. After we raised her for all those years, she pulls something like this." Realizing Chloe was behind it all, Alice Cole’s rage and resentment reached a boiling point.

"Mom, what do we do now? Everyone online is saying these things about us." A thought suddenly struck her, and Brooke York grabbed Alice Cole’s arm. "Mom, should I go abroad as soon as possible? Yes, I need to leave right away! Once I’m out of the country, this whole thing will die down after I’m gone."

Alice Cole thought her daughter had a point. "You’re right. You need to leave as soon as possible. Once you’re gone, people will forget about this after a while. I’ll go talk to your father right now!"

"I’ll go with you."

"Alright!"

Meanwhile, Miles York was on his way to the office. He couldn’t believe his plans had been derailed again. ’Brooke is such an embarrassment,’ he thought. ’I wanted to ship her abroad quickly to keep her from affecting me, but before she’s even left, she’s managed to stir up more trouble.’

When he arrived at the company, everyone was already busy with damage control.

Miles York stepped into his office, and a moment later, the heads of the PR department had gathered there.

"President York, our people are doing everything they can to explain the situation to our clients and minimize the losses."

"Don’t ’try’. Make it happen."

"Yes, sir!"

"Now, get the word out immediately. I want every single person working their hardest to retain our clients. At the same time, get people to delete the negative comments, pull the topic from the trending list, and hire a PR team to flood the forums. And find some other, less popular news story and hype it up. That’s the only way to bury this thing with Brooke York."

Miles York issued his commands to his subordinates, who jotted down his words on their laptops and immediately began to act.

After giving his orders, Miles York returned to his private office. He had just sat down when Alice Cole and Brooke York pushed the door open and walked in.

"Miles, everyone online is talking about Brooke! This is terrible for her reputation. Look, shouldn’t we send her abroad as soon as possible to shut all these people up?"

The moment Alice Cole finished speaking, Miles York’s head snapped up to look at her and Brooke York. His eyes were completely bloodshot. The fury in them was visible, along with the red veins. Because his eyes were wide with rage, he looked terrifying.

Both Brooke York and Alice Cole were frightened by his appearance. Alice spoke up directly, "Why are you looking at us like that? Do you have any idea how scary you look?"

"My look is scary? Have you heard yourself just now? You know exactly what they’re saying online, and you still want me to send Brooke abroad *now*? Go abroad? Go abroad? How the hell is she supposed to go abroad at a time like this?" With the last sentence, Miles slammed his hand heavily on the desk.

The sound made both Brooke York and Alice Cole jump.

Alice Cole quickly patted her chest. "Can’t you just talk normally? Why are you so angry? You could have just said she can’t go abroad right now."

"I am completely swamped with this company mess right now! I don’t have time to deal with you two. Get out!"

After shouting, Miles York sat down, panting heavily. ’These two foolish, clueless women,’ he thought. ’I wish I could just ship them both off to another country and be done with them forever.’