"But mom!" Brooke protested.

"No buts," her mother replied icily. Karen Scott had that way about her. When she puts her foot down, she meant it. She was a lady of dignity and pride and she will not have anyone stand in the way of her. She's become the leading lady in society, standing behind her husband, supporting him in everyway she could. Others look up to her, admiring her will and character, asking for her to lead the way to a better, successful life. And she was willing to be their leader, setting an example for them to follow. If only her kids could feel the same way.

She sighed at the thought of Nathan. She tried multiple times, to get her son to be more interested in girls that she'd approve of. Daughters of high class families, daughters of CEOs, of chairmans and business tycoons. But Nathan always found a reason to duck his way out of a date. Instead, he preferred poor homely girls, or wild young celebrities who had just inherited millions. He was always a hard one to figure out. And after the Natalie disaster, she was more than happy to find him another one. She'd never liked Natalie from the beginning. Then again, she never liked any of the girls that Nathan went out. She made it loud and clear that whoever Nathan marries, she would be the one to approve of it.

And then with Brooke. She was always a wild child, getting her way from her dad. He spoiled her, and Karen always had to be the bad cop. She tried to get her to adapt into their lifestyle, but she always rebelled. Sometimes Karen would look at her, and be reminded of the past. The hurt and pain that she went through, and she simply could not take it. Therefore she distanced herself from Brooke, hoping it would do more good than harm.

Brooke sighed in defeat. Her mother was just too damn stubborn. But she's always been this way. Brooke had to fight for what she wants. Unlike Nathan, she had to. She was a girl, and that meant that her role was to get marry to gain favorable ties for the business. Other than that, she was seen as worthless.

She never got any affection from her parents the way Nathan had. For some reason, she feels as though they don't love her as much as Nathan. Nathan of course, disagrees. But Brooke knows. Her mother acts cold towards her. She's never once said 'I love you' or even hugged her, except during public events. But behind the curtains, Karen Scott was too busy to even pay attention to her daughter. This of course was the cause of her rebellious state. She moved from guys to guys within weeks even days and she loved the media and attention. It makes up for it at home. But sometimes, she just wished her mother would look at her and say those three words. That was all it would take to make her day. But sadly, she knew it wouldn't be coming. It was too much to ask.

"Brooke, I told you. Your father and I discussed this. You can't work at the company. If you had put more effort into school and your studies, we would reconsider it." Brooke scoffed dramatically and walked around the enormous living room to sit down in the leather love seat.

Brooke was not about to start this argument again. She found herself in the very same place once or twice before and it never turned out good. Suddenly she found that her attempt to come over to her parents' home and persuade them to let her work within the company was a mistake.

"Why can't you be more civilized like other daughters? Look at the way Lucy Bedingfield turned out. She's married and--"

"and stays home with her three kids. I don't want to be like that. I'm not a stay-at-home kind of girl, mom," Brooke fumed.

"And why not?," Karen asked. She looked at Brooke. Sometimes her heart breaks when Brooke speaks of their life as though it was just the most disgusting thing in the world. And then she gets angry at Brooke for it, because she worked hard to get to where she is. She should be more appreciative and grateful that she at least as money in her pocket and food in her fridge.

Brooke was not getting anywhere near her goal.

"It's not the kind of life I want," Brooke said. "I just want to work and become someone. Mom, you should know how hard it is to knock someone down when they're high on ambition. I am a Scott after all. And I need to start somewhere. No one would take me because they think I'm too inexperienced. But you know me. I can do anything once I set my mind to it. And working at the company would give me a great start." Brooke pouted lightly at her mother.

"No," Karen stated firmly. "End of discussion." She walked out of the room without a word. Brooke opened her mouth but knew it was useless to argue with her mother.

It was getting dark now. Haley had just finally persuaded Nathan to let her off for the night. She scrambled through her oversize purse to find her keys. She made a mental note to clean her purse later. After a few grunts, she seized her keys and stuck one through the doorknob. She was surprised the lights were on. She always had to turn the lights on whenever she came home from work.

"Nathan?" a voice called from the kitchen.

Haley's heart raced. She knew that voice. Shit, she thought. Maybe she could turn back and run out. She started to, until Brooke's voice came closer.

"Nath--Haley!" she shouted. Haley halted, fear penetrating through her bones.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Brooke screamed, appalled at the sight of Haley in her brother's home. "How did you get in?" Brooke stared at her, slowing lowering her gaze to see the keys in her hand. "What's going on?!"

Haley was at a loss for words. Mostly, she was afraid. She cleared her throat nervously when she knew Brooke was expecting an answer. "I..uh…actually, It's a funny story…You see after…uh…I well, I live here."