Brooke had slightly grown out of her teenage rebellious phase, and took a job as a reporter. She made the discovery that her mother, Peg English, was the leader of an international drug cartel known as The Cobra. It was yet to be revealed that Brooke was adopted. her father and Phoebe's brother died and Peg was sent to prison. Before she could reveal who Brooke's real mother was, she was killed. This compounded onto the problem of Tom's drinking. He and Erica, Brooke's archrival, had an affair the night before Erica was to marry Adam Chandler. This is while Brooke was pregnant with her and Tom's child. Brooke was helped through the pregnancy by Mark, and gave birth to a daughter, Laura Cudahy.