Their Queen's Back - Chapter 44: Chapter 44

Emily saw her dodge but lunged at her, shouting, "Sophia, how dare you bully my mom and sister! I'm gonna beat you up!"
Upon hearing this, Skye's gaze darkened, her face stiffening for an instant—a reaction Jessica didn't miss. Jessica's lips curled into a smug smile. 'So what if you're strong?'
Skye thought, "Emily only acknowledges me as her sister."
Sophia gnashed her teeth and snapped, "Emily, you backstabbing traitor! Calling them family? You must be blind!"
Emily shot back, "You're the one who's blind! You ungrateful wretch, always picking on Skye—and how dare you hit Mom! May lightning strike you, Sophia! You're the one I hate the most!"
Jessica cut in with feigned understanding, "Now, Emily, you shouldn't say that. Sophia is your real sister, after all. We're not related by blood, so I totally get why they don't like me."
Emily yelled, fuming, "She's NOT my sister! I'd never have a psycho sister like her! You're the only one I call my sister!"
Sophia clenched her fists, her face flushed crimson with rage. Through gritted teeth, she spat, "You think I want a sister like you? You backstabbing little brat! Emily, you're worthless—blind, too stupid to tell right from wrong, you idiot!"
Emily screamed, "How dare you insult me, Sophia! You're the crazy one—everyone knows you're used goods! And you call me trash? You filthy, disgusting bitch! You're dirtier than a sewage ditch. Just standing near you makes me sick. Who even knows how many men have had you, you slut!"
Before Emily could finish, Skye's hand shot out, delivering a sharp slap. She held back, using only twenty or thirty percent of her strength—otherwise, a real slap could have drawn blood or knocked out a tooth.
The short-haired girl was momentarily stunned by the slap. Though it didn't physically hurt, her heart twisted with pain. In that instant, an overwhelming sense of injustice washed over her, bringing tears to her eyes.
Staring at Skye before her, Emily parted her lips slightly, but no words came out. She bit down hard on her lower lip, and pearly tears spilled from her aggrieved, doe-like eyes.
Skye gazed at the innocent young girl before her—short bob haircut, eyes still red from crying.
With her sweet, lively charm, Emily's adorably pitiful look could tug at anyone's heartstrings.
Skye stared at Emily with an icy, aristocratic expression. Her crimson lips parted slightly as she commanded, "Apologize."
Emily's eyes widened in shock. "She hit me... for Sophia?"
"No way!" Emily yelled, shoving Skye violently before spinning around and dashing out.
Oh, come on, Skye! You just got back and already laid a hand on Emily? She's your own sister—how could you bring yourself to do that?
Jessica said in a mocking, saccharine tone, barely able to contain her delight inside.
"I should go check on Emily! She's just a girl..."
Skye swept her with an icy gaze. "Shut up, Jessica Clark."
At the sound of "Jessica Clark," Jessica's face instantly stiffened. Hatred surfaced in her eyes as she clenched her empty fists.
Sophia walked over to Skye and wrapped her arms around her arm. "Sis, let's go upstairs," she said.
Skye didn't refuse. Deep down, she felt awful. She hadn't wanted to raise her hand, but she knew that slap had to be delivered.
Seeing Emily dash out, Rowan immediately followed. "So this is Miss Emily," he realized, "the young lady I met last time."
"Sis, just get some sleep. Don't bother with Emily—she hates me and I hate her too. She's just a traitor, Jessica and Linda's little lapdog," he said.
Skye was about to reprimand her, but then stopped herself—what right did she have? It was her abrupt disappearance that had made her sister this way.
Skye looked at Sophia and said softly, "Sophia, she's your sister. No matter what happens, that will never change."
Sophia lowered her eyes without a word, moving closer to Skye as she murmured, "I only need you, Sis."
Sophia thought to herself, "I don't give a damn about anyone else. As long as I have Sis, I have a home. I'll never be alone again."
Skye was utterly exhausted after a sleepless night handling corporate affairs.
Jessica stormed into the guest room, practically steaming with rage. "Damn that Skye!"
Where the hell is Richard?
Jessica thought to herself, "Of course Richard lets me down right when I need him most."
Jessica didn't contact the thugs directly. She had a friend living in that area, and after asking around, she learned they'd all landed in jail. The news made her break into a cold sweat. Weren't they supposed to be invincible? What a bunch of good-for-nothings—useless trash!
Luckily, I never exposed my identity—no matter how hard they try, they'll never trace it back to me. Lucky you, Sophia. Skye, was this your doing? Or just a coincidence? Jessica thought.
"I just hope it's the latter—there's no way Skye could have that kind of influence," Jessica thought.
She held a director position at Hughes Corporation, but according to Linda, Skye had taken over the company and fired all their people.
Jessica's eyes flashed with hatred at the thought. She picked up the phone and, with a sly tone, said, "Hey, it's me. About Hughes Corporation—if you're interested, let's meet in person. I promise it'll be worth your while."
"Now that Hughes Corporation's core secrets are leaked, let's see if you can still keep your CEO position, Skye," Jessica thought.
At the Hospital
Richard opened his eyes, his whole body battered and aching. Gritting his teeth, he painfully reached for his phone and called Skye. "Last night... I was kidnapped, tortured, beaten," he gasped, his voice raw with pain. "Call the police now—we have to find out who did this!"
"Mr. Hughes, Ms. Sky is resting at the moment. I'll handle this by reporting it to the police."
"Fine, fine! You must track down that bastard!"
It wasn't that Lauren answered the call without permission. This wasn't even Skye's main phone—someone like Richard wasn't worthy of knowing Mr. Sky's number.
Lauren hung up, glanced at Rowan gaming on the couch, walked over, and prodded her with her foot. "That's it? Woke up already?"
Rowan didn't even glance up, just snorted coldly and said, "Underestimating me? If that guy can get out of bed within a month, I'll legally change my name."
Lauren fixed Rowan with a stern look. "Get your act together. Weren't you supposed to be keeping an eye on Miss Emily? Where is she now?"
Rowan said, "Don't worry, she's here. Did Ms. Sky say we should bring her back? It's raining out here—it's really not safe for her to be alone."
Rowan had just finished the last round of her game when she pulled up the surveillance feed on another screen of her phone. Waving the phone, she said, "See? Isn't she right here?"
Lauren shook her head in exasperation and was about to leave when Rowan sidled up to her. At just 5'6", Rowan was at a clear disadvantage against Lauren's 5'9" frame.
Lauren seemed to anticipate Rowan's move, reaching out to press a hand against her forehead just as Rowan was about to close in.
Lauren snapped, "Go do your job—now."
Rowan glared at her and whined, "Come on, Lauren, don't be so cold! Friends and colleagues should be nicer to each other."
Lauren grabbed Rowan by the collar and straightened her up. "Get moving—now."
Rowan let out a reluctant, half-hearted "Fine," dragging her feet as she shuffled out the door.
Skye had slept for nearly three hours. When she woke up, she found Sophia fast asleep on the spacious sofa—plenty of room for her to stretch out. Skye gently tucked a blanket around her, then freshened up, changed into clean clothes, and stepped out of the room.
Wendy, have the kitchen prepare some nourishing tonic soup later—Sophia doesn't look well. Also, ask the nutritionist to arrange a proper diet for her.
"Very well, Miss Skye," Wendy nodded. "About Miss Emily..."
Miss Emily went out alone and still hasn't returned.
"Understood," Skye said.
"Lauren, where's Emily?"
Lauren reported, "Ms. Sky, she's at the pavilion in Central Park. Rowan is keeping an eye on her. Shall we go?"
Skye glanced at the storm-laden sky, pulled on her brown trench coat, and said curtly, "Let's go."
Lauren nodded. "Got it."
Emily sat alone in the pavilion, tears streaming down her face. The changing weather went unnoticed as she remained lost in her thoughts.
"Jessica's hit me before—never hurt. But why... why did Skye's light slap make my heart feel like it could stop? This pain... it's unbearable."
Emily had never felt anything like this before.
I remember, I was already eight that year, and I have never forgotten—Skye was my real, biological sister. She doted on me, treating me with a kindness Jessica never showed.
Emily thought, "But when that hazy figure from my memories finally reappeared, what she gave me wasn't warmth—it was a slap."
"She still hit me... all because of Sophia?" Emily thought, feeling a wave of bitterness.
Am I not family to her? Is Sophia the only one she truly cares about?
Emily's mind was a whirlwind of chaotic thoughts. Only when a fierce gust of wind swept through did she notice the biting cold.
She looked up and gazed outside. Dark clouds hung low as sheets of rain slanted against the ivy-covered wall, and distant trees blurred into the gray. She froze for a moment, startled. "It's raining—how did I not even notice?"
Emily stood up and reached out her hand, only to realize the rain was pouring down in sheets. There was no way she could leave now, not when she was only wearing a thin white T-shirt. Another gust of wind whipped through, lashing her with icy droplets.
Emily shivered from the cold, hugging her arms tightly around herself. She reached for her phone, only to realize she'd left it back on the sofa.
Rowan almost wanted to rush out and wrap her own jacket around her. Such an adorable girl—so different from Ms. Sky's cool, aloof elegance. This little one looked all soft and sweet, like a little mochi ball, with cheeks you just wanted to reach out and pinch.
Rowan bit down on her straw and sucked up the strawberry yogurt like her life depended on it.
Rowan thought anxiously, "Where the heck are you, Ms. Sky? Your little sister's gonna catch a cold out here!"
Skye stood not far away, watching Emily's shivering figure. Her hand tightened slightly on the black umbrella, a hint of concern flashing across her otherwise cold eyes.
Emily's words had infuriated her. The scene she dreaded most had come to pass—family turning against each other, and the deepest wounds coming from her own flesh and blood.
Lauren spoke softly from the side, "Ms. Sky, Miss Emily is still young and immature. She's been with Jessica this whole time, so she's inevitably influenced by her. The fact that she ran out so heartbroken shows how much she cares about you. You two just reunited, and you hit her—she must be devastated. I'm sure she didn't mean what she said about Miss Sophia."
Emily was nearly 18, while Skye was 28.
"With a ten-year age gap, Skye must be like a mother figure to Emily," Lauren thought.
Lauren thought to herself, "That's just how it is."
Skye stepped forward.
Realizing the rain wouldn't let up anytime soon, Emily pouted, crouched down, hugged her knees to her chest, and stared blankly at the tiles beneath her feet.
A pair of black shoes appeared before her. Emily jerked her head up, meeting Skye's face—that perfect yet icy countenance, both breathtakingly beautiful and chillingly distant.
Emily met Skye's gaze for barely two seconds before quickly dropping her head. Her nose tingled and her eyes burned with unshed tears. "Ugh, how pathetic! Am I really about to cry in front of this woman?" she cursed herself inwardly.
"Hmph!"
Emily couldn't hold back any longer and blurted out in what she thought was her most hostile, arrogant tone, "What do you want?!"
Skye looked at the trembling girl before her—still baring her claws in a pitiful attempt to seem fierce. An inexplicable ache tugged at her heart. She took off her coat and reached out her hand, but Emily instinctively recoiled, shouting defiantly, "If you dare hit me again, I'll fight back! I'm really tough, you know? I'm... I—"
Before Emily could finish, Skye draped her coat over her shoulders. Warmth instantly wrapped around her, and her signature cool fragrance filled Emily's senses. "It smells... really nice," she thought.
Emily's doe-like eyes widened in stunned disbelief, her pale lips slightly pouted as she gazed at Skye with utter confusion.
Her sweetly bewildered little look warmed Skye's heart.
"You... you..." Emily stammered, her voice trembling.
Emily stammered, completely tongue-tied. Why is she giving me her coat? Like I'd be grateful for her help or something.
Like I need her fake concern, Emily thought. She's obviously just here for Sophia.
"I don't want your stupid coat!" Emily snapped, already shrugging it off to shove it back at Skye.
Skye gently held her shoulders. "Stop squirming, or you'll catch a cold."
Emily let out a defiant snort, yanked off the coat, shoved it into Skye's hands, and turned away. "I don't need your stupid coat! I'm not cold at all!" she snapped.
As soon as she finished speaking, a shiver ran through her and she felt all the hairs on her body stand up. So cold!
"Ugh, the weather changed just like that—so annoying!" Emily thought.
Skye watched her stubborn pretense, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes. In a gentle voice, she asked, "Does it hurt?"
"You're gonna say I'm ungrateful, aren't you? Well, let me tell you, I—huh? What did you just say?" Emily faltered, momentarily caught off guard.
Skye stepped closer, her cool fingertips brushing against Emily's cheek. Emily's pupils trembled violently—"Is she... asking if my face hurts?"
At the memory of that slap, Emily's nose stung again. A wave of grievance surged inside her, her eyes reddening as she slapped Skye's hand away.
Emily snapped, "Save your fake concern! You hit me for Sophia's sake, didn't you? Go hit her instead—then maybe I'll forgive you!"
Emily folded her arms across her chest and stubbornly straightened her back, putting on her toughest act.
Even though she was shivering so hard her teeth were chattering, she still forced herself to act tough.
"Emily, do you still remember me as your sister?"
The moment Skye spoke, Emily froze mid-motion. The carefully maintained facade of aloof pride instantly crumbled from her face.
For a split second, a flicker of grief flashed through her eyes, but she masked it perfectly.
Emily snapped defiantly, "I don't even know you! Where'd you even come from? I've only got one sister, and that's—"
But for some reason, at that moment, I just couldn't bring myself to say Jessica's name.
Emily cursed herself inwardly for being such a coward in front of Skye. She lifted her chin, trying to give her the most disdainful, defiant glare—only to realize her eyes pathetically barely reached Skye's neck.
"Damn, she's so tall," Emily grumbled inwardly.
"Ugh, why's she gotta be so tall? So annoying," Emily grumbled to herself.
Emily wore sneakers, but that didn't change the fact she was barely five-foot-three.
Standing before Skye—who, in her two-inch heels, towered at an impressive 5'9"—trying to match her intimidating presence seemed nearly impossible.
Emily thought, "So what? I'll grow taller than her someday!"
Emily thought to herself, "I'll grow taller than Skye someday!"