Their Queen's Back - Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Sophia's voice trembled with urgency. "No, Skye! That's not what I meant at all! I never thought that way, sis—I just didn't want to burden you... I'm so sorry, sis. It was my fault."
"How could I ever deny my own sister?" Sophia thought.
"Not even death could make me deny Skye as my sister," Sophia thought.
Skye said gently but firmly, "From now on, tell me everything. We're family—there's no such thing as being a bother. You're all I have. If I lose you too, I wouldn't even know why I came back."
Sophia's almond eyes welled with tears, their corners reddened as she nodded emphatically.
"Sis," she silently cried in her heart.
After finishing their spa treatment, Skye and Sophia headed straight to the mall. On the way, Skye took a phone call.
Sophia was still trying on clothes when two women suddenly walked in. Spotting her, they first looked startled, then exchanged glances—the same look of contempt flashing in both their eyes.
With an exaggerated sway of her hips, a girl strutted over with a smug smile. "Well, well, if it isn't our dear Miss Sophia! Long time no see. Slumming it at a boutique, are we?"
Sophia's face darkened the moment she spotted Lisa Green and Maggie Brown. Without a word, she turned away, ignoring them completely.
Lisa said with feigned politeness, "Sophia, we were old classmates after all. Couldn't even bother to greet us?"
Lisa tittered behind her hand, giving Sophia a once-over from head to toe. "Wow, you really reek of cheapness. And you still have the nerve to shop here? Seriously, have you no shame?"
Maggie sneered, "Oh please, maybe Miss High-and-Mighty here doesn't think much of her old classmates. Sophia, did you hear? Matthew's first love is making a fuss about going abroad—he even chased her to the airport, and it's gone viral. Haven't you seen it?"
Wanting nothing to do with them, Sophia turned to leave, but Lisa thrust out her arm to bar her way.
Lisa stepped in front of Sophia with a sneer. "Hey, don't walk away! Maggie's asking you a question—why the silence?"
Sophia rolled her eyes at them and said icily, "I don't waste words on strangers."
"Sophia!" Lisa suddenly flared up, sneering. "Do you really still think you're the once high-and-mighty second daughter of the Hughes? Everyone knows you've already been kicked out. If you hadn't shamelessly clung to Matthew like a leech, do you really think you'd be engaged to him now?"
Sophia shot back, "What's it to you?"
Maggie tugged at Lisa's sleeve, holding her back from flying into a rage.
Maggie sneered, "You're right, Sophia—it's none of our business. But that dress you're holding? We want it. Clerk, wrap it up for us now."
The sales associate said professionally, "Miss Maggie, Miss Lisa, I regret to inform you that this dress has already been purchased by this lady. Perhaps you'd like to browse our other selections?"
Maggie flew into a rage. "Excuse me? Do you even know who I am? That Sophia works at some shabby company—her monthly salary can't even cover a pair of my stockings! This dress costs over thirteen grand. Are you seriously saying she could afford it?"
Lisa sneered, "You clueless clerk! Just wait till you get what's coming to you."
The sales associate maintained her polite smile. "I'm sorry, Miss Maggie."
She flared up, jabbing a finger at the clerk. "How dare you talk back to me! Do you even want to keep this job? I swear I'll have the manager fire you on the spot!"
The sales associate looked troubled, but remained silent.
Earlier, that young lady was accompanied by a strikingly beautiful woman with an icy elegance—someone who radiated nobility and whose status was obvious at a glance.
After working in luxury boutiques for over a decade, she'd seen every designer label imaginable.
But that outfit? A bespoke global exclusive—the kind most in the industry could only dream of encountering.
At the sound of the commotion, the manager scurried over.
Recognizing Lisa and Maggie, his face instantly lit up with an obsequious smile.
"Miss Green! Miss Brown! What an honor to see you both again! Please forgive this incompetent clerk—she's completely new and doesn't know any better. It's just a dress, after all! For valued customers like yourselves, we'll have it wrapped up for you right away. Why all the delay? My sincerest apologies for the wait."
The manager glared at the clerk disapprovingly. The clerk, looking uneasy, responded, "But this lady had already chosen the dress first—she's decided to buy it."
The manager shot Sophia an impatient look. "Didn't you say you'd buy this? That means you haven't paid yet. Miss, are you absolutely certain you want this dress? If so, pay up now."
Sophia stood her ground unflinchingly, looking the manager straight in the eye with a stern expression. "I haven't paid for this dress yet, but I clearly said I would buy it. I haven't finished selecting all my items—why are you rushing me to pay? That's against standard protocol."
The manager couldn't care less about any so-called rules.
Lisa and Maggie were elite socialites from the upper crust.
But the girl standing before him? Dressed in a threadbare outfit worth less than fifteen bucks—how could she possibly afford a dress like this?
'What a joke,' he thought. 'Just another wannabe trying to put on airs.'
Lisa sneered, "Just so you know, Sophia, this dress isn't on sale—it's thirteen grand. Are you really sure you want to buy it? I doubt you even make that much in a whole year." She let out a mocking laugh.
Sophia retorted coolly, "That's none of your concern."
"You—!" Lisa spat, her face contorted with rage.
Maggie sneered, "Sophia, put your money where your mouth is. No pay, no dress—surely even someone like you gets that?"
Manager: "Exactly, Miss. Pay up now."
A mocking glint flashed in Sophia's eyes. "How typical of these snobs," she thought. Skye had deliberately left her the Black Card before stepping out.
Sophia pulled out the Black Card, leaving Lisa and Maggie gaping in shock.
Lisa completely lost it, shrieking, "No way! A Black Card? Where the hell did you get it? Impossible! How could someone like you possibly own a Black Card?!"
The manager's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the Black Card in her hand—a globally limited edition, reserved only for the ultra-rich and powerful.
His demeanor did an about-face instantly. Beaming from ear to ear, he rubbed his hands together obsequiously and said, "My sincerest apologies, madam! That was terribly rude of me earlier—so sorry, so very sorry! If you need anything else, please just let me know. These are all our new arrivals. No rush at all, please take your time browsing."
Maggie suddenly had an epiphany. She jabbed a finger at the Black Card in Sophia's hand, a look of malicious realization flashing across her face.
Maggie pointed an accusing finger at Sophia and snapped, "Aha! So you actually stole someone else's card? I'm calling the police—you'd better go quietly with them!"
Maggie was absolutely certain—that Black Card in Sophia's hand had to be stolen. Given the status of the Matthew family branch in Capital City, there was no way they could possess a Black Card.
As for the Hughes? Even more impossible.
Which left only one conclusion: the Black Card was stolen.
Sophia sneered, "Are you out of your damn mind, Maggie? If you're so sure, why don't you try stealing one yourself?"
"You—!" Maggie sputtered, her face contorted with rage.
Maggie clenched her teeth. "Ugh, Sophia is just as insufferable as ever!"
Lisa scoffed, "Sophia? With a Black Card like this? Impossible! If you didn't steal it, then it's obviously fake."
Maggie sneered, "Yeah, it's definitely fake. And manager, let me warn you—she's just some broke office drone who barely pulls in a grand a month. If she can't cough up the cash, we're dumping this dress back on you, got it?"
The manager's smile froze awkwardly, his confidence visibly wavering.
Without a word, Lisa lunged forward and snatched the dress from Sophia's grasp.
Caught completely off guard, Sophia instinctively tightened her grip on the dress. With a violent tug from Lisa, the delicate fabric tore apart in her hands.