Their Queen's Back - Chapter 50: Chapter 50

Claire clenched her lower lip, her face flushed with shame and humiliation. "That's it, I'm done," she thought, unable to take it any longer. She refused to look any further and was just about to pull her pants back up.
The female doctor's voice cut in again, sharper and more impatient than before. "What the hell are you doing? Didn't I tell you to take your pants off? Why are you putting them back on? Do you want treatment or not? I'm the doctor here, not you! When I say off, I mean off—not on! Stop wasting my time, I've got a waiting room full of patients!"
"I'm done with this checkup," Claire said firmly.
The doctor snapped, "What? You're leaving? Do you think this is some kind of joke? This is a hospital!"
Skye stepped forward and snapped, "What's with this hospital? Do you own the place? If you can't speak properly, just keep your mouth shut. This young lady is here for treatment, not to listen to you vent your frustrations."
Skye pushed the door open and strode in. The female doctor was momentarily stunned, then pointed at her and snapped, "Who the hell are you? Who said you could come in? Did I call your name yet? Get out now! Only patients I've called are allowed in here."
Skye pushed the hand away while Claire, looking wronged, took shelter behind her.
"She knew she was being a bit unreasonable, but she just couldn't stay in that room any longer," she thought.
Claire's voice was barely above a whisper. "I don't want to watch anymore."
The doctor snapped, "Who the hell are you to her? Stop interfering with my consultation!"
Skye cast a cold glance around the room before fixing her piercing gaze on the female doctor.
Skye retorted, "Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is what you just said. She's a student—what proof do you have to say she has a boyfriend? Didn't she already explain that the injury on her buttocks was from an accident? Yet you keep using misleading terms, twisting a normal bruise into something else. What's your agenda? If you think this isn't the place to discuss it, I'm more than happy to take this to the dean's office."
"You!" the female doctor spat, her face flushing with rage.
The female doctor's face turned ashen with rage as she glared venomously at the domineering woman before her.
The doctor snapped, "I'm conducting a standard medical examination. If you're not family, get out of my consultation room."
Skye said coldly, "She already refused the exam. I'm here to get your name so I can report your misconduct."
Saying this, Skye stepped closer to look at the nameplate on the doctor's desk. The female doctor, now genuinely panicked, instinctively lunged forward to snatch it away.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you trying to cause trouble on purpose? This is a hospital, not your front door! I'm the doctor here, and if you don't stop, I'll call security and have you thrown out for disrupting medical services!"
A sardonic glint flickered in Skye's icy gaze.
"So you do know this is a hospital and you're the doctor," Skye said icily. "Treating patients is your damn job—it's not like you're working for free. Who gave you the right to dump your bad mood on others?"
"You! What on earth do you want?"
Panic washed over the female doctor, her face turning slightly pale. She clutched the chair behind her, unable to meet Skye's piercing gaze.
"What a terrifying woman! It's not like I said anything that bad to that girl," the doctor thought.
"Does she really have to make such a big deal out of this?" the doctor thought, rolling her eyes.
What a fuss over nothing! This has absolutely nothing to do with her, the doctor thought, rolling her eyes.
Skye said, "One last chance—examine her properly. The rest of you nurses, out! This isn't surgery, so why are you all crowding around? Your attitude now decides if I need to take this to the dean's office."
The nurses quickly realized Skye was not someone to mess with. Exchanging nervous glances, they scurried out.
Though seething with anger and resentment, the doctor had no choice but to grudgingly examine Claire's injury.
Her attitude didn't do a complete 180, but there was definitely a noticeable 100-degree shift.
Finally, the doctor prescribed Claire some medication with usage instructions.
Skye casually tossed the doctor's badge back onto the desk and looked at Claire. "Remember," she said firmly, "you're paying for medical care, not to be mistreated."
"Remember, you'll run into plenty of people with shitty attitudes in life," Skye said firmly. "But you don't owe anyone the right to dump their bad mood on you."
Claire straightened up with newfound confidence. The humiliation she'd just endured demanded payback. Tossing her head back, she scoffed at the doctor, "I'm starting to doubt if you even know how to do your job. You even made my butt hurt—what kind of quack are you?"
"You! You two!" the doctor sputtered, seething with rage.
The doctor was absolutely furious. Known for her notoriously bad temper, she would routinely vent her frustrations on her patients during appointments.
It's no wonder that over the years, fewer and fewer people have been booking appointments with her, and none of the patients who did see her ever dared to speak up.
"Little did she expect to meet her match here," she thought.
As soon as I laid eyes on Skye, I was utterly smitten. She was breathtakingly beautiful and cool, radiating a powerful, commanding presence—the kind of woman every girl dreams of becoming.
"She's the epitome of what every girl aspires to be when she grows up!"
Claire thought, "She's so tall—must be at least 5'8"! That sleek black satin cheongsam... she looks like a queen stepping out of the night, so cool, so elegant, with such commanding presence."
Claire's eyes sparkled with admiration as she watched Skye like a star-struck fangirl, captivated by her every move—each gesture radiating effortless grace and carefree ease.
From this moment on, she's my idol, Claire thought to herself with determination.
"Big Sis, thank you so much for helping me! I'm Claire. What's your name?"
"Don't mention it, it was nothing. I'm Skye."
Claire beamed brightly, her hair pulled up in a high ponytail. Her delicate, well-defined eyebrows and bright, sparkling eyes made her look full of youthful energy.
Claire repeated the name silently in her mind, 'Skye... Skye...'
"Skye," Claire thought.
"Skye... what a beautiful name. So free and unrestrained," Claire thought to herself.
"Can I call you Big Sis Skye? Big Sis Skye, are you here to see a doctor too? Is anything bothering you?"
Skye replied, "I'm here with my younger sister."
Claire beamed, flashing her pearly whites.
Claire continued, her eyes shining with curiosity, "Oh, I see! Big Sis Skye, is your sister hurt? How old is she? I bet she's just as beautiful as you!"
Skye had already recognized Claire as the girl Emily had slapped earlier—the bruise on her backside must have been from that incident.
"She got a little hurt. Almost eighteen, still in school. And she's pretty adorable," Skye said.
Hearing "student," Claire's mind buzzed with excitement. "What a stroke of luck! We might even go to the same school. If that's true, that would be absolutely perfect!" she thought.
"Big Sis Skye, which school does she go to? Don't get me wrong, I'm just curious—who knows, maybe we even go to the same school!"
"She's called—" Skye had just begun when Emily suddenly emerged. Spotting Claire standing so close to Skye, she immediately dashed over.
"Hands off!" Emily shoved Claire's shoulder with an aggressive push.
The moment Claire realized it was Emily, the anger she'd barely managed to suppress flared up again. "Of all people—her again!" she fumed.
Normally, Claire was the picture-perfect, straight-A class president—the teacher's pet. But now, all that composure went out the window as she aggressively rolled up her sleeves, ready for a showdown.
Claire squared her shoulders and glared at Emily. "Emily, I haven't even confronted you yet, and now you show up yourself! First you slapped me for no reason, then you pushed me. Explain yourself! I'm warning you—this isn't over between us."
Emily scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Please, who do you think you're scaring?"
Emily sneered at Claire. "If you've got the guts, let's go another round. I'll even give you two free shots."
Claire's eyes widened. "Emily, you're so rough! What part of you is even ladylike? A fight? I'm not some violent girl like you! Listen up—you owe me an apology, ten times over, not one less!"
Emily scoffed, "Claire, either fight me or get lost! You want an apology? In your dreams! If you hadn't blocked me, I wouldn't have hit you. You brought this on yourself—serves you right!"
Claire sputtered, "You—you—Emily Hughes, you!"
"Of course Emily would be dead last in the whole school—not just hopeless at studying, but a total jerk too!" Claire fumed inwardly.
"Let's go," Emily sneered coldly, shouldering past Claire without hesitation. She strode confidently to Skye's side, possessively looping her arm through Skye's, and marched out with her head held high.
Claire stared dumbfounded at Emily and Skye's retreating backs. That—that—that Emily! How dare she just put her arm around my idol? Who does she think she is? What right does she have? She doesn't even deserve it!
"How shameless of her!" Claire fumed inwardly.
"Wait a minute," Claire thought, her mind racing. "Big Sis Skye just said she has a younger sister who's also a student... Could it possibly be Emily?"
Hold on. I met Emily's other sister last time, and she didn't look anything like Skye. So what are they to each other?
Emily! Skye!
No matter how hard Claire tried to deny it, she couldn't deny the connection between them. Choking back tears, she got into the car and headed home.
"Who does Emily think she is?" Claire fumed."How unfair the world is!"
Skye reached out and ruffled Emily's hair, her voice full of concern. "What did the doctor say?"
Emily stiffened, her pupils dilating in shock as she instinctively reached up to touch her head.
Emily struggled to suppress the grin tugging at her lips, forcing her face into a fierce "don't mess with me" scowl. Arms crossed defiantly, a single stubborn cowlick stood at attention atop her short hair—making her look all the more adorable, despite her deliberate effort to keep up that pensive, aloof facade.
Emily scoffed, "Just a little thing. Can't faze me."
Skye smiled faintly, clearly in good spirits. "First, we'll visit Father, then we'll head home."
"Father?" Emily frowned in confusion. "Dad's here?"
"Mm-hmm, he got hurt," Skye replied.
"Oh, ok." Emily said.
Emily showed little emotional reaction upon hearing that Richard was injured and hospitalized—clear evidence that, over the years, he had not only neglected her but may have even treated her poorly.
"Rowan went too easy on him," Skye thought coldly.
Skye knocked on the door. "Come in," Linda called out.
Skye and Emily walked in. At the sight of them, Richard let out an exaggerated "Oh!"
"Skye, my dear, you're finally here! You have no idea—someone actually tried to kill me! I was just walking along, minding my own business, when out of nowhere, a bunch of thugs jumped me, threw a sack over my head, and dragged me into an alley. They beat the hell out of me—didn't even give me a chance to react. I was this close to meeting my maker, one foot in the grave, barely clinging to life! If it hadn't been for a good Samaritan who called for help and got me to the hospital, I probably wouldn't even be here alive, talking to you right now!"
Skye's expression remained ice-cold, her voice steady as still water. "Is that so? Tell me, Father—have you offended anyone recently?"
Emily had never heard her father vent his grievances like this before—it was the first time she'd listened to him complain so persistently.
"Skye must hold a special place in his heart," Emily thought.
She thought her father would never listen to their explanations. Linda would blow even the smallest things way out of proportion, and then he'd start lecturing them. In her memory, all she ever felt at home was punishment and being wronged.
Though Jessica genuinely cared for me, and Linda put on that fake motherly act I couldn't help clinging to, I used to think that if I just played along, I'd finally have a warm, loving home.
Emily looked at Skye, noticing only cold detachment in her expression and a complete lack of warmth in her words.
Nothing like how she treated us.
Richard racked his brain, then shook his head solemnly. "Skye, I can't recall offending anyone. You must find out who did this to me—don't you dare let them get away with it!"
Linda snapped, her eyes flashing with challenge and disdain. "Skye, it's been days! Why haven't you found any leads? Did you even bother to investigate, or do you just not care? He's your own father—after all he's suffered, you don't even care. How dare you call yourself his daughter?"
Skye kept her expression perfectly composed. Inside, she thought, "Since you're all so desperate to know, I might as well give you the answer."
"Father, to be frank, I've already gathered some leads... but I can't be certain yet. After all, the person involved is someone you once—"
Richard shot upright, his neck straining forward in desperation. Burning with anxiety, he demanded, "Who? Who was it? Tell me—who?"
Who on earth would dare lay hands on Richard Hughes in broad daylight?
Fury flared in his chest.
They're simply asking for death. How dare they mess with him?
"Do they have any idea just how powerful the Hughes Corporation is now?" Richard fumed inwardly.
Beside them, Linda met Skye's piercing gaze, an icy dread pooling in her stomach.
Skye arched an eyebrow, a cold, almost mocking smile playing at her lips. "Are you sure you really want to know, Father?"
Richard nodded impatiently. "Who is it?"
Skye fixed her gaze on Linda and said coolly, "Ms. Collins, care to step up and explain what your relatives and friends have been up to?"
Upon hearing this, Linda's face drained of color, horror-stricken, as she sprang to her feet like she'd been electrocuted.
"Skye, what nonsense are you spouting? Don't you dare smear me! This has nothing to do with me whatsoever. I want to find out who's behind this just as much as you do. Whoever dared to lay a hand on my husband—when I find out who it was, I'll make them pay dearly!"
Linda argued fiercely, insisting on her innocence.
Richard gritted his teeth, his face contorted with rage. He had never once doubted Skye's abilities. "Who the hell was it?!" he demanded.
Father, do you remember Samuel, the former finance manager? I heard he's a distant relative of Ms. Collins. As soon as I took office, he and his group couldn't wait to resign, only to come crawling back later. But what's done is done—I told them business is business. They threatened to seek justice from you. I thought they'd want a calm discussion, but I never expected they'd nurse a grudge and take it out on you.
Everything clicked for Richard—he instantly saw the whole picture.
Richard rounded on Linda, his voice shaking with rage. "Linda! So it was your people all along! I told you from the start—those shifty-eyed bastards were nothing but trouble. And what did you promise me? You swore they were honest, hardworking folks. Now look—they're trying to fucking kill me!"
Linda's pupils dilated in shock as she shook her head vehemently. "No way! This can't be!"
Linda thought in disbelief, "No way—Samuel couldn't possibly be behind this."
"Even if he had the guts, he wouldn't have what it takes," Linda thought.
"It's Skye. She's the one framing me," Linda thought furiously.
Richard, listen to me! It couldn't possibly be him. Skye's just making things up—she's got it all wrong!
Richard believed Skye without question. As he thought it over, it dawned on him—only that group would hold such a grudge and go so far as to attack him. "Ungrateful snakes, every last one of them," he thought bitterly.
After all the faith I placed in them, this is how they repay me?
Richard gritted his teeth, his hands balling into tight fists. "Those ungrateful bastards!" he spat.