Their Queen's Back - Chapter 56: Chapter 56

Emily didn't know why, but she felt that many things weren't quite as she had believed before.
Mag's the only one at school who wants to be friends with me... So why did she write a love letter using my name?
Claire's words echoed in Emily's mind. "Could she really be using me?"
Jessica was still plotting how to keep manipulating Emily when Skye's icy voice suddenly cut through her thoughts.
"Wendy," Skye said coolly, "Ms. Collins and Miss Clark seem rather tired. Escort them downstairs to rest."
Wendy stepped forward menacingly. "Yes, Miss Skye!" She turned to the others. "Ms. Collins, Miss Clark—this way, now!"
With strength belying her fifty years, Wendy seized both women by the arms and dragged them away like sacks of potatoes.
Linda struggled and shrieked, "Let go of me! Let go of me! This is mutiny! How dare you lay hands on me? I'm Mrs. Hughes! Just wait till my husband gets back—you'll all regret this!"
Linda kept grumbling, but in the end, she was still locked in the punishment room. Jessica never expected Wendy would actually dare to confine them there—after all, this had always been Emily and her friends' regular spot.
"Jessica, my dear, what are we going to do? They're treating us so horribly!"
Linda clung to Jessica, wailing dramatically. This wasn't her first time being locked up here—last time, she'd faked fainting to get out of it.
Jessica screamed at the top of her lungs, "Emily! Skye!" The butler approached with a smirk and slid open the hatch.
"Miss Clark, Ms. Collins," the butler said with a feigned smile, "Miss Skye is so kindhearted. Noticing how you've been reluctant to rest all day, she thought it best you finally get some proper sleep. Do get some good rest."
With that, he shut the hatch, cutting off their last connection to the outside world, and walked away.
In a fit of rage, she shrieked, "Ah! Skye! That bitch Skye! How dare she treat us like this? I'm calling the police! I'm calling the police!"
Linda quickly stopped her, saying, "No, Jessica, don't call the police! Don't! Calm down, honey, just calm down. If you call the cops, we'll gain nothing from it. This house belongs to Skye. And if your father finds out, he'll be furious."
Richard cares deeply about his reputation. Besides, if she causes a scene, he might just disown her.
Jessica said, "Mom, given our situation... So do you understand me? You must get Dad back."
Linda's eyes burned with determination. "Alright, I'll make damn sure it happens."
Not eating? Emily stepped forward after noticing Linda and Jessica were gone, eyeing Skye.
Skye rose. "I am."
Between bites, Emily muttered to herself, "Yeah, I nap in class—but only because it's boring. I get everything just by looking at the textbook; it's all right there in black and white. Honestly, I don't get why they have to drone on and on up there all day."
"It's not like I'm explaining myself to you," Emily muttered stubbornly. "And I definitely haven't forgiven you. Don't think I've forgotten—last time, you hit me just because of Sophia."
"You still sleep with her every night..." Emily thought bitterly, but kept the words to herself, sulking as she poked at the fish in her bowl.
Emily's muttering was just loud enough to reach Skye's ears—of course, Skye could tell every word was meant for her.
"Tomorrow's the weekend. I did promise to take you to the amusement park," Skye said.
Emily's rebellious cowlick instantly stood straight up. Her usually downcast almond-shaped eyes widened with a sudden sparkle, and an irrepressible smile tugged at her lips—no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't hide it.
"She didn't forget," Emily thought to herself, her heart swelling with happiness.
"She still remembers her promise to take me to the amusement park," Emily thought to herself, her heart swelling with happiness.
Hmph. She finally got it, Emily thought, a hint of smugness flickering across her mind.
"If you don't want to go, we cou—"
Skye had barely started speaking when Emily pushed back her chair with a screech and shot to her feet, sending her chopsticks clattering to the floor.
"Who says I don't want to go?!" Emily blurted out.
Regretting her outburst as soon as she finished speaking, she realized she'd gotten too worked up. With a huff, she said, "I'm just letting you make it up to me, okay? It's not like I actually want to go. What's so great about amusement parks anyway? I'm not a three-year-old—it's so childish. But since you brought it up, I'll go with you, just to be nice. Hmph!"
Skye chuckled helplessly. "Fine, I'll go with you."
"Fine, I'm full," Emily pouted before dashing upstairs. She casually shut the door behind her, then immediately threw herself onto the bed, rolling around in excitement and unable to hold back her laughter.
"Amusement park! Amusement park!" Emily cheered inwardly, her heart racing with anticipation.
"She's taking me!" Emily cheered inwardly, her heart racing with excitement.
After her excitement died down, she suddenly sensed something was off—that eerie feeling of being watched. Slowly, she lifted the pillow and froze when she saw three maids cleaning the room, all staring at her.
The maids gaped at her, frozen mid-motion with their cleaning tools still in hand.
"..." Emily thought, mortified. "Don't stop me—I just want to disappear right now!"
The maids, clearly used to scenes like this, bowed their heads respectfully and quietly backed out of the room, still holding their things.
"Miss Emily, we're so sorry, so sorry! We were too slow with the cleaning. Don't worry, Miss Emily—we didn't see a thing, nothing at all."
Earlier, while they weren't paying attention, Jessica had slipped upstairs and snuck into Miss Emily's room.
After Miss Skye had Wendy slap Jessica across the face, she ordered the maids to give the room a thorough cleaning and make sure there were no suspicious items left behind.
None of the maids expected Miss Emily to burst in like that—completely oblivious to their presence.
Emily pressed the pillow tightly over her head and let out a muffled, embarrassed cry. The maids, charmed by how adorable their Fourth Miss was, smiled and quietly slipped out of the room.
Sophia had just wrapped up a business deal when she unexpectedly ran into her former classmates. Before she knew it, they'd dragged her off to Velvet Lounge for their reunion.
Maggie and Lisa weren't about to let such a perfect opportunity slip by. Last time, some random woman had come out of nowhere and absolutely ruined them. Now, at the class reunion, they were determined to teach Sophia a lesson she wouldn't forget.
Who doesn't know that Hughes Corporation is crushing its competitors left and right, becoming the newest dark horse in Capital City? Word on the street is they've even partnered with Synergy International Group.
But what does any of this have to do with Sophia? Everyone knows she was disowned by the Hughes family—she's got nothing to do with them anymore.
If she were really the Hughes heiress, why was she juggling three jobs just to get by in college?
She even eagerly played Matthew's stand-in. What a pathetic simp!
Still stuck at some no-name little company. How laughable!
"Sophia, long time no see! What, not even joining us for a drink? Heard you're tying the knot with Matthew?"
The speaker was clearly poking fun—like anyone here doesn't already know that Quinn Holdings has gone under.
During her college years, Sophia was painfully timid and kept mostly to herself, hardly interacting with anyone. Over time, this made her an easy target for bullying and teasing.
Compounded by psychological trauma, she never fought back.
"Always the one who got hurt," she thought bitterly. "I believed that once I left those people behind and stepped into the real world, the scars they left would fade. But I really overestimated myself—foolishly thinking things would just get better."
Trauma never fades. Even when the scars heal, the pain remains.
Sophia let out a cold, mocking laugh, her gaze dripping with sarcasm as it landed on the female classmate.
Sophia shot back, her tone dripping with sarcasm: "Don't you have a phone? Or have you been living under a rock? You haven't even heard the Quinns have gone bankrupt?"
"You—!"
She thought she could mock her, but ended up being humiliated instead.
Alright, alright, we're all classmates here—let's drop it. How about we catch up and talk about what everyone's been up to these past few years?
When it came to Sophia, Lisa raised her voice so everyone could hear and sneered, "Oh, her? I know all about her. She works at some no-name company, barely scraping by on 400 bucks a month—how much money could she possibly have? And those clothes? Clearly knockoffs, just trying to keep up appearances."
Sophia didn't look the least bit embarrassed. She just shrugged and said, "Yeah, so there's really no need to be jealous."
Lisa snapped, her voice rising, "Sophia, who's jealous of you, huh?"
"Didn't you hear? She's mocking her!"
Sophia shot back with a smirk, "Seriously, why else would you dig up every detail about me and then blurt it out for everyone? Clearly, you're just jealous that I'm doing well now—pulling in a solid $500 a month!"
"You—what the—?!" Lisa sputtered, completely thrown off. "How did Sophia get so sharp-tongued in just this short time?"
"Sophia? Is that really you?"
The bartender came over carrying a tray of drinks. Spotting Sophia, he greeted her warmly with a smile.
Before Sophia could respond, the bartender continued, "Sophia, why haven't you been coming to work lately? The manager said you quit—is that true? They've raised the hourly rate now. Do you want to come back and work shifts with us again?"
At this, everyone couldn't hide their disdainful smirks—so this was the kind of place Sophia had been working at.
Maggie smirked triumphantly. She'd noticed Sophia working here as a bartender last time, and just now in the restroom, she'd casually mentioned it to a server. To her delight, the woman played along perfectly—clearly, that tip was well spent.
Sophia ignored the disdainful looks from the crowd, though she couldn't help but think, "It still stings a little... I just want to run away from all this."
But during this time, following Anna and with her sister's guidance, her mindset grew and her horizons broadened—she was no longer that timid, submissive girl she once was.
Sophia gave a faint smile. "Really? That's great. But my day job keeps me quite busy these days, so I don't have time for any evening gigs anymore. Thanks for remembering me. Work hard—and I hope you get to go home soon."
Her pupils dilated sharply as a wave of guilt washed over her. She and Sophia had been close coworkers—Sophia always treated everyone kindly, which only made her feel worse now.
She was an out-of-towner, here for one reason only: to make money and go home—back to her small hometown where she could finally relax.
Over the years, she’d lived frugally, juggling multiple jobs, and had managed to save more than $70,000. Her goal was to reach $90,000—then she’d go back and spend her days with her grandparents.
She never expected anyone to remember that. And yet, for a $150 tip… she had—
She couldn't face staying there any longer, drowning in shame. But she knew she couldn't say a word about the bribe. "I'm just an ordinary person—one complaint from a customer and I could lose this job," she thought, feeling utterly helpless.
The waitress carefully set a strawberry smoothie before her and, with a gentle smile, said, "I will. Thank you."
Sophia's gaze held nothing but serene composure—no trace of any other emotion. Her unshakable poise made those who had just sneered at her flush with shame, their eyes dropping to the floor in silent contrition.
Watching from upstairs, a flicker of satisfaction crossed Skye's eyes.
Lauren walked over and said, "Ms. Sky, Ms. Phoenix is over there."
Skye nodded and turned to leave. "Have someone keep an eye on Sophia. Make sure nothing happens to her."
At the bar, a woman in a sleek black qipao lay slumped over the counter, her graceful curves accentuated by the traditional dress. Her hair was elegantly coiled, making her look like a beauty from a bygone era. Her face exuded dignified elegance and natural poise, with a subtle fierceness in her brows hinting at a heroic spirit.
Several men nearby were eyeing Rachel, clearly eager to approach, but as Skye strode in wearing her long black coat, her commanding presence made them all back off immediately.
The men took one look at Skye and instantly recognized she was intimidating. Suppressing their urges, they cracked a few jokes and quickly made themselves scarce.
"Rachel." Skye murmured, her voice softened with nostalgia as she reached out to gently brush aside the stray hairs falling across Rachel's face.
Rachel seemed to hear a familiar voice from her past. Blinking groggily, she opened her eyes and saw Skye standing before her.
No, it wasn't. It was Skye, all grown up.
Thinking she must be dreaming, Rachel let out a bitter chuckle and reached out to gently caress Skye's face. "Skye, you heartless woman... All these years, you never once visited my dreams. Now that I've fallen so low, you finally decide to show up, is that it?"
Skye opened her mouth, but the words wouldn't come.
Rachel murmured, her voice trembling, "Skye... I miss you so much. If I could go back to when we were eighteen, I swear I'd never have said those words to you."
"It's alright," Skye said calmly. "Besides, you only said those things for my own good."
A single tear rolled down Rachel's cheek, her eyes already red and swollen with emotion.
"Skye, have you forgiven me?" Rachel said, downing her glass in one gulp. "Skye... did you know? Ethan's been cheating on me."
Skye looked momentarily stunned, then quickly composed herself. "When are you filing for divorce?" she asked.
Rachel let out a bitter, helpless laugh, her eyes filled with anguish. "Skye, you always cut right to the heart of things—just one sentence and you see the truth. Divorce... Yes, I should. But what if I just can't let go? What am I supposed to do with all this regret?"
Skye fell silent. Rachel went on, "Skye, I'm 29 now. I've loved him for fifteen years—we grew up together, you know? We even have a little boy—he's five. I just want to give him the best. But Ethan says that girl reminds him of how I used to be, and now he calls me a crazy woman." She let out a bitter laugh. "Skye, I regret not listening to you. I gave too much, and look at me now. Am I just a mess? Isn't it pathetic? Skye, you're so beautiful—cold and gorgeous, just like I imagined. But you never smile. There's always that chill in your eyes, and no matter how hard I tried, I could never melt it."
Skye reached out and pulled her into her arms, resting her head against her chest. "You're the best," she whispered.
Rachel sobbed uncontrollably before eventually quieting down. Skye gently brushed aside her hair, revealing her tear-streaked face. Taking out a handkerchief, he softly wiped away her tears, then lifted her in his arms and carried her out of the bar.
Lauren asked, "Ms. Sky, should we take her to the Phoenixes' or the Moores'?"
"The Moores," Skye said curtly.
"Alright." Lauren turned the car around and drove to the Moores' residence. By the time they arrived, it was already nine o'clock, and the mansion was ablaze with lights. Lauren rang the doorbell.
A voice from inside called out, "Who goes there?"
The butler looked at Skye, then noticed the woman in her arms. "Young Madam!" he exclaimed.
"She's my friend. She's had too much to drink."
"Please, let me take her," the butler said, reaching out to steady Rachel.
Skye's face was icy, the darkness of night making her appear even colder. "Call Ethan out," she ordered.
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