Their Queen's Back - Chapter 70: Chapter 70

Emily grabbed Sophia's hand and dragged her along, running a long way until they reached a crowded area. Only then did they finally stop, gasping for breath.
Sophia took a moment to catch her breath, shot Emily a confused look, and asked, "Why did you even bother saving me?"
Emily froze for a moment. Seeing the confusion and shock in Sophia's eyes, she let out a disdainful snort and quickly looked away.
"Don't flatter yourself, Sophia. I wasn't saving you—I did it for myself. I'm a Hughes too. If you get into trouble, people will drag me into it. Honestly, having to share the same blood as you is just so annoying."
Sophia watched as Emily raised her chin, deliberately trying to look aloof. "Hasn't anyone ever told her how cute she looks?" Sophia thought.
Especially with that little cowlick bouncing on her head.
"Emily," Sophia sneered, "if you're so ashamed of sharing our bloodline, why not just take Jessica's last name? You two seem awfully close anyway, don't you?"
Sophia hadn't meant to mention Jessica, but the words were out before she realized it.
Emily instantly flew into a rage. She snapped, "Sophia, what the hell does my last name matter to you?"
Sophia met Emily's furious yet faintly disappointed gaze. The "sorry" and "thank you" caught in her throat, unable to come out.
"Hey there, cutie," slurred a drunken man as he staggered toward Emily, leering. "You're so adorable. Come on, let big bro treat you to some barbecue." As he spoke, he reached out with an unsteady hand and brushed her cheek.
With a sharp smack, Sophia slapped the man hard across the face. She snapped, "Get lost! Back off, you filthy scum! How dare you lay a finger on her?"
Emily frantically wiped her face, trying to scrub away the disgusting sensation.
The slap sobered the man up a little. Seeing how beautiful and intimidating Sophia was, he realized she wasn't someone to mess with, so he lowered his head and slunk away furtively.
Sophia kicked the man square in the butt, sending him stumbling forward. Emily quickly grabbed Sophia's wrist to stop her.
"He's probably just drunk. I'm fine," Emily said, trying to calm Sophia down.
Two girls picking a fight with a drunk guy at a time like this? That's never going to end well.
They should've just called the cops.
Sophia shot her a glare. "Is being drunk an excuse? Don't you know he just groped you? Emily, are you an idiot? You're always so tough—why are you acting like such a coward now?"
Emily felt a pang of hurt. "Wasn't I just worried that man might go crazy and hurt me?" she thought bitterly.
"And now she's yelling at me instead!"
"Sophia, I already called the cops! What the hell are you yelling at me for? I hate you! You vicious witch—get away from me!"
Emily shoved Sophia aside and stormed off without looking back.
Sophia watched the officers approaching. It turned out the police station was nearby—they arrived within minutes.
She glanced again in the direction Emily had gone, but she was already lost in the bustling crowd.
Still fuming alone, Emily stomped on an empty water bottle. The cap shot off, ricocheted off the wall, and—smack—hit her right between the eyes.
Tears sprang to Emily's eyes from the pain.
"Damn it! Even this stupid water bottle is picking on me now."
Emily viciously stomped on the empty water bottle. Spotting another lidless one nearby, she marched over in a huff and gave it a hard kick.
Distracted by her anger, Emily failed to notice the puddle beneath the bottle. The next thing she knew, her feet slipped out from under her and she landed with a thud. Her cowlick stood straight up as she sat there, dumbfounded, not quite sure what had just happened.
Her pupils dilated sharply as a searing pain shot through her bottom. Emily's body trembled, and she couldn't hold it back any longer—she burst into tears.
"I'm so mad and upset!" Emily thought, feeling both angry and wronged.
Skye watched the whole scene unfold and could only shake her head in exasperation. "..."
She walked over, bent down, and gently scooped Emily up into her arms.
Emily turned her tear-filled eyes and saw it was Skye. Her sobs paused for a moment, then grew even louder.
She threw herself into Skye's arms, wailing uncontrollably. Turning her head, she pointed at the empty bottle on the ground and cried, "It bullied me, Skye! Waaa!" Then she buried her face in Skye's chest, sobbing even harder.
What truly upset Emily wasn't the pain from the bottle—it was Sophia.
When I saw a man harassing Sophia, I was terrified. But when I saw her cornered, clutching a water pipe defensively, I still grabbed a beer bottle, mustered all my courage, and charged at him, smashing it over his head.
Even now, she still couldn't shake off the fear—she was still scared.
"Did I... did I kill that man?" she wondered anxiously, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Will I go to jail for this?" Emily thought, her heart pounding.
"Sophia didn't even say a single word of thanks to me. Instead, she mocked me by bringing up Jessica."
"She's always hated me—first for being close to Jessica, and even more so because we became truly close," Emily thought bitterly.
"After everything I did to save her, but she still looks down on me," Emily thought bitterly.
"Does it hurt?" Skye asked.
Pouting, Emily said, "It hurts." But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized how childish she was being. "Am I really crying over something this small? How embarrassing," she thought.
"Ugh, this damn bottle is the worst!" Emily fumed.
"But what's even more disgusting are the people who litter like this. Seriously? Have they no common decency? Don't they know littering is wrong?"
"Let's go home. I'll take care of your wounds," said Skye. "Lauren, bring Sophia back with you."
"Yes, Ms. Sky," Lauren replied.
Lauren was on her way to find Sophia when she spotted a child carelessly tossing an empty plastic bottle aside. She halted mid-step, hesitated briefly, then walked over, picked it up, and tossed it into a nearby trash bin.
The little boy stood there, stunned, watching her. The next second, his mother gave him a few firm smacks on the butt.
"Didn't I tell you a million times to throw your trash in the bin? Who told you to toss your empty water bottle at this young lady?"
"How many times do I have to say it? You never listen! No dessert for you tonight!"
The boy burst into tears as his mother dragged him away, his protests no match for her stern scolding.
Lauren was speechless.
Claire stepped into the car and immediately sensed the tension. Her brother David sat stiffly upright, his posture impeccable.
Wow, big brother! I can't believe you actually squeezed me into your oh-so-busy schedule to pick me up. I'm truly flattered—absolutely overwhelmed!
David glanced sideways at her and replied blandly, "Mm."
Claire rolled her eyes at him. "My brother has got to be the most boring, uptight man on the planet. No wonder he's still single in his thirties," she thought. "Seriously, did Mom drop him on his head when he was born? That would explain everything."
Claire popped a piece of candy into her mouth, finally silencing her inner grumbling.
Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, Claire held out the candy to David, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Big brother, could you—"
David glanced at it and flatly refused, "I don't eat candy. Have it yourself."
Claire was speechless.
Claire shoved the candy into his palm. "Who said you could eat it?" she teased. "I'm just showing it to you—I want this exact kind. Go get me one!"
David was momentarily stunned, then picked up the candy and looked it over with certainty. "This is custom-made, likely from Vermontia. Who gave it to you?"
Claire was surprised to find the gift from Emily so valuable, and immediately snatched it back.
"My friend gave me this—it's so good! Hey, big bro, could you get me some more, please?"
Alright. I'll have my assistant handle it.
After that, David massaged his temples and pretended to doze off. Suddenly, Claire blurted out, "Big bro, how come you don't have a girlfriend yet?"
David rubbed his throbbing temples and snapped, "Stop prying into grown-up stuff, kid. Go read a book."
Claire stuck her tongue out. "Hopeless bachelor," she muttered.
Linda never imagined her cousin John would end up like this—beaten so badly he landed in the police station. But when she heard his genitals had been brutally severed, she was scared out of her wits.
Jessica lowered her eyes when she heard the news—it was she who had instigated John to go after Sophia.
"Was it Sophia who did this? Or was it Skye?"
God damn it! Who the hell brutalized my boy? I swear I'll make them pay for what they've done!
Jessica seized the moment and stepped forward. "Everyone, Uncle John must have been trying to stand up for me and my mom, seeking justice for us—that's why he ended up... like this."
Jessica dear, what exactly do you mean by that? Are you saying you know who hurt John so badly?