Their Queen's Back - Chapter 73: Chapter 73

Jessica was jolted awake by a bucket of ice water. Her eyes flew open, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings as a terrified scream tore from her throat. "What do you want? Why did you kidnap me? Who are you?"
Alone in the empty room, Jessica felt chills running down her spine. She shrieked, "Come out! Who the hell are you? Skye, is that you? I know it's you! Don't be a coward—show yourself! Kidnapping is a crime! I'm calling the cops right now!"
"So noisy."
A chilling voice cut through the air as the door swung open, bringing with it a gust of icy wind.
"Y-you! Who are you?" Jessica's eyes widened in terror as she stared at the figure before her. Wait... was that a girl?
A mysterious girl emerged, silhouetted against the light. Her combat boots struck the floor with measured steps as she advanced. A black hooded jacket hugged her slender frame, the hood obscuring most of her face, leaving only glimpses of her flawless, pale chin visible.
Her silver crescent pendant swayed at her chest, tracing a shimmering arc through the air with each step—like an iris blooming abruptly in the darkness, only to vanish in an instant.
"Who... who are you?" Jessica stammered, her whole body shaking.
Charlotte offered no reply. She dragged a chair over and slumped into it with deliberate nonchLaurence, her expression ominous. Seeing this, Jessica felt her fear intensify—she thought to herself, "She's even more terrifying than I imagined."
Jessica bit her lip and blurted out, "I know who sent you! It was Skye, wasn't it? She told you to kidnap me, didn't she? How much did she pay you? I'll double it!"
"Shut the hell up! You don't deserve to say Skye's name."
Jessica flinched at the harsh rebuke, a chill running down her spine. There was something oddly familiar about that voice...
Charlotte fixed Jessica with a cold stare. "I know exactly what you traded with Christina," she said, her voice icy. "Tell me—do you want to keep your legs or your hands?"
Jessica's eyes bulged in terror as she scrambled backward. "Y-you! So Skye really did send you! How much did that bitch pay you? Name your price! I'll give you ten times more—a mansion, two if you want! A luxury car too! Don't bust your ass for Skye—she's about to lose everything! I gave Christina the Hughes family's core secrets. Once they're leaked, the Hughes will be bankrupt in three days, and I'll get all their properties. I'll give you one—no, two! Just let me go!"
Charlotte scoffed, her icy eyes—so similar to Skye's—fixing on Jessica.
Jessica shuddered with fear and gulped nervously.
"Jessica... long time no see. How unfortunate we meet again."
Charlotte pulled down her hood, revealing a delicate yet pale face—her crimson lips perfectly setting off those fathomless, calculating eyes that seemed to see right through you.
At the sight of that face, Jessica's buried memories violently resurfaced.
Jessica's mouth fell open in terror, her face draining of color like silk unwinding from a cocoon.
"It's her!" Jessica thought in horror.
"Charlotte! You psycho!"
Psycho!
Meanwhile, Olivia remained despondent after the setback—until this morning, when Jessica sought her out, claiming that Skye was the mastermind behind it all.
In Jessica's account, Skye was nothing but a morally bankrupt, treacherous, ruthless schemer—a backstabbing snake who would stop at nothing.
"She slept her way to the top with a bunch of powerful men—no wonder Hughes Corporation skyrocketed and became wildly successful almost overnight."
She'd heard of Skye—once crowned the reigning princess of the Capital Elite Circle, daughter of Margaret, the jewel of the Whites family. A decade ago, after Skye's plane crash, Hughes Corporation began its steady decline into obscurity.
She once shone brilliantly—a teenage prodigy who rose to vice president of Hughes Corporation. Olivia couldn't help but wonder: what would this woman, who once stood at the pinnacle of success, look like now that she'd fallen into the mud?
Seeing his sister, Olivia, all bundled up as she headed out, Matthew grew concerned and followed her.
Seeing Olivia lurking near the entrance of Hughes Corporation, Matthew keeps his distance, watching her closely—fearing she might harm Sophia.
The moment Skye stepped out, Olivia was stunned. As the CEO of Quinn Holdings, she had always prided herself on being unmatched in both presence and beauty.
Only when standing before Skye did Olivia realize what it truly meant for power and beauty to exist side by side.
Olivia gritted her teeth and was just about to step forward when she saw Lauren deferentially open the door for Ms. Sky. "Ms. Sky, please watch your step," Lauren said.
The moment Olivia saw Lauren, her mind went blank. She stood frozen in place—now she understood...
Olivia suddenly realized—her fate had been sealed from the very beginning.
The moment Olivia saw Lauren, everything became clear to her. Defeated and despondent, she staggered away. Though she and Jessica had been on good terms, this incident finally revealed Jessica's true colors.
It turns out there really are people—you just know at a glance they're not someone you can afford to mess with.
"And actually go up and provoke her?" she thought to herself, incredulous.
Olivia thought, "Even being reduced to ashes would be too light a punishment."
"Ms. Sky, should we keep a close eye on Olivia and Matthew?" Lauren asked.
Skye looked down at her phone. "No need. They pose no threat. Have all the surveillance cameras in Jessica's neighborhood been destroyed?"
All done, Ms. Sky. Every camera's been destroyed—no one will ever know where Jessica is.
Lauren glanced at Skye in the back seat. She had no idea why Miss Charlotte wanted to kidnap Jessica, but with Skye backing them up, even the worst trouble wouldn't matter.
Halfway there, another car suddenly darted out and cut them off, forcing them to stop.
Lauren reached into her bag and drew her weapon, poised for action. Skye raised a hand to stop her, his gaze calm and steady. "Stand down. It's just someone we know."
With that, they waited in silence. Then the door of the car ahead swung open—out stepped Ethan.
Ethan pressed himself against the car window, desperation written all over his face, and pleaded, "Skye, please, just talk to me. I'm begging you."
Ethan was genuinely terrified. Everything that had happened over the past few days had left him a nervous wreck. If things kept going like this, he was sure he'd lose Rachel for good.
It's common knowledge that Rachel wouldn't even listen to her own parents, yet she followed Skye's every word without question. Ethan had tried to visit her multiple times, only to be turned away at the door each time.
Left with no other choice, Ethan resorted to this desperate roadside ambush.
Skye didn't even spare Ethan a glance. She said coolly, "Ethan, these are your family matters. It's not my place to intervene."
If Rachel truly doesn't want a divorce, no amount of pleading from Skye could ever change her mind.
"Skye, I know I messed up. I was a total bastard, but I truly regret it now. I want to live a good life with Rachel—we still have a son together. Skye, please... you wouldn't want to see our family torn apart, would you? I'm begging you."
In just a few days, Ethan had become a shadow of his former self. The once-mighty CEO now hunched pathetically by the car window, groveling like a beggar.
Before Skye could utter a word, Ethan was sent sprawling by a vicious kick.
Rachel emerged in an amethyst-hued cheongsam that accentuated her slender figure, a folding fan in hand. Without hesitation, she delivered a sharp kick that sent Ethan sprawling.
Rachel snarled, "Skye, are you okay?! You utter bastard, Ethan! How dare you mess with my Skye? You must have a death wish! We don't need any mandatory cooling-off period—let's get divorced right now!"
Rachel shot Ethan a withering glare, her eyes blazing with contempt.
Ethan choked up, reaching out to pull Rachel into his arms. "Rachel, please, let's not get divorced, okay? I'm begging you—don't leave me and our son. I know I messed up."
Ethan's eyes were bloodshot with grief.
Rachel sneered, "Get this straight—I'm leaving you. My son has nothing to do with you, Ethan. If you want a son, go find someone else to give you one." With that, she stomped hard on his polished shoe.
Rachel yanked open the car door, slid inside, and clutched Skye's arm. She rolled her eyes, snapped the window up, and barked, "Drive! Just ram through them!"
Skye gave a sharp nod. Lauren slammed the accelerator, ramming the Rolls-Royce aside and speeding away.
Ethan watched the car drive away, then pulled out his phone. "Felix, man, let's grab a drink," he said.
"Not drinking. I'm not your emotional dumping ground," Felix said.
Ethan: "..."
The Fosters
After proudly boasting to her mom about her achievements, Christina sprawled on the sofa with her legs crossed, scrolling through her phone. "Hughes Corporation? What a joke," she sneered.
Piece of cake. Not a problem at all.
Her phone buzzed with a text: "Ten minutes to cancel the plan. Mess with Hughes Corp and you're dead."
Christina scoffed at the message and fired back a single-word reply: "Fuck off."
Charlotte wasn't surprised when she received the message. Glancing at Jessica—who lay unconscious on the floor, having wet herself in terror—she arched an eyebrow, grabbed her laptop, and strode into the next room.
Charlotte pulled out a chair and sat down. A jet-black snake slithered out from her sleeve, its plump, round head nuzzling against her fingers.
Charlotte extended a finger to stroke its head, then gestured for it to move aside. The little snake obediently slithered to the corner, coiled itself up like an incense coil, and curled up to sleep.
Charlotte's fingers flew across the keyboard, and within seconds, scandalous revelations about Christina exploded across the internet.
Scandal after scandal exploded online, sweeping across the internet like wildfire.
She never used to care whether Hughes Corporation lived or died. But now, if anyone's going to mess with it, it'll be her—and her alone.
She thought to herself, "Christina's no exception either."
After completing everything, Charlotte strode out and ordered her henchman to revive Jessica. When Jessica came to and saw Charlotte looming over her, she trembled uncontrollably, scrambling backward in terror—but there was nowhere left to run.
Jessica shrieked, "Charlotte! You—you psycho! Let me go right now, or my mom will make you pay! You hear me? Let me out of here, now!"
Charlotte planted her boot on Jessica's face, pinning her to the ground. "Jessica, you're such a noisy bitch. Wasn't it enough that my little fortune bringer didn't crawl inside you just now? Lucky you, I've got plenty more snakes to keep you company."
With that, the henchman upended a large bucket, sending a mass of snakes slithering toward Jessica, their forked tongues flicking menacingly as they closed in on her.
"Ah! No, stay back! Get the hell away from me!" she screamed in terror.
Terrified, Jessica screamed, "Charlotte, you psycho! You damn psycho! Ah! Stay back—don't come any closer!"