Chapter 10

"You're not my mother. Whoever I married is none of your business!" Queenie said and walked up to Joey. She was heartbroken as she stared at her sister. Now she understood why Joey endured the abuse. Joey wanted to protect her. If Joey had simply told Stacy about Queenie's situation, Stacy wouldn't be causing such a scene. "Jojo, let me handle this. Bring Jacky inside. Don't scare him." Queenie gently reassured Jackson, "Don't cry, sweetheart. Aunt Queenie is here. You have nothing to be afraid of!" "Aunt Queenie..." Jackson only knew how to address his parents before this. Suddenly, he called out to Queenie, as if trying to comfort her too. The two sisters were surprised, but they felt bitter in their hearts. They could only rely on each other. "Good boy. Go inside with Mommy and wait for me." Queenie took a deep breath. Fighting back her sadness, she gently pushed Joey and Jackson into the bedroom before closing the door behind them. Queenie noticed that it was late, and Joey's husband wasn't home yet. The only people in the house were Joey, Lily, and Jackson. No wonder Stacy chose this hour to make a scene. She knew there were no men around. But Queenie wasn't afraid of Stacy. She had always been tougher than Joey and had never bowed down to Stacy's oppression. "Stacy, if you have a problem, come at me directly. Why would you pick on Joey when her husband is away? You only bully the weak!" After settling Joey and Jackson, Queenie grew fearless. "You've got some nerve saying that. I've tried reaching out to you, but how did you treat me? I tried to set you up with a good family to lighten our load, but you found a man on your own and blocked my calls!" Stacy complained. She then dramatically sat in front of Joey's door and began bawling. "Gosh, God is so unfair! I raised my daughter, and now that she's married rich, she abandons her own mother! Everyone, come see and judge for yourselves!" Lily was furious at Stacy's antics, and seeing Stacy crying on the stairs made her feel even more dizzy. Queenie helped Lily sit on the couch. As she came out, she saw Joanne secretly recording Stacy crying from upstairs. Joanne showed her a silent gesture, and Queenie immediately knew she was gathering evidence. "Stacy, you can't disturb others at such a late hour!" Queenie wanted to drag Stacy away. But knowing that Joanne had already called the police, she didn't act recklessly. Sure enough, the police arrived quickly. "Is there a problem here?" The police station was nearby, and their sudden appearance took Stacy aback. Slightly stunned, Stacy rose to her feet and approached the police officers. She then pointed at Queenie and started complaining, "Officers, this is my youngest daughter, and we're at my eldest daughter's house. They're trying to kick their own mother out after marrying into wealthy families! You have to help me get justice!" Just then, Queenie glanced at Joanne on the stairs and said, "Officer, don't listen to her nonsense. I have proof!" Joanne immediately came down and played the video she had recorded for the police. Seeing that these two women had handled the situation sensibly, the officers nodded approvingly before saying, "You did the right thing. However, we'll need you to come with us to give a statement." Then, they turned to Stacy. "Let's go. You'll need to come with us." Stacy wasn't a fool. Realizing the police were siding with Queenie due to the video, she quickly started pleading with Queenie, "Queen, I made a mistake! Can you please forgive me this once?" Ignoring Queenie, Stacy addressed the officers, "Let's go to the station. You can verify everything there." "Alright, if the complainant insists, you'll need to come with us." The police had to follow the complainants' wishes. Regardless of Stacy's reluctance, she was now the accused. The police officers took her away. At the police station, Stacy lost her bravado. Although she wasn't well-educated or knowledgeable about the law, she knew this wasn't a place where she could act out. She made a mental note to hold this against Queenie. Queenie and Joanne cooperated fully and gave their statements to the police. When Queenie came out of the interrogation room, Joshua called her. "You're still busy at the store this late?" At Joshua's words, Queenie looked up at the clock. Only then did she realize it was nearly midnight. Before she could respond, the officer from the interrogation room said, "Ms. Atkinson, please review the statement and sign here if everything is correct."