Chapter 1

It was September in Espenia. The temperature had dropped due to the rain, but the heat soon returned. Queenie Atkinson was overseeing the renovations of her new store. Just as she returned with some parts the workers needed, her stepmother, Stacy Stone, called. "Queen, don't forget we're meeting tomorrow at 7:00 pm at Paladin Hotel." "What? I'm busy with the store renovations. I can't leave." The noise of the construction was loud. Before Stacy could respond, Queenie hung up the phone. Her sister, Joey Atkinson, had called her yesterday. Their half-brother, Mario Atkinson, and his girlfriend were expecting a baby. Before consenting to the marriage, his girlfriend's parents demanded they buy a new house in Espenia. Otherwise, they threatened to abort the baby and end the relationship. Stacy knew that Cragtown's community leader's son had taken a liking to Queenie because she was a top student from a prestigious university. Hence, she had already accepted 600 thousand dollars worth of gifts from him. She called Queenie to urge her to return for the marriage. Hanson Atkinson, her father, was the driving force behind the idea. When Joey got married, Stacy demanded 300 thousand dollars, which she then used to buy Mario a car. Joey's mother-in-law had always looked down on her because of this. Moreover, her husband was a mama's boy. Joey always felt like she had a miserable marriage. Their parents turned a blind eye to her suffering to avoid having to return the money. Now, they were repeating the same trick with Queenie, using her to get a larger amount of money to buy Mario a house. Of course, Queenie wasn't having it! At that moment, Queenie's landlady, Maria Winslow, called and asked if she had considered the arranged date with her nephew. This time, Queenie didn't hesitate. She answered, "Maria, I'll go. See you at the café soon." She then hung up, informed the renovation workers, and hurriedly left. She naively believed that if she got married, they couldn't extort money from her anymore. Soon, Queenie arrived at a café in a five-star hotel in Espenia. She spotted a handsome man in a suit sitting by the window at the entrance. Judging by his sophisticated appearance, he must be Maria's nephew. He was a white-collar worker at a large company. With the guidance of a waiter, Queenie approached his table and politely greeted him. "Hello, I'm Queenie Atkinson. We're supposed to meet for a date." Upon hearing that, the man casually glanced at Queenie with his striking eyes. Queenie had a petite figure, and her hair was tied up in a cute bun. In a simple white T-shirt, denim shorts, and white sneakers, she radiated an effortless charm, her innocence unmistakable. Joshua Newman found himself puzzled. His family was among the world's elite. He wondered if his grandfather, Harry Newman, had decided to try something different by introducing him to Queenie after failing to find him a match among the socialites. However, seeing Queenie's polite and gentle demeanor, Joshua courteously responded, "Have a seat." Queenie sat across from Joshua. The waiter took her order for a cappuccino and left. "Maria must have told you about my situation. My family is pressuring me to get married, but I don't want to. I'm here to find someone for a flash marriage. If you're not okay with that, it's fine." After taking her seat, Queenie immediately expressed her intentions. It was indeed annoying to get involved in an arranged marriage. Joshua was pleased with her straightforwardness. "As long as you agree, I have no problem with it. Did you bring your documents? We can register our marriage right now." Surprised by Joshua's readiness, Queenie quickly stopped him from getting up and asked again, "Are you sure?" Queenie knew how difficult her father and stepmother were. If it weren't for Stacy forcing her to get married tomorrow, she wouldn't be rushing into this. Meanwhile, Joshua wasn't fazed by the idea of a marriage. He simply wanted to settle the matter quickly and report back to Harry. Otherwise, Harry would threaten him again. "Let's go. I'm busy and don't want to waste time." Joshua had squeezed this date into his schedule between two meetings. Seeing his determination, Queenie didn't hesitate either. They went ahead and got their marriage certificate. Walking out of the county clerk's office, Queenie, with the freshly issued certificate, looked at her husband's name and read aloud, "Joshua Newman?" "Yeah," Joshua replied and glanced at her. Queenie felt something off about that name but couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong. Just then, Joshua's phone rang. It was Harry calling. He must have found out about the marriage registration. But as soon as he answered, Harry's angry voice rang out, "You brat! How dare you stand me up again? Do I mean nothing to you?" Confused, Joshua looked at Queenie. He had done exactly as he was told and got married to Queenie. He didn't know what he had done wrong now.