Chapter 6

Since Queenie's shop was under renovation, it was pretty noisy. Knowing Queenie was safe, Joey went home with her son. Queenie's store was only about 215 square feet. The renovation was nearly complete. It should be finished by tomorrow. Queenie cleaned up after the workers left in the evening before heading out. This time, she didn't forget that she was married. Locking up the shop, she rode her electric scooter back to Fortune Estate. Just as she arrived, her phone rang. Seeing Stacy's name on the screen, Queenie instinctively looked around the house. The porch light was on. Joshua probably hadn't come back yet. He had thoughtfully left a small light on for her. She thought he was quite considerate. Assuming Joshua wasn't home, Queenie finally answered Stacy's call. "What do you want?" Queenie never called Stacy "mom" because she had mistreated her and Joey for over 20 years. She thought Stacy didn't deserve that title. Joey's marriage was also ruined because Stacy shamelessly demanded 300 thousand dollars from their in-laws. Otherwise, Joey's in-laws wouldn't have looked down on her. "Queenie, what's your deal? We agreed to meet for dinner at the Paladin Hotel last night, and you didn't show up! I called Joey today, and that brat told me you got married and to stop bothering you. What are you two playing at?" Stacy ranted over the phone. Queenie held the phone away from her ear, and Stacy's yell filled the entire living room. "Anyway, I've already taken the Gills' money. If you dare back out on me, you'll see what happens!" Hearing Stacy's shameless demands, Queenie patted her chest and tried to calm herself. "Stacy, what right do you have to say this? You took the money, so why don't you marry Liam yourself?" Queenie had a fiery temper and couldn't hold herself back. After a while, she exploded, then hung up and blocked Stacy. She didn't want to hear Stacy nagging at her anymore. Queenie didn't turn out the lights in the spacious living room. The bright moonlight shone through the window, making her already thin frame look even more fragile. Noticing the late hour, Joshua came down to check if Queenie was back and overheard the conversation. Standing on the stairs, he saw Queenie crouched on the floor and crying. He immediately paused. Queenie had mentioned before that her family had arranged a marriage against her will. Now, it seemed like her parents wanted to trade her for money. Joshua had read about such situations in the news but never encountered them firsthand. He wasn't sure how to comfort her. After a moment of hesitation, Joshua went downstairs and turned on the living room lights. The room instantly brightened. Queenie, who had been crying, immediately stood up. She wiped her tears away before turning to see Joshua in his casual outfit. "Mr. Newman, you're home?" Queenie was stunned. She thought Joshua was just about to return home from work. She wondered how much of her phone call he overheard if he had been home the whole time. Queenie was too embarrassed to bring up the topic, especially in front of someone she barely knew. She didn't want to be judged. However, Joshua seemed perfectly at ease. He nodded. "I told you it's my day off. You came back so late. Have you had dinner yet?" As he spoke, Joshua walked toward the kitchen, acting as if he hadn't noticed Queenie's red eyes or the content of her phone call. He gave her enough dignity by not acknowledging her distress. Seeing Joshua heading for the kitchen, Queenie quickly followed. "There's not much in the fridge, so I'll..." Before she could finish, she arrived at the fridge and was surprised to find the once-empty fridge now packed with various ingredients. "Wow, did you go grocery shopping?" Eyeing the full fridge, she stared at Joshua in surprise. He was surprisingly quite the homemaker. Joshua looked at Queenie and replied, "I had it delivered." "Oh, you ordered delivery," Queenie responded. She then grabbed a few items from the fridge and prepared to cook some pasta. Meanwhile, Joshua was somewhat confused by Queenie's statement. He had asked his assistant to buy and deliver the groceries, but he didn't elaborate on it. Watching Queenie skillfully wash, chop, and cook the pasta, Joshua could tell she was an experienced cook. Despite her young age, she seemed to have been cooking for a long time. Queenie quickly prepared the sauce. While waiting for the water to boil for the pasta, she turned to look at Joshua. Suddenly, she asked, "Mr. Newman, what do you do for a living? My sister asked me today, and I had no idea." It was a good question. Joshua had anticipated that they would eventually discuss this. He was the CEO of the globally ranked Newman Group. But he wasn't ready to share that much with Queenie just yet.