Chapter 9

The two ladies spent the entire day cleaning the shop. They then stocked the shelves with their prepared goods and set up stalls at the entrance to sell milkshakes, sausages, ice cream, and other snacks. "Queen, it's getting a bit chilly. Should we add roasted potatoes to the menu?" Joanne asked while arranging drinks in the display case by the door. "Sure, you're the major shareholder. You get the final say," Queenie replied with a playful grin. Joanne had a bubbly personality. Upon hearing this, she puffed up with pride. "We're both bosses now." They were joking around when Queenie's phone suddenly rang. It was Joey. She must be calling to ask about the opening time for their new shop the next day. Queenie felt excited and proud. She now had a shop with her best friend so she could make a living to support Joey and her nephew. Joey wouldn't have to rely on her in-laws anymore. Thinking of this, Queenie happily answered the call, "Jojo!" Before she could say anything, she heard the terrified cries of her nephew and a chorus of angry voices. Then, she heard Lily Hampton, Joey's mother-in-law, shouting into the phone, "Queenie, come get your mom right now, or I'm calling the police!" Queenie didn't even have the chance to respond, and the line went dead. Noticing Queenie's darkened expression, Joanne quickly asked, "What's wrong?" "Stacy is causing trouble at my sister's place." Queenie trembled with rage and felt a chill run through her body. She knew she had to get to Joey's house immediately. "I'll drive you." Without hesitation, Joanne retrieved her car to drive Queenie there. When they arrived at Joey's place, they could hear the shouting from the third floor before they even got out of the car. Queenie recognized Stacy's voice instantly. "You ungrateful brat! Now that you married into a wealthy family, you don't even care about me and your father's life!" Stacy screamed, "If you don't tell me where Queenie had moved to today, I'll hang myself right here at your door! Let's see who gets unlucky then!" Hearing this, Queenie trembled with fury. She wondered what they had done in their past lives to be tormented by someone as shameless and reckless as Stacy. "Queen, we need to call the police first. Don't act rashly, okay?" Joanne was angry but remained composed. Queenie knew calling the police was the wisest course of action. Given the chaos upstairs, it was clear Joey's family was in no position to call for help themselves. Queenie understood all too well the lengths Stacy would go to. Sure enough, as Queenie arrived at the third floor, a random object flew out of the apartment before she even entered the house. It landed on the ground, and to her disgust, she realized it was a sanitary pad. "You are an elder. How can you be so shameless in front of the kids?" Lily was raging. She struggled to throw the disgusting item out the door, almost fainting in the process. Unfazed, Stacy yelled back blatantly, "Elder? Let me tell you, if any of you keep protecting Queenie, I'll make sure your whole family suffers for the next ten years!" Obviously, Stacy had never considered Joey as part of her family. Joey cradled her son and tried to comfort him. Full of despair and resentment, she tearfully glared at Stacy. It was then that she noticed Queenie's arrival. "Queen? What are you doing here?" It seemed like Joey didn't know Lily had used her phone to call Queenie. At once, Stacy lunged at Queenie. "Brat, you finally decided to show up! I thought you were dead!" With that, Stacy wanted to twist Queenie's ear, just like she always did when they were young. But Stacy forgot Queenie was a grown-up now. She easily dodged Stacy's hand and even slapped her hand away. Stacy felt as if she had just been slapped in the face and was utterly embarrassed. How dared Queenie humiliate her in front of her in-laws? "You ungrateful wretch! What kind of powerful lover did you find to back you up? How dare you hit your own mother?" Stacy had never held her tongue. Queenie initially tried to show her some respect since she was an elder. But she didn't want to make a scene. Some people just didn't deserve respect, and any more consideration for Stacy would simply be a disservice to herself and Joey.