Chapter 14

"I haven't known you for long nor know much about your past..." Joshua paused, thinking about the four abortions she mentioned earlier in the morning. "But I believe that everything happens for a reason. Your actions tonight were the result. There must have been something significant that led to them." Hearing Joshua's words made Queenie feel immense relief. The tears she had been holding back streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably. Growing up, except for Joey, Joanne, and a few of her roommates in college, all of Queenie's other friends had been driven away by Stacy—just like the guy who pursued her back then. He began judging her after listening to Stacy's slanderous remarks. Queenie knew such a man wasn't worth her time and likely didn't genuinely care for her. But his contemptuous looks and insults, saying she was acting hard to get because he hadn't offered her enough money, disgusted her deeply. "Thank you, Mr. Newman. Not many people have been willing to understand me." Queenie was grateful that Joshua hadn't judged her harshly like her former suitor did. After the night's events, Joshua didn't bring up what he had planned to Queenie. They returned to the rooms to rest. The following day, Joshua came downstairs, fully dressed. Queenie had already left. But she prepared a warm breakfast and left a note for him. "Mr. Newman, the shop is busy today. I'll make a move first." Queenie's handwriting looked cute. She even added a doodle of a girl riding a scooter. Joshua was a supporter of female entrepreneurship. Hence, he was pleased to see Queenie's proactive attitude. It seemed last night's ordeal hadn't dampened her spirits. He admired her resilient character. He sat at the table and stared at the rabbit-shaped sandwich Queenie had prepared. Glancing back at the doodle on the note, he was curious about what kind of shop such a sweet girl like Queenie was running. While Joshua was having breakfast, Queenie and Joanne had already sold their first batch of breakfast. Their store was located on a street near a college, which was always busy. By around 8:30 am, most students were in class, and the shop had quieted down. Queenie sat down and took a sip of water. "I think your idea about selling roasted potatoes is great. We should also get a machine for roasting chestnuts." "I ordered one last night. It should arrive tomorrow." Joanne grabbed a box of milk, inserted a straw, and drank it. "Queen, now that the morning rush is over, we need to talk about what happened last night." With Joanne's curious nature, Queenie knew the former wouldn't let her off. So, she decided that honesty was the best policy and prepared to come clean. After hearing Queenie's story, Joanne took a moment to digest everything. "Wow, you went through so much in the one week I was away getting supplies. Seems like you really took a stand." "What else could I do? I couldn't just listen to my dad and marry that guy." Queenie couldn't even bring herself to say Liam's name. Just thinking about those people from her hometown made her uncomfortable. Their values were too different, making it hard for them to communicate. "Although your marriage was pretty impulsive, your husband seemed like a CEO!" Joanne's imagination was off and running again. Queenie never understood this about Joanne. She always dreamed of some CEO swooping in to save her, but she never considered that she might marry a CEO herself. "I'm telling you, don't be surprised if your husband turns out to be a billionaire CEO. Just look at his demeanor. You—" Joanne was interrupted because an elderly gentleman with white hair walked into the shop. The old man was wearing a brown suit and round silver-rimmed glasses. He looked pretty fashionable. "I thought your husband was handsome, but this old gentleman is even more dashing!" Joanne whispered, drawing Queenie's attention to the door. Seeing the old man walk in, Queenie quickly approached him with a smile. "Hello, sir. What would you like to buy?" The elderly man didn't respond immediately. Instead, he looked around the shop. The shop was small and had a white and light pink interior. Snacks and drinks were available at the door, and stationery items, crocheted accessories, ornaments, and dolls were sold inside. Everything was meticulously organized and spotlessly clean. The old man casually sat on a nearby stool. Looking at Queenie, he smiled warmly and asked, "Are you the owner?"