Chapter 5

Queenie came out of her bedroom after getting dressed but never saw Joshua again. Unsure he had left or was still in his room, she decided not to disturb him and headed out to her shop. When she arrived at the shop, Joey showed up with her less-than-one-year-old son, Jackson Harris. Joey's worried expression only eased when she saw Queenie. She said, "Thank goodness you're okay." Noticing her nephew asleep in Joey's arms, Queenie quickly took the baby to ease her burden. She felt a pang of guilt as she saw Joey's concerned and tired face. She reached out to pull Joey aside to talk, but Joey suddenly winced in pain. Startled, Queenie asked, "Jojo, what's wrong?" She didn't even pull her that hard. Quick to react, Queenie didn't wait for an explanation. She sat Joey down and immediately rolled up her sleeves. Although it was already autumn, the weather was still hot in Espenia. People were still wearing short sleeves and skirts on the street. Joey was afraid of the heat and would never wear long sleeves in such weather unless she was hurt. Sure enough, as Queenie rolled up Joey's sleeves, she saw the dark purple bruises on her arm. "Jojo, what happened?" Queenie's heart ached at the sight of several distinct marks indicating Joey had been beaten. "Did he hit you again?" Joey quickly pulled her arm back and rolled her sleeve down. She stubbornly shook her head. "No, I just bumped into something. Don't worry, I'm fine." Queenie knew Joey well. She rarely shared her problems with someone else, and even after Queenie noticed the bruises, she still denied them. "Jojo, are you just going to keep enduring this? What happened this time?" Queenie felt utterly sad. Joey was like her mother. She couldn't bear to see Joey's in-laws treat her this way. She had repeatedly wanted to confront Joey's in-laws, but Joey always stopped her. She said it would only make things worse. More importantly, Joey still had to live with them. They were both too weak to fight back against Joey's in-laws. They might even give Joey a harsher treatment. This time, Joey's mother-in-law got wind of Hanson and Stacy demanding 600 thousand dollars for Queenie's marriage. They began judging Joey for this. Not wanting to burden Queenie with her problems, Joey changed the subject. "You told me yesterday that you got married. Is that true? You're not just making that up to make me feel better, are you?" "Jojo, come on!" Queenie knew Joey would never fill her with negative thoughts. Right now, her marriage was the only thing that could comfort Joey. Hence, she told Joey about everything that had happened yesterday. After listening to her story, Joey grew even more concerned. "So, you don't know this person at all? Isn't that even riskier?" "At least he's not one of those men from Stacy's village. Plus, he's steady, accommodating, and even gave me money!" Queenie suddenly remembered and took out the black card Joshua had given her last night from her bag. Joey felt reassured after seeing the card and said, "I've only seen these black cards with gold edges online. It must be for VIP clients. He must be wealthy." Queenie didn't care much about that. Putting the card away, she responded, "No matter how much money he has, it's all premarital assets. I'll keep track of every cent I spend on this card. I don't want anyone thinking I'm taking advantage." Queenie had seen too many marriages ruined over money. Her father used to squabble over every dollar for snacks, and Joey was once scolded by her husband for giving Queenie 100 dollars as pocket money. Hence, Queenie became sensitive to money. Joey agreed with Queenie's approach. No matter why they got married, they couldn't let their spouse look down on them because of money. Otherwise, life would just get harder, like it had for Joey. "Do you know what he does for a living? He lives in such a nice place and even gave you his card," Joey asked, looking at Queenie. Have you checked how much money is on the card?" Queenie shook her head and answered, "I don't want to pry into his personal affairs, and checking his balance feels disrespectful. I'll use it as little as possible. I have my own money. Jojo, make sure you keep the money I gave you last time. Don't let them know about it." Joey nodded. She was relieved that Hanson and Stacy hadn't traded Queenie for money.