Chapter 82 Paying a Visit
Queenie had been staying at the hospital for two days now. Even though there was nothing wrong with her physically, the mere thought of her being surrounded by onlookers after what had happened the other night was enough to make her want to squeeze into a dark hole in some inconspicuous corner.
Because of the influence Gardner Corporation had, the leaders from Lumore, Goldwick and the cities in between had been amongst the attendees of the banquet. Colton might have prevented the incident from getting to the media, but she still couldn’t hide the fact that she made a fool of herself in front of the important figures in the business world.
They obviously wouldn’t have said anything to her face, but she was sure that they were criticizing her behind her back.
Her tears began to well up at the thought of that.
With her jaw clenched, she threw herself into Lydia’s arms and sobbed uncontrollably. “Mom! I have completely embarrassed myself! I can’t show my face anymore!”
Lydia’s heart ached as she saw Queenie crying in her arms. So, she quickly tried to console her.
“It is fine. Everyone knows you were framed! Furthermore, nothing happened between you and Joseph, right? It will all be okay!”
At that moment, Queenie’s eyes were already swollen and tender from the waterworks. She couldn’t stop the sobs that were making her tremble all over. Out of her fear of criticism, she would never have the guts to take a step out of the house now.
She hated—no—despised Nicole. She never imagined Nicole to be such a vicious woman who would go to such lengths to ruin her!
Just as the mother-and-daughter duo conversed, a sudden knock on the door brought their conversation to a halt.
Queenie quickly wiped the pathetic expression off her face and turned to look at Lydia.
As Queenie’s mother, Lydia quickly understood what her daughter wanted from her gaze alone. “Shush, now,” she gently sighed. “I’ll even the score for you. Good girl. Don’t cry anymore.”
As soon as she was done with her sentence, she got up from her seat and in a slightly raised volume, she gave permission to the visitor to enter the ward.
Joseph, dressed in casual clothes, then entered the room. For someone who was entangled in the same gossip as Queenie, he looked especially well and vibrant.
Honestly speaking, Joseph was an infamous playboy that most people had heard rumors of before. The incident this time might have plummeted Queenie’s reputation, but it did nothing to Joseph’s name as it was already tainted.
When Queenie saw the man, her expression remained unchanged. However, she still looked pitiful with her half-lidded red eyes.
Lydia, however, immediately stood between Joseph and Queenie. She then protectively questioned, “Why are you here, Young Master Joseph?”
Joseph didn’t even bother sparing the older woman a glance as he kept his eyes on Queenie. He had planned to talk to Queenie after she was discharged from the hospital, but his last thread of patience had finally snapped after two whole days of waiting.
“I have a question for you,” Joseph announced without beating around the bush.
Queenie was surprised at first, but she quickly caught on. She then turned to Lydia and requested in a soft voice, “Mom, can you please give us some space? I’d like to have a chat with the young master.”
Lydia was hesitant after hearing her daughter’s plea, but she could only agree when she saw the look on her daughter’s face.
“What the hell happened that night?!” Joseph asked after Lydia had left the room, feeling slightly agitated.
The incident might not have harmed his reputation, but Gardner Corporation would definitely not let him off easy if the truth was ever made known. Queenie was Mrs. Gardner-to-be, after all.
Queenie’s face was still wet with tears as she sniffled. As though she was the victim, she gazed back at the man with her red eyes and asked in return, “What do you think happened?”
Bewildered, Joseph lifted his head to look at Queenie’s sad face. She must have felt wronged for her to ask him that.
The Mann Family might be wealthy, but there was no need at all for Queenie, who had gotten herself acquainted with the Gardner Family, to be with him.
His eyes dimmed thoughtfully for a moment before asking, “Was it Nicole?”
Queenie’s eyes were ablaze at the mention of her sister’s name. “Who else do you think did that?” she spat through gritted teeth.
“But why would she do something like that?” Joseph cluelessly asked again.
The hatred in her eyes was quickly replaced by another piteous mask. She lowered her head and muttered with great difficulty, “Nicole was cast out a few years ago by our father after she had given birth to that bastard child despite being unmarried. She must be back to get her revenge!”
