Chapter 10 Frenemy
After hanging up, Luke grinned triumphantly. “See? I told you Queenie wouldn’t divorce Vincent.”
“What did she say?” Brian asked, intrigued.
Luke chuckled. “She’s on her way.”
At that, Vincent’s lips curved into a slight smile as he lifted his glass and took a sip.
Vivian’s face changed for a moment, and then she switched to her best friend mode. “Is it really okay for you guys to mess with Queenie like this?”
“Mess with her? We’re helping her connect with Vincent,” Luke replied.
Vivian retorted, “But Vincent has to want that, too.”
Everyone knew Vincent wasn’t into Queenie. They were all here for the drama.
“Hey, that’s not on me,” Luke said, raising an eyebrow in mock innocence.
Brian added, “Exactly. If she hadn’t claimed she saved your life, there’s no way she’d be the one married to Vincent. Vivian, she took your happiness, and you’re still defending her?”
“She’s still my best friend,” Vivian said quietly with a hint of pain in her voice.
Luke scoffed, “Best friend? More like frenemy.”
“You’re in showbiz, Vivian. Don’t be too nice,” Brian warned.
Through all of this, Vincent remained silent, acting as if the conversation had nothing to do with him.
Brian glanced at the time and smirked. “Eight minutes already. Looks like you lost this round, Luke.”
Luke started to get frustrated. “What’s up with Queenie today? She never takes this long.”
Two more minutes passed, and Queenie still didn’t show up. After another ten minutes, she was still absent.
“What’s going on? Is she really not coming?” Luke asked.
“No idea,” Brian whispered.
At that moment, Luke and Brian didn’t even dare to speak loudly. The tension in the room was thick. Vincent’s cold presence made them uneasy. They exchanged nervous glances with him and quickly fell silent.
Vivian tried to defend Queenie. “You know she doesn’t have a car, and it’s not easy to catch a ride this late.” Everyone knew it was a weak excuse, but they nodded along anyway.
Vincent, frustrated, downed his drink in one gulp, slammed the glass onto the table, and left the private room without a word. The atmosphere was so tense that no one dared to make a sound.
*****
Queenie drove home, parked her car in the underground garage, and took the elevator to the first floor.
As soon as she stepped out, Linda’s sarcastic voice greeted her. “Well, look who finally decided to come home. A housewife who’s always out? What kind of housewife are you?”
Queenie shot her a glance. “Are you talking about yourself or me?”
“Seriously? You think you can compare yourself to me? Who do you think you are?” Linda snapped.
Queenie replied calmly, “Well, I can’t compare to you indeed. We’re not on the same level.”
“At least you know your place,” Linda sneered, a smug smile on her face. But when she realized what Queenie meant, her face turned bright red with anger. “Queenie, you bitch. Did you mock me?”
Queenie was already upstairs by then.
‘She was always respectful to me, but now she actually stands up to me and even insults me,’ Linda thought, finding it hard to cope with such a sharp shift in Queenie’s attitude.
Queenie closed her door and ignored Linda completely.
For Linda, it felt like hitting a pillow. Her anger had nowhere to go, and it drove her mad.
Queenie turned on some music, started taking off her makeup, and let the music block out everything outside.
She didn’t bother picking Vincent up because she knew it was another prank. Vincent didn’t respect her or love her. His friends treated her like a toy, enjoying every moment she embarrassed herself.
After Vivian’s return, there had been countless calls like today’s over the past two years, asking Queenie to pick Vincent up.
Each time, she would rush over, only to find a room full of laughter. She would stand there feeling like a fool, helpless and humiliated.
That was favoritism at its finest. Linda adored Vivian, and even the son Queenie carried for nine months always seemed to cling to Vivian. Even Vincent’s friends took Vivian’s side and defended her.
In the end, it all came down to Vincent’s attitude. Whoever he cared about, everyone else followed suit.
Queenie wiped off her makeup, took a shower, and climbed into bed.
*****
When Vincent arrived home, he quickly noticed a plain BMW parked in the underground garage. There was no way such a basic car would ever be in his space.
He remembered that Queenie had spent over 400 thousand on her card, so he figured it had to be her new ride.
‘She actually bought a car?’ Vincent thought. His mood soured instantly, his expression turning icy like a winter day.
“Vincent, you’re back!” Linda called out as she approached him.
Vincent scanned the area. “Where’s she?”
“Huh?” Linda paused and then realized who Vincent meant. She grumbled, “Oh, you mean Queenie? She’s upstairs. She came home and went straight to her room. She’s been out early and back late lately, taking this place as a hotel.”
“When did she get back?” Vincent asked.
Linda was a bit stunned by his concern and muttered, “She’s been back for a while, at least an hour.”
Vincent’s expression turned serious and cold as he headed upstairs.
Linda found it strange that Vincent suddenly cared about Queenie. ‘When has he ever shown interest in her?’ she wondered.
Vincent opened the door to Queenie’s room.
Queenie was lying in bed, scrolling on her phone. She glanced up briefly when Vincent walked in.
Vincent felt a wave of irritation at her lack of concern. His voice was cold as he asked sharply, “Why didn’t you come?”
“The same old game. It’s not fun anymore, don’t you think?” Queenie replied, her tone so nonchalant that her words hit him like an invisible slap.
Vincent let out a low, cold laugh, took off his jacket, and slowly approached her. “If you think your game is more entertaining, then I’ll play along.”
“Vincent, what are you doing?” Queenie asked, her face taut.
Vincent leaned in, pinning Queenie down beneath him, his gaze intense. “Isn’t this what you wanted?”
“I’m on my period. It’s not a good time,” Queenie said firmly.
Vincent smirked at her.
Queenie could tell he didn’t buy it for a second.
Vincent leaned in and kissed Queenie hard, not giving her a chance to resist.
Queenie could barely breathe under his kiss.
Vincent was anything but gentle. Every kiss was rough and passionate.
It had been two years since they had had sex, and her body was hypersensitive due to the long separation. With their divorce looming, she had no desire to let him touch her again.
But her body reacted before she could control it. “Don’t, Vincent,” she gasped.
“Don’t?” Vincent smirked. “You seem to enjoy it, don’t you?”
To Queenie, his words were humiliating. He tore her shirt open, causing a chill to rush over her, making her shiver.
