I searched through my handbag for a while, but the check was nowhere to be found. It hit me then that Julie had touched my handbag earlier just as I was leaving. I immediately tried to call her, only to find that her phone was turned off.

I quickly rushed downstairs, hailed a cab, and went straight to her place. I noticed that she wasn't home yet, so I waited outside. It wasn't long before Julie showed up, looking completely drenched from the rain.

Upon seeing me, Julie immediately sneered. "I figured once you got in Mr. Greene's car, you'd be swept up by the luxury and wouldn't be seen again. You ought to know that being a rich man's wife isn't easy, Queenie. Those people will use you up until there's nothing left.

"I never noticed before how little integrity you had, selling yourself for money. It's a good thing that you have me here by your side. I'll show you the right way to live and what it means to be a person of real honor."

I wasn't in the mood to listen to her ramblings. I went right up to her and asked, "Is the check with you?"

Julie's expression faltered slightly before returning to calm. "What check? Why would I have a check that wasn't even meant for me?"

I knew her far too well to be fooled, able to tell right away that she was lying. I took out my phone and pretended to call the police, saying, "In that case, since the check is missing, someone must have stolen it. I'll just have to call the police, then."

I barely finished my sentence when Julie suddenly snatched my phone away in a panic. "What's the big deal? Why are you calling the police over something so trivial?

"That check was never supposed to be yours, anyway! Do you even know what kind of trouble you're getting yourself into? You're just setting yourself up for disaster!"

I merely snorted in response, knowing that my family would be done for without that check. I held out my hand and demanded, "You'd better hand over the check, Julie. Otherwise, I'm calling the police."

Julie, though exposed, didn't even show the slightest hint of shame. Instead, she bristled with indignation, asking, "You don't seriously think I took that check for myself, do you?"

I cocked my brow and asked, "Why did you take it, then?"

Julie looked at me, pretending to be disappointed. "I was only trying to keep you from going astray, Queenie! I mean, we might be poor, but we're not without honor.

"Dignity and integrity are more important than anything in this life. What's the difference between selling yourself for money and being nothing more than a shell of a person? We—"

I cut her off mid-sentence and thrust my hand into her coat pocket.

Julie frantically held onto the check, refusing to let go. "You've completely lost your mind over money, Queenie! You'll stay lost in your delusions forever if I don't step in!"

She then moved in a flash, ripping the check to shreds. "You'll finally be able to think straight now that the check is gone! You can't just lose all sense of right and wrong for money, Queenie!"

I saw a flicker of satisfaction crossing her eyes after she tore the check. Julie thought that she had won and left me with nothing, but she couldn't have been more wrong.

It was from that day onward that Julie kept calling and texting me, using every excuse imaginable to pressure me into getting an abortion.

In the meantime, she was also busy doing something else—building up her "holier-than-thou" persona on social media, all while making sure I couldn't see it by blocking me.

It was Connor who told me about this. There Julie was, telling me to keep my distance from him, all while secretly following him on social media behind my back as my "best friend".

Julie's posts were mostly pictures of her hard at work at her desk, with captions full of positive platitudes. "Never lose your dignity, even when you're poor and exhausted. Build your own future, and do not give in to temptations! You can do it! You can be the main character of your own story!"

Connor then forwarded me surveillance footage from his company. It showed Julie waiting for a long time outside his company until he finally came out. She then walked up to him, only to twist her ankle in her high heel, tumbling straight into his arms.

She immediately pulled away with her head held high, saying, "You'd better not think you can use money to get to me just because I'm Queenie's friend. You ought to know that even if we're poor, we still have our pride—we won't sell our dignity for money!"

Connor stared at Julie with an expression reserved for a fool before snapping, "Security!"

I couldn't help but burst out laughing after seeing that.

It was a week later when Connor dropped by my place to check on me.

I had no idea how Julie found out about it, but she soon also showed up at my place and launched into an impassioned tirade.

"Have you come to your senses yet, Queenie? You can't keep this baby—it's a result of a terrible mistake! If you go through with this, I can't be your friend anymore, and you'll be a source of shame to everyone you know!"

Upon seeing that I was ignoring her, Julie headed straight for Connor. With a glint flashing in her eyes, she pulled the same stunt again, stumbling forward and falling directly into Connor's embrace.

I didn't miss the brief, triumphant glint in her eyes.

However, Connor merely stepped to the side, causing Julie to fall to the ground and wince in pain. She looked up at Conor with a delicate, fragile expression, tears glistening in her eyes as she bravely held them back.

"You can rest assured that even though my family doesn't have much and that you're a rich heir, I'm not going to try to get money out of you for this tiny scrape. I may be poor, but I still possess my dignity!"

Connor stared down at her, saying coldly, "I have an excellent lawyer who is good at handling staged-accident scams. Do you care to see for yourself?"

Julie's expression froze before she scrambled to her feet and hurried to my side. "You can't accept handouts like this! Otherwise, you'll completely lose your self-respect! What matters most in this life is your reputation and your dignity, Queenie.

"You see, poverty is no excuse to abandon one's principles. I've already scheduled an appointment with the doctor for you, so please trust me on this."

I had heard that same speech so many times that I was sick of it. I merely responded with a dismissive nod and ushered her out.

In the days that followed, Julie pulled out all the stops—pressuring me to end the pregnancy and parading her so-called integrity in front of Connor.

I was in the middle of packing my belongings when Julie suddenly called. "Haven't you realized your mistake yet, Queenie? When are you going to get the abortion? I'll come along with you."

"That won't be necessary since I'm going abroad."

Upon hearing that, Julie immediately started making her own assumptions. "I get it now! You're worried that the Greene family might come after you if you stay in Caledonia, right? Is that why you're planning to go abroad to get rid of the baby?"

I merely replied with a noncommittal hum, and she immediately brightened up. "That's great, Queenie! As poor as we are, we still have to hold on to our integrity and not let ourselves be manipulated by the rich! I'll help you find a lawyer to take Connor—that bastard—to court once you return!"

I could tell by her voice that she was thrilled, but she had no idea that I was actually going abroad to have the baby.

Thanks to Connor's arrangements, I was soon out of the country, where I spent my days relaxing, eating, and sleeping. Thus, as the days went by, I finally gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

I handed over the baby to the Greenes once I received 60 million dollars in my bank account and made arrangements to return to Caledonia to see my parents.

I had just returned to Caledonia for a few days when Connor sought me out again. He explained that the childcare expert had recommended that a baby needed to bond with its mother from the start, so he dragged me to the shopping mall to buy baby supplies.

However, upon leaving the store, I received a message from Julie. "When are you returning to Caledonia, Queenie? I've already found you a lawyer, who will make sure Connor gets the longest prison sentence possible!"

I didn't bother to text her back, but as luck would have it, we ran right into her when we turned around. Julie was clinging to the arm of a hefty man with a protruding belly, her other hand flaunting several shopping bags plastered with flashy designer logos.

Upon seeing us, Julie's expression twisted with panic. She hurried over, her gaze flicking back and forth between Connor and me, as well as the baby stroller at our side.

Then, in a fit of frenzy, she grabbed me by the throat and shrieked, "You said you had an abortion, Queenie! Where did this child come from?"