CHapter 18

Chapter 18

Yvonne was fuming and green with envy as everyone fussed over Noella, checking on her.

Despite being a daughter of the Schnabel family too, why couldn’t she get the same VIP treatment?

Noella was thoroughly checked over by the family from head to toe.

Tristan, spotting Yvonne still standing there, waved his hand dismissively and said, “Yvonne, your sister’s back, You can hit the road now.”

Yvonne swallowed back her tears, reluctantly dragging herself away.

This was all Noella’s fault!

Why did she have to come back and steal everything from her?

Yvonne bolted straight for Ashlyn’s hospital room and as soon as she entered, she collapsed beside Ashlyn, crying her eyes out.

“Grandma, what did I do wrong? I saw Noella getting kidnapped and rushed back to tell Mom and Dad, and I even busted my phone, but they didn’t believe me and kicked me out!”

2

Ashlyn’s eyes snapped open, the sparkle of vitality shining in them.

“You’re saying Noella was kidnapped?”

“Yeah, and I saw those thugs touching her all over, stripping her clothes off…”

A look of disgust and agitation flashed across Ashlyn’s eyes. She frowned and said slowly, “We. the Schnabel family don’t want a tainted granddaughter. Yvonne, remember, you are the only granddaughter of the Schnabel family, got it?”

Yvonne was over the moon!

“But what about Mom and Dad…”

“I’m not dead yet. I call the shots in the Schnabel family.”

Ashlyn patted Yvonne’s hand, her face wrinkling into a smile. “You need to secure that marriage arrangement with the Pollack family. Once you marry in, you’ll always be the Schnabel family’s one and only daughter!”

light bulb went off in Yvonne’s head!

Right, the marriage deal with the Pollack families!

She grew up in the Schnabel family, groomed to perfection as a lady of high society. Once Mr. Pollack laid eyes on her, he’d surely see she was the perfect match.

How could Noella, a country bumpkin, compete with her?

Once Yvonne became Mrs. Pollack, both the Schnabel and Pollack families would be hers!

13:14

Chapter 18

“Grandma, I’ll do my best. I’m going to visit Grandpa Sexton right away! As long as Grandpa. Sexton takes a shine to me, Mr. Pollack will know I’m the right choice, and I won’t let your down.”

Ashlyn smiled, satisfied. Yvonne was a gift from the heavens, always so sweet and empathetic since she was a child. As for Clara and Noella, neither were fit to be her granddaughters!

Imperial West Hospital

No sooner had Noella entered the hospital than she received an encrypted call from an island.

“Boss, a new batch of hitmen has arrived. Something feels off. The Cerulean Whale has been. making big moves lately. I heard they’ve hooked up with the Toxic Monarch from the deep. web.”

The Toxic Monarch, a drug lord lurking in the darkest corners of the deep web!

Controlling the largest poppy fields In the area and a private army, topping the international police’s most–wanted list, always shrouded in mystery.

Noella frowned slightly. “No wonder the Cerulean Whale is going nuts, looks like they want to expand their turf in Harmonia Country. Use my account to tip off the international cops, and give ‘em this intel on the house.”

“Got it.”

After hanging up, her message alert started blinking.

It was Vocalist.

[Toxic Monarch and Cerulean Whale are teaming up. Imperial West Hospital’s got some staff on the take, so watch your six.]

Noella was confused.

Why’s he feeding her this intel?

Got an addiction to being the bearer of bad news?

Getting this kind of scoop usually meant tapping into the core assets of their respective powers, and here Vocalist was, handing over his findings on a silver platter, making Noella’s cheeks burn.

As she walked into the hospital room, Noella heard Marcel’s loud ranting. “Don’t you dare try backing out of the game, you! Stop playing possum and get up!”

“Grandpa.”

Marcel, with a handful of chess pieces, turned to see his precious granddaughter and broke into a huge grin.

“Come here. Noella, this is Grandpa Sexton.”

2/4

13:1

Chanter

“Hello, Grandpa Sexton.”

Sexton, seeing Noella, immediately forgot about his aching head and back, and sat bolt upright in bed, eyes lighting up at the sight of the girl.

Graceful and beautiful, moving with easy confidence, and what really caught his eye was her captivating presence.

“Great, just great. I’m finally meeting my granddaughter–in–law.”

Noella was caught off–guard.

Granddaughter–in–law?

She composed herself, her eyelashes fluttering like crow feathers, making the dust in the air seem to pause in her gaze. The next second, Noella looked seriously at Marcel.

“Grandpa, something’s off with this room. It wasn’t like this when I came yesterday.”

Marcel was surprised, but if his granddaughter said so, he chose to believe unconditionally.

“Go check it out, I’ll cover for you. Come on, Sexton, keep playing.”

Sexton wasn’t in the mood for chess now, his eyes practically glued to Noella. He was more than pleased! He had some reservations about Yvonne. Sure, she was pretty, but she lacked. depth, not quite fitting the bill as Mrs. Pollack.

As for Elara, Sexton liked her too, but the thought of a bookworm paired with his taciturn grandson gave him a headache.

Noella was perfect!

Carefully, Noella scoured the hospital room, leaving no stone unturned. She once nabbed an arms dealer with her uncanny profiling skills while working with Interpol, earning her the title of honorary comrade–in–arms.

Noella tapped her fingers on the ground, her brows furrowing slightly.

“Grandpa, something’s off here.”

Marcel set aside his chess, threw on his coat, and got out of bed.

There was a floorboard that was obviously hollow. Lifting it revealed a bomb hidden underneath! On the bomb, the countdown timer showed only two minutes left!

Marcel went pale with shock, grabbed Noella, and tried to rush her out. “Move it, this place is bombed, which means outside isn’t safe either. Noella, I can take what comes my way, but nothing better happen to you!”

Sexton, no stranger to dicey situations, nodded in agreement. “Right, run for it, and we’ll cover you!”

Noella didn’t plan to run.

13:14 M

Chapter 18

Did she say she wanted to leave?

“Grandpa, I can defuse this bomb. Let me do it.”

Marcel didn’t hesitate and immediately left the battlefield to Noella, She crouched down, pikked up a pair of scissors from the hospital room, and held her breath as she began inspecting the bomb.

Defusing bombs wasn’t new to her. The one in front of her was a standard 838 pineapple bomb, a type of aerial explosive with a devastating blast radius in a small area,

The modified pineapple bomb could reduce the entire Imperial West Hospital to rubble!

There was a bunch of cotton padding under the bomb. Noella picked it up, turned the tail end over, reached in to remove the T–shaped safety, the tail fins sprung open in an instant, and she quickly inserted the scissors into the squeeze hole.

“Grandpa, it’s done.”

Marcel could barely contain his grin! “Great, great, my granddaughter is so badass!”

Sexton was also relieved and was about to express his joy when he suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed!

Marcel got a fright and was just about to grab the call button when he saw Noella frowning at him, looking serious and concerned.

“Grandpa, we can’t trust Grandpa Sexton to the medics outside. It’s not safe.”

Marcel, having weathered many storms, understood the reasoning. He was just panicked seeing his old buddy go down.

Noella remained composed and spoke calmly, “I can treat Grandpa Sexton.”