CHapter 197

Chapter 197

Grist, are we really taking him to the Polaris Star?” Phecda hesitated, knowing all too well that the place was brimming with so many of their secrets. It didn’t seem right to let Palmer in on it all

Noella surveyed the few club members before her. “You disagree?” she bit back.

Pheoda quidity raised his hand in acquiescence, “You’re the boss, and that’s your call!”

Ivan stepped forward and hoisted Palmer onto his shoulder, “Let’s hit the road then. If the boss trusts him, who are we to argue?”

As if on cue, Nolan drove up in a pickup truck, “Hop in! We’ve made too much noise here; someone’s bound to show up soon.”

The truck’s bed was spacious enough, and Noella instructed Ivan to lay Palmer down carefully, then checked his pulse herself.

Ihan frowned. “Boss, that Vocalist is real man. To think he carried you through that jump. with such heavy injuries. I was watching from across the way and thinking he was

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While aiding Noella in stemming Palmer’s bleeding, Phecda couldn’t help but complimented. “No kidding. The guy stood his ground and said some tough things so I thought he was just fine. But look at my hand–blood everywhere.”

From their vantage point in the opposite building, they had watched Palmer, so calm and collected that they assumed he was unharmed.

The rope van had thrown was snatched up by Palmer in a single grab, and with their boss in his arms, he’d leaped out with such grace and precision.

Who would have known he was injured?

“No vital hits, but he’s lost a lot of blood. These back wounds are nasty; they need. attention. We’ll take care of it back at the Polaris Star.”

Noelle breathed a sigh of relief, her gaze lingering on the unconscious Palmer.

Why hadn’t he mentioned a word about his injury?

The scent of blood was overpowering, and Palmer had masked his pain all too well in front of her. She had suspected his injuries but never imagined they were this severe.

Had she known about the extent of his wounds, she would never have let him jump first.

Phecda glanced at the laptop, “Boss, Ulrich headed to South Flora Storage. Good thing we left when we did.”

Noella nodded. Her face was icy and revealing a little bit of her lethal intent.

The Gruber family and Westwood Mercenary Corps won’t be out anymore. She claimed:

Ivan rubbed his hands together eagerly. “Are we moving against the Gruber family? Do we handle it ourselves or get in touch with the Schnabel family?”

We’ll handle it. I want to wake up tomorrow to the news of the Gruber family’s bankruptcy.”

The Polaris Star had enough corporate firepower to bankrupt the Gruber family, and with enough enemies waiting in the wings, others would take care of the aftermath once the Grubers were down on their luck.

Noella whipped out her phone and dialed a secure number from across the ocean.

At the base of the black tower, Xavier was in the midst of feeding a few unlucky souls to the sharks. The blood in the water had the predators circling, their scent thick in the air.

The sight of the incoming call changed his ferocious look into an obsequious one, “Noella, hey. What’s the situation?”

“Need a favor. The Westwood Mercenary Corp will be done. My people can’t make it to Lockhart Prison right now. Can you handle it?”

“A favor? No problem at all, my dear. I’ll take care of it! Did they cross a line with you?”

“That they did,” Noella replied coolly.

“I’ll let you know how it goes!” After hanging up, Xavier gestured nonchalantly, and the remaining captives were fed to the circling sharks, painting the sea red.

“These guys were with Westwood too, and I’ll snap a photo for Noella,” he said to himself. Noella, looking at the macabre image on her phone, rubbed her temples in frustration.

“Westwood’s taken care of. Get the Gruber family to fall apart.”

“Will do!”

Back at Polaris Star’s posh estate in Imperial City, Ivan deposited Palmer in Noella’s private lab, raised his hands in surrender, and quickly excused himself.

“Boss, this is your man; your problem! We’re not sticking around for when he wakes up and goes ballistic. See ya, Boss! You’ve got this!”

Echoing the sentiment, Phecda raised his hands in mock surrender, “Yeah, we heard from the Abyssal Organization that Vocalist is a real clean freak. Best you handle this, Boss. After all, we’re not the ones married to him. It’s only proper!”

Nodding in agreement, Nolan chimed in, “Boss can take care of his wounds by herself. We’ve got the Gruber family to deal with. Hurry up, Boss, his injuries can’t wait.”

Noelle watched her subordinates scatter without giving her a second glance as they left her alone with Palmer. She sighed, contemplating the need to tighten Internal discipline.

Otherwise, these cheeky brats would get too big for their boots!

Taking a deep breath, Noella began to unbutton Palmer’s shirt, revealing his well–toned torso beneath. His body bore so many scars, old and new–maybe they were just marks of missions past.

Carefully, she peeled the shirt away, but her hand was suddenly caught in Palmer’s firm grip.

His oceanic eyes were almost threatening to engulf her as he cracked open, “Are you taking advantage of me while I’m down?”

“Just treating your wounds,” she replied, “you’re hurt.”

Palmer’s hold on her slender wrist was commanding, yet his eyes were dripping his predatory nature.

“Are you planning to bankrupt the Gruber family?” he asked.

“Isn’t that what you planned?”

He released her wrist, allowing Noella to continue undressing him without resistance.

“Absolutely. I’m on it already. But so are the Schnabels. You might just see the Grubers hit rock bottom sooner than expected.”

If the Pollacks and Schnabels join forces, the Grubers won’t stand a chance to catch their

breath.

Noella dabbed at Palmer’s wounds with an alcohol swab, her touch gentle but deliberate.

“You’ve got a lot of scars.”

“Sorry if they scare you. Most of them are from few years ago.”

Noella frowned slightly at the deepest gash, “How’d you manage to get hurt today?*

“They had me outnumbered, and I got sloppy.”

“You’re lying.”

Knowing Palmer’s cautious nature, he wouldn’t have gone to South Flora Storage after realizing people from his Abyssal Organization were intercepted, not with just a handful

of his own men.

Noella pressed a bit harder, and the sting of the alcohol made Palmer hiss through clenched teeth.

“Easy there–what, trying to trade up to a new fiancé already? I’m not lying. I got a tip that someone had something my mother left behind. They threatened to destroy it if I didn’t

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show. It matters to me, so I went.” Palmer chuckled, shaking his head, “I forgot to tell your that Malvina’s mother was the daughter of the Shadow Dragon Society’s leader, and was a friend of my mom’s. It makes sense she had something of hers.”

He fished a ring from his pocket and placed it in Noella’s hand, “This was my mother’s, her favorite ring. Now, it’s yours.”

“For me? But it’s so important to you. It doesn’t feel right to give it to me.” She said.

Palmer shook his head softly, his gaze on Noella tender and earnest, his voice a warm rumble, “You are the most important person to me now.”