CHapter 211
The Killer Queen
Chapter 211
Malvina blinked, not quite catching what Ulrich had muttered under his breath.
Noella craned her neck from the passenger seat to look back at Ulrich and Malvina. âUlrich, you havenât been home for two days, thinking of heading back?â
Ulrich quickly whipped out his phone and used the camera as a mirror. âTalk about professional courtesy, they didnât go for my face! All good then, letâs head back.â
if Sienna saw a bruise on his face, the whole Schnabel family would be up all night worrying!
Once he confirmed his face was unscathed, Ulrich breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Malvina beside him.
âMs. Gruber, you should come too.â
âMe? Really? Itâs so late, and I havenât even brought a gift for Sienna. It doesnât seem right to just show up unannounced.â Noella shook her head. âDonât worry about it, my mom has been asking about you. Sheâs really looking forward to your visit.â
The carâs engine roared to life, heading towards the Schnabel Manor in the Phoenix Tower as the night grew deeper.
No sooner had they left when a car hidden in the reeds followed suit, disappearing into the opposite direction.
At the Schnabel Manor, the Schnabels were all asleep when Noella showed Malvina to the guest room before returning to her own.
No sooner had she stepped inside her room than her phone rang.
Annieâs anxious voice came through the receiver, âMs. Noella, are you awake? Could you please come check on Boss? Heâs not doing so well!â
lightly. âWhere is he?â
Noellaâs brow furrowed slightly.
âHeâs at the Pollack Mansion. He refuses to go to the hospital. Please come!â
âGive me two minutes.â
The Pollack Mansion was just in the Dragon Tower opposite to them. As Noella reached the entrance, she saw Annie, her clothes stained with blood, her face etched with worry.
âMs. Noella! Boss is in his room, III take you to him.â
The Pollack Mansion was a stark contrast to the lively Schnabel Manor, eerily quiet, with the sound of the courtyard fountain echoing clearly.
Pushing open Palmerâs door, the scent of blood hit them h hard.
âWhy hasnât he gone to the hospital?â Noella asked, her frown deepening.
said it was nothing. We couldnât convince him, so we had to find you. Thank goodness you came.â
wrist had come undone, the blood seeping through.
ching Palmer, Noella saw his eyes shut tight, his wounds crudely leaded to out 7385 Foton
âGet the first aid kitâ
Iâll get it right away!â
Annie dashed out and returned to find Noellaâs hand resting on Palmerâs forehead, gauging his temperature.
He was burning up, likely a reaction to his injuries.
Noella reâdressed the wound on Palmerâs wrist and checked the others, most of which were sustained during the South Flora Storage blast
âMs. Noella, Is Boss going to be okay?â
âHeâll be fine once the fever breaks, He should wake up then.â
Relief washed over Annie. Sheâd been on edge all night, and now she could finally relax
Noella looked at her with an imposing air. âCome here.â
Annie instinctively responded, âYes!â
Facing Ms. Noellaâs stern gaze was as unnerving as facing the school principal back in the day. If the situation had been different, Annie might have snapped to attention.
Noella motioned her over. âPalmerâs stable for now. Donât you need those cuts looked at?â
10:55
Chapter 211
Annie froze, having been so wrapped up in worry for her boss that sheâd forgotten about her own injuries- a common occurrence for hitmen. When she called Noella, she had braced herself for questioning. However, she hadnât expected Ms. Noella to be concerned
about her wounds!
Tmâ¦Iâm fine. I can take care of it myself:
With a glance that brooked no argument, Noellaâs eyes spoke volumes. âCome here. I donât want to have to ask twice.â
Annie quickly followed Noella to the guest room, and only when she started to undress did she realize her wounds were stuck to her clothes, causing her to wince in pain.
As Noella cleaned Annieâs wounds, she inquired, âNow tell me, what exactly did Palmer do to get himself injured?â
âWe ran into a gang war at the border. Someone wanted to go out with a bang and planted bombs everywhere. We werenât involved, just happened to pass byâ
Clashes along the border were commonplace, with rival gangs fighting almost daily. But the Abyssal Organization, a topâtier player in the deep web, wouldnât make such amateur mistakes.
It meant that the gang war broke out exactly where Palmer intended to bel
âWhere did this happen?â
Annie hesitated, but meeting Noellaâs piercing gaze, she shivered and finally whispered, âNear the abandoned Polaris Starlab.â
The Polaris Star lab covered a significant area, and it wasnât uncommon for gangs to covet its secrets. Even deserted, the Polaris Starâs reputation stood firm. Who knew what treasures one might find inside?
But if they actually stumbled upon something valuable, Polaris Star wouldnât be the powerhouse it was known as.
âWhy was Palmer there?â
âYou know we took down Cerulean Whale. Boss suspects that his motherâs death has something to do with Polaris Star, so he went to investigate.â
The mystery of Palmerâs motherâs death was a thorn in his side. For years, he hadnât given up on uncovering the truth.
Noella set down the gauze and bandages she had been using to dress the wound. âThere you go. Get some rest now, and donât forget to take your antibiotics,â she said with a gentle, yet firm tone.
Annie blinked back to reality, only then realizing that all of Noellaâs questions had been a clever distraction.
In that moment, Annie couldnât help but marvel at how kindâhearted Ms. Noella was!
âIâll just rest in the guest room. Ms. Noella, if you need anything, just holler!â
âYou can go home. I donât need help here. If Palmer asks, Iâll fill him in.â
Resting in the Pollack Mansion didnât exactly spell comfort. Annieâs injuries were far worse than Palmerâs and demanded a good spell of bed rest.
âGot it! Iâll do whatever you say!â
Noella stood up and gazed around the still and silent expanse of the Pollack Mansion, breaking the hush with a soft inquiry. âHas it always been this quiet around here?â
Annie nodded. âYeah, ever since I joined the Abyssal Organization years ago, Bossâs place has been like this. Sexton would rather stay at the hospital than come back home. Boss has always been lacking company. But ever since you came along, Ms. Noella, Boss has been spending more time here!â
The mansion was so immaculately decorated it could have doubled as a showroom for an interior design firm, utterly devoid of warmth. The Schnabel Manor was always bustling and lively, but here it was eerily silent.
it was because you were
Annie blurted out, âIve caught Boss staring into space in his room so many times. Later, I found out that it
staying in the room right across from his.â
Noella paused for a moment and then nodded at Annie. âAlright, Iâve got it. Y
You head back now, Iâll keep an eye on Palmerâ
âThanks, Ms. Noella, I owe you one.â
After Annie left, Noella pushed the door to Palmerâs room open and stepped inside. As she reached out to check his forehead, her hand was abruptly caught in his grasp.
The man, lost in a groggy haze, seemed barely conscious, mumbling out of habit more than awareness.
âNoella, donât go, stay with meâ¦â