CHapter 72
The Killer Queen
Chapter 72
Yvonne was flipping through the script, and the more she read, the more her fingers itched to jump in.
Stirling, as a Grand Slam Best Actor and a superstar heartthrob, always got his hands on
scripts from topânotch production teams. For someone with her experience, landing a leading. lady role would be a piece of cake.
If Stirling would take her under his wing, she would be strutting around showbiz like she owned. the place!
But she wasnât sure if Stirling would be down for letting her play the lead.
If he agreed, getting some clout would mean the Schnabel family wouldnât look down on her so easily anymore!
Clutching the script, Yvonne walked up to Stirlingâs study with hope in her heart. âStirling, you in there?â
Stirling was deep in discussion with Palmer about how to tackle the Lambert and Rosenberg families. Yvonneâs voice made him frown.
âDonât bother me.â
Yvonneâpushed the door open, looking all pitiful at the entrance, only to catch a glimpse of Palmer chilling on the couch with a coffee!
âPalmer, what are you doing at our place?â
Palmer didnât even spare her a glance; he just picked up the Lambert familyâs personnel files Stirling had prepared and said coolly, âI brought Noella back. Sheâs resting. Ms. Schnabel, keep it down, will you?â
Noella! Always Noella!
âYvonne, what do you want? If itâs nothing, leave. Mr. Pollack and I have business to discuss. and you shouldnât be here.â
Although Stirling wasnât too kind to Yvonne, with Palmer, a third party, in the room, he didnât want to embarrass her.
âStirling, I saw your script downstairs and thought Iâd bring it up. Itâs really interesting. Can I give it a shot and audition for a role?â
Her, acting? Getting into the entertainment industry?
Stirlingâs gut reaction was to shut it down, but seeing Yvonneâs pale face from a recent dunk in the water, coupled with the fact she hadnât eaten all day, looking all kinds of pitiful, he bit back the scolding on the tip of his tongue.
âStirling, just let me have a go; I promise I wonât disgrace the Schnabel family.â
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Stirling pondered. Maybe acting would give her something to do and keep her busy so she wouldnât hassle Palmer and Noella so much. Might keep her out of trouble!
âAlright, but youâre only playing a supporting role. You can be the maid in the script!â
Yvonne was dumbstruck. She wanted to play the leading lady, not end up as a maid!
âStirling, I donât want to play a maid, having to kneel before others; itâs just embarrassing. I want to play the lead!â
Stirling gave her a look, âThe lead? And what makes you think youâre up to it? The lead is already set for the Best Actress. You, a greenhorn with no acting chops, think you can handle a role opposite me?â
Forget handling a role opposite him; Yvonne would tremble just from him giving her an extral glance!
âGet out. Donât push me to lose my temper.â
Yvonne looked at Palmer with tearful, expectant eyes, hoping he would put in a good word for her. But Palmer didnât even give her the time of day.
She left the study clutching the script, only to hear Stirlingâs voice as she stepped out. âDonât sleep here tonight. Go back to Grandmaâs. Noella doesnât like strangers around.â
Yvonneâs tears fell. She was mortified! Even if the house was Noellaâs, it was still the Schnabel familyâs property. Why couldnât she stay?
In the whole of Serene Haven, not even a room was reserved for her! The moment Noella showed up, she became a stranger.
If things kept going this way, she would be booted out of the Schnabel family sooner or later.
$
Yvonne clenched her teeth, looking at the script in her hands. She had to seize more
opportunities for herself. Only by landing the lead could she secure her footing in the Schnabel family and become the future lady of the Pollack family.
Noella padded out of her room barefoot and stepped onto the soft carpet, her dainty feet as charming as porcelain.
She asked, âWhatâs the fuss about?â
Seeing her, Stirling and Palmer both rose to their feet.
Palmer stepped forward, scooped up Noella, and headed to her bedroom, setting her down by the bed and bending down to slip her into her slippers.
âWhy arenât you wearing shoes? Donât catch a cold.â
âIâm not cold.â
Stirling acted as if he hadnât seen anything. After all, the CEO of Pollack Group going out of his
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way to take care of Noella indicated something special. As her brother, even if he was sore about his sister being snatched away, he couldnât exactly scold Palmer in front of her.
Stirling touched his nose and rolled up his sleeves to head downstairs.
âSis, you hungry? Iâll whip something up!â
The kids of the Schnabel family werenât the helpless rich types. In fact, to train them to fend for themselves, Marcel had them roughing it out in military camps from a young age and even surviving on a deserted island. The cooking skills of the Schnabel boys were pretty darn good.
And Stirling was the best cook of the bunch!
Soon, three steaming bowls of chicken soup were served up nice and neat.
Palmer looked at the dining table, his face lighting up with a smile.
âThanks.â
âNo need. You havenât eaten since bringing Noella back, and we canât have people saying the Schnabels mistreat their guests.â
The Schnabels, indeed, had impeccable manners. Even if Stirling couldnât stand seeing Palmer and Noella cozy, his hospitality was spotâon.
The three of them sat down and enjoyed a harmonious and cozy meal together.
âStirling, youâre really letting Yvonne try acting?â
âJust giving her something to do so she wonât be up in everyoneâs business all the time. With her brain, sheâs probably not cutting it at MediCore University. Let her audition and see. If she makes it, fine.â
He was not about to pull strings for Yvonne to get her some connections. Sure, there was no
shortage of nepaliem in showbiz, but Stirling only respected real talent.
âNoella, you interested in the entertainment world too? Want me to set something up for you?â Noella shook her head. âNah, Iâm not into making a splash and being all in the spotlight. Itâs a hassle.â
Palmer knew her styleâshe wasnât one to show off.
âShowbiz is exhausting, both the networking and the acting. Noella should just do whatever she likes, no need to go into acting.â Palmer said.
Stirling actually agreed with him on that. Anything good for Noella, they were on the same
page.
âMr. Pollack, weâve had our meal, time you head back, donât you think?â
Look at how late it was! Didnât the Pollack family teach Palmer basic manners?
Palmer looked at Noella, a sickly sweet smile creeping on his lips. âDo I seem like a stranger to
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you?â
Noella was a bit puzzled and shook her head. âNot really.â
âIf Iâm not a stranger, then surely thereâs no need to rush me out the door, right?â
Stirling was clenching his fists so tight! He managed to keep a friendly smile on his face, holding back the urge to jump Palmer right in front of Noella.
âMr. Pollack, your place is right next door. No need to overstay your welcome, is there? Since when has the Pollack family fallen so low that they need to crash at someone elseâs place?â
Noella picked up on the undertones in Stirlingâs words and glanced at Palmer. âYou should go.â
âAlright, Iâll pick you up tomorrow, weâll head to Grandpa Merrickâs together.â
âOkay.â
Palmer took Noellaâs hand and planted a light goodbye kiss on the back of her hand, grabbed his coat, and left.
Once Palmer finally took off, Stirling nearly cried tears as wide as noodles. He had to tell Beckett that if they didnât do something fast, their little sister might just get snatched away!
âNoella, whatâs Mr. Pollack got to do with us going to Grandpa Merrickâs?â
âGrandpa invited him too. You donât like Palmer?â
Stirling ground his teeth, his face painted with a gentle smile and patted Noella on the head.
âNo, why would I? I canât get enough of him!â
Faced with Noellaâs puzzled, slightly frowning expression, Stirling couldâve slapped himself. âThatâs not what I meant. I mean, if you like him, then I like him!â