The Killer Queen

Noella exhaled a long sigh as she looked at the person lying on the bed. “Why are you here?”

Malvina was wrestling with a pile of plush toys on Noella’s bed, distorting the face of a teddy bear with a forceful tug.

“I missed you, sweetie. You hadn’t been home for a while, so I thought I’d wait for you in your room!”

“Spit it out if you’ve got something to say.”

Malvina’s fidgeting had already betrayed her, it was clear she had something on her mind or she wouldn’t be camping out in Noella’s

room.

“I knew I couldn’t hide anything from you!” Malvina pulled out her phone and handed it to Noella. “Got these weird messages a couple of days ago. Someone claims they’ve got a bunch of my mom’s stuff. But it feels off.”

Growing up with the Grubers, a family notorious for living on the edge, Malvina had developed a keen sense for these things. One glance from Arthur, and she knew exactly what to do and say. Her gut told her something was wrong the moment she saw those messages.

After some thought, the only person she felt she could turn to was Noella, so she made her way to the Schnabel’s. After all, Noella was so capable; she was bound to know how to handle the situation!

“Did you look into this guy?”

Malvina would have naturally inquired within the Shadow Dragon Society to find out what was going on. Her mother had passed away when Malvina was just an infant, so whoever had her belongings now should be known to the members of the Shadow Dragon Society who were close to her.

“I did. Turned out to be an ex–member of the Shadow Dragon Society who retired due to age.”

Malvina propped her chin on the stuffed animal, her brows knitting together in thought.

Noella nodded, affirming Malvina’s suspicions. “It’s unusual. If these were truly your mother’s things, those close to her–and now you, as the head of the Shadow Dragon Society–would’ve handed them directly to you. There’s no need for a secret rendezvous.”

Noella gave the phone a shake. “Mind if I use this?”

“Sure, go ahead!” Malvina said generously.

She expected Noella to do something with her phone, but instead watched her bend down and retrieve a palm–sized laptop from under the bed.

Noella deftly used a hairpin from her head to activate a hidden mechanism on the laptop, only then noticing the unusual heft of the pin in her hand. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the hairpin was of the Glassy Type jade, flawless under the light. It was from a piece of jade she had won during a recent showdown at the Gruber estate.

“Hey, that hairpin is gorgeous. Did you buy it recently?”

“Sort of.”

Noella suddenly remembered the night before when she was bandaging Palmer’s wounds. She had noticed numerous cuts on his palms. As an assassin, Palmer faced countless challenges, and injuries

were par for the course, so she hadn’t thought much of it. But now, holding the jade hairpin, she realized Palmer had intentionally tousled her hair last night.

He had actually used the piece of gemstone she had gifted him to craft this hairpin for her!

Receiving a hairpin from Ulrich had delighted her, but holding Palmer’s hairpin now made her feel distinctly different- her heart began to beat erratically for some unknown reason.

Utilizing the hairpin, Noella unlocked the laptop’s mechanism and powered it on.

Fingers flying across the keyboard, Noella’s gaze was steady and focused as she connected Malvina’s phone.

Malvina watched the stream of data on the laptop screen and felt overwhelmed.

What on earth was all this? She couldn’t make heads or tails of it! Was Noella really that amazing? How could she know how to do all

this?

Soon, the data pinpointed a discreet location, and Noella’s eyes narrowed at the address.

“Do you recognize this place?”

Leaning in, Malvina glanced at the screen. “Hey, isn’t that near the old Gruber place?”

Recognizing the familiar address, she remembered it was close to the Gruber family’s former estate.

.

“I think that’s where the gemstone workshops and antique shops are. Must be one of those antique stores.”

“Let’s check it out tomorrow.”

10:43

“Huh? Why tomorrow? Would we be spotted if we went now?”

Noella shot her a look, gathered the laptop and phone, and settled into bed. “Because I need to sleep now.”

After being called to the Pollack Mansion by Annie the night before, she hadn’t found any time to rest during the day. Sleep was what Noella craved most right now!

Next door, at the Pollack Mansion, Palmer looked across to the room where the lights had just been turned off. The spacious villa was now shrouded in silence.

Knowing Noella must have gone to bed, he turned and made his way to the study, Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

The old butler stood by Palmer’s side. *Mr. Pollack, several of our acquisition deals have run into trouble. They need your attention. Mr. Sexton has reviewed them and said it’s those folks stirring up trouble again.”

Palmer nodded, picking up the documents from the desk. The paperwork at home was only a small part, more awaited him at the office.

1 got it. I’m going to rest now. I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”

“Ah? Oh, alright then! Goodnight, Sir!” The butler was taken aback.

Even when sick, Mr. Pollack used to work through the night. He’d even checked financial reports right after surgery! Working non–stop was just how he operated.

The butler had braced himself for a night where Palmer wouldn’t sleep due to the paperwork. Now, Palmer was actually planning to rest! Meeting the butler’s shocked gaze, Palmer said sternly, “If Noella asks, tell her I went to bed and didn’t work late”

The butler’s eyes widened in respect for Ms. Noella across the hall. So, this was all thanks to Ms. Noella’s influence!

It was no small feat that Mr. Pollack, known for working his family like a well–oiled machine, knew when to take a break. Ms. Noella must have been quite the force to reckon with! She was truly the granddaughter–in–law that the old master couldn’t stop singing praises about. If Ms. Noella had become part of the family, imagine the buzz and bustle their home would have had.

The next moming, Noella took Malvina to the spot they had investigated the previous evening. The place was an antique street bustling with shops selling all sorts of gems and jewels.

Noella was sure they had found the right spot as the storefront was heaped with uncut gemstones. “Looks like this is the spot

“I had no idea they opened a gemstone shop after stepping down.”

Malvina wasn’t overly familiar with the ins and outs of the Shadow Dragon Society, but she knew that folks who had dabbled in the underworld often had enemies. To avoid retribution, most wouldn’t dare go into business after retiring. Opening a gemstone shop? That was practically asking for trouble, as it made it all too easy for old foes to track you down.

Noella lifted her chin slightly. “Let’s go in and see for ourselves.”

The shop was filled with stones, and on the counter lay a few pieces of jade, obviously meant to deceive unassuming customers. They were the kind of low–grade goods that looked expensive but were actually filled with resin.

The shopkeeper’s face lit up with a grin when he saw two young and pretty girls walk in.

These types of naive girls were the easiest to con!

With that thought, he looked at them with the same eagemess as a wolf spotting a pair of plump lambs.