The Killer Queen ( Noella Briony ) novel Chapter 208

"Ms. Yvonne, what have you been up to lately?"

Yvonne ached all over; her burns on her leg throbbed with every heartbeat, not to mention the bruises from being tossed out by Ulrich!

"I'm recovering. Didn't you hear about the fire incident that occurred at the Gruber’s? What's with the call at this hour?"

The thought of the Schnabels being so cruel to her, yet all smiles with Noella and Malvina, soured her mood with a mix of bitterness and envy.

Sure, they considered Noella their darling daughter and treated her well, but what about Malvina? She had seen Ulrich speaking to Malvina in hushed, gentle tones! Was it just because she was chummy with that country bumpkin?

The Schnabels never gave a damn about how she felt. If they had, she wouldn't have had to slog over to the Gruber place.

"Ms. Yvonne, were you hurt? Is it bad? Without a bit of elbow grease, you'll lose your spot in the Schnabel family for good!"

Yvonne's anger flared. "When have I ever had a place in the Schnabel family? They've never cared about me!"

Whether it was blood-related Noella or the unrelated Elara, they had the Schnabels' hearts. Their hearts might as well be floating out in the Pacific!

"Ms. Yvonne, go cry on the lady's shoulder, she'll surely take you back."

Sienna?

Yvonne hesitated, torn. "Forget it. Mother doesn't care about me. She only has eyes for that country bumpkin!"

The nanny whispered, "Ms. Yvonne, I'm talking about your birth mother, not Sienna. Sienna is blind to your worth, but your real mother would never reject you."

Duncan had indeed never once mentioned her mother!

Yvonne's spirits lifted. "Do you know my mom? Tell me who she is!"

"I'll give you the lady's number; you contact her. Just explain things to her, she'll surely take pity on you."

Battling the pain in her body, Yvonne was overcome with excitement.

"Alright!"

She hung up and made her way to the hospital where the Gruber family was being treated. However, before she could enter the room, she was stopped by several policemen at the door.

"No entry for bystanders, these are high-risk criminals. Are you a Gruber?"

High-risk criminals?

Yvonne nearly bit her tongue and beat a hasty retreat without another word! She needed to keep her distance from the Grubers, lest they drag her down with them.

Inside the hospital room, Arthur was hanging by a thread, barely pulled back from death’s door, still able to hear the chatter around him. His fingers twitched, desperate to speak, but his throat, clogged with tubes, couldn't make a sound.

The policeman rattled off a list of the Gruber family's crimes, down to the exact dates and details!

Arthur's eyes widened in shock.

They had covered their tracks flawlessly; how could their dark deeds have come to light? Especially with the police knowing such precise details.

"Ah…ugh!"

The police, aware of his condition, packed up their files after their recitation and left with the attending doctors.

Arthur caught their parting words.

"He's got a ton of Nourishment Pill residues in his system; he probably can't help with the investigation now. He doesn't have long. Better he dies here than facing a firing squad."

"Miss!"

Malvina smiled, eyeing the jacket in her hands. "If I'm still breathing, make sure I get to the hospital where Dr. Schnabel works. His skills are the only ones I trust to save me."

Malvina's expression was cool and detached, as if the impending challenge was of little concern to her, and as if she had steeled herself for what was to come. Her demeanor was unnerving, enough to give anyone the jitters.

Knowing Malvina's stubborn streak rivaled that of the old boss, her associate didn't bother with further attempts to dissuade her and simply nodded before departing.

Once alone, Malvina quickly fished out her smartphone and dialed Noella's number. "Noella, darling! It's a code red situation! I need a lifeline! Those goons want me to step into the ring next door, throw punches in some shady fight club, and only if I win, they'll listen to me. But I don't know the first thing about fighting! What if I get clobbered? Can you imagine how ugly I would look?"

Noella stayed silent for a moment before asking, "The underground fight club near South Flora Storage?"

"Yes! Little ol' me is about to meet my maker, Noella! Does the Schnabel family have any connections there? Maybe someone could go easy on me during the fight, pretty please?"

Someone was appearing carefree on the surface but a complete mess on the inside.

Noella glanced at a notification on her phone; there was a post on an underground fight club forum calling her out by name, with a tempting reward on the line.

"Hold tight, I'm on my way. I'll take you there to scope it out."

"Oh my stars! The Schnabel family really does have someone in there? That's just peachy!"

Relieved, Malvina felt hope once again.

Noella pocketed her phone and glanced at the dark sky. The Schnabel family had already turned in for the night, and exiting through the main door would wake them.

She deftly swung herself over her balcony railing, slipping into a hoodie to blend into the shadows, vanishing into the night.

As she executed her silent descent, an unexpected thought of Palmer flashed through her mind. A sudden and strange fancy struck Noella, that perhaps the sensation of someone spying on her from her own balcony wasn't entirely unpleasant.