The Killer Queen

Ashlyn huddled on the hospital bed, her body trembling like a leaf in the wind, while the battered caregiver lay sprawled beside her, stacked like a house of cards, all of them out cold.

Palmer casually shut the door behind him and whispered, “Does your hand hurt? You’ve had quite the workout. Don’t worry about the security cameras, I’ll handle that.”

His role as gatekeeper served a dual purpose, giving Noella room to let off some steam and dealing with any potential threats to her in that room.

Noella glanced up and said coolly, “How thoughtful.”

“Of course. It’s a hitman’s instinct, and part of my duties as your fiancé.” He didn’t see Noella’s outburst as excessive. On the contrary, he thought it was great that she had the chance to cut loose. “It’s a decent stress reliever, too.”

Noella looked at him, speechless.

Was he really suggesting she attacked Ashlyn just to blow off some steam? Or did he not see any issue with her hitting Ashlyn at all?

Handing over the divorce papers to Major Garnett, Noella said blandly, “Some folks might come sniffing around for Ashlyn in the next few days. If it’s not too much trouble, could you hang onto them for me?”

Major Garnett, looking at the divorce agreement, felt like he’d struck gold!

Ms. Noella was his lucky star, and he could hardly refuse her anything. “No trouble at all! Anyone who comes looking for Ashlyn will be detained and delivered straight to you, Ms. Noella!”

“Much appreciated.”

Major Garnett smiled warmly, his eyes shining brightly as he glanced at Noella!

Now that was the stature befitting the Schnabel family’s Ms. Noella- graceful, tactful, powerful, and clever. She’d snagged the divorce papers with such ease!

Major Garnett marched out of the hospital with his prized document like a soldier on parade, his excitement palpable.

Palmer took Noella’s hand gently, massaging her wrist, and even brought it to his lips to blow on it as if soothing a child’s boo–boo.

Noella tried to withdraw her hand but found that Palmer gave her no quarter, forcing her to endure his warm, imposing presence.

Marcel’s call came at that moment, and Noella answered it casually.

1/4

10:23

“Sweetheart, all sorted? Did Ashlyn give in? She didn’t give you a hard time, did she?”

“It’s done. I dealt with her.”

“Oh, you ‘dealt with her‘. Wait, what? You dealt with whom? Ashlyn?” Marcel nearly dropped his chess piece in shock.

“Yup, I did. And a few caregivers too.”

Marcel’s jaw could’ve dropped a chicken egg! After a moment, he burst out in frustration.

“Listen, kiddo! How can you go about things this way? Didn’t I tell you to take Palmer with you? Shouldn’t he be the one doing the rough stuff? What if you got tired? Are my precious granddaughter’s hands made for beating up that wretched crone?”

Noella’s gaze turned to Palmer, a hint of amusement in her eyes while listening to Marcel’s

rant.

“Noella, you really need to learn to adapt! When I said to bring Palmer, it meant let him step in when necessary, not to hang around like some lord! That boy doesn’t have a clue! Tired, aren’t you?”

The warmth spread through Noella’s heart. “You aren’t mad at me?”

Marcel chuckled, sharing a knowing look with Merrick beside him. “Silly girl, do you think I don’t know what you and Ashlyn are like? If you hit her, she had it coming! I’m not going to blame my precious granddaughter for dealing with an irrelevant person. And if you ever get tired of Palmer, I’ll even help you pack his bags!”

Noella laughed out loud. She knew Marcel was joking, trying to comfort her, even dragging Palmer into it.

*Just remember to come home for dinner. Don’t worry about the rest; I’m not old yet, I can handle things.”

“Alright, I got it.”

Noella hung up, her face lighting up with a smile.

Palmer ruffled her hair gently, wearing a slightly aggrieved expression. “Looks like Grandpa Marcel is ready to give me a whooping. I’ll need to pick up some peace offerings for tonight!”

He had heard the entire call.

Noella turned her face away, feeling a blush creeping up her cheeks.

Palmer leaned in close, his breath warm on her face. “Come with me to pick out the gifts, will you?”

“No, I’ve got other things to do.”

Palmer didn’t push her. She had plenty on her plate and he had a backlog of work himself, what with Annie borrowed by Ulrich and not yet returned, he was even more swamped.

10:23

“Alright, I suppose you’re bound for the Lunar Lab? I’ll give you a ride and we’ll head home for dinner together.”

“No thanks. I’ll head back on my own tonight.”

Palmer smiled in resignation, a trace of fondness tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Okay, but you know you always lose track of time in the lab. By the time you remember dinner, the grandpas won’t see hide nor hair of you tonight. So, I think it’s best for me to pick you up.”

It was true. Whenever Noella delved into an experiment, she became completely absorbed, only stopping once she obtained results, and then she’d start a new series of tests, as busy as a

bee.

Tonight was Marcel’s first night back, and they were having a family dinner with the Schnabels. She couldn’t be absent.

Thinking back, there were many nights when Palmer had waited for her at the door, under the stars, without a single complaint.

With that thought, Noella’s cheeks flushed a deeper red. “Alright, I’ll wait for you tonight.”

After dropping her off at Lunar Lab, Palmer rested one hand on the steering wheel and lifted Noella’s hand to his lips, leaving a kiss on her knuckles.

“See you tonight.”

With a flourish of grace in every move he made, his actions were the epitome of gentlemanly conduct. His hand–kissing gesture flowed as smoothly as a river, executed with poise and serenity.

Yet, as his lips touched Noella’s hand, she felt a spark of passion so intense, it seemed to linger on her skin.

As Palmer’s car drove off, a few of the lab techs behind Noella started to whistle.

“Whoa there, Mr. Pollack sure is a class act!”

“Hand–kissing? So chivalrous, so elegant. I’m quite smitten myself!” Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

“Cut it out, don’t be gross! Boss, we all think Mr. Pollack’s a catch. When are you gonna… ya

know…”

Phecda mimed a slashing motion across his neck. “Take him out?”

Noella glanced at them coolly. “You want his head? That’s on you, the organization won’t get involved.”

“No, I mean, you should totally make a move! Have you seen the guy’s physique? Chef’s kiss, boss. You’d hit the jackpot, and I bet he would too…”

If they kept this up, Noella would never be able to look at Palmer with a straight face again! “Zip it, back to work! Did any of the equipment that came in last time have DNA monitoring

10-23

capabilities?”

Ivan, with a blade of grass hanging from his mouth, pondered for a moment. “Boss! Don’t tell

me your current family isn’t biologically related to you too! No way, they’re too good to you! It’s not easy to con a family that naive…”

Noella couldn’t help it; she landed a kick squarely on him!

“Out.”

The group scampered off to the lab, each clutching their behinds, fearing another strike.

Noella pulled out some hair samples sealed in plastic bags, each marked with a different name. “Boss, aren’t these from the old lady from the Schnabel family, your grandpa, and your dad? And whose is this one?”

“Yvonne, the old lady’s adopted granddaughter.”