The Killer Queen

Ashlyn was rushed to the hospital right on the spot.

Calvin packed up his medical gear and turned to the waiting Yvonne. “No biggle, the old lady’s just dealing with her usual issues. A few days of R&R, and she’ll be as good as new.”

Hearing Calvin say she was okay, Ashlyn slowly cracked open her eyes.

Playing sick was an old trick up her sleeve, and she just couldn’t believe that Tristan wouldn’t come running with his boys to apologize. When that happened, she would take the chance to send Yvonne back to the Schnabel family and keep that jinx in check.

Yvonne, almost too excited to speak, saw Calvin and was over the moon!

This was someone one would only hear about in the news. She never tagged along when Ashlyn saw the doctor before, so this was a first.

“Professor Calvin, I’m Yvonne, the granddaughter of the Schnabel family. I’m also into medicine. Would you consider taking me on as your apprentice?” Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

Calvin chuckled. “First time meeting the granddaughter of the renowned Mr. Marcel. Didn’t expect you to be into medicine, too.”

Yvonne shyly said. “Yeah, my grandparents aren’t in the best of health, and I want to study medicine to take good care of them.”

She hid a hint of resentment in her eyes.

It was all because Marcel told her to stay in her lane and not to dream about fighting over the Schnabel family fortune with the four sons, forbidding her to study business and finance and pushing her towards medicine instead.

She just couldn’t fathom why she, also a Schnabel kid, got the short end of the stick when it came to inheritance.

If she could stick close to Calvin, the whole Schnabel family would see she was the real deal!

Ashlyn snickered. “Yvonne’s my only granddaughter. If she could learn from you, Professor Calvin, I’d be content.”

The Schnabel sons were all quite the catch, and Calvin figured the daughter wouldn’t be far behind. He readily agreed, “Alright, Yvonne can shadow me for now, and if she’s got the chops, I’ll personally mentor her.”

Yvonne’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Thank you, Professor Calvin!”

Calvin asked, “Have you published any core international papers or led any major research projects?*

Yvonne was speechless.

Chap

What was that?

She didn’t even bother with regular classes, let alone have time for research. Couldn’t she just buy her way into that kind of thing?

Seeing her awkward expression, Calvin immediately got the picture–this girl was all show and no substance.

Too bad, since the Schnabel sons were all brilliant, and he was hoping to take on an apprentice like Ulrich.

“I’ve got rounds to make. Contact me in a couple of days.”

“Will do!”

At Imperial West Hospital, Special Convalescent Ward

“Marcel, you’re holding up alright. Keep up the exercise.” Calvin grinned at the old man resting in bed.

“Getting old. My granddaughter’s coming later to take me out for some sun.”

Marcel’s face lit up with a warm, grandfatherly smile at the mention of his granddaughter.

As Calvin stepped out, he bumped into Palmer, who was there to see his grandpa Sexton.

“Mr. Calvin, how’s my grandpa doing?”

Calvin handed him a medical report. “All vitals are stable, but his blood pressure’s a bit high. Needs to watch his diet.”

Palmer took the report and carefully went over it. “Thanks, Mr. Calvin. I’ve looked into that prescription issue. Could you come with me for a moment?”

That prescription issue was a thorn in Calvin’s side. After all, the patients here were big shots, with even bigger shots recuperating upstairs, and they couldn’t afford any mistakes, let alone a fatality.

Calvin quickly followed Palmer. “I’ve got some freshly roasted coffee beans in my office. Honor me with your presence, Mr. Pollack.

Inside the office, the air was thick with the aroma of six–figure coffee beans.

“That incident is tied to the Cerulean Whale, a deep web hitman organization. They colluded with someone inside the hospital to tamper with your prescription. The culprits have been caught.”

Calvin was shocked. “Foreign forces?”

5

Palmer nodded, sipping his coffee. “The elderly here are high–profile targets. A lot of foreign eyes are on them. Marcel’s attack was also their doing.”

Calvin broke into a sweat. “Got it, thanks, Mr. Pollack, I hear you’re engaged to the Schnabel granddaughter?”

Palmer looked up with a smile. “Mr. Calvin, you’re not one for gossip, so what’s with bringing this up?”

Calvin hesitated, recalling Yvonne’s beautiful but shallow and uninspired face, especially those eyes filled with self–interest, which just made him uneasy.

“If you trust my judgment, Mr. Pollack, Ms. Schnabel is not the right match for you.”

Someone like Palmer would definitely have a woman who complimented him well, and Yvonne just didn’t fit the bill.

Palmer was surprised but just smiled gently, holding his coffee, and said no more.

As night fell, the thick darkness cloaked the city’s edges.

The blade unsheathed and pressed against the vulnerable throat of the hitman.

Noella’s voice was cold. “Where’s the head of Heartfelt Orphanage?”

Åstonishment filled the hitman’s eyes.

How did she know they took the orphanage head?

“Wise Fool, you think you can get away with this? Cerulean Whale will soon replace your organization!”

The three major deep web hitman organizations–Obelisk, Abyssal, and Cerulean Whale–were rivals and checks on each other.

As the hitman fell, Noella rubbed her wrist and walked into a nearby underground fight club.

“Knock him dead!”

“Go, Cheetah! Take out that clueless guy!”

The crowd was going wild, and up on the stage, the fighters in the octagon were throwing punches straight for their opponents‘ vital spots.

The fight club owner bowed before Noella. “Boss, someone’s called you out to fight, offering up a cool 60 mil.”

Noella shook her head. “Head to the message room. I’m not stepping up to the ring today.”

“Right this way, please.”

Inside the underground fight club was the Imperial City’s biggest information trading post, where news was auctioned off to the highest bidder.

With a mask on, Noella sat in the VIP section, eyeing the auctioneer on stage, introducing the latest scoop.

S/E

13:12

“Kicking off this piece of intel about the international crackdown on the deep web, we’re starting at 50 grand.”

Every year, international outfits would try to throw the net over the deep web, where arms. dealers, smugglers, and hit squads were notoriously listed.

Noella wasn’t biting this one.

If the Obelisk Organization could be snuffed out that easily, it would’ve been history by now.

In the end, the intel sold for 60k.

“Next up, we’ve got something from 18 years back at Tandy Hospital, starting at a million bucks.”

The place erupted!

“What kind of news is worth a million? The last piece about the identity of the Sea Shell. syndicate boss went for just half that.”

“Something from 18 years ago? Who’d buy that?”

Noella raised her paddle. “One point five million.”

the crowd was rendered speechless.

Was someone actually forking over cash for this old news? And from the comfort of the VIP section… No, there’s gotta be more to it.

“One point six.”

Noella kept her paddle up. “One point seven.”

The neighboring VIP wasn’t far behind, “One point eight.”

“Two mil.”

“Two point five.”

Noella paused.

Tandy Hospital was that shut–down place next to Heartfelt Orphanage. Who else was interested in Tandy Hospital’s past?

“Two point six.”

The next bid came in. “Three mil.

In the VIP room, Palmer, cool as a cucumber, kept lifting his paddle, upping the ante.

This info meant zilch to him personally, but if Wise Fool was sniffing around Heartfelt Orphanage, she would want this tidbit.

Thinking of that slender, graceful figure, Palmer’s lips curled into a smirk.

13:121

Noella didn’t raise her paddle again.

Who knew how deep this info went? If it was just a few words, she would be throwing her

money away.

The auction house had a strict “no refunds” policy on their intel.

“Three million going once, going twice, sold! Congrats to VIP number nine!”