CHapter 122
CHapter 122
Ashlyn was utterly flabbergasted!
In all her years, she’d never been spoken to with such disdain. Who did Noella think she was? Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
“You’ve lost all semblance of a lady speaking to me like this. Do you think Mr. Pollack will still have eyes for you after seeing your true colors?”
Noella’s eyebrow quirked up with a smirk. “Or would he prefer a dried–up old prune like you? I know how I looked like, thank you very much. But have you ever taken a good look at yourself in the mirror? Has anyone pointed out your crooked smile? With that wonky eye, do you drool in your sleep?”
Ashlyn was on the verge of fainting from sheer anger!
Palmer couldn’t help but let a sly grin play across his face. He knew full well that Noella never minced words. Even during their chance encounters at the border, where her face wasn’t fully visible, she could silence an entire crew with her biting wit.
Her prior politeness towards Ashlyn was likely due to her respect for her grandpa Marcel. Without a doubt, his fiancée was the most understanding girl in the world!
“No matter what, I love Noella. She will be the only one for me, forever.” His voice was laced with a tenderness and an elegance that outshone the passage of time, sending a blush creeping up Noella’s cheeks.
How he could say such things with a straight face was beyond her.
Ashlyn was livid upon hearing this, her face turning a shade of crimson so intense she nearly passed out on the spot.
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“You… I’ll tell you this–unless you leave the Schnabel family, I’m not handing over those divorce papers!”
Noella just chuckled lightly.
Childish games? She’d outgrown those by the age of three. She couldn’t believe Ashlyn still played these petty little games.
“It’s you who should leave the Schnabels, not me.”
Ashlyn hadn’t expected Noella to be such a tough nut to crack! “You’re nothing but an embarrassment. Why should you stay with the Schnabels? Someone like you should leave, to bring peace back to the family. I’m doing this for the good of the Schnabels. Sooner or later Marcel will see my true intentions. I’m the one who truly has the Schnabels‘ best interests at heart!”
Noella’s lips slowly curled into a smirk, propping her chin on her hand as she regarded Ashlyn. “So, trying to displace my mother and push your niece into the spotlight is for the family’s good? Are you really that foolish not to know that inbreeding is a bad idea, or do you think your
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niece and my father aren’t closely related?”
Ashlyn, without thinking, retorted, “Of course they aren’t related!”
“Oh, but I thought that was your biologically related niece.” Noella’s face carried a light smile. watching Ashlyn’s last–ditch struggle.
Ashlyn grew frantic. “What are you implying? What are you trying to say?”
“I don’t need to say anything. You asked for me to come, and since you don’t want me to leave, let’s talk about who my father’s real mother actually is.”
Ashlyn’s demeanor visibly shifted to panic. Her gaze flitted nervously, hands instinctively fidgeting with her hair until it resembled a bird’s nest.
“It’s me. It was always me. I’m Tristan’s mother, and with him, Marcel will have to marry me!”
Ashlyn’s mental state seemed to crumble at the mere mention of Tristan’s birth mother.
The caregiver, growing anxious, interjected, “Ms. Noella, please, don’t provoke the patient. She’s still your grandmother. If anything happens to her, can you live with yourself?”
Noella stepped forward, peeling open Ashlyn’s eyelids and inspecting her tongue.
“Pretending to be sick? Not convincing enough. So, my dad isn’t really your child. I had my suspicions, but now I’m sure.”
Ashlyn’s pupils and tongue betrayed her perfect health. While she might eventually succumb to dementia in her old age, it wasn’t happening now. She was just faking it, hoping to stay with the Schnabel family a little longer.
Ashlyn’s eyes snapped back to normal, and she reached out to throttle Noella. If she could just dispose of this troublesome girl, it would pave the way for her Yvonne to marry into the Pollack
family.
However, Noella’s eyes fláshed dangerously at the sight of Ashlyn’s murderous intent.
Before Ashlyn could lay a finger on her, Noella slapped her hand away, the resounding smack accompanied by several teeth flying from Ashlyn’s mouth!
“You dare strike me? Do you wish death upon yourself? I am your grandmother! If my son Tristan sees you hitting me, he’ll kill you!”
Noella rubbed her wrist and threw a punch at the caregiver who was about to come over and help!
Her voice was soft yet chilling. “Sorry, but it was you I meant to hit. I’ve never shield away from throwing a punch. Lately, I’ve been itching for a good fight, and you’re the perfect practice dummy.”
Ashlyn, clutching her face, collapsed onto the bed, torn between fear and fury. “You’ve wanted to hit me all along, haven’t you?”
Cha 123
Noella’s lips curled into a beautiful, innocent smile, her dimples reminiscent of her mother Sienna’s but far more terrifying.
“Right you are. As a reward, I think I’ll indulge in another round.”
Ashbyn was genuinely scared now,
This girl was a madwoman!
“Mr. Pollack, you see this, right? This girl is not worthy of you! Don’t let her deceive you! She’s clearly unhinged–a total lunatic! She can’t marry into the Pollack family, and the Schnabels don’t want a daughter like her! She dares to strike me; what else is she capable of?”
Palmer watched Noella with a light chuckle. “Would my fiancée ever want to hit me?”
Noella frowned in thought, then answered honestly, “Sometimes, I do wonder. I guess I’ll see how you behave.”
Palmer visibly breathed a sigh of relief, his face lighting up with a smile akin to a sun emerging after a storm, as if he had just heard the most comforting compliment.
“That’s great to hear. I’ll make sure to do my best. Leave the outside folks to me. It’s an honor to stand guard for my fiancée.”
He spoke with grace and moved with ease, adjusting his suit as he left without giving Ashlyn a second glance.
Now, only Noella, Ashlyn, and a few burly caregivers remained in the room.
With a menacing glare, Ashlyn snarled, “I couldn’t lay a finger on you with Mr. Pollack here, but now that he’s gone, you think you’re going to have it easy? I’m going to make sure you get what’s coming to you today!”
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Her entourage of caregivers were handpicked for their strength and even had some knowledge of combat techniques!
Noella tilted her head and smiled at her. “Come at me, all of you. I’m in a hurry; Grandpa is expecting me for dinner.”
And more importantly, she had gotten the information she needed and had no time to waste with Ashlyn.
The caregivers encircled Noella.
Ten minutes later.
Noella, rubbing her slightly sore wrists, stood with a caregiver’s face under her foot, looking at Ashlyn who was shivering on the bed.
“Hand it over, or do you want a taste of this too?”
Ashlyn was beyond words!
Was this girl raised on a farm or something? How could she be so strong!
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Noella snatched the divorce papers from her hands, checked them carefully to make sure everything was in order, and turned to leave.
“No! You can’t go! There’s someone else… someone else who wants to see you!”
Noella turned back, looking at her as if she were a stranger, her gaze icy. “You mean Vincent? No rush. A beating doesn’t have a queue. I won’t miss a single one!”
n
The hospital room door swung open.