The Killer Queen (Noella Briony)

In a deserted alleyway, Alioth's voice dropped to a whisper, "Boss, Dalia's been snatched."

"When did this happen? Where is she now?"

"About half an hour ago. We nabbed the ones who took her too!"

Ivan scratched the back of his head in thought.

"But they didn't seem to be working together, so we just let them go. Nolan and Yasbel are tailing them now."

Nolan and Yasbel were Polaris Star's top trackers. They never lost a target!

"They're heading to the harbor, looks like they're planning to set sail!"

Noella interjected, "Why would they kidnap Dalia?"

Dalia was just an employee at her art gallery. What were they hoping to gain?

Alioth explained, "Seems like they mistook her for Darcy, planning to use her to threaten Beckett."

All because Beckett invited them for dinner, now they dragged Beckett into this mess!

"...And why did you inform Palmer?"

Ivan replied as if it were obvious, "Well, aside from being a brilliant vocalist, he's a perfect human shield!"

"We've got intel that the ship is full of foreign forces and unidentified individuals. Recently, the deep web's been abuzz with assassins sneaking into the country, likely mingling among them. Erek's already laying out plans there."

Noella frowned slightly. "Assassins from the deep web? That new third party that just popped up?"

After the fall of Cerulean Whale, the assassination organization ranking third on the deep web, Soaring Bird, came into the spotlight.

"Exactly, Soaring Bird. Annie said Palmer's waiting for you at the harbor."

A professional matchup indeed!

Palmer had been busy dealing with the Pollack Group's issues lately. With the old man gone, the lesser branches were getting restless, causing minor troubles in the Pollack Group's business.

They hadn't seen each other in days. Every morning, Noella received Palmer's schedule, aware that his business was conveniently located near the harbor today.

Noella wondered, "Since when are you and Annie this close?"

Ivan, looking utterly sincere, confessed, "Boss, I'm gay."

Noella's mouth twitched, "I wasn't suggesting anything, but if you really are gay, Annie might not be the one in danger here."

Alioth and Megrez exchanged strange looks at Ivan.

Ivan: "..."

"Why are you guys leaving? What's with covering your butts?"

At the harbor.

A luxurious yacht spanned four stories, each catering to different clientele.

At the entrance, a waiter stopped Noella: "Welcome, this is for VIP guests on the fourth level. May I see your invitation, please?"

Noella glanced at him, and with a swift motion, the waiter collapsed, unconscious.

Ivan teased, "Boss, you could've just said you're Ms. Schnabel, would he still dare to block your way?"

Noella coolly responded, "Troublesome."

On the edge, when action was an option, she preferred it over words.

Annie emerged from a room, "Ms. Noella, the boss is waiting for you inside."

"Thank you."

Approaching the room, Noella noticed a strong scent of blood!

Quickening her pace, she entered to find Palmer sitting by the window, his sleeve stained with blood, his muscular arm accentuated by the tight band around his bicep, exuding a sexy and dangerous vibe.

As he wiped the blood from his hands, Palmer, against the light, had a hint of bloodlust in his eyes.

Meeting Noella's gaze, she walked toward him, stepping over the bodies of the assassins without a flinch, her tone calm.

"Skipped breakfast?"

"Didn't have time, did Annie tell you?"

Palmer's attempts to eat and rest were futile without Noella. She was well-informed about his daily activities through Annie.

"If Annie hadn't told me, were you planning on being an iron man today?"

Palmer chuckled, cleaning the remaining blood off his hands before daring to embrace her.

However, Noella was visibly upset, keeping her distance.

"I had food prepared, but got interrupted," he gestured toward the cold meal box and the bodies sprawled on the floor.

Annie and van efficiently cleaned up

turning the assassins

s into

the scene while ignoring their`

shark

bosses' quarrel...

For them, witnessing an angry Noella was scarier than facing a shark!

They quickly tidied up and slipped out as if nothing happened.

Palmer, trying to appease Noella, said, "Look, they're even laughing at me."

"You're worried about them laughing? Wait till you're reduced to ashes, and they'll be peeing on your grave with their kids."

It was already five in the afternoon, and the man hadn't eaten all day!

Just last night, Annie mentioned he only had two cups of black coffee!

Knowing Noella was genuinely upset, Palmer quickly raised his hands in surrender.

"My mistake! But this boxed meal is terrible. How about we go to a restaurant, just you and me?"

The meal had gone cold, splattered with the assassins' blood, indeed inedible.

Feeling a pang of sympathy, Noella knew that forgiving him too easily would only encourage his recklessness.

"Remember our bet last time? I won, and you owe me a favor, which I haven't called in yet."

"Name it."

At this point, Palmer would do anything to appease Noella.

"Today, pretend you don't know me."

The smile on Palmer's face froze instantly!

"Is that really necessary, Noella?"

"Today, I'm here as Wise Fool, so you don't know me."

From the first floor to the fourth, Noella had spotted several assassins.

Their presence reeked of bloodlust and death, impossible to disguise.

No matter how extravagantly they dressed, they couldn't hide their true nature.

If it was going to be an assassin's gathering, being Noella would only complicate things.

Understanding Noella's intentions,

Palmer still wanted to negotiate but,

meeting her icy gaze, he reluctantly d in agreement.

Yet, he was more than pleased to pull the charming girl into his embrace.Owned by NôvelDrama.Org.

"I realize my mistake now. Since we're pretending not to know each other, let's get properly acquainted."

Noella didn't push him away. Looking up, she asked, "Were those guys from Soaring Bird? Why did they attack you?"

"Indeed, they were from Soaring Bird."

As for why they attacked him, Palmer led Noella to the bed and flung back the covers!

Beneath the blanket, Dalia, with her mouth sealed with black duct tape, and an unconscious man were lying next to each other.

"Dillon Patel, the eldest grandson of the Patel family."

"Why is he here?"

Bending over, Noella peeled off the duct tape from Dalia's mouth and untied her.

Palmer spread his hands. "Because this is his room."

"Were the assassins after him?"

"Not really. He hasn't made it onto my radar yet. The person they wanted to kill today was you, Stirling!"

Palmer glanced at the sleeping Dillon.

"Kidnapping her was a bait to lure

you, Beckett, in. You, Stirling, have a job here. Seems like they wanted to catch everyone in one go!"

Thinking it over, Noella remarked, "I'm here too, so this trap was quite cost-effective."

Seeing them joke around in such a moment, Dalia's initially panicked heart calmed down!

"Mr. Schnabel, this man, I recognize him!"