The Killer Queen (Noella Briony)

Coworker?

What kind of coworker?

Thorpe looked utterly perplexed.

"You're not rolling with the boss anymore?"

"It's more like the boss didn't want me in his crew! He sent my son up here, can you believe that?"

The shock in Thorpe's eyes was unmistakable.

"And the kid's mom?"

"An old client we worked with. When she found out Shiba wasn't your average kid, she bailed."

A child abandoned at the border, motherless, with an assassin for a father - talk about a hellish start in life.

A gone mom, hitman dad, a reclusive self, a broken home.

Watching the child sleeping peacefully on the bed, Thorpe had a moment of clarity.

"That's why people like us shouldn't fall for clients, man. Why'd you go and have a kid with one?"

"...Shut it!"

Thorpe was always the kind to speak his mind, even when it wasn't pleasant to hear!

He just shrugged.

"That's how the boss rolls. You get used to it. We're all just pawns he's decided to toss aside."

Dog-Head nodded along.

"So, the boss has been to Lockhart Prison lately."

"What did you say?!"

Thorpe's brothers were still in Lockhart Prison, probably thinking they were about to retire there with Xavier.

With 7-Slayer heading to Lockhart, who knew what he might do to Thorpe's brothers!

Thorpe frantically wheeled his chair, preparing to find Noella. Then, deciding the wheelchair was too slow, he stood up and ran! Dog-Head: "...A medical miracle."

He looked toward the horizon where the dawn broke the darkness with its light.

Dog-Head hummed an unknown tune, patting the child, whose steady breathing suggested he was dreaming of something delicious. Dog-Head muttered to himself, "Look, that's the sun for today."

Thorpe sprinted to find Noella dining in a restaurant.

He grabbed a chair and sat down as if he belonged there.

Noella: "Do you even know where you stand?"

Thorpe chuckled, "Isn't Thorpe a mountain in your Harmonia Country? Same difference, my own mountain!"

"Dog-Head said the boss went to Lockhart Prison!"

Noella calmly responded, "So, he went to check on his mountain. What's the big deal?"

Tandy and Hollis aren't 7-Slayer's own mountains?

Thorpe couldn't stay seated any longer.

"No! I came to you because the boss must know what I'm up to. If he's at Lockhart now, he's surely going to make a move against my brothers!" "It's not like it's my brothers he's after."

Stirling, puzzled, asked, "What's this big guy even talking about? Stay away from my sister!"

Seeing Stirling unscathed despite what should have been an attack by several assassins, Thorpe knew he'd made the right choice.

He gritted his teeth.

"Help me out, and I'll owe you my life!"

Noella glanced at him.

"Your life isn't worth much to me. Plus, everyone I work with needs to have hair."

What's wrong with being bald?

Or having a receding hairline!

Thorpe couldn't believe his pledge of allegiance was being rejected over his lack of hair...

Noella sipped her tea.

"You're too weak, Tandy and Hollis aren't in good shape, what use would I have for you? Plus, you're all too dumb."

Neither the Obelisk Organization nor the Polaris Star could make use of Thorpe and his brothers!

Thorpe: "...I'll prove my worth!"

The Cerulean Whale once ranked third among assassin organizations at the border, all thanks to him!

If not for the overwhelming power of the Abyssal Organization and Obelisk Organization, Cerulean Whale reaching the top wouldn't have been impossible.

What Noella valued was Thorpe and his brothers' connections and their uniquework along the border!

Their link to Toxic Monarch was maintained through those connections!

Palmer wiped his hands, his eyes gleaming like obsidian.

"That deal you guys made at Club X, was your boss involved?"

"I... I can't say."

"That means he was."

Palmer was essentially asking if 7-Slayer's dealings with Toxic Monarch were connected!

And the Nourishment Pill, rampant in the black market, wouldn't have spread so quickly without 7-Slayer's push!

Thorpe kept his mouth shut, afraid to say more.

Palmer smirked coldly.

Stirling, looking around, said, "What are you all talking about? I don't get any of this."

Noella smiled, "Nothing much, just some border smuggling stuff. This big guy's boss stole a product sample from Palmer's company."

"What? Your boss is no good!"

Thorpe clenched his jaw: "... You can say that again."

Noella stretched, her joints cracking after a long night.

"I'll call Xavier."

"Thanks, I owe you one."

"It's a mutual benefit."

Stirling, on his phone not far away, was livid.

"I'm filing a complaint against this ship's management! How dare they have surveillance that could spy on me? And what's with the security letting a kid wander up here? demand action!"

His agent was beside him, offering endless reassurances, finally calming the young lord down.

Thorpe looked troubled.

All part of the Schnabel family, yet Wise Foot seemed to have more

schemes than one could im

while Stirling appeared utterly innocent and foolish...

Mizar chuckled, "Now I see why he can't help but meddle."

The Schnabel family had no fools, just that Stirling's heart was exceptionally pure.

In his eyes, Shiba was just a kid in need of a helping hand, no strings attached!

He helped because he could, and that was that!

Their boss, the charismatic brother, sure knew how to keep things interesting!Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

Yasbel, arms crossed, leaned lazily against the wall, watching Stirling put on quite the show.

This man, a jack of all trades, always knew his boundaries-what he should inquire about and what he should leave well enough alone.

Yasbel mused, "Hard to tell if he's playing dumb or just marching to the beat of his own drum."

"Isn't it fascinating? Dude got dumped in a dumpster and didn't even throw a fit."

"That's true."

Other than placing blind trust in Noella and not doubting her identity for a second, Stirling had pretty much figured everything else out on his own.

Otherwise, a few soothing words from his agent wouldn't have been enough to keep him from filing a complaint.

A natural-born actor, his performance was seamless.

And somehow... he was becoming less and less annoying!

In the heart of the city, inside the luxurious dining room of the Rising Glory Mall's signature restaurant.

An elderly lady with immaculately

styled white hair exuded grace and

།

elegance. Her necklace, adorned with sparkling rubies, glinted under the soft lighting.

Luna stood by her side, voice timid.

“Grandma, you really didn't have to apologize in person..."

"Silence! If it weren't for the mess you've caused, would I be in this embarrassing position?"

Pearl Patel, the matriarch of the Patel family, couldn't help but feel irritated at Luna's meek appearance!

"Besides, haven't you taken a fancy to the eldest Schnabel boy? If an apology could secure your match, it wouldn't be the worst thing!"

Luna's eyes sparkled at the thought.

Grandma was playing a clever game!