CHapter 239
The Killer Queen
Chapter 239
To keep Palmer at the estate, Larson actually prepared a veritable feast of comforts and amenities in the villa.
if Palmer walked out today, any future attempts to meddle with him would be even more of an uphill battle!
Palmer looked squarely at Larson, a chilling smirk playing across his lips.
âThinking you can keep me here with this crew? Iâm afraid youâre sorely mistaken. He said.
1 mean no disrespect. This is our own little shindig, you know. Itâd be quite rude to bail on us nowâ¦â
Palmer couldnât be bothered with idle chitchat, âPull the wool over someone elseâs eyes if you must, but donât kid yourself.â
âWhat are you insinuating?â Larson asked,
Had Palmer caught on to his elaborate setup? But he had deployed cadres of hitmen!
He had put a lot of capital on the line to ensure Palmer would never return to the Pollack Group. Larson couldnât believe all his schemes had been unveiledâ¦.
Palmer snapped his fingers, and seconds later, the estateâs perimeter erupted in explosive blasts. The chandeliers in the banquet hall swayed violently and plaster showered from the walls.
The blasts kept coming, one after the other, the closest at the garden just outside the hall.
That was where Larson had stationed a cadre of hitmenâ¦
Beckett scrambled to grab his sister, only to clutch at the air, he tumed to see Noella already in Palmerâs protective grasp.
Palmerâs hand shielded Noellaâs ears, his suit jacket enveloping her to safeguard her with utmost care.
Beckett stared at his empty palm with a cocktail of emotions brewing inside him.
It shouldâve been heartwarming to see Palmer instinctively protect his sister, but damn, why did it leave such a sour taste? The explosions outside sent Larson into a fullâblown panic.
He could tell, every blast was right where heâd placed his hitmen.
Larson gritted his teeth so hard he nearly tasted blood, âPalmer Youâve got a heart of stone!â
The loss was hemorrhaging his finances; those were highâticket hitmen
Palmer, halfâcarrying Noella, had strode out of the banquet hall and slid into the car waiting curbside.
Beckett followed close behind, his gaze filled with concem for Noella.
âNoella, you alright?â he asked.
Tm fineâ
This sort of chaos was nothing new to her. Only the Schnabels would think sheâd be scared
Beckett frowned at Palmer with disagreement, Mr. Pollack, donât drag Noella into this madness again! Itâs far too dangerous!â
He was taken aback when the blasts rang outâshocked by Palmerâs audacity to blow up L Larsonâs estate right in the middle of a party. And then there was the fear for Noellaâs safety.
The more Beckett thought about it, the more he shuddered at the close call.
âIf youâre handling Pollack family business, Mr. Pollack, donât gamble with Noellaâs safety. Sheâs our familyâs treasure. If anything happened to her, you couldnât afford the loss!â
Palmers icy gaze met Beckettâs, a silent clash in the air.
Til keep Noella safe. No one can harm her with me around. Mr. Schnabel, I know you want to protect her, but remember, you need to know sheâs not a delicate girl. Hasnât she faced dangers returning to the Schnabel clan?â
Beckett knew the perils that came with being a Schnabel better than anyone
Noella smiled gently at her brotherâs pained and apologetic expression.
âIâm okay. Beckett Palmer briefed me on the plan beforehand, so I wasnât scared. I donât want to be a burden to you guys. Iâm a Schnabel, too, so donât worry about me.
In truth, she could handle more than Beckett imagined, if not for the fear of alarming the Schnabels
Beckettâs heart melted at his sisterâs sweet demeanor and her moist eyes. And now he felt quiltier
How could she be so dam endearing? Her words nearly brought him to tears.
He tousled Noellaâs hair with a heavy hand, pushing back the tears welling in his eyes.
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âSorry, Noella. I havenât been there enough. Whatever you want to do from now on, Iâve got your back!â
âThanks, Beckett. Noella replied
Annie, from the diverâs seat, waited until they were done before piping up, âUm, are Dr. Schnabel and Ms. Gruber still back at the
Larsonâs?â
The detonation points had been set in advance, and Malvina and Ulrich had left the hall before the chaos ensued.
An accident involving them wouldâve been disastrous.
Beckett waved it off nonchalantly, âNo worries, a few little bangs are nothing. Noellaâs not scared, so whatâs there for a grown man to fear? Forget about him. Noellaâs hungry. Thatâs what matters most!â
Annie thought, Your tune was quite different just a moment ago!
Ulrich, still back at the bombed estate, didnât seem to matter as much as Noella needing to eat.
It was clear the Schnabels had their favorites!
Meanwhile, at Larsonâs ravaged estate.
After the dust and noise had settled, two muddy figures crawled out from the ruins of what was once a pristine garden.
Ulrich spat out the dirt from his mouth, his once white shirt now a sodden mess of earth and grime.
âAre you okay?â he asked, removing his coat to cover Malvinaâs head.
Tm fine, but Dr. Schnabel, you look like youâve been through the wringerâ¦
Ulrich followed Malvinaâs gaze and only then realized that his shirt had been torn to shreds by flying debris, hanging off him in tatters and revealing the wellâtoned muscles underneath, which made him look like a beggar.
Anyone who didnât know better might think heâd gone back to his days as a doctor in the intemational warzone, constantly dodging bullets at the border.
Malvina, shielded by Ulrich, was unscathed.
Uinch quickly covered Malvinaâs eyes and turned her head to look elsewhere, then shook off muddy trench coat and put it back on.
Malvina blinked and said, âDr. Schnabel, you didnât have to worry about me! My place used to blow up all the time so Iâm used to it! How much did that shirt cost? Iâll pay for it or get you a new one!â
âZip itâ
She wouldnât have mentioned the shirt. It had made Ulrichâs face burn with embarrassment!
How humiliating he felt
âAs your attending doctor I donât want you ending up in the hospital again. Dealing with a disobedient patient like you is a headache! donât need.â He said.
all villa on the estat Malvina didnât dare to speak further, instead she crouched and tugged an Ulrichâs sleeve, leading him to a small
Larsonâs estate was m
made up of a series of terraced villas, and at the moment, most of the people were in the banquet hall.
Malvina had already scoped out the place.
âThis area houses Larsonâs secretaries, drivers, and bodyguards. He doesnât trust them living too far away since he fears betrayal. So, Luther should be staying around here too.â
Ulrich looked down at Malvinaâs hand clutching his sleeve and the comers of his mouth curled slightly into a smile
Malvina stopped in front of a door her ear pressed against it, listening to the fierce argument raging inside.
âI donât care what you do with those two kids!â
âYou donât care? If you donât, i spill all the dirt your sister has done with the Schnabel family.â
âAre you insane?! If the Schnabels find out about those deeds, itâs not just you and me that are done for Larson himself wonât survive itâ