The Killer Queen

Yvonne had been busting her butt trying to get on Palmer’s good side, constantly making a beeline for the Pollack Group’s skyscraper. Whenever she spotted a young and pretty female employee, she couldn’t help but throw shade.

She managed to get on the bad side of the entire Pollack Group’s staff, and they all gave her the cold shoulder.

But the kicker was that she was the little miss from the Schnabel family, so no one at the Pollack Group dared to mess with her.

“I’ve already asked all the security at the Pollack Group campus to blacklist her, sorry Noella, it won’t happen again.”

Noella played it cool. “You shouldn’t be apologizing to me; you should be apologizing to your staff.”

Annie was over the moon!

Listen to that; what a stand–up, kind–hearted boss lady!

Palmer chuckled. “Of course, I’ve given them a little extra something in their paycheck. I’ve seen the rules you set for the gallery and music store, and the Pollack Group will likely take a

leaf out of her book.”

Noella was taken aback.

The Pollack Group was an old–school conglomerate with its own set way of doing things, not quite like her gallery and music store.

Merrick’s contributions to her music store and gallery were small potatoes. The main point of the gallery and music store wasn’t to turn a profit.

She wasn’t surprised Palmer had read her charter but that he would actually consider adopting her policies.

“The Pollack Group’s charter has been a bit slack on the human touch; your rules are really on point.”

Her charter included specific menstrual leave for female employees and had even better benefits overall.

Noella caught Annie’s ears practically perking up and let out a chuckle.

Palmer seemed like he would make a decent boss.

Sitting at the dining table, Palmer reached his hand out to Noella, his voice seductive. “Do me a favor, fiancée, and help me with these cufflinks.”

No matter what shirt he wore, he always sported this pair of ruby cufflinks, adding a layer of mysterious, understated elegance to his whole aura, like some vampire duke of the night.

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Noella casually unfastened them for him and placed them on the velvet cloth beside her.

“Why do you always wear these?”

With his kind of dough, he must have cufflinks coming out of his ears, right?

“Because the girl I like once helped me put them on.”

He rolled up his sleeves while carefully slicing the steak beneath his knife, the pair of ruby cufflinks twinkling with a low–key shine.

Noella’s cheeks flushed a soft pink in the play of light and shadow.

After Palmer had expertly cut the steak, he swapped it with the untouched plate in front of Noella.

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The steak was dripping with a sweet sauce, the scent of rosemary mingling with the rich, meaty aroma, making one’s mouth water.

Noella nibbled on the steak Palmer cut for her, looking up at him with a cool gaze. “Why did you become a hitman?”

“Some family stuff, not something I can go into right now.” Palmer, cradling a glass of wine, watched the girl in front of him stuffing her cheeks with food, cute as a button. “I don’t want to hide things, nor do I want to fob you off with excuses, so I can only share so much.

It’s related to my mother’s death. She was hurt by someone from an international hitman organization. Even though the hit failed, she was bedridden for years and eventually passed away. You could say I wanted to take revenge for my mom with my own hands.”

A ripple of emotion flickered in Noella’s eyes, reflected in the candlelight on the table. “The part you can’t talk about, does it involve the Pollack family?”

Palmer picked up a delicate spoon and popped a piece of creamy cake into Noella’s mouth, his eyes narrowing. “Shh, smart kids know when to zip it.”

The Pollack family tree was vast and deeply rooted. Even though Noella was the daughter of the Schnabel family, Palmer still worried she could get hurt.

“Got it.”

“The Pollack family business is a bit complicated, but trust me, my fiancée, I’ll have it sorted out before you marry me.”

Her marrying him? She hadn’t even considered that yet! But locking eyes with Palmer’s clear and distant gaze, Noella suddenly felt intrigued.

“If I decided to marry you tomorrow, you couldn’t wrap up all that stuff in just one day, could you?”

Palmer was taken aback, then burst into laughter as if he had heard an exceptionally good joke.

His laughter was rich and heady, like the red wine at his side. “Have you forgotten what i do for a living? If you want to marry me tomorrow, I’d storm in with the Abyssal Organization today, and we’d take care of everything.”

The cake in Noella’s mouth suddenly tasted cloyingly sweet.

Palmer’s gaze softened as he looked at Noella. She was just too cute!

“In exchange, my fiancée, can you tell me why you became a hitman?”

Why did she become a hitman? Noella stayed silent, toying with the piece of creamy cake in front of her with her spoon.

“I’m guessing your turn as a hitman has something to do with the Polaris Star Organization, right?”

Noella suddenly looked up, her gaze a warning.

He maintained a calm and composed smile, no prying or probing, just concern and anticipation, “Yes.”

“Even though I don’t know what exactly went down with Polaris Star, once I learned the people around you were all rescued from there, I got curious and did some digging.”

The Abyssal Organization might have limited info, but the Pollack Group had the means to uncover more about Polaris Star.

As an organization forgotten on the border, Polaris Star’s members were prodigies collected from all over the world. Their intellect was pushed to the limit with drugs and mechanical methods, aiming to reach the human brain and body’s full potential.

Palmer stood up and knelt halfway in front of Noella, taking her hand.

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“I’m really curious. What kind of role do you play in the constellation of the Polaris Star?”

Noella’s eyes flickered. How could he be so sharp?

“Nothing at all.”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to spill the beans; I just want you to know that you can count on me.”

Palmer reached out and playfully tousled her soft hair, chuckling. “You’re still a kid at heart; it’s okay for you to be a little bratty sometimes.”

Bratty?

She had lost the privilege to be bratty since she was little.

The indifference and favoritism of the Lambert family forced her to grow up faster so she could take care of herself and Old Mrs. Lambert.

Palmer understood her personality and didn’t push it. “I’ve got a meet–up with Thorpe this

weekend. The spot will be set up by the Abyssal Organization. I’ll come to pick you up then.”

Noella frowned slightly. “The person Thorpe wants to save is within our borders?”

“No, his brother’s sickness is pretty bad. They’re at a point where anyone but the Phantom Surgeon Lunaris is out of their depth. Thorpe doesn’t dare move him, but I’ve given him just one shot. If he doesn’t bring the person, he misses his chance.”

The meeting location mattered; if Thorpe arranged it, they would lose the upper hand.

Palmer was smart and bold enough when making decisions.

Seeing her hesitate, Palmer chuckled. “I’ve already touched base with the folks at your Obelisk Organization, and they’re down to team up with us. It all hinges on your nod.”

Noella was speechless.

Those little rascals were itching to get a glimpse of what Palmer actually looked like!

Plus, Palmer’s Abyssal Organization had covered all the bills for the members of her Obelisk Organization, even hooking them up with top–notch sniping gear. Those guys had been poor as church mice following her around – the sight of money made them want to pounce.

As if they would say no!

Just thinking of those little rascals‘ faces makes Noella resign herself.

“Alright, got it.”