The Killer Queen

Noella’s brow furrowed slightly. “After you took the director away from Heartfelt Orphanage, you weren’t together?”

Thorpe nodded. “We split up pretty quickly. I’m not sure what you want to pry from him, but his identity has always been a secret. If you want to uncover it, wait until my brother wakes up.”

His gaze fixed on Noella, who stood at the foot of the bed. A menacing glare shone in his eyes, and every muscle in his body trembled with barely contained rage.

“If anything happens to my brother, I swear, I’ll make you pay with your life!”

Noella shrugged nonchalantly, casting a fleeting glance at him. Beneath her mask, her red lips curled into a smirk, her eyes tinged with disdain. “You think you can take me on?”

Her voice was soft, yet it made Thorpe feel a suffocating pressure!

Phantom Surgeon Lunaris, a name that had always been synonymous with bloodless killings on the deep web. She could save lives, but she could take them just as easily!

Noella’s gaze was serene, exuding an intense aura of authority, akin to a queen of the night. She regarded Thorpe with a chilling indifference. “Mr. Thorpe, let’s not forget, I’m both a doctor and an assassin. If you’re after my life, you’re simply not up to the task.”

She withdrew her gaze and chuckled dismissively. “Your brother’s life is in your hands. Cross me, and he might never see the light of day again. Do you understand?”

Thorpe’s breath hitched at her threat!

Was this woman seriously daring to threaten him? After years of battling through international warzones, he had never met a woman so audacious!

Yet, her eyes bore into him with an invisible force, as if a hand was clasping his throat, suffocating him!

“I won’t leave until he wakes, but if you think to threaten me, he might stay asleep for the rest of his life.” Her tone was even, as if discussing something utterly trivial.

Noella cast one last indifferent glance at Thorpe and stepped out of the hospital room.

Ivan leaned in, whispering, “Boss, Yvonne met up with a man with a scar face. They’ve definitely been trading a substantial amount of Nourishment Pills in secret.”

“Do we know who this guy is?”

Ivan followed Noella into the office, shutting the door behind them.

The office appeared ordinary but was meticulously modified by the Polaris Star Organization. During Old Mrs. Lambert’s hospital stay, Noella had made this very office her home, tirelessly researching medical files and pharmaceuticals. She had taken the liberty to reinforce the office. Not even a sniper bullet could penetrate the doors or windows!

10-16

“That guy’s probably just a stooge. I checked him out; he’s a drug peddler who used to run with Toxic Monarch years ago.”

Noella nodded. “So, you’re saying there’s someone behind him?”

“Absolutely. At the very least, it’s an organization capable of producing Nourishment Pills, with a production scale no smaller than our lab.”

To have a medical lab comparable to Lunar Lab was notable even within the entire confines of Harmonia Country, which means there was only one possibility!

“A lab from abroad?” Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

“Sharp as always, Boss. We’re not far from the border, and it’s likely a lab from the lawless zones, especially since smuggling Nourishment Pills isn’t easy.”

Linefort City was only a few hundred miles from the border, which was how Noella had been able to navigate between Polaris Star and the Lambert ancestral home undetected,

The Lamberts were indifferent to her, and even if Old Mrs. Lambert cared, she never pried.

“Can we pinpoint which lab it is?”

“Still looking. Ulrich Schnabel is tailing Finn, seems like they’re heading to the border. Should we arrange some backup?”

Ivan’s offer stemmed from the Schnabel family’s decent treatment of Noella.

“Don’t expose us. Make sure he doesn’t find out which organization is involved.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve got it under control. Even if he’s curious, he won’t find out from me.”

The Schnabel family had cherished her, and she didn’t want her own undertakings to become their concern, to cause them unnecessary worry. She was resolved to shoulder the darkness of her past alone.

“How did Yvonne get in touch with that guy? Look into it.”

Ivan, munching on an apple, raised an eyebrow. “You think Yvonne had an angle in approaching the guy?”

Noella replied coolly, “Yvonne’s intellect makes me question whether her brain is just for show.” In simple terms, Yvonne lacked the brains and the savvy to get involved with something as high–stakes as Nourishment Pills!

Ivan agreed, nodding in affirmation.

Yvonne was indeed a fool; it was a wonder how she had survived this long.

Nolan, engrossed in the computer screen’s dense data, was startled by the green text against the black backdrop, signifying incoming information.

“Whoa. Boss, there’s a hit. Someone on the deep web is offering ten million for the life of Imperial City’s Ms. Schnabel–Noella Schnabel,”

Noella was left speechless.

Ivan burst into laughter, finishing his apple in a couple of bites and peering at the computer screen. “Boss, your bounty is even lower than mine. Someone once offered fifty million for me.” Noella was irked. “Who posted it?”

Was Ms. Schnabel’s life really valued so cheaply?

Nolan’s fingers danced over the keyboard, a flurry of activity later, and he had traced the IP address behind the post.

“Boss, it was Yvonne who posted it.” Nolan couldn’t believe how clueless Yvonne seemned to be. “Should we tip off the Schnabels about this?”

Given how much the Schnabels adored Noella, they’d definitely take action against Yvonne once they got wind of this news!

Noella shook her head slightly. “There’s no need. The Schnabels will find out about this on their own.”

The Schnabels had their informants all over the deep web.

Ivan, always the curious one, asked, “If the Schnabels catch wind of this, whose side will they take? Boss might be their flesh and blood, but Yvonne’s been with them for years.”

Ivan meant no harm by his question; they had all grown up with Noella and she was as much family to them as any blood relation could be. He just didn’t want to gamble on the Schnabels choosing Yvonne over their own kin.

What if their decision hurt Noella?

Human nature is the most fickle of all!

Noella lowered her gaze, hiding her emotions. “That’s their business, not mine.”

Regardless of the Schnabels‘ decision, she was determined to protect herself at all costs!

“If they turn on you, Boss, we’ll just leave!”

“Boss, someone actually took the hit!”

Nolan was glued to the screen, eyes widening as he read the hit confirmation. He stood up abruptly, hoisting the sniper rifle he had propped up behind him.

“Is this Thorpe guy out of his mind? Our boss just saved his brother, and now he’s taken a contract to kill her? I’m going to take him out with one shot right now!”

In the adjacent hospital room, Thorpe casually accepted a few contracts. Just as he put away his phone, the door burst open, and the chilling barrel of a gun was abruptly aimed at his head.