The Killer Queen

Did he really just describe his empire as driving for Uber?

When Noella first met him, she truly thought he was just some poor kid who needed to hustle as a hitman and Uber driver to make ends meet.

Back then, she even consoled him, telling him not to envy the high society, claiming it was nothing fancy. Little did she know, he was the head honcho of the Pollack Group, worth enough to buy out a bunch of folks on the dark web. The idea of him moonlighting as a hitman there was beyond belief. Not to mention how he’d been dutifully ferrying her to and from work.

Looking back on it now, it was kind of hilarious!

Palmer led Noella through the bustling mall to the top floor.

Annie stood at the entrance of the shooting range, smiling and holding a velvet box. “Ms. Noella, you look stunning today, and Boss looks like a human.”

She must be out of her mind to compliment the boss in front of his fiancée. Besides, no boss looks good on the job; they’re all capitalists! But Ms. Noella was different, graceful and poised, intelligent and composed–truly the most beautiful princess in the world!

“Annie, I thought you and Ulrich took off together?”

“Oh, he had me shadowing Ms. Yvonne, but since she’s back with Ashlyn, I’m back on the

clock.”

Annie thought to herself, it was all tears and sweat. Tailgating Yvonne seemed easy, but only those who did it knew the struggle.

Yvonne had been doing practically nothing the last couple of days besides lounging in hotels and hanging out in nightclubs. The hardest part for Annie was sneaking into her room to swap out the Nourishment Pill Yvonne bought, almost running out of places to step.

Just thinking about that room made Annie want to cry. After years in the business, it was a first for her to dig through a dumpster for something.

“The Nourishment Pill has been delivered to Ms. Noella’s lab, and this is a gift Mr. Pollack prepared for you.”

Annie opened the box she held, revealing a pair of exquisite couple’s watches nestled in luxurious velvet, each diamond sparkling. Etched inside the watch face was a discreet series. of numbers.

Noella recognized it as a date. “What’s this about?”

Palmer picked up one of the watches and slipped it onto Noella’s wrist, “The first day I met you. You might have forgotten, but it’s an important day to me.”

“I thought our first meeting was at Imperial West Hospital.”

Of course not.

Earlier than that, in Northstone, when his life hung by a thread and he was about to reunite with his mother in hell, a pair of soft yet firm hands grabbed his, pulling him from the abyss!

“No. This day is.”

“I remember being in Northstone then.”

Palmer clasped her hand and wrapped his arms around Noella’s waist from behind, lifting the newly fastened watch towards the distant target. His breath fell on her ear, so close she could hear his heartbeat.

“It was in Northstone, and you were like this.” Palmer took Noella’s hand and pressed a hidden switch on the watch. A sharp dart flew from the face of the watch, hitting the bullseye dead center!

“Just like that, you took out the drug lord in front of me and saved me. If I had known then that you were my fiancée, I would never have let you go.”

Palmer’s voice was husky, his long lashes brushing against Noella’s ear as his breath and kiss landed on her cheek, sending ripples through her.

Noella’s face flushed instantly, and a strange emotion surged within her.

“I don’t remember.”

“It’s been a long time; it’s normal to forget. It’s enough that I remember. The watch has three darts. They’re not usually needed, but they’re good for self–defense.”

He had custom–modified the watch himself. From the moment he saw her, Palmer had thought of giving her the perfect gift. He’d give her jewelry and diamonds befitting his noble and elegant fiancée. A watch with little secrets and his personal touch was for the mysterious and formidable rival, and the girl he adored!

“So, you like me because I saved you?”

“No, I liked you, and then I learned you had once saved me. Logically, it’s just made me like you more, not because of a life debt.”

There might seem to be no difference, but Palmer stubbornly wanted her to know that his affections were unrelated to any identity from the start!

Annie, pretending to be a statue in the corner, looked away.

The boss was on a roll! But judging by Ms. Noella’s reaction, it might take a while before the boss wins her over. When would Ms. Noella become her boss?

It didn’t matter, she could always jump ship and work for Ms. Noella. Surely the Obelisk Organization could use a strong and smart female assistant like her, right?

Noella glanced at the other watch in the box, caught Palmer’s suggestive gaze, and, understanding, took it out to put it on him. “What’s special about your watch?”

10:05 W

“Just an ordinary watch. If there’s anything different, it’s that you put it on me.”

He hadn’t invested much thought in his own watch. He just hoped that every time she looked at the time, she’d think of him. That way, he’d be part of all her moments!

Noella thought for a moment, then took off the watch from Palmer’s wrist and held it. “What goes around comes around. I’ll modify it and then give it back to you.”

“Deal!” Palmer restrained the joy bubbling in his heart, his smile uncontrollable.

Noella, seeing his exuberant expression, couldn’t help but smile along.

Maybe trying to get along with him wasn’t such a bad idea? At the very least, it seemed to bring her joy as well!

The abrupt ring of a cellphone broke the moment, and Noella glanced at her phone. “There’s trouble at the gallery: I need to head over.”

“I’ll take you.”

“That’s okay, Annie can drive me.”

If her memory served her right, Palmer probably had a mountain of things to tackle, and managing to carve out time to be with her was likely the work of Phecda’s cunning little text.

“Alright, I’ll pick you up tonight, and we’ll have dinner at home.”

Noella nodded in agreement, leaving the mall under Palmer’s longing gaze alongside Annie.

Annie was buzzing with excitement!

Ms. Noella had asked her for a ride, ditching her own boss in the process. What did that imply? Rounded up, it basically meant she was already on Ms. Noella’s payroll!

Annie could almost see the offer letter from the Obelisk Organization fluttering before her eyes. Who cared about her current boss when the prospect of having a sweet and gentle lady boss was on the horizon?

Noella sat in the car, her gaze steady. Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“Annie, in the past couple of days you’ve been shadowing Yvonne, did you notice anything off about her?”

“Let me think… yeah, there’s something. Ms. Yvonne has been playing cards a lot recently with a few people, but there’s one person who wasn’t part of her usual circle.”

Yvonne was the typical spoiled rich girl, her life a cycle of shopping sprees and card games into the wee hours of the night.

Annie pondered before speaking cautiously. “And you know what, Ms. Noella, I suspect Ms. Yvonne might be dabbling in a bad thing!”