The Killer Queen by Noella Briony

Chapter 54

Imperial West Hospital.

Ashlyn was lying in bed, eyes shut.

Yvonne came rushing in, bawling her eyes out, and collapsed onto Ashlyn’s bed in a flood of tears!

“Granny, you’ve gotta save me! Grandpa says he’s gonna hand me over!”

“What’s the scoop? Your grandpa’s not lost his marbles; where’s he handing you off to?”

Yvonne pulled out the sob story she had prepped, crying her heart out.

“Granny, I’ve been pinching pennies to buy Nourishment Pills for Grandpa and Grandpa Sexton, but they say it’s no good. You’re taking Nourishment Pills yourself, Granny, you know best how awesome they are! I blew half a year’s pocket money on Nourishment Pills for Grandpa, and now he’s talking about handing me over to the Pollack family’s legal team, saying I’ve gotta do time… Granny, if I’m gone, who’s gonna look after you?”

Hearing this, Ashlyn started to panic. “Yvonne, you still got enough Nourishment Pills for me. right?”

If Yvonne got snatched by the Pollack folks, at least she wouldn’t be left high and dry without her meds!

“Yeah, you haven’t taken today’s yet, Granny. Have it now!”

With Yvonne’s help, Ashlyn took her Nourishment Pill, visibly relaxing, and with the scripture reading in the background, she began to drift off, losing focus on what was in front of her.

“Granny, you’ve gotta help me out. I’m your one and only granddaughter.”

Ashlyn, groggy, nodded along, echoing her words.

Yvonne tucked Ashlyn in with a smirk, pride written all over her face.

If Sexton got dosed with Nourishment Pills, maybe he’d start dancing to her tune just like Ashlyn!

In Marcel’s room, Calvin was holding two test papers.

“Mr. Schnabel, does your family have two Yvonnes or something? I mean, any relatives with that name?”

Marcel was stumped, putting down his chess piece.

“I got two identical test papers here, both with Yvonne’s name on them, check this out.”

“Let me see.”

On both papers, Yvonne’s name was written clear as day!

Chapter 54

a fail, the other aced it.

failing one’s gotta be hers, and

of teachers have been saying they haven’t seen Yvonne since

for his phone. “Yvonne, to my

“Right away. Grandpa.”

and saw Calvin, smug as a bug in

tipped off Marcel about her being a whiz kid in medicine,

“Yvonne, explain this.”

twin papers and was utterly flummoxed! She hadn’t paid up, so how come the hired gun still took

bullied me at school, stopped me from attending classes, I had to prove my chops this way. But I know she didn’t mean any

eyes narrowed, “You’re saying you were threatened? Then why not tell me?”

a bully, using my family’s name. Some kids used to pick on me for being a Schnabel girl, and with my folks and

phone, a barrage

I’m really scared, Grandpa! But please, go easy on them. They didn’t

deal with the test

never set foot in school, I’ve been secretly studying outside the classroom. I’d never

“Off you go, I’ll handle

tears

Calvin was gobsmacked!

chops are wasted on

Schnabel you buying her

of baloney like her

the plan for this mess?”

a moment, then dialed Beckett’s number,

12:43

Chapter 54

what Yvonne’s been up to at school, and go easy on the hired

“Will do, Grandpa.”

In

find it looked like a burglar

in the study after a bid document went missing last time.

than once, filching a bunch of the Lambert

hits. The Rosenbergs were

family had been thriving under his watch, never faced

the Rosenberg family.

all my stuff. If you don’t make up for our company’s

were all a bunch of jinxed hot–heads. They just lost it

your family’s junk? You really think you’re some kind of business whiz? How do

we can just take it to court!” The Rosenberg folks weren’t falling for that. “Proof? You mean that trash your daughter dragged in? Pfft! She was the one all eager to bring it, and we didn’t even want it! Don’t think I don’t know about you trying to butter up Ms. Schnabel with gifts and getting the door slammed in your face. Now, the whole Imperial City and

family hung up