The Killer Queen by Noella Briony

Chapter 157

The moment Vincent so much as thought about cash, his aches and pains seemed to vanish!

Belinda sneered inwardly.

Considering how blind and biased the old lady was, her favoritism had known no bounds. She treated Noella like the apple of her eye, raising her as if she were a precious gem. Chances were that bracelet was deliberately left for Noella by the old bat herself!

Why should Noella get it, though? The old lady’s belongings should rightfully go to her own flesh and blood, her granddaughter! That bracelet was so exquisite; putting it on Noella was like casting pearls before swine. If only Briony could have it…

Calculations danced in Belinda’s eyes.

“Honey,” she conspired to Vincent, “that bracelet must’ve been nicked by Noella. She’s out of our lives now, so let’s call the cops, say she took Mom’s stuff. She’ll have to return it then, right?”

Vincent, who’d gotten a good thrashing from Noella and still felt tender in the face, hesitated at her suggestion. “Well… we don’t have proof that the bracelet belonged to Mom. If that little brat insists it’s got nothing to do with Mom, what then?”

“What do we do then? That bracelet’s worth a fortune! Are we just going to let her have it?” Belinda, fighting through her pain, was relentless.

Vincent, of course, wasn’t about to let go!

The bracelet was worth a pretty penny; how could he let Noella just walk away with it?

“Here’s the plan–I’ll pay off a few influencers to boost our story, claim we lost a family treasure. Once the news spreads, she’ll have no choice but to return it out of fear!”

Vincent had it all planned out. If they could just start an online smear campaign against Noella, she would undoubtedly cave under pressure and return what rightfully belonged to them!

Unbeknownst to them, Ellsworth, who had been eavesdropping, quietly opened his eyes. Seizing the moment when they weren’t paying attention, he made his escape.

Why should that precious item ever belong to Vincent’s?

Noella was the future bride handpicked for him by the Lambert and Fuller families. Everything she owned should rightfully be his!

Night fell early in Emerald County. Stars dotted the canvas of the sky, and Elara was sound asleep beside her. Noella had just undone her hair to lie down when she heard a faint rustling noise.

The Schnabel family’s old mansion was well–maintained–no critters here. So, it could only

474

11:16

Chapter 157

mean one thing- someone was inside!

her

some punk’s sneaked into your

[No need.]

were a few candid shots of

stealthily left the room, and Elara, almost as if on cue, opened her

eyes.

“Noella…”

A bathroom trip, perhaps? But their en–suite should have sufficed.

when she heard

Panic set in.

on her first visit to Emerald County, ran into trouble?

shoes, Elara dashed out in search

paid a few local fishermen for information on which grand doorway the girl had entered. This was the largest house in Emerald County. Could the girl be some heiress?

heart aflame

and svelte figure made him lick his lips

the situation, would he

the piercing gaze from above, observing him from the

she couldn’t risk waking Elara. She

and Noella descended from her perch, looking down indifferently at the man sprawled on the floor

the risk of causing trouble for Elara and

hand, finally found Noella.

Are you okay?

Caught a

figure of Ellsworth with

11:16

Since when is the Schnabel family’s security

noises, and there he

there were indeed quite a few people who gambled all night and failed to pay up, so incidents like gang fights were not

didn’t question further. She summoned the old butler, who handled the situation and handed Ellsworth over to

to Noella with serious concern. “Next time, let me handle it. I’m the older sister; it’s not your place to step in. If something happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself!”

time she’d spoken to Noella like this, her eyes

pursed her lips, facing Elara. “But you were tired. You needed rest. I didn’t want anyone to disturb

Elara paused.

just to ensure she could get some rest? The coolness of Noella’s bedding hinted that she hadn’t slept while Elara had.

angel was

in Elara, but she still scolded firmly. “I can take care of myself, I promise! But

Elara’s bare feet. It was clear that