The Killer Queen by Noella Briony

Chapter 179

The expressions on Thorpe and Hollis’s faces soured instantly.

Hollis’s smile twitched, his previously affable grin near breaking point. “You’re… pulling my leg, right?”

Noella chuckled lightly, her head held high with a touch of arrogance as she looked down at a somewhat flustered Hollis.

“Whether I’m joking or not, you’ll have the chance to find out. But if I’m not, I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle the repercussions.”

“As Lunaris, aren’t you afraid of the backlash for pulling such a stunt?”

Noella shrugged nonchalantly. “Who cares? If Cerulean Whale had the chops, they wouldn’t be perennial underdogs, right? Why aren’t you guys the top hit squad on the deep web? Is it because you don’t fancy the title?

Of course, it was a matter of not having enough power!

Thinking that Cerulean Whale alone could make the entire deep web condemn Lunaris was nothing short of a pipe dream.

Palmer chuckled along. “It’s not that complicated. If they die here, who’s to know?”

The smile finally vanished from Hollis’s face. “Spill it, what do you want to know? You’re aware I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed; I tend to forget things.”

“What went down when the Pollack family had their baby?”

Hollis let out a deep sigh, signaling Thorpe to cool his jets. “In a nutshell, it’s a classic game of getting rid of the mom and switching the baby. You follow, Ms. Schnabel?”

Xavier pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Hollis’s head! “Watch your damn manners! Speak to her like that again, and I’ll feed your brains to the fishes!”

Hollis chuckled and shook his head, pushing Xavier’s gun aside with a finger. “Let’s not be so dramatic; my brains aren’t that tasty. Spare a thought for your fish. We didn’t exert much effort in that mess. It was mostly the Pollack family’s own power struggle.”

The Pollack family’s grand feud had cost Palmer his mother too. No wonder the Pollack sons never recovered.

Noella frowned slightly. “Second matter: was Harriet’s child born at Tandy Hospital?”

Hollis nodded coolly. “Yes, and then we took the baby. Ran into a dim–witted woman itching to marry Marcel. Ambitious but brainless. We handed the kid over. Heard Marcel divorced her anyway. Hilarious.”

to Harriet afterward?”

memory. We gave her some random child, and she took

had said. If he was right, then

that woman, Ashlyn, proved quite useful to us. Without her, your mother wouldn’t have gone to Tandy Hospital to give birth. Mother–in–law and daughter–in–law

doing. It seemed that Ashlyn had orchestrated everything! Her eagerness to marry

was paving the way for her own family. As for her disdain for the Schnabel kids, that

question: who’s behind all this? Who asked you to do

pressed his hand to his temple, exchanging a worried look with Thorpe and shaking his head slightly

Organization, you must have navigated these waters before. Ever

“What?”

serious. “Polaris

over Noella. “You’re saying Polaris Star is behind

international warzone. Maybe you’ve encountered them before, but only the tip of the iceberg. We took orders from Polaris Star, but we never knew who was

chills down Hollis’s spine. He couldn’t imagine what horrors awaited those who actually survived

name their members after constellations. Failures are brainwashed, and that process might not always succeed. You could end up a fool. I’ve been to Polaris Star, but they turned their noses up at my intellect

implication in Hollis’s words.

because I didn’t fancy being a fool. You see, I have brothers to look after. They’re not too bright; they wouldn’t last without me. So, I became a pawn for Polaris Star, to be manipulated at

Star, who was

“I don’t know. The messages were always fragmented. You were right; it wasn’t Xavier who ordered Marcel’s hit last time. In truth, we were told

and Sexton Pollack!”

all made sense

was aimed at both Marcel and Sexton from

Hollis’s voice as he recalled his dealings

terrifying, man. I can’t even

started to squirm, caught in a wave of excruciating pain. Memories, the bad ones, flooded in, threatening to overwhelm his already fragile mind, still

temples in a bid to offer some

heart pounding like a drum inside her chest. She knew all too well

Star… Noella’s

her stare.

was Grandma’s mentor?”

that… I don’t have a clue!”