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

memory. We gave her some random

Tandy had said. If he was

have gone to Tandy Hospital to give birth. Mother–in–law and

Ashlyn’s doing. It seemed that Ashlyn had orchestrated everything! Her eagerness to marry her niece off to Tristan

wasn’t her biological son. She was paving the way for her own family. As for her disdain for the Schnabel kids, that was a given, especially

this? Who asked you to do these

hand to his temple, exchanging a worried look with Thorpe and

the Obelisk Organization, you must have navigated these

“What?”

serious. “Polaris

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

solemnly, his eyes filled with deep fear. “They’re shadowy figures in the 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 issuing them. They’re

his experiences with Polaris Star sent chills down Hollis’s spine. He couldn’t imagine what horrors awaited those who actually survived the brutal

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

the implication in Hollis’s

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

Star,

know. The messages were always fragmented. You were right; it wasn’t Xavier who ordered Marcel’s hit

and Sexton Pollack!”

made sense now!

hospital room was aimed at both Marcel and Sexton from the

in Hollis’s voice as

can’t even think about crossing

Memories, the bad ones, flooded in, threatening to overwhelm his already fragile mind, still

down beside him, kneading his temples in a bid to offer

like a drum inside her chest. She knew

indeed come from Polaris Star… Noella’s gaze shifted to Xavier, who seemed

her stare.

was Grandma’s mentor?”

don’t