The Killer Queen

Beckett couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling chuming inside him!

Although Palmer was Noella’s fiance, the fact that he had just emerged from his sister’s bedroom seemed to rush things up a bit too much!

Noella could tell at a glance that Beckett had gotten the wrong idea.

“Beckett, he got hurt. He crashed on the couch last night.”

Knowing Palmer had only slept on the couch, Beckett’s expression softened significantly.

Marcel and Sexton, on the other hand, were chuckling away.

Sexton, in particular, was thrilled to see Palmer, that boy, finally get a clue and walk out of Noella’s room. His old face was blooming with joy! At this rate, he could start pondering names for his great– grandchildren!

But upon hearing that Palmer had just slept on the couch, Sexton’s eyes betrayed a hint of heartache.

With such a beautiful fiancée by his side, and he slept on the couch?

The Schnabel family’s nannies had been replaced, and the breakfast table showcased a new array of dishes.

Marcel just wanted to enjoy his twilight years in peace, staying out of affairs,

Beckett’s tone camed the weight of a solicited opinion. “Noella, as for home matters, just do what you can. I have the butler handle the rest. Don’t worry about a thing, focus on your studies!”

“Okay”

Ulrich glanced at his phone, his eyelids twitched with irritation, which he quickly subdued, regaining his composure.

Only after Marcel and Sexton had left for their chess game did Ulrich pass the phone to Beckett.

“Beckett, someone’s been spreading info about Noella online, trying to stir up trouble. I’ve handled it, and we’re tracking down the source.

Beckett mised an eyebrow

Were people itching for trouble, daring to smear his sister online?

A video of Noella playing the zither had somehow become popular online. Several accounts had posted disparaging comments about Noella, making Beckett bristle with anger!

Watching Noella calmly eating across the table, Beckett felt a surge of protectiveness.

His sister had endured so much, and yet people were still spinning tales about her!

“Noella, don’t be scared. How about we skip school today? We’ll go after I’ve sorted this mess out, okay?”

Noella just smiled softly and shook her head with a resolute gaze.

“Beckett, have you forgotten what I said? I’m a Schnabel too. I’m happy to be behind my brothers, but I want to stand with you, shoulder

to shoulder.”

Beckett was nearly moved to tears!

Those words… She truly was a daughter of the Schnabels!

Ulrich grew sentimental too. “Reminds me of when Stirling was starting out. He said something similar.”

The Schnabel kids always stood together!

Palmer, who was by Noellas side, had a flicker in his eyes and a gentle curve to his light

His fiancée was so tough and brave, no matter what. It was endearing, yet it tugged at his heartstrings.

Since Noella had spoken, Beckett didn’t press any further. He handed her the phone to look at the messages herself.

After scanning them, Noella’s expression remained unchanged, if anything, she chuckled.

“They just can’t believe a girl can play sa well. A girl getting into Imperial University on a scholarship has shattered their glass ceilings!”

Those attacking remarks insinuated that her academic success was merely due to being a Schnabel. They suggested that Master Rainer’s zither was not meant for a young girl’s touch. Even worse, there were rumors about her so–called indecent life back in Glen Village.

Noella laughed it off with disdain.

As if they knew her from Glen Village, as if they had grown up together!

10:27

“Beckett, those don’t matter. Today’s my first day of college, and I can’t miss IL”

Beckett nodded. “Should we try to clear things up?”

Noella shook her head, her eyes fierce with scom. “Self–defence is the most foolish act, I won’t get sucked into that vortex Let our lawyer deal with the slanderers. We won’t be paying them attorney fees, right?”

Why should she prove her worth against baseless slander and speculation?

To Noella, it was as absurd as proving she was herself!

Beckett couldn’t help but laugh, yet he felt relieved.

“Nonsense, if Jasper dares charge you legal fees, I’ll break his legs myself”

Noella calmly instructed, “Then please have him trace the source. Sue every rumormonger, make it public, then clolm damages.”

“Got it!”

Seeing Noella completely unfazed by the situation, logically arranging the follow–up, Beckett felt both proud and heartbroken. His sister’s cool, calm demeanor was a result of the hardships she faced growing up with their grandmother in Glen Village!

Malvina, nibbling on her fork, swiftly scrolled through her phone.

“Noella, sweetie, I just saw a netizen claiming to be Queenie’s burner account, saying that you bullied Queenie and got her account deleted. This…”

With these slanders they had just seen, wasn’t this all a bit too coincidental? How could all of this target Noella at once?

Noella effortlessly switched to her internal network account and, with a few simple command lines, located the netizen Malvina mentioned

Beckett and Ulrich didn’t catch the quick keystrokes N

Noella made, but Palmer, sitting close by, saw everything clearly

Having dabbled in deep web programming himself, he knew the complexity of setting up a local network. Observing the speed of Noella’s typing and the time it took to locate the information, he realized the local network she had set up must be extensive!

Palmer felt a stir of curiosity, suddenly keen to uncover any connection between Noella and the infamous Q of the deep web!

Maybe Q was also one of the Polaris Star folks? Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

Noella stared at the message on her phone and blinked. “It’s from Yvonne, on Queenie’s behalf.”

The speed at which the account information was investigated and clarified had even Beckett and Ulrich gobsmacked!

“Noella, do you

you know some kind of elite hacker?”

This timing and speed not even the cops could lock down someone’s details this quick, let alone knowing them inside out!

Noella looked as innocent as a lamb, spreading her hands and shrugging her shoulders, casually nudging Palmer who was standing by her side.

“It’s a favor from Palmer.”

“It’s my crew. Got a couple of decent hackers at the Pollack Group.”

The ones who just sifted through that data and pinned dan tepuppet master so quickly, were indeed his people!

He was somewhat amused by his girl’s eamest attempt to pass the buck. At least it proved that she trusted him.

Noella wanted to explode but held back, considering there were several others around the dinner table. She had to swallow her

frustration.

Hearing that the help was from Palmer’s crew, Beckett breathed a sigh of relief, reassured that the Pollack Group wouldn’t set Noella up and with Palmer on watch, no significant trouble would arise.

Palmer grunted softly, nonchalantly taking credit for this unexpected accolade. At the same time, his hand swiftly caught Noella’s nudging leg, gripping her ankle firmly to stop her from fidgeting.