The Killer Queen

In the ICU ward of Tranquility City First Hospital, Milford lay amid a sea of tubes and wires, appearing as a human pincushion, barely hanging on by a thread. Any slight movement and he was in a world of hurt!

Once handsome, his face now grotesquely swollen, bearing no resemblance to its former self, almost resembling a pig’s head.

The three from the Lambert family stood before him, all gobsmacked!

Briony, seeing her beau looking like something out of a horror show, wanted to grab Milford’s hand but couldn’t find a gap amidst the jungle of tubes!

It was a face not even a mother could love!

Briony let out a blood–curdling scream!

“Milford, how on earth… what happened to you?”

Belinda was shell–shocked too.

Milford had been a looker since he was a tot, which was why she and his mother Linsey had secured this marriage arrangement when he was still in diapers. They were worried that a guy with such good looks and from an affluent family would be snatched up by someone else if they didn’t act quickly.

Now, looking at Milford’s face, Belinda could hardly believe her eyes!

“Oh Milford, what’s become of you?”

Linsey was on the sidelines, bawling her eyes out. “Who would have guessed? Milford was just heading to a business meeting and some thugs jumped him halfway there! It’s like there’s no law and order anymore!”

Briony’s heart was in her throat. “Did you guys call the cops? This is outrageous; we,

get justice for Milford!”

Linsey hemmed and hawed.

need to

If they went to the cops, wouldn’t the whole saga of Milford living it up in the bar, ringing up a storm on the tab with a bevy of bar girls, become the talk of the town?

Linsey was too chicken to call the cops, partly because she feared Milford might have ticked off some lady who decided to get even.

If the Lambert family got wind of this, their precious marriage deal would be toast!

Milford, his voice hoarse and broken, managed to gasp out, “Noella… Noella!”

The Lambert family was speechless.

Belinda frowned slightly. “Does Milford mean that his beating has something to do with Noella?

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But hadn’t Noella…”

Hadn’t Noella been kidnapped?

They had been out of touch with the kidnappers for days, not knowing if their plan had. succeeded probably just a lousy signal in the mountains!

That darn girl she might have been sold off by now.

Milford clenched his teeth, “Noella! It’s all… Noella!”

Briony, seeing how much effort he was putting into speaking, felt her heart break. “Milford, you mean you got beaten up because of Noella?”

Milford painfully nodded.

Vincent, clueless about the dirty deeds of Belinda and Briony, quickly chimed in, “Noella was sent back to the countryside to live with her family. Could it be she didn’t want to leave. Tranquility City and started working here somewhere?”

Linsey, who was quite the spitfire in her younger days, glared daggers at them. “So, you’re saying my son ends up like this all because of your family? You owe me an explanation. Milford’s my only son, and he’s already had three near–death experiences according to the doctors!”

Belinda quickly intervened, “No, Noella has nothing to do with our family. Briony is our daughter. I’ll issue a public statement to disown Noella completely.”

How on earth had that pesky girl escaped from the kidnappers?

Linsey’s eyebrows shot up. “So you’re admitting it’s got to do with that brat? You owe us an explanation.”

The Lambert family was in deep trouble, and Linsey’s tantrums could be heard all over the ICU. The Lamberts couldn’t afford to suffer humiliation and reluctantly agreed to her demands.

Kicked out of the ICU, the Lamberts stood outside the door, at a loss for words.

“Mom, could it be that rich guy who shouted for Noella at Rising Glory Mall helped her escape?” “It must be. Who’d have thought that kid would have such dumb luck.”

Briony wouldn’t let up. “Mom, it must be her, bothering Milford again. How can she be so wicked! She’s not trying to snatch Milford from me, is she?”

She had worked so hard to secure this engagement! There was no way she’d let Noella get her claws into Milford, such a catch!

“Don’t worry, Briony. We just need to find Noella and give her a piece of our mind. This time we’ll make sure she gets back to the sticks with our own eyes. She won’t mess with your engagement.”

The thought of having to look for Noella gave Belinda a headache. What if that girl was

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slumming it in some dive, washing dishes to make ends meet?

As members of high society, they couldn’t possibly stoop to looking for her in such places, could they?

Vincent suggested. “Just send some small–time thugs to sniff around. Noella hasn’t made any influential connections who’d stick their neck out for her. Maybe Mr. Rosenberg got roughed up by a business partner? We’ve heard the Rosenberg family’s been having some business troubles, so we might need to keep an eye on Briony’s engagement.”

“Dad, are you saying you are going to find me a new flancé? I don’t want that! I only have eyes for Milford!”

Plus, all the guys who visited the Lambert family only had eyes for Noella, but Milford had been. different towards her since they were kids. She believed that she and Milford were truly star–crossed lovers!

Vincent was all about business, always weighing the pros and cons.

“Let’s wait and see. If the Rosenberg family can’t pull through this time, we can’t let Briony sink with them.”

Belinda nodded in agreement.

Just as they reached the hospital entrance, the family nearly bumped into a bunch of cops in uniform, blocking their path.

“Belinda and Briony Lambert, you’re suspected of kidnapping and we’re arresting you by the book. Please cooperate with the police investigation!”

The Lambert family of three was left dumbfounded.

“Officer, buddy, you sure you didn’t get it twisted? How could my wife and daughter be mixed up in a kidnapping?”

The cop whipped out some ID and paperwork. “Mrs. and Ms. Lambert are suspected of masterminding Tom’s gang to kidnap Ms. Noella. Please come with us for a chat!”

Briony freaked out, bursting into tears on the spot. “Mom, Noella’s fine, right? She’s off flirting with Milford already. Why the heck are they hauling us in?”

“Yeah, yeah, Officer, Noella even had my daughter’s fiancé beaten up. Aren’t you gonna throw her behind bars too?”

Seeing them still talking nonsense, the cop had zero chill with this family. “Just come with us to the station!”

Belinda and Briony were overcome with tears and sobs as they were escorted to the police car, leaving Vincent standing there, a hot mess in the wind.

What in the world was going on!

Vincent immediately contacted his lawyer, then instructed his secretary, “Dig up the number.

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that called me claiming to be Noella’s family. Get in touch with them, see if Noella’s with them and get her to come see me, pronto!”

He had never bothered to save Noella’s number; he hadn’t needed to reach out to her before and didn’t even know her cell number.

Now, to find Noella, he had to track down that country bumpkin who had called him last time.

“Mr. Lambert, I didn’t save that number either.”

“Pull the records from the carrier. It was a call from Emerald County. We’ve gotta find Noella and get her to sign some sweet deal. That girl’s definitely looking for a chance to come back. Just dangle a carrot, and she’ll bite!”

The Lambert family would never allow Noella to return. That girl could even land Belinda and Briony behind bars. It went to show, she had schemes up her sleeve and a heart as dark as coal!

At the Schnabel Mansion, the family gathered for a meal around a grand dining table, adorned with fresh flowers that were changed daily, while the soft light cast a cozy glow over the spread.

As Elara was peeling shrimp for Noella, her phone began to ring. She wiped her hands and answered the call. “Hello, what’s up?”

On the other end, Zane was all high and mighty. “I’m Mr. Vincent Lambert’s secretary. You’re to send Noella to the police station immediately to offer a peace deal to Mrs. and Ms. Lambert, to forgive them.”

Elara frowned slightly. “What have they done that needs forgiving?”

“Sure, Mrs. and Ms. Lambert had Noella kidnapped, but it was just to give her a reality check, to reconnect her with her mountain roots. It was just a kidnapping; they did nothing wrong! Send Noella to the station, quick!”

Elara couldn’t believe what she just heard, thinking, is this guy for real?

“Mr. Lambert said if Noella doesn’t show at the station, he’s going to announce in the papers that she’s cutting ties with the Lambert family for good. So, think carefully!”