CHapter 198


    Noe locked eyes with Palmer’s intense gaze, and for a moment, the ring in her hand seemed to


    scorch her palm with an ufortable heat.


    “I can’t ept this,” she said. “You should take it back.”


    “Without you epting this ring, everything I’ve done today is meaningless,” Palmer replied as he


    tried his best to lift his hand and gently tousled Noe’s hair.


    “Even if you don’t like me, please don’t reject it, okay?” His eyes held a plea, a vulnerability that was


    likely the result of too much blood loss, and it tugged at Noe’s heartstrings.


    The ring, with its rose–shaped gemstone, sparkled brilliantly in her palm. It was a testament to how


    cherished it had been by its previous owner.


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    *Please, take it,” Palmer implored softly as he gazed at her.


    Feeling the burn of his gaze, Noe quickly averted her eyes.


    “Alright, I’ll keep it,” she then quickly added when she met his burning gaze, “It’s not that I dislike


    you. Maybe I’m not that into you, but don’t try to test me.”


    –


    Her feelings for Palmer were a muddle not quite passionate enough to call love, but certainly far


    from disdain.


    “It’s not a test, I justck confidence,” Palmer admitted.


    Noe didn’t respond. Instead, she focused on dressing the wounds he had sustained, handing him


    a new shirt designed by Azure. The shirt was yet to be embellished with the usual intricate


    embroidery that would mark it as an Azure original; it looked in, and she hoped Palmer wouldn’t


    notice its designer origins.


    But as Palmer examined the shirt he was now wearing, he couldn’t help but find it eerily simr to


    several others in his closet. High–end brands had their unique styles, after all.


    Clearing her throat, Noe said sternly, “Take off your pants.”


    “You’ve got injuries on your legs from the st. Do you want to strip them off yourself, or should I


    help?” she added.


    At her serious tone, Palmer couldn’t suppress a chuckle.


    “I can manage, thanks. I’ve always taken care of my own wounds. But I appreciate if you can


    prepare the medicine for me.”


    His gaze toward her became suggestive, “I know you are a doctor, so you see no gender in, your


    patients. B


    selfishly, I hope that you’ll talk like this under different circumstances


    like in your bedroom. I’d be very pleased then.”


    at him before handing over the medicine.


    Malvina’s mother was friends with your mother?” she asked.


    Yes. They were friends back in the day, but Mrs. Gruber passed away shortly after Malvina was


    born,” Palmer exined.


    Noe leaned against the wall, her brow furrowed as she pressed, “You knew Malvina long


    before?”


    “Not personally. Both of our mothers died when we were young, although I had met hers. So when


    she needed the Pock family’s name to approach my grandfather, he was willing to help.”


    Palmer caught Noe’s eye, “Are you nning on staying to watch me apply the medicine?”


    As he began to unbuckle his belt, Noe turned sharply and strode out of the room, leaving Palmer


    tough quietly to himself, thoroughly amused.


    At the Gruber estate.


    Yates rushed to Arthur with a pile of documents with panic written all over his face.


    “Granddad, our businesses have been sanctioned Deals that were set in stone are now being


    retracted they’re refusing to work with us!”


    Arthur’s gaze remained fixed outside, where the moonlight draped the Gruber grounds in tranquility.


    He lifted his cup to have a sip of ck tea and asked with a chilled voice, “What’s there to panic


    about? Isn’t this something we’ve dealt with before? Is it really that urgent?”


    The secretary burst in, breathless, “Sir, the Shadow Dragon Society… are all wiped out! Anyone


    who survived was taken by the cops! Our businesses are restricted, and your ounts have been


    frozen!”


    The cup fell from Arthur’s hand onto the carpet, “What did you say? Who dares to do this?” “The


    gang was nning to move against Hector today, but he… he led the cops straight to several


    Shadow Dragon Society strongholds. We’ve lost most of our men.”


    “The Schnabel family, Palmer, and Pris Financial are all sanctioning our corporate assets…


    We’re going under!”


    Arthur looked at his secretary in disbelief, “Have the Pock and the Schnabel families lost their


    minds? And how dare that Pris Financial, a smallpany that’s barely on its feet, sanction


    me?”


    The secretary stammered, “It’s… it’s the Shadow Dragon Society. They hired the


    12.54


    Westwood Mercenary Corps for help, and they… they ambushed Mr. Pock…


    Arthur’s eyes bulged in shock.


    Had everyone gone mad?


    Daring to attack Palmer?!


    If they seeded, the Gruber family would have one less rival. But if they failed, it would spell


    disaster for the Grubers.


    Arthur slumped to the floor, his face beaded with cold sweat.


    “Get me the phone; I need to make a call…” As soon as the call connected, Arthur began frantically,


    “Lucian, you have to save me! The Gruber family rose with your help, and can you bear to watch us


    go bankrupt?”


    On the other end, Lucian moved a chess piecenguidly while ncing across the board at Master


    Hector.


    “It’s your turn. Oh, Arthur, what was that? The Grubers are going bust? No biggie, your folks are


    small–time anyway. If you go under, you go under. No sweat. Hey, Master Hector, no take–backs


    on the chessboard!”


    Arthur clenched his teeth and pleaded, “I know I messed up. I’ll listen to you from now on, I swear.


    No more bucking heads with the Richardsons. Please, just bail out us Grubers. We’ll all be in your


    debt!”


    “Look at you, always the joker when you get up there in years. Since when could the Grubers even


    dream of squaring up to us, the Richardsons? Arthur, you might as well go down with some dignity.”


    Lucian nced at the chess piece in his hand and said indifferently, “Your grandson, Yates, had the


    gall to make a move on my one and only granddaughter. He’d better be ready for the


    consequences.”


    He hung up with a chuckle and got back to his game.


    Arthur stood there, utterly lost, until a voice message yed through his phone–recordings of Yates


    stirring up trouble between ra and Noe!


    “You are the disgrace of the family! It’s because of you lot that the Grubers havee to this! But


    what did Lucian mean by his ‘one and only granddaughter‘? Who was he talking about?”


    Arthur didn’t have a clue, nor the luxury of time to figure it out.


    Yates was visibly panicked, “Grandpa, I… I just wanted to ask Ms. Schnabel out for a bite, that’s


    all!”


    Arthur’s hand flew across Yates’s face with a smack.


    “Get lost! You’re a disgrace! If the Grubers go under tonight, you’re sleeping under the


    12.54 I


    At the doorway to the endy, Malving beaned against the frame and popped a gun trade


    with a loud anap, “Going under, huh? Sooner than I thought./