CHapter 208


    “Ms. Yvonne, what have you been up totely?”


    Yvonne ached all over; her burns on her leg throbbed with every heartbeat, not to mention the


    bruises from being tossed out by Ulrich!


    “I’m recovering. Didn’t you hear about the fire incident that urred at the Gruber’s? What’s with


    the call at this hour?”


    The thought of the Schnabels being so cruel to her, yet all smiles with Noe and Malvina, soured


    her mood with a mix of bitterness and envy.


    Sure, they considered Noe their darling daughter and treated her well, but what about Malvina?


    She had seen Ulrich speaking to Malvina in hushed, gentle tones! Was it just because she was


    chummy with that country bumpkin?


    The Schnabels never gave a damn about how she felt. If they had, she wouldn’t have had to slog


    over to the Gruber ce..


    “Ms. Yvonne, were you hurt? Is it bad? Without a bit of elbow grease, you’ll lose your spot in the


    Schnabel family for good!”


    Yvonne’s anger red. “When have I ever had a ce in the Schnabel family? They’ve never cared


    about


    me!”


    Whether it was blood–rted Noe or the unrted ra, they had the Schnabels‘ hearts. Their


    hearts might as well be floating out in the Pacific!


    “Ms. Yvonne, go cry on thedy’s shoulder, she’ll surely take you back.”


    Sienna?


    Yvonne hesitated, torn. “Forget it. Mother doesn’t care about me. She only has eyes for that


    country


    bumpkin!”


    The nanny whispered, “Ms. Yvonne, I’m talking about your birth mother, not Sienna. Sienna is blind


    to your worth, but your real mother would never reject you.”


    Duncan.had indeed never once mentioned her mother!


    Yvonne’s spirits lifted. “Do you know my mom? Tell me who she is!”


    “I’ll give you thedy’s number; you contact her. Just exin things to her, she’ll surely take pity on


    you.”


    Battling the pain in her body, Yvonne was ovee with excitement.


    “Alright!”


    She hung up and made her way to the hospital where the Gruber family was being treated.


    However, before she could enter the room, she was stopped by several policemen at the door.


    “No entry for bystanders, these are high–risk criminals. Are you a Gruber?”


    High–risk criminals?


    Yvonne nearly bit her tongue and beat a hasty retreat without another word! She needed to keep


    her distance from the Grubers, lest they drag her down with them.


    14:39


    Inside the hospital room, Arthur was hanging by a thread, barely pulled back from death’s door, still


    able to hear the chatter around him. His fingers twitched, desperate to speak, but his throat,


    clogged with tubes, couldn’t make a sound.


    The policeman rattled off a list of the Gruber family’s crimes, down to the exact dates and details!


    Arthur’s eyes widened in shock.


    They had covered their tracks wlessly; how could their dark deeds havee to light? Especially


    with the police knowing such precise details.


    “Ah…ugh!”


    The police, aware of his condition, packed up their files after their recitation and left with the


    attending doctors.


    Arthur caught their parting words.


    “He’s got a ton of Nourishment Pill residues in his system; he probably can’t help with the


    investigation now. He doesn’t have long. Better he dies here than facing a firing squad.”


    Arthur’s eyes bulged, unbelieving. He tried to rise, to demand answers, but he was powerless!


    Shocked beyond measure, he passed out cold.


    In South Flora Storage, the empty air–raid shelter yawned like a beast’s mouth, its unseen depths


    veiling


    countless sins.


    Malvina stood before the gaping maw, facing Ulrich. Her hair was pulled back, and she held out his


    coat to


    him.


    “Dr. Schnabel, here’s your jacket back. Thanks for looking out for me. I won’t be returning to the


    hospital just yet.”


    Ulrich didn’t take the coat, his face marred by displeasure. “Have a death wish? Or do you think


    you’re lucky? Fresh out of a fire and into the underworld immediately? If you can’t afford the


    hospital, I’ll foot the bill. Come on, let’s go.”


    Malvina blinked. “I’ve settled the hospital bills, but thanks, Dr. Schnabel.”


    Facing Malvina’s impervious demeanor, Ulrich was irked, yet clueless about the source of his


    irritation. He was just too darn ethical; that’s why he bothered with this mess!


    “Forget it, have it your way! Toss the jacket, I don’t want secondhand charity.”


    Malvina wasn’t offended. Her lips curled slightly as she watched Ulrich drive off in a huff.


    Behind her, members of the Shadow Dragon Society approached. “Miss, they said if you win just


    one fight in the underground fight club, they’ll follow you. Isn’t that asking too much? Maybe we


    should renegotiate, get them to change the terms?”


    Although Malvina had learned some self–defense growing up with the Shadow Dragon Society, she


    was hardly prepared for the brutal world of underground fighting.


    But to control the underworld, she needed to y by their rules.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    To them, looking after Malvina was one thing; epting her as their leader was quite another. Why


    should


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    14:39


    they bow to some greenhorn girl?


    “It’s okay, I’ll give it a shot. Worst case, I get locked out, no big deal.”


    “Missl”


    Malvina smiled, eyeing the jacket in her hands. “If I’m still breathing, make sure I get to the hospital


    where Dr. Schnabel works. His skills are the only ones I trust to save me.”


    Malvina’s expression was cool and detached, as if the Impending challenge was of little concern to


    her, and as if she had steeled herself for what was toe. Her demeanor was unnerving, enough


    to give anyone the jitters.


    Knowing Malvina’s stubborn streak rivaled that of the old boss, her associate didn’t bother with


    further attempts to dissuade her and simply nodded before departing


    Once alone, Malvina quickly fished out her smartphone and dialed Noe’s number. “Noe,


    darling! It’s a code red situation! I need a lifeline! Those goons want me to step into the ring next


    door, throw punches in some shady fight club, and only if I win, they’ll listen to me. But I don’t know


    the first thing about fighting! What if I get clobbered? Can you imagine how ugly I would look?”


    Noe stayed silent for a moment before asking. “The underground fight club near South Flora


    Storage?” “Yes! Little ol‘ me is about to meet my maker, Noe! Does the Schnabel family have any


    connections there? Maybe someone could go easy on me during the fight, pretty please?”


    Someone was appearing carefree on the surface but aplete mess on the inside.


    Noe nced at a notification on her phone; there was a post on an underground fight club forum


    calling her out by name, with a tempting reward on the line.


    “Hold tight, I’m on my way. I’ll take you there to scope it out.”


    “Oh my stars! The Schnabel family really does have someone in there? That’s just peachy!”


    Relieved, Malvina felt hope once again.


    Noe pocketed her phone and nced at the dark sky. The Schnabel family had already turned in


    for the night, and exiting through the main door would wake them.


    She deftly swung herself over her balcony railing, slipping into a hoodie to blend into the shadows,


    vanishing into the night.


    As she executed her silent descent, an unexpected thought of Palmer shed through her mind. A


    sudden and strange fancy struck Noe, that perhaps the sensation of someone spying on her from


    her own balcony wasn’t entirely unpleasant.


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