CHapter 211


    Malvina blinked, not quite catching what Ulrich had muttered under his breath.


    Noe craned her neck from the passenger seat to look back at Ulrich and Malvina. “Ulrich, you


    haven’t been home for two days, thinking of heading back?”


    Ulrich quickly whipped out his phone and used the camera as a mirror. “Talk about professional


    courtesy, they didn’t go for my face! All good then, let’s head back.”


    if Sienna saw a bruise on his face, the whole Schnabel family would be up all night worrying!


    Once he confirmed his face was unscathed, Ulrich breathed a sigh of relief and nced at Malvina


    beside him.


    “Ms. Gruber, you shoulde too.”


    “Me? Really? It’s sote, and I haven’t even brought a gift for Sienna. It doesn’t seem right to just


    show up unannounced.” Noe shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, my mom has been asking


    about you. She’s really looking forward to your visit.”


    The car’s engine roared to life, heading towards the Schnabel Manor in the Phoenix Tower as the


    night grew deeper.


    No sooner had they left when a car hidden in the reeds followed suit, disappearing into the opposite


    direction.


    At the Schnabel Manor, the Schnabels were all asleep when Noe showed Malvina to the guest


    room before returning to her own.


    No sooner had she stepped inside her room than her phone rang.


    Annie’s anxious voice came through the receiver, “Ms. Noe, are you awake? Could you please


    come check on Boss? He’s not doing so well!”


    lightly. “Where is he?”


    Noe’s brow furrowed slightly.


    “He’s at the Pock Mansion. He refuses to go to the hospital. Pleasee!”


    “Give me two minutes.”


    The Pock Mansion was just in the Dragon Tower opposite to them. As Noe reached the


    entrance, she saw Annie, her clothes stained with blood, her face etched with worry.


    “Ms. Noe! Boss is in his room, III take you to him.”


    The Pock Mansion was a stark contrast to the lively Schnabel Manor, eerily quiet, with the sound


    of the courtyard fountain echoing clearly.


    Pushing open Palmer’s door, the scent of blood hit them h hard.


    “Why hasn’t he gone to the hospital?” Noe asked, her frown deepening.


    said it was nothing. We couldn’t convince him, so we had to find you. Thank goodness you came.”


    wrist hade undone, the blood seeping through.


    ching Palmer, Noe saw his eyes shut tight, his wounds crudely leaded to out 7385 Foton


    “Get the first aid kit”


    I’ll get it right away!”


    Annie dashed out and returned to find Noe’s hand resting on Palmer’s forehead, gauging his


    temperature.


    He was burning up, likely a reaction to his injuries.


    Noe re–dressed the wound on Palmer’s wrist and checked the others, most of which were


    sustained during the South Flora Storage st


    “Ms. Noe, Is Boss going to be okay?”


    “He’ll be fine once the fever breaks, He should wake up then.”


    Relief washed over Annie. She’d been on edge all night, and now she could finally rx


    Noe looked at her with an imposing air. “Come here.”


    Annie instinctively responded, “Yes!”


    Facing Ms. Noe’s stern gaze was as unnerving as facing the school principal back in the day. If


    the situation had been different, Annie might have snapped to attention.


    Noe motioned her over. “Palmer’s stable for now. Don’t you need those cuts looked at?”


    10:55


    Annie froze, having been so wrapped up in worry for her boss that she’d forgotten about her own


    injuries- amon urrence for hitmen. When she called Noe, she had braced herself for


    questioning. However, she hadn’t expected Ms. Noe to be concerned


    about her wounds!


    Tm…I’m fine. I can take care of it myself:


    With a nce that brooked no argument, Noe’s eyes spoke volumes. “Come here. I don’t want to


    have to ask twice.”


    Annie quickly followed Noe to the guest room, and only when she started to undress did she


    realize her wounds were stuck to her clothes, causing her to wince in pain.


    As Noe cleaned Annie’s wounds, she inquired, “Now tell me, what exactly did Palmer do to get


    himself injured?”


    “We ran into a gang war at the border. Someone wanted to go out with a bang and nted bombs


    everywhere. We weren’t involved, just happened to pass by”


    shes along the border weremonce, with rival gangs fighting almost daily. But the Abyssal


    Organization, a top–tier yer in the deep web, wouldn’t make such amateur mistakes.


    It meant that the gang war broke out exactly where Palmer intended to bel


    “Where did this happen?”


    Annie hesitated, but meeting Noe’s piercing gaze, she shivered and finally whispered, “Near the


    abandoned Pris Stab.”


    The Pris Starb covered a significant area, and it wasn’t umon for gangs to covet its


    secrets. Even deserted, the Pris Star’s reputation stood firm. Who knew what treasures one


    might find inside?


    But if they actually stumbled upon something valuable, Pris Star wouldn’t be the powerhouse it


    was known as.


    “Why was Palmer there?”


    “You know we took down Cerulean Whale. Boss suspects that his mother’s death has something to


    do with Pris Star, so he went to investigate.”


    The mystery of Palmer’s mother’s death was a thorn in his side. For years, he hadn’t given up on


    uncovering the truth.


    Noe set down the gauze and bandages she had been using to dress the wound. “There you go.


    Get some rest now, and don’t forget to take your antibiotics,” she said with a gentle, yet firm tone.


    Annie blinked back to reality, only then realizing that all of Noe’s questions had been a clever


    distraction.


    In that moment, Annie couldn’t help but marvel at how kind–hearted Ms. Noe was!


    “I’ll just rest in the guest room. Ms. Noe, if you need anything, just holler!”


    “You can go home. I don’t need help here. If Palmer asks, I’ll fill him in.”


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Resting in the Pock Mansion didn’t exactly spellfort. Annie’s injuries were far worse than


    Palmer’s and demanded a good spell of bed rest.


    “Got it! I’ll do whatever you say!”


    Noe stood up and gazed around the still and silent expanse of the Pock Mansion, breaking the


    hush with a soft inquiry. “Has it always been this quiet around here?”


    Annie nodded. “Yeah, ever since I joined the Abyssal Organization years ago, Boss’s ce has


    been like this. Sexton would rather stay at the hospital thane back home. Boss has always


    beenckingpany. But ever since you came along, Ms. Noe, Boss has been spending more


    time here!”


    The mansion was so immactely decorated it could have doubled as a showroom for an interior


    design firm, utterly devoid of warmth. The Schnabel Manor was always bustling and lively, but here


    it was eerily silent.


    it was because you were


    Annie blurted out, “Ive caught Boss staring into space in his room so many times. Later, I found out


    that it


    staying in the room right across from his.”


    Noe paused for a moment and then nodded at Annie. “Alright, I’ve got it. Y


    You head back now, I’ll keep an eye on Palmer”


    “Thanks, Ms. Noe, I owe you one.”


    After Annie left, Noe pushed the door to Palmer’s room open and stepped inside. As she reached


    out to check his forehead, her hand was abruptly caught in his grasp.


    The man, lost in a groggy haze, seemed barely conscious, mumbling out of habit more than


    awareness.


    “Noe, don’t go, stay with me…”