The Killer Queen (Noella Briony)

Cosmo always said, "Men understand men best."

If his girlfriend ever got caught in a scandal like that, he'd drop her faster than a hot potato – no way he'd stick around with someone so tainted!

Honora just gave him a look, her eyes filling with disdain. Being a woman herself, hearing Cosmo so eagerly plotting to ruin a girl's life made her sick to her stomach.

If Cosmo could turn on Noella this easily, what's to stop him from doing the same to her if they hit a rough patch? This thought made Honora view Cosmo through a lens of caution and wariness.

Oblivious to Honora's changing expressions, Cosmo busied himself with stuffing the jewels into a bag he had prepared earlier.

"These jewels should fetch a pretty penny, enough to keep us comfy for a while. I've got our plane tickets already, we're leaving tonight."

Honora, however, was worried.

"With all that bling, we won't even make it past the city limits without the Schnabel family catching wind of us. What then?"

Cosmo clenched his teeth in frustration.

"If it wasn't for that brat Noella, would I even be in this mess?"

"I had everything lined up with the suppliers, damn it. That deal alone could've gotten me a new sports car!"

Unseen, Noella leaned against the door, quietly listening to Cosmo and Honora's scheme to smuggle out the jewels.

As the design director, Cosmo knew the true value of these jewels. If he managed to get away with them, it would be a massive financial blow to the company.

But the loss of money was the least of their worries. Some of the pieces had already been reserved by clients who paid deposits. Failing to deliver would tarnish Falen Gemstones' reputation in the industry beyond repair.

Cosmo was clearly banking on this fallout, hoping to see the company's reputation crumble.

Turning to meet Palmer's gaze, Noella nodded slightly.

Half an hour later, the piercing sound of police sirens split the night, their lights slicing through the darkness.

Cosmo and Honora, realizing they were caught in their petty theft, panicked even more at the sound of the sirens.

"Damn, are they after us? Who could've tipped them off?" Belongs to © n0velDrama.Org.

"We better make a run for it!"

In their rush, Cosmo and Honora reached the door only to find it locked tight.

Sweat beaded on Cosmo's forehead as the realization hit him.

"Someone must be onto us in the company..."

"But what's the use in talking? We need to find another way out!"

As the sirens grew closer, Cosmo, in a moment of desperation, fixed his gaze on Honora.

Feeling his stare, Honora snapped, "Have you lost your mind? You're not ditching me!"

Cosmo, moving towards Honora while trying to placate her, said, "If I get away with the money, I can come back for you. If we both get caught, who's going to save us?"

Honora shook her head in disbelief. "No, you're not leaving me behind, and you're not getting my keys..."

Despite her resistance, the physical mismatch between them allowed Cosmo to overpower her quickly, taking her keys and leaving her unconscious on the floor.

As the HR manager, Honora had a set of keys that could open a side door leading out of the company premises.

Cosmo, with the heavy bag of jewels in tow, dashed towards the HR department. Reaching the side door, his hands trembled as he fumbled with the keys, finally managing to escape through the window in a frantic leap.

Moments later, a scream echoed from outside.

"Help! Let me go!"

"You're the one who paid us, right? Though this guy's a bit old, he's still got a decent look..."

"Hurry up, the cops will be here any minute."

Even though these thugs were more interested in their payment than the law, they didn't fancy a night in jail.

Cosmo finally realized the gravity of his situation – he'd been double-crossed!

Palmer, covering Noella's ears, whispered, "Don't listen, it's filthy."

Noella responded, "I've seen and heard worse at the border. This is nothing."

Palmer insisted, "That was different. You were alone back then. Now, you have me. You don't need to endure this filth anymore."

Hearing Palmer's tender yet assertive words, Noella felt a warmth spread through her heart.

The hardships of her past seemed like mere stepping stones, paving the way to this sweeter moment.

The police arrived swiftly, and thanks to the video Palmer and Noella had recorded before entering the company, they had enough evidence to clear things up.

Being the owner of the company and with both the Schnabel and Pollack families being significant taxpayers, the police were quick to let them off the hook.

Despite knowing the nature of the incident, finding Cosmo in the bushes, twitching and foaming at the mouth with a pool of blood beneath him, was still a shocking sight for the officers.

The next morning, the company was abuzz with the news of Cosmo and Honora's betrayal.

They had attempted to flee with the company's jewels, planning to sell them and start anew abroad.

Marisol was livid at their audacity. Checking her phone, she stumbled upon a viral video that had everyone talking.

Expecting some sleazy site's ad, she was shocked to find a title that read like a tabloid headline: "Jewelry Company Design Director's Kinky Secret."

Curiosity getting the better of her, Marisol clicked play, only to find Cosmo at the center of an unsightly scandal!

Watching the cringe-worthy footage, Marisol felt her eyes burn.

The company was in uproar!

As Noella entered the office, Marisol quickly shut off her phone, not wanting to expose Noella to such filth.

"Watching something interesting?" Noella asked.

Quick to shield her boss from the scandal, Marisol inquired, "Ms. Noella, will Cosmo and Honora face prison time?"

"Certainly," Noella assured her, "rest easy."

Jasper was jolted awake early in the morning by a call from the police. As Noella's attorney, hearing that something had gone down at her company overnight was enough to fully wake him up.

The moment he found out someone had been hired for a dirty job against Noella, Jasper was so furious he skipped breakfast and stormed out to the police station!

...

Sienna was up at the crack of dawn, trying to wake Beckett up. Only to find out that Beckett had left the house last night and hadn't returned yet! She immediately guessed it was to dodge a blind date!

Fuming, Sienna didn't hesitate to call Beckett and give him an ultimatum.

"If you don't come back for this blind date, don't bother coming back home at all!"

Beckett, sitting across from Darcy, said calmly, "Mom, I think I'm not in need of a blind date right now."

The person across from him paused in the middle of perusing the menu!

With a sly smile, Beckett continued, "I've got a breakfast date, no need for a blind date."

"A breakfast date? With whom? This time of the morning? Male or female? Which client of yours needs a breakfast meeting?"

Beckett looked at Darcy, his gaze slightly confrontational. He spoke deliberately, "I've got one with the ex-girlfriend who left me right before our wedding!"