The Killer Queen (Noella Briony)

"Try it out, why don't you?"

The mere thought sent a shiver down Elara's spine, prompting her to shake her head vigorously. "Forget it, I'll choose the high road here." Noella raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips.

At the front door, Tristan arrived, his head peeking out from beneath a giant hay bale, seizing the moment to sprint towards Noella and Elara. "Hey, you girls still got some cash to splash?"

Noella and Elara exchanged bewildered glances, about to confirm they did when Tristan eagerly cut in.

"If so, how 'bout lending your old man a bit, huh?"

Noella, perplexed, asked, "Did you and Mom have another fight?"

"What do you mean 'another'? I don't like the way that sounds. It's not fighting; it's 'enhancing our emotional connection.' You get me, sweetheart?" What "emotional connection" he meant was anyone's guess, but it was true that Sienna had confiscated all his cards.

Sitting on the steps with a heavy sigh after receiving money from Noella, Tristan looked up to see Palmer approaching and patted his shoulder. "Palmer, buddy, learn from my mistakes. Never put all the cards in your wife's name. Had a spat and now I can't even afford a motel room..." Palmer offered a sympathetic smile, his gaze softening as he looked over at Noella.

"The men in the Pollack family, well, we do the same with our cards."

Noella's cheeks flushed, and she fanned herself, turning away to avoid his gaze, only to be met with Palmer's chuckle.

"I'm off to visit Grandpa. Meet you for dinner?" he whispered to Noella.

"Sure."

Elara, barely holding back her laughter, teased, "Dad, can't you just 'face pay"?"

"What if your mom misses me in the middle of the night and decides to come find me?"

The thought of Tristan, the CEO of Schnabel Group, being locked out and homeless after a spat with his wife was almost too comical to bear!

It was all just minor squabbles between Tristan and Sienna; neither could bear to truly upset the other.

"What's the fight about this time?"

Tristan exhaled heavily. "It's all because of Stirling, that little troublemaker. When he gets back, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!" Stirling, in a bid to gain sympathy on a TV show, had exaggerated tales of neglect within the Schnabel family, despite their known doting nature especially towards the children, Stirling included.

Tristan pulled up a video on his phone, showing Stirling in a sleek suit, claiming he was mistreated in his childhood.

"That kid was in kindergarten, invited

his whole class to eat without paying and got everyone sick! And that swimming story? He pushed me back in the water when had a cramp!"

And the story about getting punished for taking his siblings out? "He took Elara and Jasper to the beach, and they both ended up in the water. Nearly drowned!"ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

As Tristan grew more incensed, he lamented how Stirling's dramatics had caused Sienna to accuse him of child abuse, now barring him from coming home.

"Trying to win over Yasbel by playing the victim, huh? Wait till he gets back. He's in for it!"

Elara couldn't help but laugh. "Noella, don't worry about it. Stirling's been known for these stories. He's not the brightest, but acting's all he's got." Noella chuckled, resigning herself to the chaos of the Schnabel family dynamics as she glanced at Stirling still ranting on her phone screen. Good luck, Stirling.

Back at Schnabel Entertainment, Stirling wrapped up his live interview, greeted eagerly by his manager.

"Stirling, Azure's announcing their new brand ambassador soon, and they've got a launch event. We've got to be there!"

The race to land Azure's first-ever brand endorsement was fierce.

Even someone of Stirling's caliber had to put in the extra effort.

Hollywood was practically queuing up to curry favor with Master Azure.

"Is Yasbel going?" someone asked.

"Ah? We're not sure about Yasbel yet."

Stirling pondered for a moment. He was desperate to find an opportunity to properly apologize to Yasbel! But their schedules never seemed to align, and whenever he suggested they grab dinner, she was wary of being caught by the paparazzi, fearing it would only lead to more trouble.

His agent caught the look on Stirling's face.

"Why don't we arrange a meeting with Yasbel to talk about that TV series you two were involved in? Despite the production team facing backlash, the script itself was solid."

"Buying the rights to the script and shooting it again might be a good investment for us."

"Maybe you and Yasbel could... not rekindle anything, per se, but collaborate once more?"

Stirling was known for his meticulous selection of scripts!

And Yasbel was just as discerning, only taking on projects that met her high standards. A chance to reshoot would not only be a tremendous challenge but also a golden opportunity for both of them!

Besides, it was all in the name of work...

She surely wouldn't turn that down!

With that thought, Stirling felt a spark of inspiration.