The Killer Queen by Noella Briony

Chapter 9

“Do you not like it? How about trying something else?”

With a nonchalant air, Noella said, “I’m not a fan of seasonings: I can’t stand onions, ginger, or

garlic.”

It was just a minor issue, and she didn’t sweat it. After all, in the Lambert family, Belinda never cared about what she liked to eat. Instead, she would force Noella to eat stuff she hated just to flex her control freak muscles.

The soup bowl in her hand was swiftly taken by Sienna, who then turned to the nanny and instructed. “From now on, absolutely no onions, ginger, or garlic in any of our dishes!”

The nanny was speechless.

Yvonne’s favorite dishes contained onions and gingers!

However, she didn’t dare speak up, just shot a glare at Noella, who had been throwing her weight around since she came home, almost grinding her teeth.

Noella blinked, surprised by Sienna’s command. “It’s fine, really.”

Sienna was unfazed and, taking Noella’s hand, advised, “Noella, when you’ve got a sec, jot down what you like and dislike. What you like to eat, me and your dad will like, and what you don’t is a no–show in our house!”

Tristan nodded in agreement. “Yeah, look how skinny you are; the Lamberts definitely didn’t feed you any good grub.”

To the Schnabel parents, the Lambert family had practically become Noella’s tormentors. Her clothes were nothing to write home about, no brand names and her suitcase was tiny, with no

other luggage in sight!

Talk about pinching pennies!

Sienna hesitated before spilling the beans, “Sweetie, you’ve got four brothers and one sister at home. We figured out a few years back that you and Elara were switched at birth. It took us years to find you. Your dad and I, it wasn’t on purpose, we…”

Noella nodded.

Nobody intentionally swaps kids.

“As for Elara, she’s innocent. We’ve raised her for years, and she’s not looking to compete with you. So, until she finds her own family, we hope she can stay with us. Don’t worry, she’s usually out at Emerald County doing research.”

“The one who called me, that was her?” She remembered Vincent mentioning a rooster crowing on the phone.

“Yup, Elara found you and called you. These past two years, we’ve been digging into what

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Chapter 9

you. Your dad and I are

parents simply hoped

folks wanted to take care of

“I got it.”

breathed a sigh of

kick Elara out of the Schnabel household. Elara had been with them for years, and even when they stumbled upon

surely like Elara when you

remained

muttered under her breath, “And there’s also Ms.

of Yvonne Schnabel noticeably dampened

a sip of her soup and said indifferently. “As for Yvonne, she’s an orphan adopted by your grandma, not really a Schnabel daughter, so don’t worry about

nanny looked a bit miffed but kept her gaze on Noella. She had finally managed to get Elara to stay away for research, leaving Yvonne

town, everything that was Yvonne’s was at risk of

noticed the nanny’s resentful look but didn’t

“Why adopt?”

the Schnabel couple’s attitude was lukewarm

the hospital, she adopted Yvonne, who’s been keeping grandma company

acknowledged with a nod, slightly bowing her

his hands. “Noella, wanna check

gaze of the Schnabel parents,

They went upstairs.

heard you’ve got college entrance exams next month. Got any

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Chapter 9

if academics aren’t your thing. We can study abroad!

thought about it. She had received acceptance letters from Aqua Vine College and Northlight University last month and

Lambert couple was clueless about these developments. Ever since Belinda stopped Noella from studying properly to provoke

it out yet.”

studied abroad, and Elara graduated from Northlight’s gifted youth program and is now pursuing her Ph.D.

tell Elara was a genius in the science area. No wonder

“You can ask me

into Aqua Vine College because your old man donated

chuckled awkwardly and pushed open the door to the

decked out in minimalist style,

with priceless antiques, a walk–in wardrobe bigger than the Lambert family’s master bedroom, a