The Killer Queen (Noella Briony) novel Chapter 311

The slap resonated crisply in the silent classroom, turning heads and dropping jaws.

Oriana clutched her cheek, disbelief painted across her face as she stared at Malvina.

Pride had always been Oriana's cloak, worn since childhood; never once had she faced such public humiliation. Fury quickly replaced her shock.

"Are you insane? Hitting me, here? Which department do you even belong to? I'm reporting you! Good luck trying to study here after this!"

Malvina's reply dripped with sarcasm. "Oh wow, such a big deal, huh? Telling me I can't study here. Geez, you must really think you're something. Why don't you just ban me from Earth while you're at it? What, you think you're the dean now? Or maybe the queen of Earth? I wasn't aware you were the dean Garrick's secret love child. Oh wait, are you... the nanny?"

"What did you just say!"

Malvina covered her mouth, barely suppressing a chuckle. "I meant, you must be hard-working. Where did your mind wander off to?"

Oriana, red-faced and fuming, could barely muster a response. "You're shameless!"

Malvina's retort was swift and dismissive. "Rebound."

Having mastered the art of verbal sparring since she could barely walk, Malvina had always been the bane of the Gruber family. Her wit and sarcasm was honed to perfection. How could a bookworm like Oriana ever hope to compete?

Oriana, burning with anger, turned only to find Noella as serene as if the altercation hadn't occurred. Noella’s calm demeanor stood in stark contrast to the chaos, her elegance making her seem almost ethereal. She appeared to be bathed in a light that seemed to favor her alone.

It was infuriating! What was Noella trying to prove?

Why should her be the villain in contrast to Noella's saintliness?

"I just wanted to genuinely apologize to Noella," Oriana lamented amid tears.

"I didn't mean to upset her. Noella, please don't force Stirling to leave me."

Malvina, feigning innocence, glanced at the book Noella was reading and the offensive photos sprawled across the desk before letting out a whistle.

"Go on, report me. A slap might cost me a fine for medical expenses, but your slander? The Schnabel family's lawyer is no joke.

I could see through your little plays because I used to put on such acts as well. But I’m smarter than you. You worked hard to get into college, so why not just focus on your studies?"

Knowing she was at fault, Oriana could do nothing but retreat with tears streaking down her face.

Noella hadn't been sleeping well, regretting her decision to agree to Horatio’s request for her to go out, which now left her exhausted.

Just as she was about to leave with Malvina, a few people approached them.

Noella raised an eyebrow in confusion, her beautiful eyes shimmering with fatigue, which made her look pitiful in the eyes of others.

While they knew Noella was attractive, they had only seen her from a distance. Being confronted with such a face made several of them blush.

Noella casually inquired, “Is there something you need?”

One of the girls blushed and apologized, "I'm sorry, Noella. Oriana spoke ill of you, and we didn't intervene. We're really sorry!"

"I don't mind what was said. What you believe doesn't concern me," Noella replied with a dismissive grace.