The Killer Queen (Noella Briony) novel Chapter 382

The embrace inside the car came after many years apart. It wasn't filled with romantic tension, but with warmth and a sense of enduring affection. In the world of adults, there aren't always clear reasons for the pain we bear—just a collection of scars from past battles.

Beckett's phone started ringing with a tone reserved for the Schnabel family, accompanied by a quirky tune. Darcy gave Beckett a nudge. “Your phone…”

Without letting go of the embrace, Beckett managed to fish the phone out of his blazer pocket draped over Darcy. He pressed the answer button, and Jasper's voice came through.

“Beckett! Have you lost your mind? Why did you send that wildcat Millie after me?”

“I told her to find you or Stirling; looks like she chose you.”

Jasper was squatting in an alley, glaring at Millie, who was leaning against the entrance with a smirk.

“Beckett, do you even realize that woman is a lunatic? I've had beef with her since our college days!”

Millie and Jasper were both law school alumni, her focus on international law and his on criminal litigation. Jasper was on the verge of a meltdown. With a lackadaisical tone, Beckett replied, “Since you know each other, it should make collaboration even smoother.”

“Beckett, you’re really out to get me, huh? You’re the eternal bachelor; why not team up with her yourself? Marriages of convenience aren’t unheard of in our circles.”

“Nah, I’ve got a girlfriend.”

Jasper's confusion was almost palpable. “What? You have a girlfriend? Since when? How come I didn’t know?”

Beckett, still on the call, didn’t shy away from Darcy's presence and raised an eyebrow at her, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. “See, if you don’t take me back, I might just end up in one of those business marriages.”

Darcy, her face still wet with tears, looked utterly baffled by Beckett's sudden declaration. Jasper was even more infuriated.

“Beckett, you dump this she-devil on me and go off playing lovey-dovey? You beast! I’m telling mom!”

Calmly, Beckett responded, “Go ahead, a grown man in his twenties still running to mommy.”

Jasper angrily hung up and immediately dialed Sienna to complain. Hearing about Millie’s pursuit of Jasper, Sienna peeled off her face mask, remarking, “Millie went after you and not Beckett?”

“Beckett's busy with his girlfriend, mom, do you believe how outrageous he is... Hello? Mom? Mom!” Sienna had already hung up, not interested in the boy's dramas. Jasper, left with the dial tone, felt like exploding.

He stood up, exasperated, “Look Millie, coming after me is pointless. I, Jasper, don’t care for the benefits a marriage alliance brings, and besides…”

He shrugged. “I’m not into you.”

Millie scoffed, her previously demure demeanor gone as she lit a slender cigarette, revealing a colorful tattoo winding down her arm. “I said, if you can beat me, you’re free to go. If not, you’ll agree to my terms.”

“You violent maniac! Don’t think I won’t fight back just because you’re a woman!” Millie was far from the delicate flower everyone imagined. Instead, she was as fierce and unpredictable as a storm!

As the smoke curled from her lips, her eyes gleamed provocatively. “Mr. Schnabel, with looks like yours, I bet you'd cry pretty too.”