The Killer Queen (Noella Briony) novel Chapter 383

"Marriage? What on earth requires marriage to be done?" Millie sighed, her frustration evident.

"The old man at home is barely hanging on, and he wants to stir up some trouble before he dies, thinking it will elevate the Gallagher family a notch."

"In their eyes, marriage is just a bargaining chip. It's all about who can bring home the most advantageous alliance. Whoever does gets to inherit the old man's fortune."

Jasper wrinkled his nose in distaste. "All this for a bit of inheritance?"

"Yeah, a measly four billion."

Jasper's eyes widened in disbelief. "Dollars? How does the Gallagher family even have that kind of money? That's like, their entire empire, isn't it?"

Millie shrugged. "That's the gist of it. The better your marital alliance, the more you stand to inherit from the Gallagher coffers."

Millie, clearly aggravated, swung her fist through the air. "Damn it, if there was any other way, I'd just blow the whole Gallagher estate sky-high and see how they'd marry then. It drives me nuts!"

Noella spoke calmly, "Your mother won't leave with you."

Once in the car, Millie's spirits sank, and she managed a bitter smile. "Yeah, my mom's stubborn as a mule."

Noella was well aware of the situation with the Gallagher family. All the assets were tightly held by the older generation, and they called the shots on the family trust and inheritance. Securing the inheritance meant playing the obedient child forever. The current head of the Gallagher family enjoyed setting his own children against each other in a twisted survival of the fittest. Only the last one standing would be deemed worthy of inheriting everything.

Millie said bitterly, "The old fox is cunning, alright. Technically, the inheritance is mine, but if I can't produce a suitable husband, he'll hand it over to someone else."

"Best case, pop out a kid too. But since a kid's off the table for now, might as well trick some guy into marrying me first."

It was all about securing a strong ally for the Gallagher family. And a way to ensure Millie would be indebted to the Gallagher family for life!

Jasper twitched at the corners of his mouth. "Millie, don't tell me the guy you plan to trick is me?"

"Smart cookie! Jasper, so smart. Are you offering to have kids with me?"

Jasper nearly choked on his own saliva! Millie had always been a force of nature back in school. Not just for anything, but... for being shamelessly ambitious! Whether it was debate competitions or mock trials, she was ready to do whatever it took to win. In her world, there were no friends or family, only victory! Even in a marathon, Millie had to finish first, standing on the podium flipping off the crowd below.

"I'm the best! All you guys are trash!"

Because of that, she was no stranger to controversy at school. Every time Jasper heard something new about her, he was flabbergasted! She was truly wild. Now, getting entangled with her seemed worse than death itself!

Realization dawned on Noella; Millie had her sights set on Jasper, thinking he was from the Schnabel family. Indeed, an alliance with the Schnabels would perfectly satisfy the old Gallagher generation's requirements. But Noella wouldn't allow forcing a Schnabel into something unwillingly.

"Come stay at my place for a few days, and we'll figure something out. If marriage is a must, I'm not suitable, but there are other members in the Schnabel family. If you're open to it, we could arrange for you to meet someone."

Millie was more than willing. "Just need to spread a rumor for now. As long as I'm living with my mentor at the Schnabels', who cares which Mr. Schnabel it is! Let them guess!"

After all, just the news was enough to make people anxious.

...

At the Schnabel Manor in Serene Haven, Phoenix Tower, Sienna looked on with a gleeful smile at Darcy sitting in the dining room. Hearing her eldest son was out on a date, she had Beckett bring the girl home straight away! Sienna, though outwardly patient, was indeed worried about Beckett's love life.

Darcy was a bit uneasy, not quite understanding how she ended up following Beckett home... Beckett glanced at the still-open restaurant and said casually, "The restaurant's closed for the night, let's dine elsewhere."