The Killer Queen ( Noella Briony ) novel Chapter 188

There they were, the last Gemstone Gambling King and Queen of Film, TV, Music, huddled beneath a small table, their mouths filled with creamy cheesecake, and each hand securely grasping a slice.

Yasbel chuckled. "Boss, you two just carry on. Don't mind us."

Noella pressed a hand to her temple. "What are you doing down there?"

Yasbel was quick with a defense. "I went to pick up Master, didn't I? After hours on a plane, he was famished. But, you know, being a public figure, I can't just pig out without it hitting the gossip columns!"

She still seethed at the memory of a headline: [Heartbroken Starlet Devours Cheesecake in Midnight Binge]. As if! Her cravings had nothing to do with a broken heart.

Master Hector and Yasbel shared a love for cheesecake that bordered on the religious.

With a stretch of his arm, Master Hector called out, "Noella, help me up, would you? My legs are numb from squatting."

Noella helped them up, a smile tugging at her lips despite herself.

Master Hector shook out the pins-and-needles from his legs and glanced at Palmer. "Not bad. Where did you con this one from?"

Noella replied with dry humor, "Picked him up off the street."

"Well done. He's a gem. Better than the last one, for sure. I'm off to grab something else to eat. Carry on, you two."

Master Hector had a penchant for describing people with terms borrowed from his days of stone gambling. Noella was used to it by now.

To be described as a 'gem' by him meant you were a cut above the rest, flawless and of the finest grade.

As Master Hector and Yasbel scurried off to the next table, Noella sighed softly.

Palmer leaned closer, his breath warm against her ear. "The last one?"

The idea that his fiancée might have once 'picked up' another man was a sour note in his heart. The more he got to know Noella, the more she seemed like a treasure trove of surprises, an extraordinary woman whose past he had yet to explore.

"He's talking about someone unimportant. Just a misunderstanding."

"Do I count as important?"

Noella glanced at him, a knowing twinkle in her eye. "Master Hector said it, didn't he? A real gem."

In the world of gemstone gambling, men would go bankrupt for a stone with the just-right water content. If Noella were a gambler, then Palmer was the prize find.

It took a moment for Palmer to realize she was complimenting him.

Noella dug into her purse and handed him a sleek men's watch. "I've adjusted it. If you don't like it..."

"I love it! Anything from you is a treasure."

She had tweaked his watch on their way back from Emerald County, a reciprocation of the watch he had gifted her.

"Thanks, my fiancée."

Noella glanced at Palmer’s wrist, unable to ignore the fact that he consistently wore the cufflinks she had given him during their time at Fortress Hospital. To the uninitiated, it would seem as though the CEO of the Pollack Group had but a single pair of cufflinks to his name.

Noella met his shining gaze and helped him put on the watch.

Malvina popped up out of nowhere. "Noella, darling, I've found us the perfect spot."

"I've got a couple of friends with me. Is that okay?" Noella gestured toward Hector and Yasbel, now emerging from their latest table hideaway.

Malvina's lips twitched. "Well, ain’t that a sight? If they're friends of my Noella, they're welcome. Though, they do look vaguely familiar."

Despite being an avid movie-goer, Malvina couldn't quite place the face of Yasbel, who was a far cry from her larger-than-life screen persona.

The Gruber family's gemstone auction was a magnet for guests, most drawn by the allure of the Gemstone Gambling King's reputation.

According to the rules of the game, any rough stone of interest could be auctioned on the spot. But since this was the Gruber family's event, any quality jade unearthed would likely end up in the Grubers' coffers.