The Killer Queen ( Noella Briony ) novel Chapter 374

"What's up?" Noella asked, her voice tinged with concern. Over the past few days since the scientific conference, Ulrich had been almost entirely absent from home.

Whenever he did come back, it was usually to pester Sienna into calling Malvina for him. According to Ulrich, Malvina's heart wasn't really his; it belonged to Sienna...

Faced with Sienna's gentle inquiries and warm demeanor, Malvina found it hard to push her away. It was like getting a hug from a mother figure. Unless Sienna sent her with some homemade goodies, Malvina wouldn't even let Ulrich through the door!

Puffing up with anger, Malvina complained, "Ulrich is a wolf in sheep's clothing! His promises are as empty as a politician's!"

"What did Ulrich do this time?" Noella probed, sensing there was more to the story.

Malvina found herself at a loss for words, unable to confess that despite Ulrich's promises to stop, he had insisted on dragging her back into his life, leaving her with a sore back and aching limbs for days... Even to her best friend, these were not grievances she could easily voice.

After a moment's hesitation, Malvina shielded her blushing face with one of Noella's medical textbooks.

"I went for a cardiac ultrasound recently."

Ever since that fire incident, Malvina had been experiencing minor health issues. At the clinic, she had bumped into Ulrich, and the nurse didn't hesitate to hand Malvina over to him!

Lying on the bed for her ultrasound, Ulrich peered at Malvina through his mask, his eyes twinkling with unspoken amusement. All he did was smile with those mesmerizing eyes. Was that all they were good for?

"Any symptoms?" Ulrich asked, all business.

"The other doctor already checked me. You can just look at my file," Malvina retorted.

"Who's the doctor here? Or do you think you don't need to follow medical advice?" Ulrich countered, not letting her off easy.

Reluctantly, Malvina described her symptoms. "Shortness of breath, chest tightness, and palpitations after exercise. It feels like my heart is being squeezed."

"What kind of exercise?"

"Boxing."

Regular visits to the underground boxing ring had become a part of Malvina's daily routine. No one in the underworld had time for weaklings! Her goal was to one day match Noella in the ring, claim the championship title, and prove she was worthy of Noella's mentorship.

Ulrich, applying the gel to the ultrasound probe, asked nonchalantly as he worked, "You've been engaging in other 'activities' besides boxing, haven't you?"

The insinuation was clear, and it infuriated Malvina to the point of wanting to slap Ulrich.

Malvina remained silent, her heart betraying her feelings as Ulrich leaned closer. The atmosphere turned charged, yet Malvina didn't forget they were in the midst of an argument.

After the exam, Ulrich handed her some wipes. "Clean yourself up, or I can help if you want."

Malvina snatched the wipes coldly. "No, thank you, Dr. Schnabel."

"The report will take a while. Want to wait in my office?"

"No!"

Malvina dressed quickly and stormed out to find Noella at Imperial University.

"He's such a jerk, making me clean up myself!"

Malvina's eyes widened with concern. "Am I dying? The kind of dying where I don't even need medicine? Don't scare me!"

"What's on your mind? There's nothing to worry about, the Gruber family has no history of genetic diseases. You're in perfect health."

Noella paused for a moment before speaking lightly, "Malvina, do you like kids?"

"Of course, I do. Although marriage kinda scares me, I still want to have kids. Someday, I'd love to have a whole soccer team of them to play with!"

Noella couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. "Having that many would break Ulrich's heart, though."

"That's different. Marriage might end in divorce, but kids are always yours. Look at my mom. If it weren't for me wanting to make things right for her, she'd be so pitiful."

Malvina leaned back, her eyes sparkling with longing.

"Your mom would rather have you safe and happy, not seeking revenge for her."

"I know, but to be loved by a child, to know they're always thinking of me, would make my life complete!"

Resting her chin in her hands, Malvina smiled and said, "Darling, you don't understand. People like me need babies to heal ourselves."

Though she longed for a child, having Ulrich by her side made her feel... complete.

Seeing the tears glistening in Malvina's eyes, Noella kept her thoughts to herself. To avoid alarming Malvina, she decided they should wait a while before doing a thorough check-up. After all, Ulrich is a doctor. He'd notice anything amiss right away!