The Killer Queen (Noella Briony)

Chapter 147

The exhibition hall was the one that Noella had heard the workers mentioning last night, which had been tampered with.

Perhaps in an attempt to deflect suspicion and clear her own name, Petra had sabotaged the materials used in the exhibit overseen by Travis.

All it took was finding the central stress point of a load-bearing pillar and giving it a gentle nudge. Then the already hollow materials of the structure would collapse, just as they had before them.

The employees summoned by Noella stood around, their faces a mask of confusion.

What exactly had happened?

Thankfully, the gallery wasn't open to the public yet. If this disaster had occurred during visiting hours, the reputation of the gallery would have been in ruins!

Travis's legs shook uncontrollably, trembling like the dust settling around the wreckage.

"What...what on earth has happened? I swear I didn't know, Ms. Schnabel! You have to believe me; I had no idea there was anything wrong with the exhibition hall."

Noella spoke evenly, "You're in charge of this place, Travis. As the head, you claim ignorance about the flaws? Have you even inspected this place since its construction?"

"I...I've been busy with other things. You have no idea how many tasks we have to manage daily at the gallery, Ms. Schnabel. I simply couldn't keep track of everything."

Noella let out a cold laugh, her gaze falling on the ruins before her. "I'll be calling the police to handle this matter."

This disaster was just the fallout of the internal squabble between Travis and Petra, with the Gruber family cunningly taking advantage of the chaos.

"You engage in petty power struggles and let others pay the price. You flex your muscles before the staff, forcing them to take sides. If I'm not mistaken, wasn't Dalia previously an intern under Petra?"

Travis's torment of Dalia was solely for his own selfish desires! Bullying a fresh graduate intern - what kind of game was that?

"Ms. Schnabel! I truly had no knowledge of this; please don't let the police take me away. The gallery has so many issues that need my attention; even if I haven’t made many achievements, I still deserve some credit for my years of service here!"

Noella's expression remained impassive.

"I know this particular incident isn't your doing, but what about the other things? Those incriminating files on Petra - you sent them to my inbox, didn't you? Unfortunately for you, Petra also sent me a file on your misdeeds. There's no need to explain anything further to me."

Travis had been siphoning funds, oppressing the staff, allowing for wage deductions that wound up in his pocket, even skimming from their benefits and pension contributions.

And the worst part? These young employees, fresh out of college, unaware of their right to labor arbitration, brainwashed by Travis's talk of making sacrifices for the gallery, for the sake of art.

Tristan had highlighted these issues yesterday without putting it in a direct manner, leaving them for Noella to handle.

After all, the gallery was her inheritance now, and Tristan wouldn't interfere too much. Tristan had it all planned out. If Noella hadn't noticed these issues, he would have quietly taken care of things, ensuring his daughter's happiness wasn't disturbed.

"Ms. Schnabel...you can't do this. I'm innocent!"

"Let the police decide if you’re innocent or not," Noella turned her attention away and handed him over to the waiting officers before walking into her office.

At the office entrance, a group of nervous employees huddled together. Although Travis had made their lives miserable, seeing Ms. Schnabel swiftly deal with both Travis and Petra, the gallery managers, had them anxious that they might be next.

Noella looked up, her expression stern.

"Who's the assistant manager?"

A man raised his hand from the crowd, "Ms. Schnabel, that would be me, Jarred."

"Good. From now on, you'll temporarily take over all of Travis's duties. Make sure to compile a report of any actions he's taken that have harmed the company. You can handle that, right?"

"Yes! Thank you, Ms. Schnabel, for this opportunity!"

Jarred could scarcely believe he was being promoted. Always suppressed by Travis, he never even had the chance to speak to Noella. Travis was terrified that his staff might curry favor with Noella and encroach on his power. Now, Ms. Schnabel had placed the power directly in his hands.

"And who's the assistant manager responsible for the exhibition galleries?"

"That's me; my name is Nyssa." NôvelDrama.Org holds text © rights.

"From now on, you'll take over Petra's duties. Whether you secure your position depends on your performance."

Nyssa was visibly excited, vowing with conviction, "You can count on me, Ms. Schnabel. I'll prove myself!"

After twenty years at the gallery and seeing her designs claimed by Petra as her own, no one was more familiar with setting up galleries than her.

Noella appointed a few new positions, revitalizing the once dispirited staff.

"One last thing. We're closed for the day. The police will confiscate all our paints and canvases for testing. I suspect someone has spread poison in them."

Spread poison?

Nyssa was taken aback, "Ms. Schnabel, why would someone do that? We use those canvases and paints every day!"

If there really was poison, then no one in the gallery could escape unscathed.

"Don't worry, just cooperate with the investigation." Noella had already checked this morning. The tainted supplies hadn't been used, and the existing artworks in the gallery were safe.

The police soon returned with their report.

"Ms. Schnabel, we found significant amounts of sarin, or isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate, in your gallery's paints, and there are various toxic chemicals in the canvases. Even your office's drinking water contains traces of these substances, which could be lethal if ingested."

The employees in the room gasped in shock. Not only had the paints and canvases been poisoned, but even Ms. Schnabel's office water wasn't safe?

Who could have been so brazen? It was a sheer act of madness!

Noella had anticipated which items would be compromised and merely wanted to verify the extent.

"Thank you. We'll cooperate with the investigation and replace these materials as soon as possible."

After recording the data and securing all surveillance backups, Noella sent the police on their way and turned to face Nyssa and Jarred.

"Everything squared away?"

"All set! The paints and canvases are gone, though we lost some of the surveillance footage. But we recovered most of it."

The staff at the gallery had completely changed their tune about her!

Ms. Schnabel wasn't just a mentee of the renowned Master Killian; he was also the epitome of poise and grace.

Even in the face of such an incident, she remained cool as a cucumber. She helped with the police investigation and even took the time to comfort the shaken staff, quickly becoming their pillar of support.

Everyone's gaze seemed to instinctively follow Noella as she moved. Her lean, confident silhouette stood at the gallery's entrance, hands casually tucked in her pockets, with her hair, reminiscent of a morning mist, billowing in the breeze. Her presence was nothing short of regal!

Noella spoke with an air of nonchalance.

"Take the day off, everyone. Go home and rest. You'll get paid as usual. I want you to tidy up all the records and data. I expect to see a revitalized gallery. No more backstabbing or employee exploitation. I won't stand for it."

"Yes, Ms. Schnabel! We understand loud and clear!"

...

Meanwhile, Yvonne, bundled up to the nines, hopped into a car parked on the curb, her eyes darting about as if afraid of being spotted.

Walden looked at her with disdain, "Ms. Schnabel, what's with the cloak-and-dagger act? What are you afraid of?"

Yvonne clenched her teeth, "Walden, what I'm about to give you is critically important. It absolutely must not fall into the wrong hands!"