The Mercenary Queen Strikes Back (Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

258 vouchers

Logan was notorious at Saint Laurel Royal Academy, known for being completely ruthless.

He might not be the Academy’s strongest, but when it came to pure viciousness, nobody could top him.

If Logan called himself the most savage guy around, no one would even dream of challenging him for the title.

So when Logan headed straight for Nova, everyone instantly stepped aside, casting glances that screamed- she was toast.

Someone whispered, “Wait, that’s Nova–the so–called loser little sister of Max and Hannie? Damn, didn’t expect her to actually be this cute…

Another added, “Is she really a loser though? Word is, some guy from her class got beaten up so badly this morning that he ended up in the infirmary. You think Nova did that?”

Another

guy

shook his head. “No way. She never even learned taekwondo or kickboxing or anything like that.”

One said, “Yup. Plus, rumor has it that before she moved back in with the Blakes, Nova was… well, someone’s sugar baby. An older guy, you know?”

All around, the students were buzzing with gossip.

Someone sighed, “No matter what, she’s really messed with the wrong guy this time. She’s done for now that she’s pissed off Logan.”

Everyone figured Nova was about to get wrecked, but there wasn’t a trace of fear on her face.

On the contrary, her gaze was cold as ice. She looked totally unfazed, almost doll–like, completely emotionless.

She met Logan and his crew’s eyes, calm as ever, not backing down an inch.

Sophia was terrified, but she wasn’t about to abandon Nova–not even for a second.

She kept anxiously pulling on Nova’s sleeve, desperate to convince her. “Nova, that’s Logan Drake. He’s basically one of the biggest badasses in Saint Laurel, and no one messes with him.

“His family has crazy influences. They don’t even bother with the Blakes.“Can’t you just play it safe this once? If you don’t, things could get really ugly.”

Deep down, even after witnessing Nova send that taekwondo punk flying right into the infirmary, Sophia couldn’t really bring herself to be impressed.

The guy made some waves, but he was just a nobody.

Honestly, Sophia herself could’ve wiped the floor with him–no sweat.

176

13:22 Sat, Jun 6

Chapter 7

AGE

77

255 vouchers

What truly blew her mind was that, according to all the gossip, Nova supposedly didn’t have a clue about fighting.

But Logan, standing there now, was in a whole other league. This was nothing like what they’d seen with that taekwondo guy.

Logan was infamous for his ruthlessness, and when it came to raw power, he ranked just after the top three legends on campus.

Even if Nova had some skills, there was no way she could ever measure up to those guys. So that was why Sophia was so shaken.

“Dang, she already got herself mixed up with Logan and his gang? Hannie, your little sis is really something- didn’t know she had it in her.” Not far away, Claire snarked, her voice full of twisted sarcasm.

She caught movement to her side and glanced over, her eyes widening when she saw Hannah striding straight toward Nova.

Claire looked utterly floored. She grabbed Hannie’s arm and blurted out, “Hannie, what are you doing? Wait, are you seriously going to help her? Isn’t she the sister you always complain about?”

Hannah resented Nova so much that she wished Nova would never come back to Blake Villa again.

But right then, seeing some outsider push Nova around, Hannah felt a sour twist in her gut she couldn’t quite explain,

Of course, never in a million years would she admit to feeling something like that.

Hannah let out a cold, mocking laugh. “I’m not helping her. I’m freaking sick of her; she just can’t stop causing drama.

“The only reason I’m even getting involved is because if something happens to her at school, my mom won’t be able to handle it. I only care about Mom’s feelings, not hers.”

With that, Hannah was about to step in.

Meanwhile, Nova was still standing there, not moving an inch.

Seeing her like that, everyone just assumed Nova had never seen anything this scary in her entire life. She must be totally freaked out right now.

Or maybe she was secretly panicking, thinking about whether she should just drop to her knees and beg Logan for mercy.

Maybe she was even wondering if groveling at Logan’s feet–or hell, kissing his toes–might actually get her a pardon.

Right at that crucial moment, Nova suddenly spoke up, “One move.”

Everyone froze, thinking, ‘One move? What’s she talking about?

2/6

13:22 Sat, Jun 6

Chapter 7

77

55 vouchers

Nova’s bizarre words made everyone freeze up, totally confused. It just didn’t make sense to anyone there.

Even Logan and his crew from the Taekwondo club looked caught off guard.

After a moment, one of Logan’s crew–a girl with pigtails–snickered, sizing up Nova with a mocking glance.

She scoffed, “Hey, you’re Max’s little sister, aren’t you? Don’t tell me you got so scared you totally lost it. Already rambling nonsense?”

Logan tapped his fists together, a sly smirk curling on his lips as he closed in on Nova, every step oozing arrogance.

He sneered, “One move? Oh, I get it–you want me to take you down with just one shot, huh? Don’t worry, when it comes to pretty girls like you, I always keep it gentle.”

He couldn’t have made it clearer that Nova wasn’t worth his attention.

As soon as the pigtailed girl and Logan finished speaking, the crowd erupted into a chorus of mocking laughter, their scoffs echoing through the hallway.

Some students were doubled over, clutching their sides and wheezing from how hard they were laughing.

Nova’s expression didn’t change in the slightest; she just stood there, cool as ever.

But what she said next had everyone stunned, jaws dropping one by one.

“To deal with you, I only need one move,” she declared, her voice cold and full of confidence.

She was downright wild and arrogant.

As soon as Nova threw out those words, everyone stood there in shock, rooted to the spot as if nailed down.

Hannah was the first to react, furious at Nova’s bold boast, her whole body actually shaking.

She thought Nova was just trying to act tough again, and honestly, she was beyond disappointed in her little

sister.

Exasperated, she couldn’t help but raise her voice. “What is that idiot even saying? Is she out of her mind or just looking to get herself killed?”

Logan’s viciousness was legendary at Saint Laurel Royal Academy–three punches from him and anybody would be left bleeding buckets. Even Hannah never dared get on his bad side.

And Nova? She was so outrageously arrogant, she actually threw out “I only need one move to deal with you“-like nobody could touch her.

Hannah kept calling Nova an idiot, but her legs didn’t hesitate. She headed straight toward Nova anyway. But it was already too late.

Logan had just been humiliated right in front of everyone–there was no way he’d let something like that slide.

3/6

13:22 Sat, Jun 6

Chapter 7

AGE

77

Didn’t matter if the person who crossed the line was drop–dead gorgeous–Logan was furious all the same.

With a wild, guttural roar, Logan exploded with rage. “You think you can mess with me? You’re dead. Get ready for that.”

With a roar, Logan swung his massive fist–like a battering ram–straight for Nova’s face.

Sophia screamed, “Nova, look out!”

In that split second, Sophia–never knowing where her guts came from–grabbed Nova with instinctual force and pulled her behind her.

She threw herself between Nova and the strike, ready to take the hit herself.

But before Sophia could do anything, Nova–expressionless all along–suddenly lifted her gaze, and for an instant, her eyes gleamed dark red like a demon from hell.

She simply slid left with effortless grace, dodging Logan’s powerful punch as if it were nothing–no wasted motion, just pure instinct.

The instant Logan’s punch went wide, and he couldn’t even react.

Nova pivoted like a pro, snapped her leg up, and nailed him clean in the face with a lightning–fast kick.

She hit him hard, ruthless and direct–no holding back.

The sound of the impact echoed through the hallway.

In the next instant, Logan took the kick right to his face–the force so brutal that it dragged his whole body along for the ride, flinging him through the air in a wild arc, landing with a sickening thud a few feet away, limp like a sack of potatoes.

For a second, his mind just went blank.

The pain was so savage that Logan choked out a mouthful of thick, bloody spit, coughing so violently that he nearly doubled over. And in that mess of blood–his teeth went flying, clattering to the floor in a jagged line.

Nova’s kick hadn’t just sent Logan flying–it hit so hard it knocked out an entire row of his teeth, leaving him spitting out pieces right then and there.

Just how freakishly powerful was Nova Blake?

Everyone stood frozen, eyes wide in terror, completely stunned by what they’d just witnessed.

The so–called loser heiress of the Blake family actually took down Logan with just one move.

And she was even more ruthless than Logan himself.

Her cold, bloodthirsty glare and the way she looked down on everyone sent chills down everyone’s spine.

Was Nova really the third heiress everyone whispered about–the one who’d just come back to the Blake

4/6

13:22 Sat, Jun 6

Chapter 7

family, useless, weak, and totally clueless?

No. Absolutely not. She was a hellspawn reaper, a living nightmare sent from the underworld.

77

All around, people inhaled so sharply that it felt like the air turned cold; every single person was left gaping, too shocked to even blink.

Hannah and Claire couldn’t have imagined in their wildest dreams that Nova would be this much of a badass. Their jaws dropped, eyes bulging as they stared at her in total shock.

Meanwhile, Logan was curled up on the ground, shaking like a leaf, totally helpless as pain wracked his body.

Once the initial shock faded, one of Logan’s friends was the first to recover. He stared at Nova, his face twisted with terror.

But even now, shaking in his shoes, he still spat out threats, trying to act tough, “Y–You actually hurt Logan so badly? We’re from the Taekwondo club, and we’re not letting you walk away from this.

At that, the bald guy called out to his buddies, and all three of them dashed over to Logan’s side.

Banding together, they planned to haul Logan out of the cafeteria first, then plot their revenge against Nova for another day.

But before they could even get away, they’d barely taken a few steps when three yellow blurs whipped across the air.

Three benches crashed right into the nape of their necks, brutal and exact.

The three of them collapsed on the spot, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

The crowd jolted, spooked by the sheer suddenness and brutality of it.

Before anyone could even process what had just happened, Nova’s voice cut through the air, icy and bone- chilling, aimed straight at Logan and his crew.

She snapped, “You interrupted my lunch, knocked over my food and my friend’s, and didn’t even bother to apologize. Did I say you dead meat could crawl out of here?”

516