Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 152

"Silas, I believe this is my first formal visit," Pierce noted, his tone so flat it was impossible to read his mood. His fingers continued to roll the beads.

"It is," Silas agreed with a heavy sigh, adding a touch of faux reproach. "I've been looking forward to your visit for ages. It's just a shame you've been too busy running the empire to drop by."

He paused, seamlessly shifting his tone to probe the waters. "So, I imagine this sudden visit isn't just a social call to see me, is it?"

Pierce's lips curled into a mocking sneer, his gaze snapping back to Penelope. "You'll have to ask your darling daughter about that."

"I... what did I do?" Penelope forced the words out, but her voice was agonizingly weak.

"Penelope, does this man look familiar to you?" Pierce tilted his head slightly, giving Yancy a subtle nod.

Yancy didn't hesitate. He drove his boot into Hannibal's back, sending the hitman sprawling directly at Penelope's feet.

"I don't know him! I've never seen him in my life!" Penelope shrieked, scrambling backward like a cornered animal and shaking her head frantically.

Pierce remained unbothered. He calmly picked up Hannibal's phone from the coffee table, his long fingers tapping the screen to hit redial.

A second later, a jarring ringtone shattered the dead silence of the room.

The sound was coming from Penelope's pocket.

The shrill ringing struck her chest like a sledgehammer, entirely shattering her composure.

"How about now?"

Pierce narrowed his eyes, a deadly chill radiating from his gaze as he stared her down.

Penelope's psychological defenses completely crumbled. She scrambled to pull out her phone to reject the call, tears streaming down her face. "Pierce, I'm sorry! I was wrong! I was so wrong!!"

She sobbed hysterically. "I shouldn't have hired someone to go after Phoenix. I wasn't thinking straight..."

Silas looked at the bleeding man on the floor, then at his weeping daughter, the horrific truth instantly dawning on him.

This foolish girl had actually hired a hitman?

And she had targeted Pierce's woman!

Pierce finally lifted his gaze, a phantom smile playing on his lips. "You're really willing to bleed for this. That project is indeed a golden goose that could bring in billions."

Silas sighed, shooting a glare of profound disappointment at Penelope. "It's all because this foolish girl caused such a catastrophe. She's my only daughter; I can't just stand by and watch her burn. Consider the project my formal apology on her behalf."

"It is a good project, but..." Pierce paused, a terrifying undercurrent surging in his dark eyes. "I don't want it."

Silas stiffened.

"I want ten percent of your equity in the Sterling Group."

Silas's pupils constricted violently, a flash of undeniable murderous intent cutting through his gaze as he stared at Pierce.

But he masked it instantly, replacing it with a strained, bitter smile. "Pierce, isn't that appetite a bit too large? Aren't you pushing your luck?"

"Your daughter, or ten percent of the Sterling Group."

Pierce left absolutely zero room for negotiation. His bone-chilling gaze shifted back to Penelope, eyeing her as if she were already a corpse. He parted his lips. "Make your choice, Silas."