Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 155

"Phoenix, that's enough."

"Cute." Phoenix let go, casually grabbing a silk robe nearby and slipping it on. Her tone dripped with playful disappointment. "Who would have guessed the great Pierce Sterling was so inexperienced? How boring."

"Excuse me?!"

His masculinity instantly provoked, Pierce flushed with frustration and spun around, instinctively reaching out to grab her shoulder.

Phoenix reacted with lightning speed, shifting gracefully to dodge his hand. But his fingers snagged the collar of the robe she had just draped over herself—

With a soft tear, the silk garment slipped from her shoulders and fell to the floor.

Pierce's pupils dilated instantly.

His gaze was completely magnetized to her bare back. All the seductive tension in the air evaporated, replaced by a violent, suffocating ache in his chest.

Her beautiful back was entirely ruined by a crisscrossing network of horrifying scars. They looked like a brutal, jagged web, serving as a permanent testament to an unimaginable agony.

Noticing the dead silence behind her, Phoenix glanced over her shoulder and met Pierce's deeply shocked and horrified eyes.

"Ugly, isn't it?"

She calmly pulled the robe from his grasp, deliberately pulling it tight around her to conceal the damage. "In a place like that, I was lucky just to keep my face intact."

She tied the belt, her voice as flat as if she were talking about the weather. "You can think it's hideous, but to me, it's a permanent reminder. It's the brand that forces me to keep moving forward."

"I'm sorry..."

The words tumbled out of Pierce's throat before he could stop them.

"Well, hearing an apology from you is a first." Phoenix shook her head dismissively, walking right past him and out of the bedroom.

Pierce stood rooted to the spot, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles popped. The image of her scarred back was seared into his brain. What kind of hell had she endured in Prison 01? Whatever it was, it was a hundred times worse than what the background reports had stated.

If she hadn't gone through that fire, the fiercely capable woman standing before him today wouldn't exist.

Taking a deep breath, Pierce collected himself and walked out of the room.

In the dining area, Phoenix was standing over the table, staring blankly at the pink pastry box.

"It's strawberry cake. Yancy bought it," Pierce said, his throat bobbing as he looked away and delivered the stiff lie. "He thought you'd like it."

Phoenix pulled out a chair and sat down, carefully undoing the ribbon. "Strawberry cake... I haven't had this in forever."

She swiped a bit of frosting with her finger and tasted it, her eyes curving with delight. "It's sweet. It's really good."

She turned to Pierce, giving him a radiantly genuine, unguarded smile. "Pierce, tell Yancy thank you. This is the first time I've had cake since I got out. I love it."

To many of the female employees, she was already an icon.

"Ms. Prescott, you're here." Felix Fletcher practically skipped over, beaming with sycophantic eagerness. "Can I get you a coffee?"

"I'm fine." Phoenix walked into her office and set her bag down. "Give me the rundown. Did anything interesting happen at the company yesterday?"

"It was mostly quiet... Oh, wait. Julian made an announcement," Felix said, tapping his chin. "He said Phoebe is going to lead the negotiations with MK Global for a new partnership."

"A partnership with MK?" Phoenix frowned. "Prescott Group barely has a footprint in the jewelry sector. How did we suddenly secure a meeting with an industry titan like MK?"

"Word is Sebastian pulled some strings to make it happen."

Hearing that, a look of realization flashed in Phoenix's eyes.

Sebastian was a jewelry designer; if he had caught MK's attention, he could conceivably set up a meeting.

It was obvious Sebastian was orchestrating this to boost Phoebe's profile within the company. What she didn't understand was where he found the confidence to believe he could actually close a deal with MK.

"Anything else?"

"That's it." Felix shook his head, then leaned in, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "But I do have some private intel for you, boss."

"Oh?" Phoenix arched an eyebrow, looking at him.