Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 192

On the second floor, the hallway was deeply shadowed.

Phoenix and Pierce walked in single file. The silence stretched between them until the heavy bedroom door finally clicked shut. Phoenix couldn't hold back any longer and spun around.

"Are you serious, Pierce?" She stared hard at him. "Are you actually planning to spend the night here at the Prescott Estate?"

Pierce held his hands up, looking entirely innocent. "What? Do I look like I'm joking?"

Phoenix pressed two fingers against her temples, sighing in exasperation. "When I asked you to come with me to Starlight Heights, it was to put on a show for Arthur to maintain the illusion of our marriage. But this is the Prescott house. You don't need to take the acting this far."

"I think it's highly necessary." Pierce walked straight past her toward the large bed, his gaze casually sweeping over the room.

The space was excessively minimalist. The cool-toned furnishings lacked any unnecessary decorations, entirely devoid of the soft, feminine touches one might expect in a young woman's room.

But the style matched his impression of Phoenix perfectly—cold, clean, and decisive.

"You completely humiliated Warren and his family today. They've suffered a massive loss, and they likely despise you for it," Pierce said, lounging at the edge of the bed. "And just now in the tearoom, Old Mr. Alistair was testing you."

"If we don't put on a convincing show of being deeply in love, and they start suspecting this is a sham marriage, your life here is going to become a living hell."

"That's for me to worry about." Phoenix's brows knit together, her voice dropping a few degrees. "We only have a cooperative arrangement. Your behavior right now is crossing the line. Besides, helping me like this doesn't benefit you at all."

"I want to." Pierce dropped the words unapologetically, a hint of a roguish smirk playing on his lips.

Phoenix's eyes widened. For a moment, she was completely speechless. Were those really the words of the terrifying 'Reaper'?

Seeing her shocked expression, Pierce suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable irritation. She was much more restrained now than during their previous encounters.

Back at Eclipse Nightclub, in the Prescott family garden, and even in his car, she had been relentlessly provocative, even going so far as to force a kiss on him.

But now that he was taking the initiative to provoke her... she was suddenly acting guarded.

"Are you alright, Pierce?" Phoenix frowned. His expression was shifting uncomfortably between annoyance and resignation.

Pierce let out a long sigh and looked at her. "You're interesting. Going from a country girl to serving four years in prison, then returning to the Prescott Family like a phoenix rising from the ashes, making them choke on their own schemes at every turn."

He leaned forward, his gaze intense. "You are covered in secrets, and you provide me with a lot of entertainment. So, I want a front-row seat to watch how you systematically burn this rotten family to the ground."

He said it casually, but the absolute seriousness in his eyes was staggering. For a moment, Phoenix couldn't tell if he was teasing her or if he had genuinely developed some twisted sense of fascination with her.

Before she could formulate a response, an abrupt ringtone shattered the charged atmosphere.

Pierce frowned, a flash of displeasure in his eyes. He glanced at the caller ID, saw it was 'Yancy,' and forced down his annoyance to answer.

"Speak."

"Boss, we found Lance Yates."

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