Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 217

"Thanks, Pierce."

"Hm?" Pierce snapped out of his thoughts, looking at her in confusion.

"I could have handled those scumbags myself, but you showing up saved me a lot of trouble," Phoenix stated casually. "So, thank you. You deserve the credit."

Pierce kept his gaze forward, his long fingers lightly tapping his knee. "Helping you helps me. After all, you are..."

"I'm your wife right now. I'm the face of the Sterling family. If someone disrespects me, they disrespect you, right?" Phoenix interrupted, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "You are seriously so boring, Pierce."

Boring?

The word stung, leaving a strange, uncomfortable tightness in his chest.

"I was actually thinking, if you really came all this way just because you were worried about me, I might just have to throw myself at you," Phoenix leaned closer, a playful smirk on her lips.

"Are you sure?" Pierce's Adam's apple bobbed.

Phoenix instantly dropped the smile, putting on a deadpan expression. "Just kidding. I'd never lower my standards for a guy as dull as you."

Pierce narrowed his eyes, letting out a cold scoff. "You think being with me is lowering your standards?"

"Obviously! Ugh, if you had even a third of Caspian's charm, our arrangement would be a lot more fun."

Her offhand teasing sent an inexplicable shiver down Caspian's spine miles away.

"Achoo! Who's talking trash about me?"

Yolanda glanced at him and asked dryly, "Do you need me to turn on the heater?"

"Are you kidding? I'm in peak physical condition. Only weaklings need the heater," Caspian puffed out his chest, trying to project a tough image that didn't exist.

Yolanda simply looked away. The biggest playboy in Cloudhaven truly never stopped acting like a peacock. Thankfully, she had zero interest in men who were prettier than she was.

...

Starlight Heights.

The two returned to their temporary "home."

The moment the door clicked shut, Phoenix dropped all her defenses. She kicked off her heels, tossed her bag onto the sofa, and collapsed face-first into the plush cushions, sprawling out like a starfish.

Watching her completely abandon her elegant image, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corners of Pierce's mouth.

Sunk into the sofa, devoid of her usual razor-sharp edge, she looked exactly like an exhausted cat returning from a hunt, oddly adorable.

He was so used to seeing her with her claws out, tearing her enemies apart, that this vulnerable, lazy side of her felt incredibly rare.

"Pierce, can I get some water?" Phoenix murmured with her eyes closed, her voice soft and slightly raspy from exhaustion.

Pierce frowned, feeling a brief flash of annoyance at being ordered around, but his body moved on autopilot toward the kitchen, returning moments later with a glass of warm water.

"Here."

Phoenix pushed herself up, took the glass, and chugged it down, letting out a satisfied sigh. "I'm alive... You know, Pierce, you're really not as terrifying as the rumors say."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify