Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 37

Gasps rang out!

Almost everyone in the room understood the veiled insult! Every word was like a poisoned needle, ruthlessly and accurately stabbing at Phoenix's taboo prison record!

This was an attempt to drag Phoenix up on a pillar of shame in front of everyone!

The muscles in Alistair's face tightened instantly. His eyes shot toward Cassandra like daggers, his chest heaving with suppressed fury! He was ready to explode on the spot!

However, Phoenix, standing right next to him, showed no sign of anger.

She didn't even glance down at the gold bars scattering the floor with their mocking glare.

She merely stood her ground, a microscopic, bone-chilling, yet amused smile pulling at the corner of her lips.

Her clear eyes acted like the most precise scanner. Calmly, and even with a hint of predatory amusement at evaluating her prey, she swept her gaze over Cassandra, who was still aggressively acting, and Lydia, who was adding fuel to the fire with fake panic.

It was as if she were watching a terribly executed, vulgar one-woman show.

The spotlight instantly shifted from the pathetic Cassandra and the gold bars back to the true Prescott heiress, who stood still as ice, her expression unreadable.

The air grew suffocatingly heavy, as if filled with lead.

A silent storm was already brewing on the high stage.

Down below, Phoebe barely suppressed her wicked grin.

Excellent! Perfect! Her two idiotic best friends were truly overperforming today! This slapping insult thrown right in Phoenix's face was intensely satisfying!

She imagined the towering inferno of rage inside Phoenix right now. She had to be exploding, right?

But so what? In front of everyone, with all the Prescott elders coldly watching, what could you possibly do besides swallow the humiliation?!

Warren, Vanessa, Julian... Their indifferent faces, completely motionless as they waited to watch Phoenix entirely lose face, acted as the most silent accelerant!

Just as the tension peaked, with every eye glued to Phoenix's face, waiting to see if she would break down in shame—

Phoenix moved!

She didn't argue, she didn't cry, and she didn't display any unnecessary emotion.

She simply placed the microphone down calmly, stepped forward in her red heels, and walked off the stage with effortless grace.

The sound of her heels hitting the marble floor tapped clearly against everyone's nerves.

She stopped directly in front of Cassandra.

Between them lay the scattered, coldly shining gold bars.

Smack!

With even more brutal force than the first, a second slap mercilessly struck Cassandra's untouched right cheek!

It was so fast it left a blur! It was so heavy that Cassandra stumbled, completely knocked stupid like a puppet with cut strings!

Both cheeks immediately puffed up symmetrically, making her look like a swollen red bun! Her ears rang violently!

Gasps echoed loudly across the room as the dead silence broke!

The crowd's eyes nearly popped out of their heads in horror!

"How... how dare she?!"

"Oh my god! Has she completely lost her mind?!"

"She is finished! The Prescott family is going to be dragged down with her!"

Warren, Vanessa, and Julian all thought the exact same thing, their faces displaying desperately suppressed anger and a twist of dark pleasure.

Alistair frowned, but he held his composure. His old eyes were sharp as a hawk's. He didn't show the slightest intention of stopping or blaming her. Instead, like a veteran general assessing a battlefield, his gaze was firmly locked on his granddaughter's back—he was waiting for her next move!