Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 43

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Total silence! You could hear a pin drop!

Alistair's eyes snapped wide open, his knuckles turning white from gripping his cane so tightly.

Warren, Vanessa, Julian, Phoebe... all of them instantly went deathly pale, their pupils shrinking violently as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight!!!

“Bullshit!!” Julian snapped out of his daze, shrieking sharply, the veins on his forehead bulging. “Phoenix, if you’re going to make up stories, at least use some logic! The Legacy District Project was bagged by the Lucas family ages ago. That’s a massive project that controls the very lifeblood of Cloudhaven! How the hell could it ever fall into your hands?!”

Facing the onslaught of accusations, Phoenix didn't even twitch an eyebrow. She casually pushed a rigid document folder over to Alistair.

“Grandpa can distinguish the real from the fake for himself.”

Alistair's heart pounded wildly.

The Legacy District Project was an incredibly lucrative piece of the pie; even getting a crumb would be a monumental opportunity for the Prescott Group.

But reason told him this project... was absolutely supposed to be in the Lucas family's pocket.

However, just glancing at the top of the document page, his pupils contracted sharply. “This seal...”

“Is it real?” He lifted his shocked and uncertain eyes, locking them onto Phoenix.

The corners of Phoenix's lips curled into a faint smile. “I never lie in front of you, Grandpa.”

“Haha! Good! Good!!!” Alistair's doubts vanished instantly. He laughed heartily, his aged face flushed with excitement. “Phoenix, this grand gift of yours, this old man gratefully accepts!”

Julian looked as if he had been struck by lightning, his face turning ghostly white.

No, impossible!

Like a drowning man grasping at the last piece of driftwood, he snapped his head toward Nathaniel Lucas, his voice hoarse with desperation. “Mr. Lucas! The contract for the Legacy District Project was signed with your family, right?! So whatever that imposter is holding... it’s forged! It has to be a forgery! Please, say something!!”

Nathaniel furrowed his brows tightly, experiencing his own internal tsunami.

The Legacy District Project had been handled by his troublesome brother, Shane Lucas... Could something have gone wrong without his knowledge?

But a project stamped personally by Pierce Sterling—how could it change hands so easily?

And to a woman fresh out of prison, no less?

His mind raced, and he could only offer a vague response. “Indeed... our Lucas Group and the Sterling Group have established a strategic partnership for the Legacy District Project, and we signed... an agreement.”

He stopped short of saying 'exclusive' or 'finalized'.

But those ambiguous words sounded like an absolute confirmation to Julian, who was desperate to crush Phoenix.

“Enough!” Julian's face twisted into an ugly scowl. He yanked out his phone, a crazed gleam in his eyes. “To prove the innocence of the Prescott family, we must call the cops! Let her be ruined in front of everyone!”

A secret, triumphant sneer curved on Phoebe's lips.

Phoenix, let's see how you survive this!

“Heh... What a spectacular... monkey show.”

A clear voice, like an icy spring striking jade, laced with absolute mockery, drifted down from the second-floor staircase.

The uproar stopped instantly. Everyone's heads snapped up.

Standing there was Pierce Sterling, dressed in a perfectly tailored navy velvet suit, his long legs casually crossed as he leaned lazily against the second-floor railing.

He gazed down at the crowd from above, an undisguised sneer resting on his impossibly handsome face.

Beside him, Caspian Thorne popped his head out and gave Phoenix a subtle wink: *The show's starting, sister-in-law!*

Pierce's appearance was like a block of ice tossed into a pot of boiling oil.

The entire banquet hall fell dead silent. A heavy, oppressive aura seeped into the room as he slowly descended the stairs step by step, suffocating everyone present.

The 'Reaper of Cloudhaven'... when did he get here? How long had he been watching?