Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 44

“And here I thought the Prescott family’s welcome banquet would be a total bore.” Pierce came to a halt, his long, elegant fingers casually slipped into his trouser pockets. His eyes, sharp as ice-tempered blades, swept over the crowd with a maddeningly slow pace. “I didn't expect... it to be this entertaining.”

Finally, his searching, amused, and utterly dominant gaze locked onto Phoenix.

Fearless. Candid.

Even carrying a faint trace of... knowing provocation.

In stark contrast, Phoebe's obsessive and greedy gaze looked ready to set Pierce on fire—her god had arrived!

Phoenix, that bitch who forged documents, was dead meat!

The look in Pierce's eyes right now... must definitely be the precursor to explosive rage!

“Pierce, it's good you're here.” Alistair quickly forced a smile, trying to smooth things over. “It's just a little misunderstanding, we’ve already—”

“How is this a misunderstanding?!” Warren risked it all, directly cutting in. He straightened his posture and faced Pierce squarely. “Mr. Sterling! You’ve arrived at the perfect time! This unruly daughter of the Prescott family actually had the audacity to forge documents for the Legacy District Project—which you personally oversee—claiming it was hers! Please expose her despicable behavior publicly! Give the Prescott family the justice we deserve!!”

Idiot! Alistair was so furious he nearly flipped the table right then and there.

“Oh?” Pierce raised an eyebrow, a phantom smile playing on his lips, and walked straight toward Phoenix.

He stopped right in front of her, so close they could almost feel each other's breath.

“Fiancé...” Phoenix whispered, using a breathy voice only the two of them could hear, a playful smirk curling the corners of her lips. “Are you enjoying watching your fiancée get bullied?”

Pierce's deep eyes stared right back at her, his voice equally hushed, dripping with a bloodthirsty sense of amusement. “The higher the clowns jump, the more spectacular... the splat when they hit the ground. Isn't that right?”

Their eyes locked, silent electricity crackling in the air between them, leaving Warren's entire family completely on edge.

This... this wasn't right! Wasn't Pierce famously averse to women? They were practically glued to each other! What about Grandpa Arthur's promise?!

“The Legacy District Project?” Pierce finally turned around. His gaze swept the room like a freezing laser beam as his thin lips parted. His tone was as casual as announcing a mundane fact, yet brooked no argument. “I transferred it to Phoenix ages ago.”

“What? Do you all have... a problem with that?”

Boom—!

The entire room exploded into chaos!!

The crowd's gazes toward Phoenix instantly became incredibly complex: How did she do it?! That was the living Reaper of Cloudhaven!

All the color drained from Nathaniel's face in a flash!

He looked at Pierce in sheer disbelief, his voice trembling. “Mr. Sterling! This project... our Lucas family... we have a contract...”

Pierce’s lips curved into an icy, utterly merciless smile. “A contract?”

“I'm afraid... you'll have to ask your traitorous brother, Shane Lucas, about that.” He spoke slowly, every single word piercing into Nathaniel's heart like an icicle. “As for the man himself? You probably won't be able to find him.”

“The project is now completely under Phoenix's name.”

“As long as Arthur Sterling gets here and publicly announces the change in the engagement, Pierce will have to compromise for the sake of his grandfather's pride and the Sterling family's reputation, whether he likes it or not.”

The dying light in Phoebe's eyes instantly reignited.

Exactly! No matter how arrogant Pierce was, he would still have to bow his head to Arthur Sterling and his family's prestige!

Just hold out until Grandpa Arthur...

“Arthur Sterling has arrived—!”

The announcement echoed like a clap of thunder!

The guests broke into a commotion.

Having Pierce Sterling attend a Prescott family banquet was already a massive honor, but for the patriarch of the Sterling family to arrive in person?!

Meanwhile, Warren's family in the corner looked like drowning victims who had just grabbed onto a life preserver. Their eyes erupted with the ecstatic light of pure joy.

Their savior... had finally arrived!!

Leaning on his ebony tiger-head cane, Arthur Sterling stepped into the hall with a steady, commanding stride.

Time had carved its marks into him, but those aged eyes were still bursting with vigor. He met Alistair's gaze, sharing an unspoken understanding typical of old friends.