Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 69

Phoebe stepped forward timidly. "Phoenix, don't blame Xenia... she's Julian's childhood friend. She's just saying this for the good of the company." She turned to Xenia, her voice laced with subtle urgency. "Xenia, Phoenix must have gotten Dad and Julian's approval to take this position. Let's just... let it go."

"Let it go?!" Xenia snapped aggressively. "First, she uses underhanded tactics to steal the projects that belong to you, and now she's using her status as the heiress to throw her weight around! What is she, really? Nothing but a country bumpkin and an ex-convict! Having her here is an absolute stain on Prescott Group!"

The room erupted in shock.

"Are you serious?! The real heiress is a country girl? And she went to prison?!"

"Prescott Group is a respectable company. We can't let a criminal tarnish our reputation! Absolutely not!"

"Slam!" An employee slammed his hand on the desk, pointing furiously at Phoenix. "I don't care if you're the heiress! Being a convict means you don't belong here!"

"Get out! Get out!!"

The protests swelled like a tidal wave.

The employees figured that with Phoebe and Xenia backing them up, their righteous indignation would definitely earn them brownie points.

Clarence didn't say a word, but he let out a massive sigh of relief.

People love to kick someone when they're down. No matter how tough Phoenix was, she couldn't fight off an entire room of angry staff, right?

If she had any sense, she'd leave on her own and preserve a shred of dignity.

Even if Phoenix was ousted and Phoebe took his job, at least he and Phoebe were on the same side. He'd definitely get a piece of the pie.

Phoenix swept her gaze across the rioting crowd. Her expression remained completely detached, not a single trace of panic on her stunning face.

"Felix."

"Here!"

Felix was sweating bullets, terrified that Phoenix would cave under the pressure, leaving him to face the fallout alone.

"Write down the names of everyone protesting."

"Huh?" Felix froze.

"Anyone leading this riot or disobeying their superior is fired immediately."

Phoenix didn't raise her voice, but the words dropped like shards of ice, instantly freezing the chaos in the room.

Felix's eyes widened, adrenaline rushing through his veins. What a total badass! Was she actually going to gut the entire department?!

"Pfft—hahaha!" Xenia burst into manic laughter, shaking her head. "Phoenix, you really are completely useless! Fire them? The entire department will paralyze instantly! Every minute this company stops running costs us a fortune! Tsk, this is what happens when an uneducated country girl tries to play boss. You don't know the first thing about management, yet you act so high and mighty!"

Fueled by Xenia's instigation, the crowd that had been momentarily stunned flared up again, treating her words like a lifeline.

"Phoenix, get the hell out! A convict like you has no place in Prescott Group!"

"Call security! Throw this criminal out!"

Watching the crowd lose its mind, Phoebe secretly rejoiced.

Xenia was stunned.

The entire room was paralyzed.

The shockwaves from that slap hit harder than the firing announcement. This was Director Upton, Julian's secret lover, and Phoenix had just slapped her in front of everyone!

"Ahhh!!" Xenia finally snapped out of it, letting out a piercing scream. "Y-You hit me?! How dare you?!"

Phoenix stepped into her space, her predatory gaze instantly crushing Xenia's remaining bravado.

"Xenia, as the Operations Director, stepping out of line to interfere with the Project Department is dereliction of duty. Leading a riot and insulting me—the heiress and the manager of this department—is attempting to divide the company and destroy its unity. That is pure disloyalty."

"Why shouldn't I hit trash like you who ignores company rules and tries to bully the weak?"

Every word cut like a knife, stabbing straight into Xenia's chest.

Panic finally set in. She realized with absolute clarity that this newly released heiress was no pushover, but a lioness ready for the kill.

Phoebe's heart convulsed violently. It was happening again!

This was exactly how Phoenix had aggressively, methodically, and justifiably destroyed Warren.

Now, she was using the exact same playbook on Xenia. The woman was violent, but she always made sure she held the moral high ground. She never acted out of blind impulse.

Clarence realized in that moment that Phoenix was absolutely untouchable. His only saving grace was that he hadn't spoken up. Looking at the pale, desperate faces of the fired employees, he knew their fate was sealed.