Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 76

"Hahaha!" Cade laughed maniacally. "My brother's status in Cloudhaven is second only to Ninth, and he's one of Ninth's closest buddies! He's incredibly protective of me! Touch me? You're dreaming!"

Lydia, however, violently shuddered.

Oh no! She had purposely kept Phoenix's engagement to Ninth a secret... If Cade found out... She shot a guilty look at Phoenix, only to crash right into those playful eyes that seemed to see right through her.

Ding—!

The crisp sound of a successful payment notification sliced through the tense air.

Dead silence fell over the room. All eyes snapped toward the register.

Barely containing their excitement, the two sales associates returned the black card with both hands, bowing deeply at a perfect ninety-degree angle. "Miss, the payment was successful! We will pack everything up immediately! Would you like us to deliver these to your residence?"

Taking her card back, a mocking smirk tugged at the corner of Phoenix's lips. She looked at the two stunned statues before her. "Mr. Thorne, Ms. Langston... do you still think I can't afford this?"

"N-No way!" Lydia shook her head in disbelief, looking utterly lost. "Did... did you sell that one percent of the shares?!"

"Tsk." Phoenix frowned in disgust. "I don't converse with idiots." She turned to the associates. "Pack them up and send them to Prescott Manor."

"Right away, Miss!"

Phoenix tucked away her black card and turned to leave.

"Stop right there!" Cade's face turned livid. Humiliated and furious, every threat he had spewed earlier felt like a brutal slap to his own face. "You are not taking a single piece of jewelry out of here today!"

Phoenix paused, glancing over her shoulder. "The transaction is complete. On what grounds are you stopping me?"

"On the grounds that my name is Cade Thorne!" He lifted his chin arrogantly, pulling out his phone to dial a number.

The call connected instantly.

"Ms. Miller, it's the Lumina Jewelry branch in Pegasus Mall. Someone is openly disrespecting me. What do you think should be done about it?"

"Mr. Thorne, I'm actually on my way there now. Please wait a moment."

Cade paused in surprise. He had only intended to demand Meredith Miller refuse the sale, but he hadn't expected his name to hold so much weight that she would personally rush over to handle it!

Meredith Miller was exploding with rage over the design drafts for the next quarter.

"A pile of garbage! You think you can fool me with this trash? Do you want to keep your jobs?! Lumina demands innovation, demands perfection! Not this utterly mediocre waste of paper!"

"Get out! Redo all of it! If you don't bring me a design that blows me away in three days, you're all fired!"

The employees scrambled frantically to pick up the scattered drafts and fled the room in terror. They were miserable. Their inspiration was totally tapped out—where were they supposed to pull a world-class design from on such short notice?

"Ms. Miller!" Watching the brutal aftermath, the secretary swallowed hard and stepped forward.

"What." Meredith collapsed into her chair, irritatedly rubbing her temples. Dressed in a sharp, tailored suit with silver-rimmed glasses resting on her stunningly alluring face, she looked completely devoid of warmth.

"Someone just spent millions of dollars at the Pegasus Mall branch," the secretary reported cautiously.

Meredith paused her tapping on the desk, her tone dripping with annoyance. "Are millions of dollars a big deal now? You're coming to me for something this trivial? Do you want to be fired too?"

"N-No!" The secretary frantically explained. "It's just that... the card they swiped was your secondary black card."