Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 9

"Damn it! Pierce Sterling really came for Phoenix!"

Watching their two figures disappear through the corridor leading to the backyard, Warren practically ground his back teeth to dust.

No wonder that ungrateful wretch had been so arrogant today! She had somehow managed to latch onto a titan powerful enough to crush the entire Prescott family!

But he couldn't wrap his head around it: How did an abandoned ex-con who just crawled out of hell catch the eye of the 'Reaper of Cloudhaven'?

"Dad... what do we do?" Phoebe's voice hitched with a sob, her fists clenched tight in a suffocating wave of humiliation. "I... I already told all my friends in the group chat that he was here to propose to me... and now..."

She could already hear the vicious, mocking laughter of the other wealthy heiresses ringing in her ears. "If they find out that he's actually marrying Phoenix... how am I ever going to show my face in public again?"

"Phoebe, don't panic!" Vanessa hurried to comfort her daughter, though her own mind was racing with anxiety as she turned to her husband. "Honey! We can't let that ungrateful bitch get what she wants!"

"Shut up! Let me think!" Warren snapped irritably, pacing back and forth furiously on the expensive living room rug. His dark eyes darted wildly until a bold, desperate plan sparked in his mind.

"There's still one way!" He stopped abruptly, a ruthless glint of determination flashing across his face. "We go to Arthur Sterling!"

Vanessa and Phoebe both looked up, hope reigniting in their eyes.

"No matter how arrogant Pierce is, he wouldn't dare defy his own grandfather, would he?" Warren's lips twisted into a vicious sneer. "A notorious ex-con with a ruined reputation has absolutely no right to step foot into the Sterling family! As long as the old man says no, Pierce will have to respect his authority!"

Hearing this, the tension drained from Phoebe's body, and she shot a venomous glare toward the garden.

Phoenix, you think trash like you can lay a finger on Mr. Sterling? Dream on!

You will never set foot through the Sterling family's doors as long as you live!

The Phoenix standing before him gave off an undeniable aura of danger.

Suddenly, Pierce closed the distance in a flash, his cold hand wrapping firmly around her throat. "I provided the blade. Now, show me your sincerity."

Phoenix tilted her head up slightly, her gaze perfectly calm. Feeling the rough texture of his knuckles against her skin, she parted her lips and spoke. "Years ago, you and your mother were in a car crash. Watching your mother die right in front of you left a permanent scar."

"The authorities ruled it an accident. But you didn't buy it. You've spent years hunting for the truth, yet you could never track down the driver who fled the scene, did you?"

Phoenix paused, meeting his chilling, lethal stare dead on. "Can you let go now, Ninth?"

Pierce frowned. After a tense moment of silence, he released his grip.

Phoenix rubbed her neck and cut straight to the core. "The reason you could never find that person is because they were locked away... in Blackwood Penitentiary."