Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 211

"A hundred million."

"..."

Caspian Thorne was dumbfounded. "Wait, Pierce, I don't even have that much cash on me."

Pierce Sterling shot him a cold glance. "Since when did the eldest son of the Thorne family become so destitute that he couldn't even scrounge up a hundred million?"

Caspian looked embarrassed. It wasn't his fault his family had restricted his spending habits after his endless partying.

"I'll cover the rest."

Hearing this, Caspian's eyes lit up. "You got it."

He turned back to the railing and shouted, "A hundred million!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar. No one expected Caspian to be crazy enough to spike the bid to a hundred million dollars.

Zander Vaughan's expression soured, but he maintained his gentlemanly facade, turning to Phoenix Prescott. "Phoenix, I originally wanted to win The Secret of Venus as an apology gift for you."

"Unfortunately, this has exceeded my budget." He threw his hands up in a helpless gesture. "It seems I'll have to find another way to express my apologies."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. Zander sounded perfectly polite, but anyone with eyes could see he was trying to hit on her.

"If you don't have the cash, Zander, stop pretending to be a big shot," Caspian snapped, instantly tearing down Zander's facade. "If you want to chase a girl, make sure your wallet is thick enough first."

"Besides, who gave you the nerve to flirt with Pierce's wife?"

The blunt insult made Zander's face turn completely grim.

The crowd immediately understood the subtext. Caspian publicly humiliating Zander was just his way of asserting Pierce's dominance and claiming territory.

"You must be joking, Caspian," Zander forced a smile. "I simply wanted to apologize to Phoenix. There's no other meaning behind it."

"Tch, we're all men here. Spare me the act," Caspian scoffed. He then called out to Phoenix, "Don't worry, Phoenix! As long as I'm here, I won't let anyone else taint your masterpiece."

Caspian truly lived up to his reputation as Cloudhaven's biggest playboy. He had zero filter and left Zander with absolutely no dignity.

Zander's smile faltered completely. Glaring at Caspian, he hurried away from the venue.

"Does anyone else wish to bid?" Charles Vane scanned the room. Seeing no further movement, he brought the gavel down. "Then, congratulations to Mr. Thorne for securing the crown jewel of this exhibition."

"That's why I practiced designing in secret, hoping I could help you one day."

"Even if the whole world doubts me, as long as I have your trust, I wouldn't care. But now..."

Tears streamed down Phoebe's face. She lowered her head, the heavy drops splashing onto the pristine white blankets like blossoming flowers.

Seeing her looking so pitiful, Sebastian panicked, completely ignoring the logical loopholes in her story.

"Phoebe, don't cry! I was wrong to doubt you. Phoenix set this whole thing up. How else could it be such a coincidence?"

"First, Master Padraig shows up out of nowhere, and then she magically produces security footage to prove herself. It was a calculated trap, and she waited for us to jump right into it."

Phoebe peeked at Sebastian to make sure he wasn't going to interrogate her further, then offered a bitter smile. "Sebastian, Phoenix is going to tear this family apart. Julian was manipulated into a marriage arrangement with Zoe Vaughan, Ian's career was almost ruined, and even Mom and Dad were humiliated by her."

"What are we going to do?"

"Don't worry, Phoebe. I won't let her get away with this," Sebastian said, a cold gleam in his narrowed eyes. "We sent her to prison once before, and we can do it again."

"Sebastian, are you saying..."