Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 228

In the video, Phoenix ruled the notes like a queen, her fingers dancing over the black and white keys, unleashing a melody that made souls tremble.

"Pierce, I never imagined she had these skills, or that she even knew Maestro Nolan! This is insane!" Caspian exclaimed, practically spitting in excitement. "How did you do her background check? How could you miss something this hardcore?"

Pierce stared at the screen, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.

He was right. Why couldn't he find anything?

The only explanation was that an invisible hand had wiped out all traces. And the only people capable of doing that right under his nose were the elusive elite hackers at the top of the global leaderboards.

Could it be... Phoenix was one of them?

Connecting this to how Phoenix had previously found clues even he hadn't yet grasped, Pierce's gaze deepened.

"Where did this video come from?" Pierce asked coldly.

"Oh, my mom went to a tea party today and brought my useless little brother along for a matchmaking session..." Caspian answered casually, but midway through, he realized something was terribly wrong. Seeing Pierce's face darken like a gathering storm, Caspian swore internally.

Pierce narrowed his eyes, letting out a cold laugh as the air pressure around him plummeted. "She just got her marriage license with me, and she turns around to attend a matchmaking tea party?"

"Uh... maybe she was just socializing? After all, she's part of the high-society wives' circle now," Caspian sweat nervously, trying desperately to cover for her.

But he noticed that in the background of the video, quite a few men were casting amazed, even greedy, looks at Phoenix. He knew right then: it was over. This notoriously jealous Reaper was about to blow a fuse.

"Let's go. To The Langham Club." Pierce threw down his knife and fork, standing up immediately.

"Pierce! Calm down! We live in a civilized society!"

...

Inside The Langham Club.

As soon as Phoenix returned to the lounge area, Cora excitedly grabbed her hand. "Phoenix, you really gave me a massive surprise! Not only are your piano skills incredible, but you actually know Maestro Nolan? That man is famously picky."

Based on Nolan's high praise over the phone, as long as Phoenix nodded, becoming his final apprentice would be a guaranteed deal.

"Oh my, I increasingly feel like Vanessa is truly blind." Lucinda swirled her wine glass, her tone mocking. "Tossing away a gem like her real daughter to worship a fake, it's the biggest joke of the century."

"You wouldn't know this, Phoenix, but before you arrived, your biological mother was pulling every string possible to get Phoebe to be his apprentice. Tsk, tsk, looking at it now, it's an absolute joke."

As expected, none of these wealthy wives were simpletons; they knew exactly how to secure their advantages.

"I wouldn't say 'take under my wing', but we can talk more in the future."

"That's fantastic! Phoenix, from now on, I will follow your every command! If you point east, I'll never go west!" Cade was so excited he practically saluted, his eager-to-please demeanor making everyone around them laugh.

Seeing this, Lucinda asked Cade to take Phoenix to the dessert section to avoid any more interruptions.

"Here, this cake is amazing. Try it," Cade eagerly handed over an exquisite slice of Black Forest cake.

Phoenix took it, looking the young man up and down, before suddenly speaking. "Actually, your old playboy act was just an act, wasn't it?"

Cade stiffened, his eyes darting away. "Huh? What are you talking about..."

"The Langston family is decent, but not nearly enough to match a legitimate Thorne heir. You paraded around with a woman like that, putting on the airs of a spoiled rich kid, just to poorly imitate your brother Caspian, didn't you?" Phoenix's tone was light, but every word hit the mark.

The smile on Cade's face dropped. He let out a bitter laugh. "Can you read minds? You saw right through me."

He sighed in defeat. "My brother is clearly a party animal, yet he became the family's hope. I wasn't convinced. I wanted to prove I could do what he does... But no matter how much trouble I caused, all my family ever sees is my brother."