Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 232

Knock, knock!

The sudden sound of knuckles against wood broke the silence.

"Come in!" Julian snapped irritably.

The door was pushed open, and a slightly plump figure walked in carrying a lunchbox.

"Julian, I brought you some lunch." Zoe Vaughan wore a cautious, fawning smile, her eyes filled with shy affection.

Julian looked up. The moment his gaze landed on Zoe's full figure and round face, his irritation instantly morphed into visceral disgust. "Get the hell out."

The smile on Zoe's face froze, then slowly crumbled. Forcing back the wave of hurt rising in her chest, she managed a strained smile. "Julian, I'll just leave the lunch here and go. I won't disturb your work."

"Get out! I don't want to see you!" Julian's voice spiked, completely devoid of mercy. "Just looking at your face makes me sick."

The cruel words pierced Zoe's heart like daggers.

Her eyes grew red as her hands nervously twisted the hem of her shirt, her head bowed low. "Julian, do you really hate me that much?"

"Yes! Even if you were the last woman on earth, I would never look at a fat cow like you!" Julian gritted his teeth, acting as if the woman standing before him wasn't his fiancée, but his mortal enemy. "If Phoenix hadn't set me up, we wouldn't even be in this mess."

"Zoe, I bet you worked with Phoenix to trap me on purpose!"

Zoe took a deep breath, wiping the moisture from the corners of her eyes, and mustered the courage to look Julian in the eye for the first time. "I may love you and dream of marrying you, but I would never stoop to such despicable methods. I was called out that day, suddenly lost consciousness, and when I woke up... I was already in your bed."

"Keep making things up!" Julian scoffed coldly, not believing a word. "Zoe, let me make this clear. I will never marry you."

"Marrying you would bring me nothing but disgust. I need a woman who can help me climb the ranks."

"I'll make something of myself, gain leverage, and then negotiate with Grandpa to cancel this absurd engagement." Julian pointed at the door. "Now, please get out and stop bothering me."

Zoe shook her head with a bitter smile and gently placed the lunchbox on the coffee table. "I'll leave it here. Eat it or throw it away, it's up to you."

With that, she turned to leave.

Just as her hand touched the doorknob, Zoe paused. She glanced back, her eyes carrying a newfound clarity and sorrow. "Julian, you despise the idea of marrying me because I can't bring you any benefits. But then, why do you defend Phoebe so fiercely while treating Phoenix like dirt?"

Every single one of these achievements screamed the obvious: Phoenix's potential was unfathomable. She was a gold mine capable of bringing immense power to the Prescott family.

Yet, like a blind fool, he had ignored all of this, choosing instead to help Phoebe suppress her.

Looking back at Phoebe, all she had done recently was cry and bring continuous humiliation to the Prescott name. Not a single thing she did was worth praising.

"Was I... really wrong?"

Julian glanced at the solitary lunchbox on the coffee table, his fists clenching slightly. "Phoenix is my biological sister. We share the same blood. Why do I always instinctively oppose her and coddle a useless fake who can't bring the family any benefits?"

Once the thought took root, it grew like wild weeds, sending a chill down his spine.

Just then, the sudden ringtone of his phone shattered his thoughts.

Julian glanced at the caller ID—Phoebe.

In the past, he would have answered without a second thought, offering gentle comfort. But right now, staring at the flashing name on the screen, he felt a flicker of annoyance for the first time.