Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 282

Julian took a deep breath, his gaze hardening with desperation. "Mr. Langley, I know the current situation is complicated. But I am absolutely confident that I can turn this around. Please, just trust me one last time. Don't pull the plug on the Langley Group's partnership with us."

Alastair narrowed his eyes, staring coldly at Julian before pointing to the several bottles of hard liquor lined up on the table inside the private room.

"Then go finish every single one of those."

Julian's pupils contracted. He glanced at the sheer volume of alcohol and a wave of panic washed over him.

Even if he could somehow force it all down, he would undoubtedly end up with severe alcohol poisoning and require an emergency trip to the hospital.

But Alastair clearly wanted to force him into backing down.

"I'll do it!"

Gritting his teeth, Julian marched back into the room, grabbed a fresh bottle of liquor, and tipped it back, chugging it down.

The burning liquid scorched his throat, making him wince in agony. His stomach churned violently, threatening to reject everything he had consumed.

"Impressive tolerance, Julian! But keep in mind, if you throw up, this entire deal is off." Alastair sat down, crossing his legs casually. He held a cigarette between his fingers, watching the younger man with a look of cruel amusement.

Julian didn't waste his breath arguing. By the time he finished the first bottle, the room was spinning violently.

Yet, steadying his breathing, he snatched up the second bottle and forced it past his lips.

Alastair watched with narrowed eyes, feeling a spike of irritation at Julian's desperate display. If the Prescott family had just maintained a decent relationship with Phoenix from the start, none of them would be in this pathetic situation.

But whether it was Warren or Julian, they seemed bound by some idiotic obsession to pamper an imposter while abandoning the rightful heiress.

Phoenix was the woman engaged to Pierce Sterling. She had ties to the powerful Muir family and her reputation was soaring. Who wouldn't want to get on her good side? But this father-son duo was remarkably stupid, consistently pushing Phoenix away.

"Boss, isn't this going to cause a massive incident?" Alastair's assistant whispered nervously.

Taking a drag of his cigarette, Alastair replied coldly, "He brought this on himself. How is it my fault? Besides... I might even be able to use this to win over Ms. Prescott."

He pulled out his phone and pointed the camera directly at Julian, recording the entire humiliating spectacle.

Julian's mind was rapidly fogging over. He could no longer tell up from down. Wave after wave of nausea battered his stomach, leaving him feeling as if he were seconds away from vomiting.

Through sheer, agonizing willpower, he forced the bile back down.

Suddenly, a pale hand shot out and clamped down on Julian's wrist, stopping him dead in his tracks.

Julian froze. He turned his head in a drunken haze, but as his eyes focused on the person standing behind him, a jolt of sobering clarity hit his brain.

"Phoenix?"

"Julian, you really are an embarrassment to the Prescott family."

Phoenix stood there with a freezing glare, her eyes sharp as knives. "Is this how the eldest son of the Prescott family negotiates a business deal?"

"Phoenix, you... you care about me, don't you?" Julian's eyes rimmed with red, his voice trembling with raw emotion. "That has to be it. We're blood siblings, after all. You couldn't bear to see your brother looking so pathetic and broken."

"Oh, you're entirely mistaken." Phoenix let out a harsh scoff. "I just think it would be incredibly inconvenient for me if a piece of trash like you died right here."

This was Yara's property. If Julian dropped dead here, it would bring awful luck and unwanted heat to the establishment, disrespecting the mentorship Yara had given her.

But Julian didn't process it that way. He simply assumed she was putting up a tough front, unwilling to admit she still harbored sibling affection in public. After all, years ago, Phoenix had been so desperate to please the family, reducing herself to nothing but dust beneath their feet.