Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 289

The Sterling Estate.

Under normal circumstances, Arthur Sterling would have already been fast asleep by this hour.

However, a chaotic commotion violently tore him from his rest.

"What the hell is going on?" Arthur snapped, heavily irritated as he summoned the butler. "Why is it so incredibly loud out there?"

"Sir, something terrible has happened." The butler's face was pale with pure, unadulterated panic. "Pierce... Pierce has gone missing."

"What?!" Arthur, still slightly groggy, snapped fully awake instantly. He threw on his coat and hurriedly marched out of his bedroom.

In the main hall, Silas was pacing back and forth, his face etched with frantic anxiety.

Accompanying him were several of the Sterling family uncles, all of whom looked deeply unsettled.

The moment they saw Arthur approach, they instantly swarmed him.

"Dad, I just got the report. Pierce is completely missing," Silas said, sounding panicked. "How is this even possible? Pierce is untouchable. How could someone like him just vanish?"

"What exactly happened?" Arthur slammed his cane into the marble floor, his expression freezing over, though his heart was already racing with dread.

"Dad, I was already in bed when my men sent an emergency alert. They said Pierce went to the Southern Docks to meet someone incredibly important. But the moment he arrived, he realized it was a trap and was ambushed."

"After a massive firefight, he completely disappeared off the grid."

Arthur's brow furrowed tightly as he stared at Silas with sharp suspicion. "And how exactly do you know the details with such perfect clarity?"

The uncles' faces drained of color, immediately realizing that Arthur held Phoenix in incredibly high regard and was aggressively protecting her.

"You are entirely right, Sir. We overstepped." They quickly plastered on apologetic smiles and bowed their heads, neatly deflecting the heat back onto Silas.

"Silas, I will let your little stalking operation slide for now. But given the catastrophic situation we are currently facing, what exactly is your plan?" Arthur stared at Silas, a bizarre, freezing edge slipping into his tone.

Silas frowned, letting out a heavy, dramatic sigh. "Dad, the reason I rushed over here so quickly, and dragged the uncles with me, was so we could brainstorm a solution together."

"Pierce's reputation is legendary. Everyone in Cloudhaven knows exactly who he is. Whoever orchestrated this hit came heavily prepared. This was a targeted assassination trap."

Arthur's frown deepened, a flash of genuine terror cutting through his weathered face. "You said it yourself. Pierce is untouchable, and no one dares provoke him lightly. So who exactly has the sheer audacity to set an assassination trap for him?"

He paused, staring directly at Silas. "Do you... already have a lead?"