Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 301

“Ha!” Silas let out a miserable scoff, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he glanced at the furious Pierce. “Your father was brilliant his entire life, but what did it matter? He still couldn't figure out that the car crash was a murder, not an accident.”

He burst into maniacal laughter.

Silas cackled wildly, as if mocking Percival's incompetence. It didn't matter how revered Percival was; he had still been played for a fool.

“I still remember him holding his wife's body, crying like a pathetic mess. That was the proudest moment of my entire life.”

He shot Pierce another venomous look. “Too bad you were so lucky. That crash didn't manage to take your life along with hers.”

“You bastard!”

Pierce swung his fist again, slamming it brutally into Silas's ribs.

The sickening sound of bone cracking filled the room as Silas's ribs fractured under the impact. It was obvious Pierce had no intention of letting him die easily; he wanted this monster to suffer agonizingly, piece by piece.

Pierce raised his fist again, ready to deliver a second devastating blow, but Phoenix intercepted his arm.

“Phoenix, why stop me?”

She shook her head at him and turned her attention to Silas. “Do you honestly believe Percival couldn't figure out it was murder?”

Silas froze, staring at Phoenix in sheer confusion. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I was just thinking, is there a possibility that Percival knew it was murder, and even knew you were the one behind it? He pretended to be clueless out of loyalty to his own brother, and even... went abroad because of it.”

Phoenix spoke with a calm certainty, her bright eyes piecing the clues together and making the truth terrifyingly clear.

“That's right! He didn't go abroad to escape the grief of his wife's death, nor was it because seeing Pierce reminded him of her. He left... to get away from you, her murderer.”

“He was terrified that if he looked at you, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from killing you to avenge her.”

Her deduction left both Pierce and Silas entirely stunned.

It sounded like an absurd theory, yet an invisible weight in the room confirmed it was agonizingly close to the truth.

Pierce's gaze wavered. The blurry image of his father surfaced in his mind, along with those eyes full of profound grief and disappointment.

For the longest time, he had believed that grief and disappointment were directed at him.

With his protection, Zora had ruled Blackwood Penitentiary as an untouchable tyrant for years.

Yet this seemingly fragile woman had managed to kill Zora and follow the breadcrumbs all the way back to him. The sheer ruthlessness required to pull that off was beyond comprehension.

“So...” Silas gasped, the realization hitting him like a freight train. “Pierce only found out because of the clues you gave him?”

“Exactly,” Phoenix said flatly. “Honestly, without my tip, Pierce would have had a very hard time tracing this back to you. After all... someone has been actively covering your tracks this whole time.”

Pierce stiffened, a flash of complex emotion darkening his somber gaze as something clicked into place.

“Hahahaha! Winner takes all. I admit I lost, and I lost miserably.” Silas slumped back in his chair, but his eyes suddenly turned vicious. “But you can't touch me.”

“Are you really still going to be this arrogant?” Pierce let out a chilling scoff, grabbing Silas by the collar. “You're nothing but meat on the chopping block right now.”

“But I'm not going to let you die easily. I'm going to shatter every bone in your body, strip your skin, and drain your blood, making you watch as you slowly drag yourself to hell.”

Silas shuddered. Pierce truly was 'The Reaper' of Cloudhaven, just as the rumors claimed. But Silas still held one final trump card.

“Pierce, haven't you noticed? The Sterling Group was turned upside down tonight, yet Arthur is nowhere to be found. Don't you wonder why?”