Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 328

The night wind howled, violently whipping the fallen leaves across the courtyard.

Phoenix stood motionless in the gale. The fleeting look of despair on her face instantly hardened into impenetrable ice.

With a subtle wave of her hand, Lawrence and a heavily armed detail of security guards flooded the area, standing rigidly at attention behind her, waiting for her command.

"Ms. Prescott. We await your orders."

Phoenix turned slowly, her gaze slicing toward the brightly lit mansion like a blade. "Since all ties have been severed, there's no need for pleasantries. Clear Warren and his people out of the house."

She paused, her tone dropping to a lethal whisper. "If anyone refuses to leave, throw them out by force. If you break their legs, I'll take full responsibility."

Lawrence's heart skipped a beat. Phoenix was burning the final bridge to the Prescott family, entirely indifferent to the presence of the two patriarchs.

"Understood, Ms. Prescott!"

Lawrence was a master at reading the room. Although Phoenix appeared to be backed into a corner, her suffocating aura of dominance hadn't diminished in the slightest. He was absolutely certain she held a devastating trump card.

"Everyone, with me!" Lawrence ordered. The guards surged toward the main house like a pack of wolves.

Pierce casually strolled to Phoenix's side, a mocking smirk playing on his lips. "Oh, the irony. Warren was so insufferably smug when he bought this estate. He paraded it around like a trophy, and now you're throwing him out onto the street like a stray dog."

"He brought it on himself," Phoenix replied coldly, her eyes devoid of mercy. "I initially intended to leave the old man with a shred of dignity. Unfortunately, he proved too impatient and entirely too opportunistic."

"If they insist on measuring family by profit, then... I'll play their game. I will be the ruthless executioner they forced me to be."

Pierce stared into her eyes. All he saw was a desolate, freezing wasteland—a total, absolute rejection of the Prescott family. Almost instinctively, he stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.

"You're not alone. I'm right here with you."

Phoenix stiffened. After a moment, she pushed him away awkwardly, creating space between them. "Pierce, the lines are drawn. There is no need for us to maintain this contract marriage anymore."

Her words were brutally detached, causing a sudden, inexplicable ache in Pierce's chest.

"Phoenix. Perhaps I underestimated you in the beginning. I thought you were just a vengeful ghost clawing your way out of hell. But I was wrong. You are an absolute force of nature."

His gaze was intensely sincere, his tone entirely stripped of its usual arrogance. "For the longest time, I thought the path I walked was destined to be a solitary one."

"But you changed my mind. Maybe we don't just have to be partners on paper. We can be... true partners."

"Are you sure about that?" Phoenix narrowed her eyes, studying his uncharacteristically evasive gaze.

Pierce felt exposed under her piercing scrutiny and quickly looked away. His unusual reaction left Phoenix entirely baffled.

"Phoenix!!!"

A furious, thundering roar shattered the heavy atmosphere between them.

Pierce scowled in annoyance and turned around. Warren and Phoebe were storming out of the house, followed closely by the two patriarchs, whose faces were dark with rage.

"Can I help you?"

Phoenix stood with her arms crossed, a mocking smirk playing on her lips as she watched them throw their pathetic tantrum.

"What right do you have to kick us out?! I bought this property with my own money! You have zero authority here!" Warren screamed.

"Is that so?" Phoenix raised an eyebrow, languidly extending her hand. "Then please, produce the deed. Let's confirm exactly who legally owns this estate."