Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 336

"Phoenix, if I roll down these stairs and tell Mom and Dad you pushed me, who do you think they'll believe? You, or me?"

On the massive screen, the footage was brutally clear.

The Phoebe in the video looked much younger. It was from four years ago, shortly after Phoenix had first been brought back to the Prescott family.

The Phoenix in the footage was wide-eyed with panic and confusion. She stood frozen at the top of the stairs, utterly unable to comprehend how the girl who had taken over eighteen years of her life could smile so sweetly while spitting such pure venom.

"Phoebe, I..."

Before Phoenix could even finish her sentence, a sinister smirk curled onto Phoebe's lips. She leaned back and purposely threw her body down the long staircase.

Thud, thud, thud—

The heavy, sickening sound of her body hitting the steps echoed out of the plaza's speakers.

On the screen, Phoenix's face went completely pale, frozen in place like a statue.

She couldn't understand why Phoebe, who already had the absolute love and devotion of the family, would severely injure herself just to frame the newly returned biological daughter.

Was the word "biological" really that threatening to her?

"Ahhhhh!"

At the bottom of the stairs, Phoebe let out a blood-curdling scream. She had cut her forehead, and blood trickled down her face, making it look horrific. But as the camera zoomed in, it caught the fleeting, toxic gleam of triumph in her eyes. There wasn't a single shred of actual pain.

"Phoebe! What happened?!"

Warren and Vanessa came rushing in. The moment they saw their adopted daughter crumpled on the floor, covered in blood, they looked absolutely heartbroken.

"Mom, Dad, I'm fine..." Phoebe instantly slipped into the role of a frail, helpless victim, tears falling right on cue. "Don't blame my sister. She... she definitely didn't do it on purpose."

That phrase—"didn't do it on purpose"—was like pouring gasoline on a raging fire.

Warren and Vanessa violently whipped their heads around, their glares carving into Phoenix at the top of the stairs like knives.

"You ungrateful wretch! We brought you back so you could have a good life, but you can't even tolerate Phoebe's existence? Get down here! Beg Phoebe for forgiveness!"

Faced with her biological parents' roaring fury, Phoenix shrank back, her eyes brimming with hurt. "Mom, Dad, I didn't..."

"Sister, I'm so sorry! It's all my fault. I shouldn't have taken your place. As long as you're happy, I'll pack my bags and leave this house right now..." Phoebe cried beautifully, effectively cutting off Phoenix's attempts to defend herself.

"All I care about is Mom and Dad being happy. That's enough for me."

Those words pushed Warren and Vanessa over the edge.

"You defiant brat! Get down here now!"

Warren stormed up the stairs and raised his hand, delivering a vicious, resounding slap.

Smack!

The veins on Warren's forehead popped as he violently hurled the burning cigarette butt at Barrett. "Don't forget we're in the same boat right now! If this ship sinks, you're going down with me!"

Barrett tilted his head, easily dodging it. He sneered, his eyes turning predatory. "Mr. Prescott, I'm just a useless cripple. What do I have to be afraid of? You, on the other hand... Phoebe's dirty laundry is out there for the whole world to see. Phoenix is tearing the Prescott family's prestige to shreds in front of the entire country."

"When this is over, Alistair is going to cut ties with your branch of the family, exactly like he did to Phoenix."

That hit Warren's most lethal weak point.

He yanked out his phone in a panic, screaming at his team. "Cut the broadcast feed! Right now! Kill the signal!!"

"Mr. Prescott... we can't! The backend is entirely locked down by a hacker. They've seized master access! It'll take at least an hour to bypass it!"

The tech guy's terrified voice echoed through the speaker. Warren's face turned completely white, and his phone slipped from his hand, clattering onto the floor.

An hour...

That was more than enough time for Phoebe's life to be entirely annihilated, pinning her to the cross of public opinion forever.

It was over. It was completely over.

What he thought was a foolproof execution had been completely flipped by Phoenix into a total massacre.

That timid, easily manipulated little girl from the past had transformed into the Sword of Damocles hanging directly over their heads, so sharp it was suffocating.