Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 419

Stripping off her gloves, Quinn let out a long breath, the exhaustion evident on her face.

"He'll live. But he's going to be bedridden for a very long time, and intense physical activity is permanently off the table."

"Thank you, Quinn." Phoenix's eyes were filled with gratitude. "If you hadn't been here, I'm afraid..."

She glanced at Pierce beside her, sighing softly, her tone laced with a hint of resignation. "It would have been a hurdle he could never overcome for the rest of his life."

Quinn shrugged dismissively, her tone carrying her trademark arrogance. "I don't take action often, but when I do, not even the Reaper can steal my patient."

It sounded cocky, but Phoenix knew better than anyone that Quinn had the skills to back it up.

"Alright, I'm out of here. Treating injuries like this drains me. Don't bother me for the next few days."

"Understood. Go get some rest." Phoenix felt both grateful and guilty.

Quinn was the kind of elusive figure most people couldn't reach even if they begged, yet she always answered Phoenix's calls. Of course, Yara's influence played a big part in that too.

"Pierce, do you want to go see him?" Phoenix turned and asked softly.

Pierce frowned deeply, his eyes fixed on the man in the bed, but his legs felt like lead. He couldn't take a single step forward.

"Phoenix, do you think... I should forgive him?"

The question left Phoenix in silence for a moment.

The reason Percival had distanced himself from the Sterling family and Pierce was his boundless guilt and fury over his wife's death.

Even though the murderer was his own brother, there was zero chance he would have shown mercy. Yet Arthur had thrown away his dignity and used his authority as a father—even going so far as to collapse at his feet—forcing Percival to back down out of familial obligation.

That single compromise severed their father-son bond. It also meant failing his late wife and his young son.

Too ashamed to face everything, his only option was to run.

Now that Percival had returned to Cloudhaven, he must have realized the Sterling family's power had collapsed, meaning Arthur no longer had any leverage over him.

He used brutal methods to sever Silas's tendons, ensuring a life worse than death, and then sought his own end in a nearly self-destructive manner, all to offer Pierce a bloody apology for the years of neglect.

"Pierce..." Phoenix raised her hand and gently placed it over Pierce's heart, feeling the heavy, oppressed rhythm beating inside. "Follow your heart. Don't let old grudges or unnecessary worries dictate your true feelings."

The darkness in Pierce's eyes softened slightly.

He turned, his hand covering hers, his thumb gently caressing her cheek. "Thank you, for always staying by my side."

A thirty-billion-dollar hole couldn't be patched. All that awaited the company now was bankruptcy and liquidation.

"Heh... Pierce, I was wrong." Arthur shook his head in defeat, looking as though he had aged ten years in an instant. "I don't expect your forgiveness. These are my sins. This... is my karma."

Pierce looked down at him, his dark eyes entirely unreadable, refusing to offer even a shred of pity.

Someone who repeated the same fatal mistake didn't deserve sympathy.

"Phoenix, let's go."

Pierce took Phoenix's hand, and they walked out of the Sterling estate without looking back.

The next day.

The collapse of the Sterling and Prescott empires, the two titans that had dominated Cloudhaven for years, sent shockwaves through the entire elite circle.

The top ten families were violently forced to reshuffle.

However, neither Draco Enterprises nor Ignis Global cared about this petty power struggle anymore.

Their ambitions had already expanded beyond the borders of Cloudhaven. They were currently marshaling their forces, preparing to storm Highcrest with overwhelming power, determined to make the unfathomable Sovereign Circle tremble.