Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 448

"Ahem!" Lorraine cleared her throat, straightening her posture before answering the call. "Dad..."

"Lorraine! How did I raise such a useless, incompetent fool?!"

The explosive roar of Benedict Lancaster tore through the speaker like a thunderbolt, hitting her right in the face.

"The entire circle is watching Phoenix right now, and what do you do? You practically throw yourself directly into her line of fire! The family elders are furious; they're demanding you be cut out of the family trust entirely!"

"What?!" Lorraine was absolutely thunderstruck, her face completely pale.

"Get back here immediately! You are going to stand in front of this family and beg for forgiveness. Maybe then there will be room to fix this, otherwise, you can forget you ever had a father!"

The call ended with a violent click.

A second ago, Lorraine had been dreaming of using her family to regain her power. Now, her already weakened spine was completely shattered.

...

Meanwhile, in a tranquil private lounge.

Phoenix and Pierce sat across from each other, leisurely sipping espresso.

Her explosive debut at the welcome banquet had already put every major power player on high alert. What awaited them next was inevitably going to be a blood-soaked siege.

"Ms. Prescott, we just intercepted some intel. The Quincy family has already put out the word, demanding all factions completely cut ties with us," Eustace reported, his expression entirely serious. "They're planning to totally isolate us within the Sovereign Circle."

Phoenix lazily ran her fingers over her warm cup, even finding the mood to hum an unfamiliar melody.

She didn't even bat an eye at Eustace's report. "It seems Quentin Quincy still doesn't view me as a real threat."

"Quentin is exceptionally arrogant. In his eyes, the only person qualified to be his rival is Yara," Eustace said grimly.

"Perfect. I love self-righteous, arrogant fools who think too highly of themselves." Phoenix took a sip of her espresso, then set the cup down with a sharp clink.

Amidst the crisp sound of porcelain hitting the table, a wild, predatory smile spread across her lips. "They always think they're the ones setting the rules at the table. Too bad... from the second I stepped into Highcrest, I became the one making the rules!"

Pierce leaned back casually in his chair, raising an eyebrow.

Looking at the confident, brilliantly sharp woman sitting across from him, the absolute obsession and love in his eyes practically overflowed.

Lorraine cowered rigidly on the cold marble floor, her head deeply bowed, suppressing even her breathing.

Sitting beside her, Duncan and Jade were completely terrified, not daring to move a single muscle.

This suffocating tension radiated entirely from the elderly man sitting at the head of the room—Benedict Lancaster, the head of the family.

This powerful patriarch could decide the fate of everyone in the room with just a single glance.

"Lorraine, at the end of the day, Lancaster blood still runs through your veins." A long sigh shattered the dead silence as Benedict's deep, authoritative voice echoed. "Normally, I couldn't care less what you do on your own time. But this time, you provoked the woman from Cloudhaven, and you're about to drag the entire Lancaster family down with you."

"Dad, you're absolutely right! I... I was just confused for a moment and accidentally offended Ms. Prescott." Lorraine trembled violently, hastily apologizing with tears threatening to spill from her voice. "Please, for the sake of our family, just give me one more chance!"

"I can give you a chance, but Ms. Prescott might not extend the same courtesy to the Lancaster family." Benedict narrowed his sharp, aged eyes, his tone as cold as steel. "I'm giving you two options. First, you will prepare a substantial apology gift and go beg Ms. Prescott for forgiveness in the name of the Lancaster family."

"Second, you will be disowned and cut from the family trust. From this moment on, your life or death will have absolutely nothing to do with us."

Lorraine snapped her head up, staring in sheer terror at the elderly man in the master seat.