Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 500

"Pfft, hahahaha!" Zander laughed so hard he bent over, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Zoe, even if you're my actual sister, I have to ask: what kind of daydream are you having in broad daylight?"

He exaggeratedly shook his head and turned to the elders. "Dad, Vanessa, you two should seriously take her to see a psychiatrist. Her inferiority complex is so bad she's starting to hallucinate."

Dominic and Vanessa exchanged a heavy look, both wearing solemn expressions.

They clearly shared Zander's assessment.

After all, every single blind date they had arranged for Zoe recently had fallen through.

Most of the men were disgusted by her looks and weight, while the rest simply looked down on the Vaughan family's current standing.

"Dad, Vanessa, do you both think the same?" Zoe asked, looking at them calmly.

She wasn't hysterical, nor was she blaming everyone else. Her eyes were as tranquil as a pool of still water.

"Zoe, I know you feel wronged, but..." Vanessa sighed deeply, speaking with heavy earnestness, "People have to face reality eventually."

A self-deprecating smirk tugged at the corner of Zoe's mouth. "Just as I thought, no one in this house truly cares about me. Vanessa, I used to think you were understanding, but now I finally see why my cousin insisted on cutting ties with you."

Those words acted like a poisoned needle, piercing viciously into the deepest, most painful corner of Vanessa's heart.

"Because all of you only ever see superficial benefits. You never bother to look at anyone's genuine heart." Zoe took a deep breath, looking past everyone and staring straight toward the front door. "I was telling the truth earlier. I am getting married today."

As soon as she finished speaking, the butler hurried into the grand hall, lowering his voice to report to Dominic, "Sir, Mr. Caleb Prescott is here to visit."

"Caleb?" Dominic frowned, a flash of suspicion in his eyes. "What is he doing here? Let him in."

Vanessa's face drastically changed as she whipped her head to look at Zoe.

Could Caleb really be here for her?

No, that was absolutely impossible!

Zoe had always been in love with Julian. Why would Caleb have any interest in her?

If Caleb were still the crippled man in the wheelchair, she might have believed it a tiny bit.

But Caleb's legs were fully healed now. He was already the perfect bachelor that countless socialites were throwing themselves at. Why on earth would he choose a plain, somewhat chubby girl like Zoe?

"Hahahaha!" Zander cracked up, slapping his thigh as if hearing an even more absurd joke. "Zoe, don't tell me you're about to say Caleb is the one coming to marry you?"

Zoe shot him a mild glance and asked, "Why couldn't he be?"

"Tsk!" Zander scoffed, eyeing her up and down. "Caleb isn't a cripple anymore. He's way better looking than Julian, and he's the head of the Prescott Group! What makes you think he would ever look twice at you?"

This highly formal arrangement with a respected elder accompanying him silently confirmed the seemingly absurd claim Zoe had just made.

Caleb really was here to ask for her hand in marriage.

Dominic quickly masked his shock, pasting on a fake, polite smile. "Mr. Prescott, what wind blew you here today?"

"Dominic, I'm only here for one thing today." Caleb didn't even bother with pleasantries. His gaze cut straight through the crowd, locking firmly onto Zoe as he delivered each word with absolute certainty. "I am here to propose. I want to marry Zoe."

Boom!

It was as if a crack of thunder exploded inside the hall.

The entire Vaughan family was left utterly dumbfounded. No one could have imagined that the high and mighty Caleb Prescott had genuinely come for Zoe!

"Why?" Dominic blurted out, too stunned to hold back.

"Why?" Caleb raised an eyebrow, a hint of cold confusion in his eyes. "Dominic, I'm rather surprised you would even ask such a thing. In your eyes, is Zoe not worthy of a proposal?"

"Caleb, stop making a joke out of this!" Zander suddenly jumped up, pointing at Zoe as he yelled. "She's just a fat cow, you'd want her? Oh... I get it now!"

Acting as if he had just uncovered a massive secret, he sneered. "The Prescott Group's cash flow is in trouble, isn't it? You just want to use the Vaughan family's influence to survive this crisis. That's the real reason you're stooping so low to marry her!"