Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 509

Phoenix met Yara's inquiring gaze and shook her head slightly, signaling that she could handle it.

She turned to Isabella, her tone mocking. "You really don't grasp the situation yet."

"What do you mean?" Isabella frowned, her eyes venomous. "Even now, you're still trying to deny killing Phoebe?!"

Phoenix sighed in exasperation and snapped her fingers sharply.

A second later, Yolanda and Leo Vance dragged a haggard, emaciated man forward—it was Barrett Lowery.

The moment Barrett looked up and saw the crowd, his face drained of all color.

The people sitting here were the ultimate overlords of Highcrest; a single stomp of their feet could cause an earthquake!

He had thought that by becoming a cripple, he could hide in the gutters and survive like a rat. He never expected Phoenix's people to drag him to The Apex like a ragdoll.

"Isabella, I admit, I had bad blood with Phoebe. She framed me and sent me to prison for four years for a crime I didn't commit. My retaliation was entirely justified." Phoenix's voice wasn't loud, but every word struck like a hammer, echoing across the massive penthouse. "Do you admit to this or not?"

Isabella clenched her jaw, her face livid.

She knew full well that Phoebe had made Phoenix take the fall back then.

Phoenix sending Phoebe to prison was a revenge she couldn't dispute.

"I admit it!" She took a deep breath, the vicious light of hatred flashing in her eyes. "But you killed her, and you must pay in blood!"

"Hah, and that is where the problem lies." Phoenix scoffed, her eyes full of disdain. "Since I already sent her to prison to make her life a living hell, why would I go out of my way to kill her? With my resources, if I truly wanted her dead, I wouldn't need to jump through so many hoops."

Isabella's expression shifted.

Phoenix's words were like a needle, popping the bubble of irrational rage that had blinded her.

Thinking about it carefully, it made perfect sense.

"Furthermore, Phoebe's death was far too coincidental." Phoenix paced around the table, her voice chilling. "Warren suddenly dropped dead on his way to see you, and immediately after, Phoebe was murdered in prison. This flawless string of 'accidents' had only one purpose—to completely enrage you as a mother."

"Are you saying someone used me as a weapon?" Isabella wasn't stupid. With a single hint, she instantly grasped the underlying meaning behind Phoenix's words.

"Exactly. This person knows your temperament inside out, calculating that if Warren and Phoebe both died, you would instantly lock onto me like a rabid dog." Phoenix stopped right behind Barrett, her hands forcefully clamping down on his violently trembling shoulders as she shot a blade-like glare at Isabella. "And the mastermind behind this is him—Barrett."