Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 112

"What? Does the word of Penelope Sterling mean nothing to you?"

"My lady, this is Ms. Meredith Miller of Lumina Jewelry!" Curtis wiped the cold sweat from his brow and lowered his voice, looking miserable. "She approved our latest joint promotional campaign with Lumina, and the results were incredible. You can't just..."

"Lumina Jewelry?" Penelope paused, her arrogant demeanor faltering for a second.

Lumina Jewelry had been taking the industry by storm over the past couple of years. Their designs were highly sought after by high-society socialites. Even the limited-edition necklace she was wearing right now was a Lumina piece. It was just that the founder was notoriously mysterious and rarely made public appearances.

She hadn't expected to run into the CEO herself by pure coincidence.

Penelope felt a wave of embarrassment, but the words had already left her mouth. If she backed down now, wouldn't she be slapping her own face in public?

She stole a glance at Ian standing behind her. He still looked completely detached, as if he were just waiting to watch the drama unfold.

No! She absolutely could not lose face in front of Ian!

To hell with Lumina Jewelry. Today, she had to establish her dominance as a Sterling!

"Are you... Phoenix Prescott?" Ian's voice suddenly rang out, laced with a chilling sense of disbelief.

"Ian, you know them?" Penelope glanced at him in shock, her eyes darting between the two of them. Had she accidentally targeted one of his friends?

Ian's lips curled into a cold sneer.

There was no joy of reunion in the way he looked at Phoenix—only thick disgust and mockery. "Of course I know her. This is my—biological sister."

"Your biological sister?!" Penelope's face shifted, her heart sinking as she realized this was a bad situation.

Ian took a step closer, his gaze scraping up and down Phoenix's body like a boning knife. "I thought I was seeing things earlier, but looking closely now, it really is you."

Faced with his malicious glare, Phoenix didn't even bat an eyelid. Her expression was as cold as if she were looking at thin air, the only flicker in her eyes being a trace of annoyance at the interruption.

"Ian, I'm sorry, I... I didn't know she was..." Penelope was suddenly at a loss for words, awkwardly trying to explain herself.

"What are you apologizing for?" Ian cut her off, glaring at Phoenix with absolute revulsion. "We might share blood, but I have never acknowledged her."

"Huh?" Penelope froze in place, unable to process the situation.

The disgust in Ian's eyes grew more blatant, as if he were looking at filth. "A country bumpkin who grew up in the sticks and even did time in prison. What right does she have to be my sister? I only have one sister, and that's Phoebe."

"What else do you expect?" Phoenix shrugged helplessly. "Doormats are the most brainless creatures on earth. Give them a little treat, and they'll probably throw their lives away for their master."

Meredith shivered. "Thank God I'll never be a doormat in this lifetime."

"What are you two whispering about?" Penelope's face darkened, her voice dripping with ice. "I'm giving you three seconds to get out. Stop polluting Ian's eyes."

"Ms. Sterling, let's talk this over reasonably..." Curtis tried to smooth things over from the sidelines, but Penelope was far too desperate to show off for Ian to listen to reason.

"Manager Vance, get out of the way. This is between me and them. Keep your mouth shut if you don't want to be fired," Penelope snapped harshly.

Curtis felt utterly helpless and looked at Meredith pleadingly.

"Manager Vance, this has nothing to do with you. Don't stress over it," Meredith reassured him. Then she lifted her chin, her tone unyielding. "I'm standing right here today. Let's see who dares to kick us out."

Hearing this, Curtis finally exhaled. As long as these two VIPs didn't take their anger out on him, he could just hide far away while the titans clashed.

"Good. Very good." Penelope laughed out of sheer fury and pulled out her phone, dialing a number. "I'm at the Lamborghini dealership in the south district. Bring some men over right now and deal with two blind idiots for me."

Hanging up, she looked at the two of them with a mocking sneer. "You have ten minutes. Get the hell out if you know what's good for you, or else when they get here, you'll be leaving on stretchers."