Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 153

Silas slowly sank back onto the sofa, his face an unreadable mask. A calculated gleam flickered in his eyes—he was weighing his options, biding his time.

The energy project was a poisoned chalice anyway. Every key position was filled with his loyalists. Even if Pierce took it, the kid wouldn't be able to get a damn thing done and would eventually have to beg Silas for help just to keep it running.

But Pierce hadn't taken the bait. Instead, he had ruthlessly demanded ten percent of Silas's shares in the Sterling Group.

Ten percent didn't sound like a lethal blow, but it was the bedrock of Silas's authority within the company. Stripping that away would be like cutting him off at the knees, severely crippling his influence over the board.

"Pierce, we are family. Are you sure you want to be this cutthroat?" Silas asked, his voice dark with a veiled threat.

Pierce let out a dry scoff, his tone icy. "When your daughter put a hit out on my fiancé, did she stop to think that we were family?"

A sharp, dangerous light flared in Pierce's eyes as he met Silas's stare. "Furthermore, the marriage between our families was arranged by the patriarchs. Penelope's attack wasn't just a strike against the Prescotts—it was a direct slap in the face to Arthur Sterling himself."

"You call me cutthroat..." Pierce stood abruptly, driving his boot heavily into the chest of the half-dead hitman on the floor.

"You haven't seen me truly cutthroat."

Silas's eyes widened, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. In the depths of Pierce's dark eyes, he saw a raw, unfiltered hatred.

It was a sudden, bone-chilling realization that made Silas's heart skip a beat—had this kid uncovered the truth behind the car crash?

"My patience is wearing thin, Silas." Pierce pulled his foot back, casually straightening his cuffs. "You wouldn't want everything you've spent half your life building to burn to the ground, would you?"

Silas ground his teeth together. After a long, suffocating silence, he let out a heavy sigh, looking as though he had aged ten years in a matter of seconds. "Fine! Penelope crossed the line. To give you closure, I'll transfer ten percent of my equity."

Pierce's lips curved slightly; he wasn't surprised in the slightest. "You've always been a pragmatist, Silas. Just make sure you keep a tighter leash on your daughter. A single leak can sink a massive ship."

With that, he gave Yancy a nod, turned on his heel, and strode out of Riverside One.

The moment Pierce left, the tension in the room didn't dissipate—it plummeted to sub-zero. Silas's face was thunderous, radiating a violent aura that kept the staff absolutely terrified.

"Dad, I..."

Smack!

A vicious slap echoed through the room.

Silas struck Penelope with the back of his hand, knocking her head completely sideways. She cradled her burning cheek, her eyes swimming with tears, but she was too terrified to make a sound.

She might have been spoiled, but she knew exactly what ten percent equity meant. This time, she had truly ruined everything.

"You idiot! Why did you have to provoke Phoenix?!" Silas exploded, his chest heaving. "Everything I've plotted for years was almost destroyed by your utter stupidity!"

"Boss... I was just hired help. The job's done, so I'll just..."

Before he could finish, Silas pulled a silenced pistol from a hidden compartment under the coffee table, aiming the dark barrel directly at Hannibal.

Hannibal's eyes blew wide in sheer panic. He threw his hands up, his voice cracking. "Boss! I was wrong! I won't leave! I'll do whatever you want, just tell me!"

"Then go to hell."

A cruel smile twisted Silas's lips as he pulled the trigger without a second thought.

*Thwip.*

The muffled shot rang out.

The bullet pierced straight through Hannibal's skull, sending a fine mist of blood into the air.

Hannibal's body locked up before he collapsed onto the floor, his eyes wide open in disbelief. Even in his final moments, he never expected the usually composed Silas Sterling to be far more ruthless than Pierce himself.

Silas indifferently tossed the gun aside and gestured for his men to clean up the mess.

He stared at the fresh corpse, his eyes dark with malice. "Pierce, do you really think taking ten percent of my equity will cripple me? How naive. Over sixty percent of the Sterling Group is already loyal to me. What exactly can you do?"