Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 154

Meanwhile, the black Maybach tore through the night.

Pierce rested his head against the backseat, his eyes closed as his fingers methodically worked the dark wooden prayer beads.

*Click, click, click.*

The crisp sound echoed in the quiet cabin, carrying a tense, imposing rhythm.

"Yancy, do you think losing ten percent of his shares is enough to sever Silas's arm?" Pierce suddenly opened his eyes, shattering the silence.

Yancy hesitated for a moment before frowning in thought. "The Sterling Group's corporate structure is complex. Ten percent is a massive bargaining chip. Taking it from him should definitely cripple his influence."

"No."

Pierce shook his head, his expression grim. "Silas gave it up way too easily. There's only one reason he'd surrender that kind of equity without a war—it didn't actually hurt him. To him... it was just a flesh wound."

He paused, a dark shadow crossing his gaze. "I suspect the Sterling Group's upper management is already thoroughly infested with his people."

Yancy's face paled. "Boss, if that's true, doesn't that put our entire operation at risk?"

Pierce looked down at the prayer beads, his thumb lightly stroking the smooth wood, his voice calm. "I didn't just confront him tonight to get justice for Phoenix. I did it to rattle his cage."

"After taking a hit like this, that shrewd operator will be forced to tread carefully. And that will buy us the time we need to finalize the evidence against him."

Yancy nodded in realization, a look of deep respect on his face. "Brilliant, Boss."

Pierce didn't respond, simply turning his gaze toward the blurring city lights outside the window.

Silas had been lying in wait for years, acting like a parasite slowly rotting the Sterling Group from the inside out.

If Phoenix hadn't handed him the critical lead, Pierce might never have aimed his sights at his 'loving uncle', let alone unearthed the horrifying corruption hidden beneath the surface.

Even though she had only partnered with him for her own leverage... he owed her one for this.

"Pull over."

The black sedan glided smoothly to the curb and parked.

Pierce stepped out and walked straight into a high-end dessert boutique. His eyes scanned the pristine glass displays before locking onto an elaborate strawberry cake.

"Box this one up for me, please."

Watching from the car, Yancy's jaw practically unhinged.

His boss, a man who famously despised anything sweet, was voluntarily buying a cake? And a hyper-feminine, pink strawberry cake at that?

A sudden realization hit him like a freight train—was this for Ms. Prescott?

Yancy's eyes lit up, his theory solidifying. It seemed hell had finally frozen over. The boss was actually catching feelings for his wife; why else would he go out of his way to do something like this?

Phoenix had just finished showering. Her damp hair cascaded loosely over her shoulders, and she was wearing nothing but a white towel wrapped tightly around her body.

The warm, humid air from the bathroom clung to her, highlighting her luminous skin and creating a breathtakingly seductive sight.

"Pierce?"

Phoenix only paused for a second before a playful smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. She didn't look flustered in the slightest.

"Perfect timing. You walked right in on the main event."

Pierce whipped around, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "Do you seriously not make a sound when you shower?"

He instantly regretted the words. What a stupid thing to say. She was already done; why would there be running water?

Behind him, he heard the soft padding of bare feet on the hardwood floor.

Phoenix closed the distance and suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.

Her warm, soft body pressed against his rigid back. The fresh, intoxicating scent of her body wash flooded his senses, violently unraveling his tightly wound control.

"Actually..." she whispered, her voice lazy and incredibly seductive as her lips brushed against his ear, "since it's just the two of us... if something were to happen right now, I wouldn't mind."

For the first time in his twenty-odd years of life, Pierce felt a scorching heat shoot straight up his spine, an unfamiliar, primal tension coiling tight in his stomach.