Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 125: Chapter 125

For a split second, Sean's mind went completely blank.
He always thought his suspicions were ridiculous and made no sense, and he had almost talked himself out of it. However, what he just heard shocked him.
He was told that Zoe not only solved the company's crisis, but she even said she just got a small favor from a friend to make it happen.
He thought, 'A small favor? Since when can you casually ask Walther, the richest man in Goldewood, for a small favor? And the craziest part is that someone like him is friends with Zoe.'
Sean felt his mind stumble for a moment, completely thrown off by the shock.
By the time he came back to his senses, Zoe said, "If there's nothing else, Sean, I'll head upstairs now." Then she turned and walked away.
All Sean could do was force a smile. It turned out he didn't know her at all. She was way more capable than he had ever imagined.
It was a brand-new day at the camp. Zoe was leading a group of fresh recruits through their physical training.
Suddenly, the people around her paused and said, "Zoe, look behind you."
At that moment, Zoe was doing pull-ups. Her arms might look weak, but every muscle was perfectly defined as she powered through an exercise that even most guys found tough.
Just then, a tall man stepped in front of her, blocking out the blazing sun.
Zoe didn't bother getting off the bar. She just propped herself up with both hands, kept going with her routine, and glanced at the handsome man in front of her. "What brings you here, Mr. Ludwig?"
"Come down," Shawn said, lowering his head slightly.
The sunlight poured down warmly, bathing Zoe in its glow, making her look striking and breathtaking.
With a light release of her grip, she nimbly jumped down from the bar.
To everyone's surprise, she dropped right into Shawn's arms, and, in front of everyone, she hooked her arms around his neck.
This scene completely caught everyone off guard, even Shawn himself was momentarily stunned.
"Get down. It's embarrassing," Shawn said, his well-defined chin almost touching Zoe's nose. His hands, gloved in pure white, gently rested on her waist.
He just found her very attractive in this position.
Zoe chuckled and said, "Didn't I already come down?" She winked at Shawn and continued, "Or are you hoping I'll go even lower, Mr. Ludwig? That would be so embarrassing. I might just blush."
Her voice wasn't exactly loud, but somehow everyone managed to hear every word.
They thought, 'What kind of spicy talk is this? Are we even supposed to hear that?'
"Are you done?" Shawn's voice carried a hint of a teasing tone, sounding somewhat indulgent.
Zoe instantly felt disappointed. She didn't see even a hint of embarrassment on Shawn's face that she had expected.
She landed lightly on the ground, and as she slipped out of his arms, she deliberately traced a finger along his neck with a teasing smile.
Shawn cleared his throat, and he spoke again, this time with an unmistakable command. "The Ludwig family is holding a party tonight. I want you to come with me."
His tone made it clear that she didn't have a choice.
Zoe looked up at Shawn, and suddenly, she reached out and traced a few circles on his chest. She murmured, "Sure, but what do I get out of it?"
Shawn paused, seriously considering what kind of "reward" she deserved.
The next second, Shawn, usually so composed, suddenly tensed up, all because Zoe made a bold move right in front of everyone.
She rose on tiptoe, leaned closer, and then, right as the crowd gasped, pressed her lips directly onto Shawn's, kissing him.
In an instant, the crowd gasped, their surprised shouts and whispers filling the air.
Everyone knew that as the legendary warrior, Shawn had never been close to any woman before, let alone been kissed like that in public.
Even Shawn himself was momentarily stunned when it happened.
When the kiss ended, Zoe expected to see a flicker of disgust, annoyance, or even anger on Shawn's face. However, he just smirked, looking genuinely pleased with her bold move.
Zoe frowned in disappointment. She frowned and thought, 'Seriously? Is that all?'
Little did they know that someone hiding nearby had already snapped photos of their sweet moment on his phone.
Soon, a post appeared online with the headline: [Shawn, the legendary warrior of Clusia, was publicly kissed by a woman, and not only did he not resist, he seemed to enjoy it.]
The photo, along with that headline, spread like wildfire through Twitter, and after being reposted a few times, it quickly made its way to Sophia's phone.
When Sophia saw the clear shot of Zoe kissing Shawn right on the lips, she was so furious that she nearly passed out.
Sophia couldn't believe that the man she had chased for half her life never even looked her way, yet now, an ordinary girl managed to get her hands on him.
Tears welled up in Sophia's eyes as she went on a rampage, smashing everything in sight. Several antique vases worth hundreds of thousands of dollars crashed to the floor in pieces.
"Damn you, Zoe! I swear I'm gonna kill you! You're done," she said.
Sophia vented all her rage, and then she wiped away her tears, grabbed her phone, and called Eunice. "You said you wanted to work together last time, didn't you? What's your plan?"
Eunice greeted her. "Oh, hi, Ms. White."
"Just tell me your plan. Now." Sophia went straight to the point.
Hearing that, a smug smile crept onto Eunice's face. "Ms. White, it's not safe to talk over the phone. Why don't we meet up and make a proper plan?"
Sophia nodded. "Let's meet now. I can't wait another second to see her dead. I want her dead. Do you hear me?"