Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 239: Chapter 239

Hearing the stranger's words, Sophia's resolve to run wavered.
She had no choice—if Zoe found her, she'd be dead. So she decided to strike first. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.
The mysterious voice chuckled before answering slowly, "We'll deal with Zoe for you. In return, you'll help us take down all the big names in Jelonsburg."
Sophia froze. Taking on Jelonsburg's top figures was essentially treason. Even she knew this was dangerous. Fear washed over her and she shook her head. "No way. I can't do that!"
"Really?" the caller pressed. "Are you okay with letting Firefox steal everything from you? From what we know, she'll come for you any minute—she's cold and ruthless."
Sophia admitted she was scared. But more than fear, she felt a fierce unwillingness. To her, Zoe was the other woman who had taken everything—while she'd become a joke, even shunned by her own family.
The caller was obviously a manipulator. After a pause, he said, "If you won't agree, pretend this call never happened. You're not the only one I could work with." Then it sounded like he was hanging up.
"Wait!" Sophia grabbed on. "I—I'll do it. Just kill Zoe and keep me alive, and I'll do anything!"
The stranger laughed. "Good. You're smart. I like dealing with smart people. I'll be in touch." Then the call ended.
Sophia looked down at her trembling hands—but it wasn't fear making them shake, it was excitement. She sensed this caller was on a whole different level than that arms dealer from Yaniston or Daniel Finch. He would weave a real conspiracy to rival Firefox.
Once, Firefox had stirred up a storm in Jelonsburg. Now, Sophia would unleash a bloody whirlwind on her behalf.
She fought to steady her hands, stared into the distance, and whispered, "Zoe, I won't let you get away with this. You destroyed my life—I'll take everything from you. Are you ready?"
Meanwhile, Samuel, Alex, and Simon tried again and again to go to the Evans residence and apologize to Zoe, but they always missed her. They didn't give up, though.
During this time, Zoe stayed home and grew even closer to her five brothers. They all doted on her equally. It was a warm feeling she'd never known on the battlefield, and she loved it.
So whenever her brothers asked for her advice, she gladly shared everything she knew.
One day, Zoe received a message: Jelonsburg's researchers had invited her to their research base. As she was heading out, Charlie looked on with puppy-like eyes and said, "Zoe, you've got to come back soon. We still have questions."
Her other brothers reacted the same way—except Sean, who remained calm as the eldest. The rest looked as worried as if the world would end once Zoe left.
With her shoes on, Zoe stepped up to the Evans residence door and saw all five brothers trying to follow her outside. She sighed and said, "I'll be home before you know it."
"Zoe, you said it yourself—no backing out!" Charlie grinned.
Charlie's excitement made Zoe think of a husky wagging its big, fluffy tail while waiting to be fed. She couldn't help but smile.
When Zoe left the Evans residence, she saw a car waiting at the gate.
A pretty woman standing by the car bowed respectfully when she spotted Zoe. "Ms. Evans, please get in. We'll take you to the research base."
Zoe raised an eyebrow. "Joyce is already here?"
The woman nodded. "Ms. Yoder and Mr. Johnson are both here, along with all the other researchers who admire you."
Zoe felt a headache coming on. She had agreed to help with the research but now felt like a circus monkey about to be gawked at.
Still, she got in the car.
Zoe closed her eyes to rest, but the car hadn't gone far when a luxury sedan pulled in front of them, forcing the driver to slam on the brakes.
The jolt woke Zoe. She opened her eyes to see Alex, Samuel, and Simon stepping out of the other car.
Before Zoe could get out, the pretty woman had jumped down to confront them. "Gentlemen, why did you block our path like this?"
Samuel said, "We need to see Zoe. Please let us through."
They'd tried and failed several times to catch Zoe at home, so they'd waited on the street, planning to stop her the moment she left. And it worked.
Zoe stepped out and looked at them coldly. "What, still want revenge for your sister?"
Her ice-cold tone made the three brothers shift awkwardly.
Samuel cleared his throat. "Zoe, we're not here to cause trouble. We came to apologize."
The pretty woman scoffed. "I've never seen anyone apologize by blocking the road. Are you sure you're not here to pick a fight?"
Alex snapped back, "Shut up. Why should we care what you think?"
"Why not?" she shot back. "The researchers are waiting for Ms. Evans at the base. You're wasting time—aren't you afraid they'll blame us?" She spoke with surprising confidence, clearly someone with clout.
Alex folded his arms. "We don't care about the researchers. We just want to talk to Zoe. Please don't interrupt."
Samuel frowned and warned, "Alex, knock it off. Where's your manners?"
Hearing Samuel's words, Alex snapped his mouth shut.
The pretty woman glanced at Zoe. "Ms. Evans, do you need my help?"
Zoe waved her off. She could handle this herself.
Samuel took a breath. "We've learned the truth and questioned Sophia. It really was her fault, so we came to apologize. We hope you'll forgive her, and we promise nothing like this will happen again."
"We'll make sure Sophia faces serious consequences, and we hope you can forgive her," he added, looking at Zoe with his brothers by his side.
They thought their sincerity would win her over. But Zoe just gave a small, cold laugh and said, "No. I'll never forgive her."