Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 313: Chapter 313

"Let's go," Zoe said without hesitation.
'I knew these old farts had it out for me,' Zoe thought, 'but I didn't expect them to make a move this soon. Then I'll just have to meet these old fools myself.'
Zoe agreed without hesitation and got into the car readily.
Zoe's immediate compliance took the men sent to "escort" her by surprise, but they still followed their superiors' orders and brought her to the designated meeting place.
The jeep drove deeper into a deserted area. 'If I remember right, there's a hidden outpost around here,' Zoe thought.
'Clearly, they don't dare confront Shawn head-on, so they picked a place where he can't possibly intervene,' she thought.
The car came to a halt, and Zoe was escorted out. "This way," the man said curtly.
Zoe had expected to be led into some secret location, but the moment she stepped onto the open ground, a squad of well-trained soldiers surrounded her from all sides.
'Not even a damn cup of coffee before jumping into action? How rude,' she thought wryly, realizing they were ready to use force without any pretense of hospitality.
Zoe stood her ground, unfazed as they surrounded her. Soon, several distinguished elders emerged from the crowd.
At the front was none other than Rick, flanked by men whose commanding presence clearly marked them as figures of high status.
"Elders, please calm down. Zoe is the fiancée personally acknowledged by Shawn. If he finds out you brought her here without his consent, he'll be furious." As soon as Zoe appeared, Troy rushed to her defense.
But his words fell on deaf ears and no one paid him any heed.
"Angry? What right does he have to be angry? That kid just got lucky a few times and now everyone calls him a legendary warrior. Do they think we are already dead?"
"Damn right! When we were earning our stripes on the battlefield, Shawn wasn't even a twinkle in his father's eye!"
These elders were all battle-hardened veterans. In their prime, they wielded great prowess, convinced they were every bit Shawn's equal.
Only their lingering merits and military influence keep them from being forced into retirement.
But with their authority reduced to mere advisory roles, it's only natural they harbor growing resentment toward Shawn.
As long as Shawn played by their rules, things stayed peaceful.
But now that Shawn's reputation is skyrocketing, eclipsing their hard-earned glory, everyone's forgotten about these old war heroes. Worse, his defiance of conventions has turned the elders into a laughingstock.
If they don't put their foot down soon, no one will respect their authority in the future. And Zoe is the perfect first target to make an example of.
This meeting with Zoe served two purposes: first, to voice their disapproval of her engagement to Shawn; and second, to make an example of her—a direct strike at Shawn's weak spot.
Troy, unable to persuade the elders, had no choice but to approach Zoe. With an apologetic look, he said, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Ludwig. I really tried my best, but these are all Rick's men. I..."
'Rick? Rick White?' Zoe thought for a while and instantly understood.
Troy said anxiously, "I'm so sorry. I promised I'd stand up for you, but I let you down. I'm such a failure."
At that moment, Troy was the only one who dared to speak to Zoe. By showing up despite the pressure, he was risking the elders' wrath.
Zoe didn't want to drag Troy into this. She looked at him and said firmly, "Stay out of this, Troy. This isn't your fight," motioning for him to step aside.
Troy shook his head firmly. "No. I broke my promise. At the very least, let me stay to protect you."
"What a loyal follower you are, Troy," Rick sneered. "Tell me, what exactly has Zoe done for you to deserve such devotion?"
"Mrs. Ludwig has given me nothing," Troy said firmly. "I stand with her because she's the only one worthy of Shawn."
"Shawn and Sophia formed a marriage alliance long ago. Now Shawn's breaking his sworn oath, picking some random woman to break off the engagement. Of course we elders have to set him straight!" barked an elderly man with a full white beard.
The old man stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Rick, clearly showing their close relationship.
Troy whispered urgently to Zoe, "That man outranks even Rick—he's none other than Quran, the legendary general of Clusia."
Quran was among the earliest founding elders of Clusia, and his words still carried immense weight.
Shawn's current unit was once under Quran's command. Though he's long since retired, his reputation remains so powerful that no one would dare disrespect him when he appears.
At that moment, Rick had brought Quran here specifically to make things difficult for Zoe.
Quran said, "So you're that vixen who seduced Shawn? Just look at you—you look completely shameless. And Shawn, who always seemed so dependable, ends up mixed up with trash like you?"
Rick declared, "Shawn's character is beyond reproach. But there are always scheming women who might lead him astray. If we don't eliminate this hidden threat now, who knows what even more outrageous things he might do in the future."
Quran nodded sharply, jabbing a finger at Zoe with contempt. "Listen here, girl! You corrupted our finest recruit and dragged our unit's reputation through the mud with all his disgraceful antics!
"This is all your fault! If you know what's good for you, apologize now. Swear you'll stay away from Shawn, and maybe I'll let you leave in one piece!
"Refuse and you'll find out exactly what worthless trash you really are."
One of the elders scoffed, "Mr. Perkins, why waste your breath on her? She's just an obstacle on Shawn's path to success."
Another added, "We must eliminate her. If any more scandals break out, they'll ruin the reputation our unit has built over the years."
"She needs to be taught a lesson!"
"These youngsters really don't know their place at all."
After Quran laid down his ultimatum, the others quickly became his yes-men, eagerly echoing his words and denouncing Zoe's shortcomings one after another.
"I heard she's just some nobody from a minor family," one elder scoffed.
"Not just that—she even went missing as a child and grew up in a small town. Only just got found and brought back," another added derisively.
Zoe's humble origins quickly became the center of their gossip. Quran's scowl deepened. He sneered, "A small town? If you'd had any proper upbringing, you wouldn't be throwing yourself at men like some cheap hussy."
Quran looked at Zoe and sneered, "You're only clinging to Shawn for one of two things: money or fame, aren't you?
"Here's your chance—just post a breakup video online, announce you're done with Shawn, and I'll make sure you get all the money and fame you want. I can even set you up with a man way better than him."
Quran thought he was being generous, but every word dripped with contempt and humiliation.
They had assumed that, even if Zoe was outstanding among her peers, after hearing what they said, she would at least waver.
To everyone's surprise, Zoe just scoffed and declared in front of everyone, "Sure, I admit I'm after Shawn. You claim you can introduce me to a 'better man,' right? Well then, if you can actually find someone superior to Shawn, I'll marry him."