Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 334: Chapter 334

Emboldened by the high-profile supporters around her, Eunice immediately grew cocky. "Zoe, you'd better surrender yourself now, or I'll have our brothers drag you there by force.
"It's the White family's turf. You shouldn't be causing trouble here. Are you so miserable that you want to drag the entire Evans family down with you?"
With each of Eunice's relentless accusations, Zoe's gaze grew colder.
But Eunice had thrown all caution to the wind. She was convinced that with the White family and those influential figures behind her, she had nothing to fear.
"Zoe, your sister is so principled, and yet you still refuse to repent. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?" Rick scoffed—he saw her as nothing but a disgrace.
Zoe let out a scornful laugh.
The crowd fell silent, some even gasping in shock. 'Zoe has some nerve disrespecting Rick like that. She's definitely going to pay for it,' they thought.
Zoe scoffed coldly, "You Whits really know how to abuse your power—truly an eye-opener."
Rick bristled. "I simply stand with justice. Give me a reason to take your side."
Zoe held her tongue, but a figure stepped out from the crowd behind her. Unlike the investment elites from Eminence Nexus, this newcomer exuded significantly more gravitas—even Rick staggered into stunned silence.
The crowd murmured excitedly.
"It's Rory Walters."
"Oh my god, it's really Rory in the flesh! He's a top-tier magnate in the investment banking world. What's he doing here?"
"The White family invited him?"
"No doubt about it. Only the White family could pull strings to invite such a big shot. Oh my god, what a day! Not only are there several members from Eminence Nexus here, but even a top-tier magnate has shown up."
"This is gonna get interesting."
Quickly, the room fell silent, as if bracing for a storm. Outside, people craned their necks, eager to watch the show. All eyes were on Rory; everyone knew his word alone could rewrite the truth.
Eunice was over the moon. Rory was a heavyweight in Eminence Nexus, famous for despising anyone who used business as a front for shady dealings. Now that Zoe had gotten on his bad side, Eunice was sure she was in for it.
"Mr. Rory, perfect timing—you're the most impartial judge here." Eric's voice cut through the crowd. "This woman is the Chair of Marlowe Group. She's colluded with criminal networks to traffic arms, committed treason for profit—her crimes deserve the severest punishment."
Though Eric didn't know why Rory suddenly showed up, he assumed this mogul was here to curry favor. So he decided to have Rory put Zoe in her place.
Under the gaze of the crowd, Rory approached Zoe. As he parted his lips to speak, the air grew still—everyone held their breath, eager to see how this formidable tycoon would handle her.
"Zoe, I warned you time and again," Eunice sneered triumphantly, "but you just wouldn't listen. Now you're done for."
Zoe's laugh was ice. "Who said I'm finished?"
The crowd burst into mocking laughter. 'Zoe is such a dunce. Does she really need Rory to spell it out for her before she realizes she's made a total fool of herself?' they thought.
Eunice knew exactly who Rory was. She figured if she could get on his good side, she'd be unstoppable in the business world.
To impress Rory, she pointed dramatically at Zoe with feigned righteousness. "Zoe, I'm done covering for you. Think about all the shady stuff you've pulled since you got back—it's making me sick with embarrassment."
Someone asked, "What exactly did Zoe do?"
Another one gasped, "Wait, she has even more skeletons in her closet?"
A third shouted, "Come on, spill all her dirty laundry."
Egged on by the crowd, Eunice grew bolder by the minute. She said, "Honestly, just thinking about her vile deeds makes me blush. But since you're all so curious about what kind of person she really is, I suppose I'll have to tell you.
"She'd do anything for a buck—she's blackmailed and threatened me countless times. She even forced me to poison Mr. Shelton just to get famous, and then made me say it was all my own idea."
Eunice's voice trembled with feigned outrage as she went on, "Worst of all, just to win the family's favor, she had someone take my innocence.
"Plus, she totally threw herself at Mr. Ludwig. Kissing and hugging? Please. They've already gone way past that."
The crowd buzzed with gossip. Many cast scornful glances at Zoe, as if she were some filthy outcast.
Zoe's silence didn't mean she'd tolerate slander. But before she could say a word, Rory reached his limit. He strode forward and, with a swift motion, delivered a sharp slap across Eunice's face.
The crowd went dead silent. 'What the hell? Why would Rory strike Eunice—even smack her right across the face?'
Rory broke the silence. "Zoe would do anything for a buck? That's the biggest joke I've ever heard."
Instantly, all eyes snapped to Rory.
"What's so funny about that?" Eunice shot back defiantly.
Rory fixed Eunice with a cold, piercing stare until, feeling guilty, she averted her gaze and turned away. Then he declared, "Zoe is under the protection of Eminence Nexus. Her status is extraordinary.
"If she wanted money, I'd empty my coffers for her without a second thought—even Eminence Nexus would spare no expense. You think I'm not rich enough? Or you think Eminence Nexus is broke?"
The entire crowd froze in shock, every eye fixed on Zoe with slack-jawed horror.
They thought, 'Who is this girl? How come a big shot like Rory is vouching for her—and even talking about protecting her? There can't be more than a handful of people in the world who could ever enjoy this kind of privilege.'
But just when everyone thought things couldn't get any more shocking, Rory's next words hit them like a ton of bricks.
Ignoring the shocked expressions around him, Rory declared, "Listen up, anyone who dares to oppose Zoe is opposing me, and the entire Eminence Nexus. If you're not afraid of the consequences, try your luck."