Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 357: Chapter 357

"Wait." Shawn stopped Zoe.
"You're not thinking about quitting now, are you?" He looked right at her like he already knew what was on her mind.
Zoe didn't know what to say. She stayed quiet.
Shawn grabbed her wrist. Just like old times, they were locked in a struggle—one trying to break free, the other holding tight. Neither of them wanted to let go.
They stood like that for a whole minute, until Zoe finally gave up first.
"It's too late to quit now," Shawn said.
Zoe stared at him, annoyed.
"It's my life. I get to decide when to quit, not you," she said, and yanked her hand free.
But Shawn was ready. He grabbed her other hand right away.
In the end, neither of them really lost this fight.
"When you started messing with me, you should've known I'm not someone who falls easy. And I don't give up easy, either," Shawn said.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Zoe was starting to get scared by the serious look in his eyes. She wasn't sure if she could handle a love like this.
Shawn watched her face closely, not missing a single change in her expression.
"It's okay. You can hesitate. You can run. But I won't give up," he said. "No matter where you go, as long as you're alive, I'll come after you."
Zoe felt a little guilty. Shawn was all in—but she wasn't sure if she was. At least, not yet.
Their feelings weren't on the same level. She decided it was better to slip away for now.
With that thought, Zoe lifted her leg and faked a move. While Shawn blocked it, she pulled her hand back and ran.
Shawn chased a few steps, then stopped. There was a confident smile on his lips.
He let her go, because he believed she couldn't run from him forever.
Shawn and Zoe finally left, but the chaos at the scene wasn't over yet.
Sophia never thought Shawn would take Zoe so seriously, that he'd actually prove his love to the whole world for her.
She felt only she deserved that kind of love from Shawn. She hated Zoe for stealing what should've been hers, and she hated Shawn for throwing away her feelings.
While Sophia was fuming, someone suddenly shouted, "No way! We can't let Shawn do whatever he wants."
"Yeah! The international reception isn't some place for him to joke around. He has no sense of rules."
At that moment, Quran and the others were still there. Hearing this, they looked annoyed.
"Mind your own business. You're not Shawn's parents. Why do you care who he marries?"
"That's right. Shawn's done so much for Clusia. Who he marries is up to him. You all should worry about your own stupid children." The coughing officer also stood on Shawn and Zoe's side.
Quran and the rest thought Shawn and Zoe made a great pair. Shawn was a legendary warrior, and Zoe was a genius. Together, they'd be perfect.
But of course, not everyone agreed.
Right then, Rick had an idea. He walked up to Sophia and said in a low voice, "You go home first."
"But Rick, what about Shawn?" Sophia looked hurt and nervous.
"Enough! I don't want them together even more than you do," Rick said. "Leave it to me. I already have a plan. Just wait to hear from me."
Sophia didn't know what Rick was planning, but she could tell he wasn't just trying to comfort her.
"Alright, Rick. I'll wait," she said reluctantly.
As soon as she left, Rick told the Elders who were on his side to wait for him in the meeting room.
These people were already upset about what Shawn did today. So when Rick asked to meet, they knew he had something else in mind.
Rick didn't just invite his loyal group. He also went to get the Elders who were unhappy with Shawn. To keep his plan quiet, he only invited those who didn't support Shawn and Zoe being together.
As for Quran and the others who supported them, he didn't invite any of them.
In the meeting room, a group of Elders sat together, the air heavy and serious.
"We can't let Shawn go through with this."
"Exactly. He represents Clusia. If he messes up, it's like we all messed up."
"If Shawn, the legendary warrior of Clusia, marries some low-born country girl, the whole world will laugh at us."
"Right. Shawn might not care about his pride, but we can't let Clusia become a joke because of him."
These people put themselves on a moral high ground, turning Shawn's personal life into a matter of national pride.
Rick was pleased to see this. He had been wondering how to stir everyone up—this was perfect.
"Everyone, quiet down. We're here to stop Shawn from doing something crazy," Rick said. "But you all know how he is. No one can stop him once he makes up his mind."
"What we need now is a way to make him give up this ridiculous idea," he added.
One Elder said, "Why don't we just cancel his invite to the reception?"
"No way. Shawn's still Clusia's legendary warrior," someone else said. "If something goes wrong when we meet those world Elders, he's the one who'll protect us."
"That's true. Without Shawn, the reception loses its meaning," another agreed.
Seeing that no one wanted to cancel Shawn's spot at the international reception, Rick knew he had to come up with another plan.
"If he's planning to announce his relationship with Zoe at the international reception," Rick said, "then we need to stop him from saying it."
"What do you mean?" Everyone turned to him, waiting for an answer.
"I mean we strike first," Rick said, looking around. "If he wants to make it public with Zoe at the reception, then we arrange for him to be tied to another woman before that. That way, he won't be able to say a word."
Everyone suddenly understood. A man could only have one fiancée. If Shawn already had one, he couldn't announce Zoe as his bride-to-be at the reception.
It was a good plan—but if Shawn got stubborn, he might still tell the truth in front of everyone.
"There's a risk," one of the Elders said. "If he really doesn't care about his pride and says it anyway, then this plan won't work."
Rick saw someone doubting him and spoke up. "I've already thought about that. We're not just going to say he's with someone else—we're going to make it happen. That's not easy. But if we go after his most trusted person, it might work."
Everyone went quiet, deep in thought. When Rick mentioned "make it happen" and talked about Shawn's most trusted person, they all started to understand what kind of dirty trick he might be planning.
They hesitated. No one wanted to face Shawn's rage.
"We're doing this for his own good. Maybe he won't get it now, but when he has a better future, he'll thank us." Rick said it like he was doing something noble—and somehow, he convinced everyone in the room to join his plan.