Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 362: Chapter 362

"The problem wasn't caused by us, so why should we fix it?"
The execs were complaining because the company's performance directly affected their income. Naturally, they weren't friendly to Zoe.
Emmett, who had been sent by Walther to assist Zoe, looked angry when he saw how they acted.
"What's this about? Ms. Evans is on the board and was invited here by Mr. Alcott himself," he said. "She agreed to lead you—that's already a huge favor. And you dare complain?"
Some executives didn't take it well.
"Mr. Hoffman, it's usually you who handles company matters. What does she have to do with anything?"
"No one knows what kind of relationship she has with Mr. Alcott. He protects her like crazy. If this company keeps hiring people like that, it's bound to go bankrupt."
They were clearly here to cause trouble for Zoe.
Emmett asked, "Aren't you afraid Mr. Alcott will be mad if you say things like this?"
"Why would we be? Worst case, we get fired. But if Mr. Alcott gives the company to someone who doesn't know anything, it'll crash anyway."
"Might as well find another job now. No point waiting to be unemployed."
"He's right. Let's just quit."
"Being managed by some clueless girl? I'm not okay with that."
At first, they thought Zoe must be someone really capable—that was why they treated her with respect.
But now, all they saw was the company getting worse under her. She hadn't brought any real value. They were convinced she only got the job because of her connections. No skills, yet she wanted to be a board member.
These execs already had too much on their plates. Now they had to clean up Zoe's mess. They were sick of it.
Zoe saw the resentment on their faces but didn't show any anger. Emmett, on the other hand, wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
"I'm sorry," he told Zoe. "They don't know who you really are. That's why they're being so disrespectful. I'll fire them immediately. People like this don't deserve to stay."
"No need. We're quitting ourselves!"
"Yeah, we're out!"
The execs started taking off their ID badges, ready to resign.
Zoe stood up and faced them. "Since you all think I got this job through connections, and that I haven't done anything useful for the company, how about giving me a chance to prove myself?"
Emmett whispered, "You don't need to take this seriously. You can just ignore them."
"They're right. I shouldn't be here just for show." Zoe opened her laptop and typed something in.
A few minutes later, everyone's phone buzzed with a notification.
They looked at their screens, confused. Each of them had received a private document. The sender was someone they didn't recognize, but that person now showed up in their contacts.
Zoe said, "I've already put together a plan. It's on your phones now.
"This plan needs to be done separately. Each of you has your own task. Don't work together or try to compare notes. If you do and it causes problems, you'll be the ones to take responsibility."
"No way. How's that supposed to work?"
"Yeah, you're giving us just one document and expect us to follow it? What if it doesn't work?"
"Exactly. What then?"
"If you finish your tasks and it still doesn't work," Zoe said firmly, "then I'll take the blame."
The execs cheered as soon as they heard her.
"If you're taking the blame, then be ready to resign when it fails."
"You've gone too far! Who do you think you are to talk like that?" Emmett couldn't take it anymore.
These people had no idea they were dealing with someone Walther had been dying to win over. And yet they kept doubting her. Emmett thought the world had gone insane.
If Walther found out, Emmett knew he'd be in big trouble. But what made him truly mad was seeing his idol get treated like this.
"Deal," Zoe said, to everyone's surprise.
They all froze. No one expected her to agree so easily. It was like she didn't care about her position at all.
Still, the execs were happy with her response. At least she chose to respect them instead of kicking them out.
Therefore, they decided to give her—and themselves—a chance.
After they left, Emmett finally spoke. "Please don't mind them. They're just short-sighted."
But Zoe said, "I take full responsibility for the damage done to the company. So it's only right I fix the mess before I leave."
"Ms. Evans, you're leaving? You can't! If you go, I don't want to stay either," Emmett said, panicking. "And Mr. Alcott would never allow it."
Zoe looked at him. "Who said I'm leaving the company?"
Only then did Emmett realize he had misunderstood. "As long as you're not leaving... You scared me."
He followed her closely. "If there's anything you need, just say the word.
"It's a huge honor to even have someone like you visit the company. I can't let you work this hard—that would mean I failed at my job."
Seeing how humble he was, Zoe handed him a flash drive. "Since you're helping me, I won't keep anything from you. These are some of my investment tips."
Emmett was beyond grateful. He reached out with both hands and carefully took the drive.
"Ms. Evans, from now on, I'm your right-hand man," he said. "Whatever you want me to do, just tell me."
Zoe waved him off, telling him not to follow.
The company looked like it had a ton of problems, but most of them came from outside attacks. Zoe had already started dealing with the crises one by one. Things would start turning around in no more than three days.
When that happened, those execs who talked about quitting would realize that the Marlowe Group was the most solid job they could ever ask for.
The flash drive Emmett got was full of over a hundred ways to solve the company's major problems. Each one was brilliant. It even came with key contacts for each solution. That was the real treasure.
Emmett got so emotional he almost cried.
"Ms. Evans, you're my savior!" he shouted.
After Zoe got the mess at the company under control for the time being, she returned to the Evans residence.
Lately, the Evans family had been treating her very carefully because of what Eunice had done.
Maybe it was out of guilt, maybe something else—either way, the moment Zoe made even the slightest move or showed the tiniest hint of a bad mood, the whole family would rush to please her.
But this wasn't what Zoe wanted to see. It meant the warm and easy family vibe they once had was gone. Now, they were only keeping a surface-level peace out of fear.
Thankfully, Zoe didn't take it too personally. If they felt awkward around her, then she just chose not to show up in front of them too often.
That lasted only two days.
None of her five brothers brought up what Eunice had done. Bruce, who usually had a big reaction to everything, acted like nothing ever happened—just to keep the peace.
In the end, it was Clara who couldn't take it anymore. Right when Zoe was about to leave for the Marlowe Group, Clara stopped her at the front hallway.