Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 370: Chapter 370

Just before the woman's hand could touch his shoulder, Shawn sidestepped to avoid her.
Unwilling to give up, the woman reached out again, determined to lay a hand on him.
But Shawn was no ordinary man. If he didn't want to be touched, not even a highly trained bodyguard—let alone a regular woman—could so much as lay a finger on him.
Zoe couldn't help finding it amusing. She hadn't expected Shawn to be quite so popular.
As Shawn turned his head, he caught sight of the gloating expression on Zoe's face. Not wanting her to sit comfortably on the sidelines, he pulled her directly into his arms.
The woman's expression twisted with jealousy the moment she saw Zoe in Shawn's embrace.
Zoe whispered, "Did you see her face? She's practically turning purple. Aren't you being a little ungentlemanly to a lady?"
"Cut it out," Shawn warned her seriously.
Zoe had indeed wanted to watch Shawn squirm a little. But the naked hunger in that woman's eyes as she stared at her man began to grate on her nerves.
What really pushed Zoe over the edge, though, came next—the woman boldly reached out and grabbed Shawn's arm.
Shawn had assumed that making his relationship with Zoe clear would deter the woman. To his surprise, she became even more aggressive, trying to tug him away by the arm.
Zoe's amusement instantly vanished. She stepped forward, pushed the woman away, then swiftly yanked the coat off Shawn's shoulders and tossed it aside.
"This one's dirty. Let's get a new one," she said coolly.
"Sure." Shawn had been a little annoyed at Zoe's teasing earlier, but now, seeing her jealous little pout, his mood brightened immediately. Honestly, she could ask him to change a hundred times, and he wouldn't complain.
Seeing the two of them so casually flaunting their relationship right in front of her, the woman finally snapped.
"Stop right there!" the woman stepped forward, blocking Shawn and Zoe's path.
At that moment, her two friends also came over, flanking Shawn and Zoe from either side.
"Aileen told you to stop. Didn't you hear her?" one of them said.
"Look at them—clearly a couple of nobodies without any real background. They don't even know who Ms. Aileen Carleton is," the other scoffed.
With her friends backing her up, Aileen arrogantly strutted up to Shawn and Zoe.
"Get that woman away from him," she ordered her friends.
Her two friends obeyed immediately, moving to drag Zoe away from Shawn. Even Zoe hadn't often seen someone try to steal someone else's man this blatantly.
But the moment they made their move, Zoe struck—giving each of them a sharp slap across the face. Then she stepped forward and shielded Shawn behind her.
While Shawn clearly didn't need to be protected by anyone—let alone a woman—seeing Zoe so fiercely possessive of him put him in a very good mood.
Their relationship had always been ambiguous. Despite his many attempts to express his feelings, Zoe had never given him a direct response.
He'd even begun to wonder if she was just playing with him. But now, seeing the fire in her eyes, there was no longer any doubt. If this wasn't genuine affection, then she was a world-class actress.
Zoe fixed Aileen with a cold glare. "He's my man," she declared.
"I don't care. If he's the one I want, then he will be mine." Aileen lunged forward again, but couldn't get close to Shawn.
Furious, Aileen shouted, "Are you blind? Look at me—I'm Aileen Carleton, heiress of the Carleton family. And you dare defy me? Who do you think you are?"
"Aileen, why are you wasting your time talking to them?" one of her friends chimed in. "Just have your bodyguards throw that woman out. Once she's gone, he's yours."
"Yeah, we've got your back," the other one added.
Their words echoed exactly what Aileen was thinking. She immediately ordered her bodyguards, "What are you standing around for? Toss that woman out and take the man to my suite. I want him in my bed tonight."
Zoe was expected to be furious at that, but instead—she laughed. She thought Aileen must have a death wish, daring to treat Shawn, the legendary warrior of Clusia, like some petty boy toy.
Shawn's expression instantly darkened. He hadn't expected Aileen to go this far.
The bodyguards stepped forward and quickly surrounded both Zoe and Shawn.
Aileen pointed at Zoe and shouted, "Scared now? Hand him over and maybe—maybe—I'll let you walk out of here in one piece."
"Get lost!" Zoe shouted back, loud and ice-cold.
Her voice was so sharp it startled Aileen for a second. But her surprise quickly turned into fury. "You bitch! How dare you yell at me?"
"Someone, teach her a lesson!" she screamed. "I want her on the floor, begging me for mercy!"
The bodyguards, of course, obeyed. They charged forward—all aiming straight at Zoe.
None of them took her seriously. She was just a woman. In their eyes, there was no way she could stand against a dozen trained men.
Shawn saw this and was about to step in. He couldn't allow anyone to lay a hand on his girlfriend.
But Zoe gave him a sharp glare and stopped him in his tracks. She wanted to protect him—with her own strength.
As Zoe stood alone against the approaching wave of guards, Aileen and her two friends were already preparing to enjoy the show.
But they didn't expect what happened next. The moment the bodyguards got close, they were all sent flying backward. One of them even nearly crashed into Aileen.
Aileen stumbled back in shock, almost snapping the heel off her designer shoe. "What the hell? You useless idiots! Can't even take down one woman?"
The guards who were now lying on the floor were clearly in pain.
They had underestimated her—and paid for it. One well-placed kick from Zoe had cracked their ribs.
Clearly, Zoe was no ordinary woman. She was stronger than most elite mercenaries.
"What are the rest of you waiting for? Get her! Beat her down!" Aileen screamed again, unwilling to admit defeat.
The remaining bodyguards, bound by their paychecks, had no choice but to follow orders—even if it meant putting their lives on the line. Another wave rushed at Zoe.
This time they tried to be clever, coordinating their attacks in groups. But within seconds, they too were sent flying through the air.
In the blink of an eye, the store was in chaos. The ground was littered with groaning bodies. Aileen was stunned. So were her friends. And the bodyguards? They were all down—completely incapacitated.
Everyone's face turned pale.
"W-What do we do now? She... she's not normal," one of the friends said shakily to Aileen.
Aileen swallowed hard. She knew better than anyone how capable her guards were. But now they'd all been taken out—by one woman. It was obvious now that Zoe wasn't someone to mess with.
Still, Aileen refused to back down. She gritted her teeth and said coldly, "Don't get cocky. I still have reinforcements. Just wait—I'll call them over. They'll take you down."