Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 422: Chapter 422

Aileen pulled out her phone right in front of Zoe and sneered, "Alright, here's your chance. You quit your job, and I'll let these people go. Plus, I'll even throw in some cash for their hospital bills."
"No," Zoe said, her voice flat but firm.
"No?" Aileen snapped. "Then they'll just keep getting beaten up. And if anyone dies, that's on you."
"Your thugs are the ones throwing punches. Any blood spilled is your problem. What's that got to do with me?" Zoe didn't even flinch.
Seeing her brush her off like that, Aileen was so furious she felt like she could explode. "Fine. So you're not gonna quit, huh? Then I'll get you fired.
"Do you know who my uncle is? He does business with Wadden Group. Terry practically bows to him. I'm gonna call my uncle right now and have him tell Terry to fire you."
Aileen's voice rose with excitement as she spoke."You're screwed," Aileen sneered.
Zoe frowned, thinking, 'Terry? Is he really dealing with just anyone these days? He really has no standards when it comes to making money. I'll have to have a serious talk with him about this later.'
"Hey, kid, you better say sorry right now."
"Do you even know who you're messing with? The Carleton family is a big deal around here. Anyone who crosses them will never make it in Merilunia."
"Gosh. Someone actually dared to piss off Ms. Carleton. That Clusian girl is done for."
"She's gonna lose an arm or a leg if she's lucky. More like she won't make it out alive. Poor thing's so young too."
People started gossiping about Zoe. A few, trying to be helpful, told her to quit before it was too late. They didn't want to watch some stubborn girl get herself killed over nothing.
Listening to all the chatter, Aileen just stood there with a nasty smile. "Save your breath. She doesn't even know what fear is. I'm gonna make her crawl and lick my boots clean."
Aileen was already picturing it. She thought, 'Once she gets fired, I'm gonna humiliate her right here in front of everyone. It'd be even better if she just died from shame. That's what anyone gets for messing with me.'
Zoe shot Aileen a cold glance, then turned and walked away without a word. Dealing with spoiled brats like this wasn't worth her time.
Watching Zoe turn to leave, Aileen instantly assumed she was terrified and got an even bigger kick out of it. She shouted, "Stop right there. Think you can just walk away? Fat chance. Don't let her leave."
The crowd, eager to suck up to Aileen, moved to block Zoe's path. They were all trying to get on Aileen's good side, hoping she'd remember their help later.
Seeing so many people jump to her command, Aileen's swagger exploded. She barked, "Listen up, all of you. Keep her here. If she gets away, I'm coming for every single one of you. I'll ruin your lives."
Under Aileen's threat, the onlookers immediately closed in on Zoe, holding her tighter. Realizing she couldn't leave, Zoe calmly turned back to face Aileen head-on.
Aileen smirked triumphantly. She said, "Just you wait. My call's connecting any second."
The phone clicked, and it rang through. "Uncle Silas, where are you?" Aileen chirped into the phone.
"Almost there. Someone had the nerve to mess with you? I'll make them pay." A man's voice came through the speaker.
As soon as she hung up, Aileen locked eyes with Zoe. "You heard that, didn't you? If you grovel now, I might cut you some slack. Save you from some real embarrassment later."
"What's next? You gonna ask me to hand over my man too?" Zoe shot back.
Aileen's eyes widened, gleaming. "Well, duh! A woman like you, with no real background? You're totally out of his league. Only my family and I can help him reach his full potential."
Aileen's arrogance was bred into her bones. In her world, nobody got to disrespect her. Ever.
People around Zoe started pressuring her. "Just say you're sorry."
"Apologize already."
"Stop being so stubborn, Clusian girl. You're gonna get us all in trouble."
Aileen instantly came up with an even nastier idea to force Zoe to yield. "Don't just stand there. If she doesn't apologize, I want you to beat up one person every minute. I've got money to burn. I can pay for all the medical bills."
Aileen's bodyguards immediately grabbed a man from the crowd and just started laying into him with punches and kicks.
"Just fucking apologize! You want me dead?" screamed the beaten man at Zoe.
Everyone freaked out watching Aileen's sick game. Nobody wanted to be next, so they all went after Zoe instead.
"Bitch, don't drag us all down with you."
"Just say sorry! What's wrong with you?"
"Geez, how could she be so selfish? She's going to get us all killed."
"God, send her straight to hell."
Suddenly, some hothead yelled out, "Forget begging. She's a stone-cold bitch. Let's just grab her and throw her at Ms. Carleton's feet."
"Yeah! Grab her!" others echoed.
"Make her pay!" more voices joined in.
These cowards would do anything to save themselves now. Zoe's icy gaze swept over them. These supposed victims had become the aggressors.
Zoe's mind was crystal clear. She thought, 'If these people had any decency, I'd protect them. But it just proved they were no different from Aileen.
'The second their own butts were on the line, they'd turn nasty on everyone. These selfish jerks weren't worth saving.'
Seeing everyone gang up on Zoe had Aileen buzzing like she was high. "Yes. Now you're talking. This cold-hearted bitch needs to learn her place. Show her what happens when she messes with real people," she snapped.
With Aileen whipping them up, the mob started closing in on Zoe.
"Stop!" A commanding voice cut through the chaos just as things were about to get out of hand.
A middle-aged man in a sharp suit, who screamed money and power, strode into the lobby. It was Silas Carleton, Aileen's uncle.
He scanned the chaos. "What's this circus about? Someone better start talking."
"Uncle Silas! Thank God you're here. This awful woman's been bullying me. You have to make her pay." Aileen put on her best victim act.
The real victims were the ones getting their faces smashed in, while princess Aileen didn't have a hair out of place. Still, nobody dared to call Aileen out, not when she was the heiress of the Carleton family.
Silas's face went dark after Aileen's performance. "Which idiot thought they could touch my niece?"
"That would be me," Zoe said coolly.
Before Silas could even blink, Zoe locked eyes with Aileen. She declared, "I'm the Chair of Wadden Group's board. No one has the authority to fire me."
A stunned silence fell over the entire hall. Many people were shocked, then whispers erupted.
"No fucking way. The Chair?"
"The Chair of Wadden Group's board? That's a super mysterious figure. Word is only a few old-timers have ever met them."
Aileen was startled for a split second, then quickly sneered. "I've never met someone so full of crap. You're pretending to be the Chair? Who do you think you're fooling? You must be out of your mind."