17%
I raised the short stick, and with every strike, bodies dropped. I didn’t hesitate. The weapon felt like an extension of my hand–fluid, precise, deadly.
Five years of brutal training had turned me into a weapon. And now, the so–called warriors of the Weber Family lay groaning at my feet.
The rest circled warily, no longer rushing in. Fear had finally found them.”
“Enough!”
Andrew’s voice cut through the chaos.}
I turned toward him. For the first time, his gaze lacked the familiar coldness. There was hesitation in his eyes.}
Clinging to his arm, Diane burst into pitiful tears.}
“Andrew, look what she’s done! She’s hurt so many people! You promised me you’d bring more reinforcements! And… and what about my eyes? Didn’t you say you’d definitely find a cure? You said you’d use her eyes-!”
Andrew subtly withdrew his arm from her grasp. Annoyance flickered in his expression for the first time.”
“I’ll keep my promise,” he said flatly. “I’ll find another way to treat your eyes. We don’t need her. There are always… other options.“>
Diane blinked, stunned. He had never spoken to her so coldly before. Her face twisted with rising resentment.”
I sheathed my short stick and kicked aside one of the Weber Family members groaning at my feet. Then, I looked at Andrew with a smirk. “The Weber Family’s fallen pretty far, huh? What happened? Why are they all so weak?“}
Someone to my left scoffed.
“Don’t act innocent! If you hadn’t betrayed the Weber Family, would we even be in this mess?“}
I turned to him, sneering.”
“Oh? Then tell me–during the fifteen years I was here, when exactly did the Weber Family suffer? Was it me who betrayed you? Or was it you–the ungrateful Weber Family–who betrayed me?“>
Andrew went silent.”
And so did the crowd.
Because they all knew the truth: during those fifteen years, the Weber Family only grew stronger.
People used to associate the name Weber not with Andrew–but with me. Geneva.
I was the face of the Weber Family. The quiet yet capable woman who negotiated impossible deals, soothed tensions between warring factions, and turned enemies into allies. I stood beside Andrew not just as a decorative canary–but as the pillar that held his empire steady.
People joined the Weber Family for my sake.}
I never put on airs, even when I stood at the height of power. I helped everyone–high or low. I solved problems, soothed egos, and guided countless people through their darkest hours.
Every person here owed me a debt.§
They loved me once. Cherished me. Praised me as the Weber Family’s true lady.
Until Diane returned.
And everything changed overnight.”
The smiles they once gave me turned to sneers. I was no longer welcome at the table. I was confined to the basement like a criminal, flinching at every word, fearing every wrong step.}
When did their love turn to disdain?!
Was it because they received too much from me, and began to believe they deserved it all without gratitude?}
As silence swallowed the crowd, even the guests started to murmur.
“So… the rumors were true after all. I heard Geneva was the real reason the Weber Family flourished. A brilliant negotiator, tough beneath that soft exterior.”
“Yeah, my father worked with her once–said she handled a crisis that no one else could. Said she was a natural–born leader.“}
“I remember that too. When Andrew rose to power, everyone knew it was Miss Geneva pulling the strings behind the scenes. Compared to her… Diane’s nothing but a loudmouth.”
Each whispered truth darkened Diane’s face. Her grip on composure shattered.}
She shrieked, her voice shrill and crude:
“Are you all fucking blind? Didn’t you see the damn video?! That bitch sold all the Weber Family’s business to her pimp!“>
Her vulgarity shocked the crowd into silence. Guests looked away, their expressions stiff with discomfort.
“I don’t think that video was real…”
A calm voice cut through the tension. All eyes turned to a man stepping forward.
With a faint smile, he pulled a USB flash drive from his pocket and held it up.
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