Cassandra had aged a lot in just one day, and every member of the Bilderberg Club was avoiding her. Even her bodyguards were keeping their distance unless there was a direct order since they were exhausted by her hysterics. It wasnât just the Bilderberg members who were driving Cassandra into a corner. In fact, the heads of the Goldsteinâs branches all over the world were venting their grievances at her.
ăWhy is my family under attack?ă
ăThe situation is serious.ă
ăCassandra! Cassandra!ă
All of their businesses were in flames. She was constantly receiving reports that hyenas were flocking around, including their new businesses that hadnât been listed on the stock market. If only the Karjans were their enemies, they couldâve committed suicide together. However, the entire family business was shaking because the Rothschild family was fighting back, and Gillian had also added a massive amount of funds into the battle.
That wasnât the end. The hedge funds that used to wander around the financial market were following Gillianâs move. This was the second power that the Gillian Group possessed. When Gillian played the pipe, even irrelevant forces rushed towards him.
Cassandra couldnât sleep since nightmares of being torn apart by hyenas constantly played in her mind. Therefore, she was rummaging through the family documents on her laptop. Her eyes were bloodshot from fatigue. She needed to find a solution to escape from the situation!
However, she couldnât find a single way financially to get out of this. If the status quo remained, the Goldsteins would be the first to collapse. Cassandra suddenly burst into hysterical laughter and decided to visit the Rothschild family.
***
She said bluntly, âWe have lost. So just tell me, when did you win the Karjans and the Gillian Group over to your side? Weâll surrender, so stop. The European economy shouldnât be destroyed by our war.â
âCassandra.â
She raised her voice, âGo ahead and tell me. Iâm willing to give you anything that you want.â
The man replied, âYou are the one who misunderstood and attacked first.â
âOkay, letâs say that I started this whole mess.â
The guy smirked. âWell, it doesnât matter anymore. The point is that the Goldsteinâs era is over.â
She threatened, âThe Rothschilds will lose more than they gain from this fight.â
He shrugged. âIâm disappointed by your response. Have you truly been living this long with such simple reasoning skills? Or does your judgment get clouded when you get cornered?â
âNo matter how much you ridicule me, I can tolerate it, so enjoy while you can,â she said.
He said bluntly, âWe have no plans to stop the attack.â
Cassandra wanted to bite her lips and punch the guyâs face. However, she had to remain calm. Since she was determined to put on a smiling and serene mask again, she smiled even though she found it humiliating.
âThe Goldstein family will become the Rothchildâs best feodary. So, yes, weâre volunteering to be your servants,â she said.
âIâll admit, the family has longed for what you are suggesting, but my heart aches to see you so miserable. We will stop, but Iâm afraid that the Karjans and the Gillian Group wonât cease. Iâll be clear. We have nothing to do with them.â
ââŠâ
âItâs true.â For a moment, bitterness crossed over the manâs face.
âWâŠwhy?â
Cassandra couldnât understand it.
âOnly the Karjan family and Gillian Group would know why,â the man replied.
Cassandraâs eyes were filled with madness. âYou wonât be able to just move on like this. I donât mind if you decide to continue to attack us or not, but tell me the truth, especially considering how many hardships we have gone through together. If you are even a bit concerned about meâŠâ
The man clicked his tongue and showed her his laptop. The data regarding Germanâs mark crisis was on the screen.
âThe Gillian Group was on the verge of victory when they assaulted the Karjans. So, they must have come to some kind of agreement that ended up stopping the attack all of a sudden,â he explained.
She retorted, âThe Jonathan Group was the front line that attacked the Karjan family.â
âThatâs also correct. However, the Karjans were at their tipping point when funds from Gillian and our City merged.â
Thud!
Cassandraâs heart hit her chest wall, and she grimaced as if she actually felt pain.
âKarjans, Gillian and Jonathan⊠They plotted to collapse my family back then!â Cassandra screamed.
âIf you are here to beg, show me your sincerity.â
Jonathanâs sarcastic remarks echoed in her mind. An unexpected name then came out of the guyâs mouth, âA Korean named Na Seon-Hu must be behind the scenes. Assuming that itâs true that Jonathan is his rubber stamp.â
âNa⊠Seon⊠HuâŠ?â she sputtered.
âOh my gosh, Cassandra. You still donât know about this? Heâs the real owner of the Jonathan Group.â
Her blood rushed up, and her vision became blurry as the pressure suddenly increased. When she stumbled and fell, the Rothschild man got on one knee and knelt in front of her. Then, he said while clicking his tongue, âOnce again, the past is in the past. You should live today. So, Cassandra. Letâs continue the war you starâŠ.â
Slam!
Out of the blue, Cassandra suddenly punched him in the face. Then, she sprinted towards the room where the Rothschildâs bodyguards were staying, and they were running at her too. There was a policy that a maximum of two bodyguards could accompany a person during the Bilderberg conference. Two bodyguards were not enough to go against Cassandraâs strength. Although her combat skills were sloppy, no one had expected her to fight so well, so she was able to subdue them easily.
She stood in front of the Rothschild man whose nose was bleeding with a butterknife in her hand. Despite its blunt blade, it pierced his hand when Cassandra stabbed with all her might. She blocked his mouth with her other hand, using more force than ordinary adult men could summon. He resisted with all his might, but there was no impact on Cassandraâs movement. Instead, his struggle made her put more weight on her hand.
âEup! Eup!â
âShut up and listen.â Her tone was as terrifying as the murderous look in her eyes. âI can kill you now because everyone goes crazy at one point, and Iâm in that state right now.â
Then, she tore up her clothes with another hand. Her bra was ripped off quickly, and she pulled down her underwear. She rubbed his blood against her exposed breasts and grinned at him.
âYou tried to rape me by using my familyâs current weakness against me,â she said.
âEup! Eup!â
âWe can both survive if you follow my orders⊠Hey, wake up!â Cassandra stopped laughing because the man fell unconscious.
Slap!
His eyes were still closed no matter how many times she slapped his cheek. She suddenly sensed someoneâs presence behind her and turned her head. Joshua von Karjan and Michael, who was accompanying him as his bodyguard, were there.
***
âHa! You were this weak?â
Joshua snorted. Cassandra rose languidly, pulled her underwear up, and covered her chest with one hand. She needed to wring out tears but nothing she tried worked.
âThis⊠this guy was trying to⊠rapeâŠâ
Cassandra pointed at the Rothschild guy, but it was weird. The Karjanâs head and his bodyguard reacted as if her claim was absurd, but they didnât look at her as if she was a pathetic victim. The expression on her face changed instantly.
âDid you hear everything?â she asked warily.
âI only heard that this event is the worst conference ever, and it would be recorded in history. What a mess,â Joshua responded.
Cassandra glanced at Michael first, ignoring Joshua. The scary-looking bodyguard was bulky. However, she thought he wouldnât be her match unless he were armed with guns.
âDid you close the door?â Cassandra asked in an unconcerned manner.
âOf course,â Joshua answered.
Cassandra laughed out loud. âWhy did you do that?â
Then, she jumped toward Michael.
Sheek-
The sound of her fist flying through the air filled the space, and her hand was aiming directly at Micheelâs nose. However, he grabbed her fist easily out of the air before she could even reach him.
This canât be happening. Wait⊠Is heâŠ?
By the time she realized what he was, it was too late. She looked at him upside-down from her position on the floor where she had fallen.
âAaah!â she screamed.
Joshua trampled on Cassandraâs chest after she collapsed on the floor.
âCassandra, itâs not time to expose our strength yet. Everything was almost ruined because of you. The Rothschilds⊠Ugh⊠I canât even say a word because Iâm so dumbfounded.â
âYou⊠you..!â
He gave her a look. âYou should be grateful that Master isnât here. You know nothing about him.â
Cassandra shook her head frantically without stopping.
No! No! No!
Joshua took out his phone.
âCassandra was causing some trouble. Yes. She was threatening the Rothschilds. Yes, right. You donât need to worry about that. I used the Sleeping insignia. Yes, yes. Iâm still thinking about that point.â
Cassandra had stopped shaking her head when she overheard Joshuaâs phone call. When she tried grabbing Joshuaâs ankle, Michael blocked her immediately as his strength was greater than hers. Then, he took away the item she had received for the assassination quest.
âYes, Master. Iâll keep an eye on her.â
Joshua took his foot off of Cassandra, and she got up.
âIâll bring people in now. Nothing has changed. When we came in, you were fighting against the guy from the Rothschild family, and we will testify only what we have âwitnessed.â Only you two will know the truth of what had happened,â he said.
She gasped, âNa Seon-Hu⊠keuk, keuk. Heâs a threat to everyone.â
âYou got the quest too.â
âWhat?â she asked.
âIf thatâs true, itâs the best case scenario for us. For those of us who work under Master, the fact that you got the quest is very favorable to us.â
She screeched, âYou are crazy!â
Huff, huff.
Cassandra breathed out heavily.
âCassandra, you targeted someone who should never be made into an enemy. You have brought misfortune upon your family.â
âYou assholes⊠I donât need to end like this. Bring Na Seon-Hu here.â
âClean up the mess youâve made first. Master is on his way.â
Joshua went out into the hallway with Michael.
Na Seon-Hu is coming?
Cassandra was dazed, and her memories after entering the room became jumbled up.
âOh my gosh, Cassandra. You still donât know about this? Heâs the real owner of the Jonathan Group.â
âOh my gosh, Cassandra. You still donât know about this? Heâs the real owner of the Jonathan Group.â
âOh my gosh, CassandraâŠâ
The manâs words echoed in her head. She collapsed again like she did the first time she heard it. The puzzle had been put together as she finally understood the relationship between the Karjan family, Gillian and the Jonathan Group. She thought she only had to be wary of Koreaâs Jeon-il Group movements, but huge capital forces were actually in Na Seon-Huâs hands. There was nothing she could do with either money or physical power.
âItâs overâŠâ
Then, tears finally welled up in Cassandraâs eyes. While she was crying with hollow-looking eyes, people came in. Her tears didnât stop even when someone was covering her exposed breast with a blanket. From other peopleâs perspectives, she was the victim.
However, she was crying only due to extreme regret. She once thought she was mentally ill, but soon realized it was her strength. Therefore, she believed the awakening was a great fortune, butâŠ
It was a disaster that crushed the long history of Goldstein.