I was cast out by my blood familly but returned back powerful for revenge - A redevelopment plan that stirs up a storm

That cold night, the black car that had passed her by wouldn't leave Aria's mind. But this was no time to dwell on that. Today, Margaret's café, "Tidal," was as busy as ever. "Sorry for the wait! Here's today's clam chowder!" Aria carried the soup to the customer with a smile. In the mornings, the café was bustling with fishermen and local elderly folk. Her sneakers tapped lightly across the well-worn wooden floor. With her waist-length black hair tied up in a low bun and dressed in a white apron, she had completely become a part of this town. "Hey, Aria!" The voice flew out from the kitchen in the back. Margaret emerged, her gray-streaked bun wobbling, her face a mask of disbelief. In her hands was the town circular. "What... what is the meaning of this?" Her voice trembled. Her eyes, usually kind and curved like crescent moons, were wide open. Aria set down the soup and rushed over. She peered at the circular. Written there was a notice that the Volkov Group had acquired the beautiful coastal area that was practically the face of the town. "The Brightwater Coast Redevelopment Plan." Margaret read the words, her voice shaking. It was filled with phrases about building a luxury resort and revitalizing the surrounding area. In other words, they were going to tear down all the old buildings and create a place only the wealthy could enjoy. This café was included in that. "...You're kidding." Aria instinctively looked at Margaret's face. Wordlessly, Margaret placed a hand on the corner of the counter. Her fingers clenched tight, as if holding something back. This café was filled with memories of her husband, who had died at sea thirty years ago. It was the one treasure she had desperately protected with her small frame. "Good grief... this is a real mess." Aria gently rubbed Margaret's back. "It looks like there's an information session. Let's go. If we all raise our voices, maybe something will change." Margaret, still looking down, gave a small nod. --- A few days later, the town meeting hall was packed with residents. Fishermen, shop owners, school teachers. Everyone stared at the stage ahead with anxious faces. Sitting in a creaky folding chair, Aria held Margaret's hand. Eventually, a man from the Volkov Group stepped onto the stage. He was a man in a suit with a thin smile, accompanied by a cold-eyed female secretary. "Thank you all for gathering here today. I'm Raymond from the Volkov Group Development Department." The man began to explain the plan matter-of-factly through the microphone. "This project will increase the asset value of the entire area and create jobs. Of course, regarding the evictions, we will provide appropriate compensation in accordance with the law—" "We haven't heard anything about this!" A heckle flew from the back. "What about our homes?! The compensation money isn't nearly enough to buy a new place!" Raymond continued without changing his expression. "We are available for individual consultations on that matter. However, the overall framework of the plan will not be overturned. All procedures are legally approved." The hall buzzed with unrest. An atmosphere mixed with anger and resignation. (Is no one going to listen to us?) Aria felt a heat deep in her chest. No. If she stayed silent here, it would be no different from when she was driven from her home six years ago. She stood up smoothly. "Wait, please!" Her voice shook. But she couldn't back down now. "The 'numbers' you speak of are our very lives! The place you just called an eviction zone is where Margaret has protected her shop all alone for thirty years. Even on the night she lost her husband, she cried here and faced tomorrow. Please don't treat that as just a piece of 'land'!" The hall fell silent. She could hear Margaret gasp. For the first time, Raymond looked directly at Aria. Then, as if looking at an insect, he twisted his mouth. "I understand your feelings, but... miss, please don't bring emotions into economic activity. We are not running a charity." With that, he turned his back on her. "The official schedule for the eviction notices will be sent in writing next week. This concludes the information session." The murmuring turned into loud cries. But no one could move. Aria bit her lip and stared at Raymond's back. --- That night. At the café "Tidal," now empty of customers, Margaret was slumped over the counter. Her small shoulders trembled faintly. "...Aria, you know," Her voice was wet with tears. "When my husband died, when my son left home, I endured it all at this shop. The grain of this counter, the scorch marks on the stove, all of it is a part of my life. You can't just... trade that for money..." Aria sat down silently beside Margaret. The one who had saved her when she collapsed on the street that snowy night was this small-framed woman. "I'll stop it. I'll stop that man." Margaret lifted her tear-streaked face. "Margaret. Let me go. I'll go directly to that tall building, to their headquarters, and talk to them." "...Thank you." Margaret began to cry again, like a child. --- The next morning, Aria left the quadruplets with Margaret. "Mama, is it work again?" Emma, the eldest daughter, looked straight at her with her narrow, gray eyes. Even though she was only five, she always seemed to understand things. "Yeah, I have to go a little far away." Aria gently stroked Emma's short black bob. The other three—Sophia, Luca, and Leo—also looked up at their mother's skirt with worried eyes. (I will definitely come back.) Making that vow in her heart, Aria headed for the station. --- Manhattan. Two hours by train from Brightwater. It was the world Aria had thrown away six years ago. Looking up at the sky, towering glass buildings looked down on her. Midtown Fifth Avenue. Aria looked up at the black monolith standing at its center. ——Volkov Tower. Sixty-eight stories above ground, three hundred and ten meters tall. It seemed to reject all humanity, like a mountain made of black ice. Wearing an old jacket, Aria blended into the crowd and stepped into the massive entrance. The moment she stepped inside, the polished black marble of the floors and walls emitted a cold air that chilled her to the bone. The ceiling was an open atrium, the light layering upon itself, making her own shadow seem to fade. (Maybe I really did come to the wrong place.) For a moment, her legs froze. But remembering Margaret's crying face, Aria pushed that fear to the back of her mind. She headed straight for the huge reception counter at the back of the lobby. "Excuse me, I'd like to see CEO Alexei Volkov." The receptionist, her face beautifully made up, looked up. She eyed Aria's worn jacket from top to bottom, then erased her expression. "Do you have an appointment?" "No, but this is an urgent matter regarding the Brightwater redevelopment plan—" "We absolutely do not accept visitors without an appointment. Please leave." That was the end of the conversation. "Please, just take these documents—" As Aria persisted, two security guards in black suits approached from the back. Expressionless, like machines. "Please leave. Otherwise, we will remove you by force." (Ah, so it's no use after all.) Aria bit her lip. This was the reality of the world. The voices of people without money and power were trampled so easily. The guard's hand reached for Aria's arm. That's when it happened. ——Clunk. Beyond the entrance, the sound of a luxurious black car stopping echoed. Tension ran through the lobby. The guards' movements stopped dead. As everyone watched with bated breath, the glass doors of the entrance opened. First, a cold wind blew in. Next, a tall man stepped into the lobby with efficient, fluid movements. The moment his figure appeared, the surrounding air froze instantly. His dark brown hair was slicked back, a single strand falling over his sharp eyes. His steel-gray eyes scanned the lobby mechanically. Alexei Volkov. The absolute king who ruled this gigantic building. The guards straightened their backs like soldiers. The receptionist also stood upright, holding her breath. Aria's heart began to pound as if it had shattered into pieces in an instant. No. Those eyes. Those icy, blue-gray eyes. They were exactly the same color as the eyes that had gazed at her in the darkness on that stormy night six years ago. (It's him—) The strength drained from Aria's legs. She felt the blood drain from her face. Alexei made to head for his private elevator as if nothing had happened. But in the instant he passed by her. His gaze caught Aria's profile. An old scar above her left eyebrow, from her childhood, throbbed inexplicably. His feet stopped dead. "...Who is that woman?" The secretary following behind him hurried forward. "Ah, well. She seems to be requesting a meeting, but she's likely a suspicious person without an appointment." Alexei stared down at Aria for a moment. As if trying to remember something, his steel-gray eyes narrowed ever so slightly. A strange frustration, like something flickering beyond a thick fog deep in his mind. "...Let her through. To my office." At those words, both the guards and the secretary's eyes widened. "S-Sir?! But, someone like this—" "Did you not hear me? I said, bring that woman to my office. ...It's a waste of time, make it brief." It was a voice that brooked no argument. Without another word, Alexei turned his back and walked toward the elevator. The guards surrounding Aria released her arm in confusion. --- Inside the private elevator, the silence was suffocating. Aria stared intently at the floor. She couldn't even bring herself to look up at the tall back standing before her. This man was the one from that night. It wasn't logic; her instincts screamed it. A heat from six years ago seemed to resurface from deep within her body. (Please, don't notice.) The faces of the quadruplets floated into her mind. If this man found out about the children's existence. If this monster of power took her children away—Aria's fingers went cold as ice with terror. The sixty-eighth floor. The top-floor executive office, with the city of New York glittering small below. Her feet sank into the thick carpet. Beyond the wall of glass, the city sparkled like a jewel box. Alexei didn't sit at the massive mahogany desk, but stood by the window, staring intently at Aria. "You have something to say. Make it simple. Are those documents of yours worth my time?" Aria swallowed. To feign composure. Just that alone was so incredibly difficult. "It's about the Brightwater redevelopment plan. The plan your company is pushing forward is about to evict people precious to me from the homes and shops they've had for years." With trembling hands, she spread the materials she had brought onto the desk. Photos of Margaret's old café. Signatures from the fishermen. The town's petition. "You call it 'economic activity,' but the people living there aren't numbers. They're flesh-and-blood human beings. Even if it's legally sound, this is just violence. Please, I beg you, use your power to—" Alexei listened to her story in silence, his arms folded. Why? Why can't I dismiss this woman's trembling voice as a mere petition? Again, a throbbing pain pulsed deep in his head. He walked silently to the desk and picked up one of the photos with his long fingers. The warm, inviting door of the old café, "Tidal." A place that was the complete opposite of the business world he knew. "...So, that's a place important to you." He murmured lowly, then suddenly picked up the phone on his desk. "It's Igor. Connect me immediately." The vice president, and his uncle. "Yeah, it's me. Freeze all ongoing plans for the Brightwater Coast redevelopment. ...The reason? Instead of explaining, review it. The plan itself is fla

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Episode 3

Name: I was cast out by my blood familly but returned back powerful for revenge
Author: Novelia

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