* 2nd * Chapter 225 : Let’s stop pretending it meant anything.

After Serena finished explaining the situation, Cornelius fell into a coughing fit on the other end of the call.

Though long retired, Cornelius still held enough influence to command attention with a single word. When he had been in power, his name alone could quiet a room. But even he had never encountered a situation quite as outrageous as this.

Without delay, he picked up the phone and called several city officials directly. Less than two hours later, Serena received the news—those eighty-plus people, who had once been blocked by red tape and legal loopholes, were now cleared to board flights. Tickets were arranged.

Cheers erupted. Some broke down in tears on the spot, overwhelmed by emotion. Faces weathered by years of disappointment and injustice lit up with a rare flicker of hope.

Serena stood before them, steady and composed, her eyes sharp as flint. “I’m here to help you,” she told them clearly, “but make no mistake—I have my own reasons. Once you arrive in New York, I’ll hand