"R-Rafael, have I done sothing wrong? Did soone say sothing about to you?" Alice sobbed, her voice trembling with feigned innocence.
She subtly glanced at Hera, as if implying that it was Hera who had been sowing discord behind her back, suggesting that whatever was said about her might not be true.
Unfortunately for Alice, Hera hadn’t ntioned her at all in front of them, so her attempt to shift the bla onto Hera only served to anger Rafael and the others.
They weren’t so easily fooled by Alice’s subtle hints. All of them were seasoned businessn and politicians, accustod to dealing with cunning figures in their fields—old foxes who were as deceptive as landmines.
Over ti, they had developed a sharp eye for reading subtle expressions and underlying cues.
They could have pretended not to notice or simply ignored it, but since Alice was clearly targeting Hera, they understood exactly what she was insinuating. It made their blood boil, especially when Hera didn’t even try to defend herself or clear her na.
Perhaps she hadn’t noticed or didn’t know what was happening, but that only reinforced their belief that Hera was vulnerable and needed their protection more than ever.
The most visibly displeased was Dave, who never bothered to hide his disdain for anyone.
"Hey, woman! Don’t think we’re idiots! Who do you think you are to even be ntioned by anyone in this room? Isn’t that a bit narcissistic?"
"N-No, I wasn’t... I just wanted to clear up any misunderstandings about ," Alice stamred, her voice faltering.
"I’m here because I’m worried about my best friend’s health, and her brother too. After all, her family is like my own." She lowered her head, looking pitiful, like a child being scolded, her silent sobs barely audible.
Slowly, she lifted her gaze, her eyes wide and tear-filled, and bit down on her red, slightly bloodied lips, as if trying to hold back more tears.
Hera silently observed, curious to see how Alice’s supposed male leads would react.
Would their feelings be stirred by her pitiful display?
Even Hera, a woman, couldn’t help but feel sothing when she saw Alice like this—a deep, instinctive urge to protect her, almost making her want to apologize, even though she hadn’t done anything wrong.
Perhaps it was the storyline whispering in her ear, pulling her to play her part.
But Hera, having developed resilience against the storyline’s urging over ti, was growing accustod to these forced emotions.
She didn’t move. Instead, she seed like an outsider, watching a drama unfold before her, wondering whether the characters would stick to the script or break free from it.
Hera’s breath beca shallow as she held it, waiting to see how things would unfold.
However, her lack of response led the supposed male leads to assu that she felt wronged or upset—or perhaps, they thought, she didn’t even realize she was being targeted.
At that mont, all of them thought the sa thing: ’Woman! Soone’s trying to seduce your man, and you’re just standing there watching?!’
Dave stomped his foot in frustration, glaring at Hera.
The others exchanged subtle glances, a mix of amusent and confusion, but in Alice’s eyes, it seed like they were doubting Hera.
Biting her lower lip again, Alice stepped closer to Rafael’s bed. This movent imdiately drew a collective frown from the group.
They were already upset by Hera’s passive behavior, as if she were watching a drama unfold, and now, the woman who had stirred everything up and ruined the previously good mood was advancing toward them.
"Wifey, do you miss ?" A hoarse, seductive, yet unmistakably masculine voice echoed through the door just as it opened.
Leo stepped in, halting in his tracks as he took in the scene. Behind him, Luke did the sa, both of them montarily confused by the tension in the room.
Leo raised an eyebrow, taking note of Dave and the others looking clearly upset. However, he chose to ignore them, his focus imdiately shifting to Hera as he walked toward her without hesitation.
"Wifey, I’ve missed you so much! Did anyone give you a hard ti? Tell , and I’ll take care of them," Leo said, his tone dripping with affection as he began massaging Hera’s shoulders.
Hera, jolted from her thoughts by Leo’s sudden appearance, glanced around the room.
It was only then that she noticed the wronged expressions on Dave, Xavier, and Rafael’s faces.
Even Zhane, usually composed, had a hint of questioning in his gaze, tinged with a slight frustration.
Hera’s brow furrowed. ’Did they believe Alice?’ The thought struck her, and her chest tightened, a sharp pang of unease spreading through her.
Now, all attention shifted to Hera, and once again, Alice was forgotten.
The shift only fueled Alice’s growing hatred, her fists clenching in frustration.
’This slut...’ she thought, her eyes burning with fury.
’She wasn’t content with just stealing Rafael and Xavier from —now she’s trying to surround herself with all these n? Does she really think she’s worthy?’
Little did Alice know, soone had noticed the hatred in her eyes. "Miss, are you soone closet or a relative of the man in this room?" Leo asked, his tone cold and laced with disdain.
"Hey! Ugh!" Rafael, eager to clear his na once again, reacted too hastily, causing a sharp pull on his wounds.
He winced in pain, his face paling instantly. Despite the discomfort, he refused to let the pain make him appear unfaithful or suggest that he was hiding sothing from Hera.
Though Leo was being unfriendly toward Alice and questioning her, his words effectively linked Rafael to her, making it seem as though he had a secret relationship with her.
Rafael wasn’t about to let that stand. "Don’t slander ," he said, his voice tight.
"I’ve already told them—I don’t even know that woman. She was the one crying and acting pitiful in front of us." He took a slow, steady breath, aided by Zhane, before settling back into his bed.
"She claims to be my sister’s best friend, but we’ve already made it clear that we don’t welco her here. It’s her who keeps lingering around, trying to annoy us," Rafael stated, not caring whether he hurt Alice’s feelings or not. After all, he wasn’t close to her and had no positive impression of her.
When Alice heard Rafael’s words, her face flushed a deep red before draining to an ashen pallor.
She opened and closed her mouth, struggling to find the right words but failing to speak.
This wasn’t how she had imagined her first real eting with Rafael would go.
In fact, she had expected it to unfold like it had in her previous life, where Rafael, though indifferent, would at least greet her with a respectful nod.
She had hoped that, over ti, he would warm up to her.
But this—this cold reception from both Rafael and Xavier—was completely unexpected.
She couldn’t understand how things had gone so wrong, so differently from what she rembered.
’Was this the butterfly effect caused by my rebirth?’ Alice’s mind raced, struggling to make sense of it all.
’No, I haven’t done anything to disrupt my relationship with Rafael and Xavier, aside from focusing on advancing my career...’ She couldn’t accept this unexpected outco.
Then, her eyes landed on Hera’s face, and a flicker of realization struck her like a bolt of lightning.
’It’s her! It’s all because of her!’
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