"Hera, you can’t be so trusting," Liz said, her voice trembling with unshed tears. She choked back the emotion as she spoke, her frustration spilling over.
"When you sketch your designs, you have to be careful—always on guard. Otherwise, you’ll never know when soone will steal your ideas." Liz’s words ca out in a rush, her indignation fueling the reprimand.
She went on to teach Hera how to discreetly mark her designs and the jewelry itself with a personal signature, a safeguard for the future.
Liz, shaken by the incident, truly believed that Hera’s trusting nature would leave her vulnerable.
Without soone to protect her, Liz feared that the world would take advantage of Hera’s kindness.
’Well, after all, they do say that geniuses have their own quirks and are a bit naive in certain ways,’ Liz thought, her mind shifting as she continued to lecture Hera.
With each word, she felt an unexpected sense of satisfaction, a feeling that montarily washed away her grievances.
As she nagged, the tension in her chest began to ease, and she almost forgot about the frustration that had been consuming her.
Hera chuckled softly, nodding in agreent to Liz’s incessant nagging, and followed her instructions without protest.
Once she had finished her rough sketches, Liz took the lead in helping Hera scan them.
This way, Hera could use the sketches as a foundation for the blueprint she would later refine into a more detailed design.
Liz guided her through the process, explaining how the sketches would evolve into a digital version, with more dinsions and intricate details added for precision.
By converting the sketches into a 3D model, Hera would not only have a clearer visualization of the final piece, but also provide the jewelry makers with a detailed blueprint that would be easier for them to follow.
Liz walked her through each step, from the conceptualization to the final design process, ensuring Hera understood the workflow and the ticulous steps the design would undergo once it was handed over to the jewelers.
Though Hera appeared calm and laid-back, she was actually keeping a close watch on every movent, expression, and instruction from Liz.
After Liz finished scanning the sketches, Hera noticed that she carefully tucked them away to the side of her desk, securing them as if they were her own prized designs—protecting them as if she feared soone might steal them.
The sight was almost amusing to Hera; it was as though Liz wanted to lock the sketches in a vault. Hera couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.
What struck her even more was Liz’s genuine dedication to teaching her everything she knew.
Hera raised an eyebrow, realizing the sincerity behind Liz’s actions.
Liz wasn’t just teaching her out of obligation; there was a deep, earnest desire to help her succeed. Recognizing this, Hera stopped testing Liz and allowed herself to trust the process.
Before they knew it, two hours had passed, and they were now ten minutes past the deadline.
Knock, knock...
"Young Miss, the lunch boxes are ready!" Amy announced, knocking lightly before peeking her head through the door to inform Hera.
Hera gave a nod and turned to Liz. "I need to head out for a bit, but I really appreciate your ti tutoring . Please, give your account number so I can transfer the tuition fee."
Liz quickly waved her hand in the air. "Oh, no need for that!" she said with a smile.
"Didn’t I tell you? This is an investnt on my part. You’ll be entering a competition and collaborating with , so this is already a win-win situation for . I don’t need the money."
"Even brothers have to settle accounts," Hera said with a smile.
"I can’t let you teach for free—your ti is valuable too. We can finalize the details through the collaboration contract when we get to that point. For now, let’s focus on sothing else."
Liz imdiately pouted, her lips sticking out in exaggerated fashion as she blinked her eyes and acted all pitiful. "No, no. What, do you not think of as a friend? You’re trying to keep things so formal between us?"
Hera chuckled softly, propping her chin on her palm as she gazed at Liz with those enigmatic eyes.
Liz found herself montarily lost in the depth of Hera’s gaze, her thoughts montarily scattered.
"Even if you try to be all cute and charming," Liz said, her voice steady as she locked eyes with Hera, "I’m not changing my mind."
Despite their rocky start, Hera realized that Liz wasn’t a bad person at all. She was simply straightforward and didn’t always know when to hold her tongue, much like Athena.
In fact, the similarities between the two were striking, and perhaps that was why Hera found herself warming to Liz more than she expected.
Hera chuckled softly, a playful glint in her eyes.
"Alright then, in exchange, I’ll invite you to dinner at my place. Even though I have to leave soon, you can stay and enjoy the al here. I promise the food is excellent. Consider it my way of thanking you for all the help with my tutoring."
"That, I can accept," Liz replied with a nod. Before Hera could insist on the tuition fee again, Liz quickly ran out of the study and bumped into Amy in the hallway.
"Auntie, I’m hungry too," she said, flashing a wide grin that made her feel completely at ho in Hera’s place.
Amy blinked in surprise for a mont, then her face softened into a warm, welcoming smile, as if Liz were her own family.
After Liz had hurried off, Hera took a mont to carefully review the sketches on the table. Every single sheet was accounted for—nothing was missing.
While she genuinely liked Liz’s personality and had decided to stop testing her, Hera knew she still had to remain vigilant.
Despite the growing closeness between them, their bond was largely driven by mutual profit, and the business world was full of pitfalls, where betrayal could strike at any mont. She needed to protect herself and her interests.
She couldn’t afford to make mistakes that would drag her grandfather or their entire consortium down with her.
Though her cautious nature might stem from overthinking, she knew it wasn’t necessarily a flaw.
Once Liz proved trustworthy, Hera would apologize and welco her into her circle—only then would the suspicion be laid to rest.
With a nod, Hera casually dusted her palms as if shaking off invisible particles before she closed her computer and headed out.
At the dining table, the lunch boxes were neatly arranged in thermal bags, and Liz was already eating with great enthusiasm, clearly enjoying her al.
"Hera! Oh my god! Can you adopt ?!" Liz exclaid between bites, her voice full of excitent.
"The food here is like sothing out of a seven-star hotel!" She continued eating, so relaxed and comfortable in her seat that she had completely forgotten her dining etiquette.
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