But just as he pulled Hera close in his dream, the mont of warmth was abruptly shattered by a knock at the door.
Leo’s eyes fluttered open, the lingering softness in his gaze instantly replaced by his usual cold, calculating deanor. Sitting up slowly, he exhaled and said in a firm voice, "Co in."
The door creaked open, revealing the torturer, still sared with fresh blood. In his hand, he held a recording device—the confession of their prisoner freshly captured within it. His voice was steady, devoid of hesitation.
"Sir, we have all the information we need. Please advise on the next course of action."
"Release him," Leo ordered, his voice devoid of emotion. "Spread the word that he betrayed his own people and leaked classified information. Let them turn on each other—we’ll use their chaos to confirm the truth of his claims. Monitor the forces that co after him, but keep him alive. He’s our bait, and I won’t have him dying too easily."
There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in his tone, as if orchestrating a man’s slow demise was nothing more than routine. Yet, even the seasoned torturer—accustod to cruelty—felt an involuntary chill crawl down his spine at Leo’s cold, calculated words.
"Understood, sir. Rest assured, we will execute your orders flawlessly."
Leo barely acknowledged the response, offering only a distracted "Hmmm." The torturer bowed, carefully placed the bloodstained recorder on the coffee table, and then exited the room in silence.
The mont the door clicked shut, Terry retrieved a handkerchief from his breast pocket. Without a word, he picked up the recorder—still tainted with traces of blood—then expertly removed the mory card, slipping it into his pocket before setting the device back down.
"Sir, should we return to the villa, or would you prefer to stay here a while longer?" Terry asked, resuming his position behind Leo.
Leo rose from his seat, his movents fluid and deliberate. "We’re leaving. Sort through the confession and compile a detailed report before handing it over." With that, he strode out of the lounge, expecting Terry to follow.
...
After browsing the internet, Hera saw how Alice’s popularity had plumted—now, she was like a rat scurrying across the street, with no one willing to support her. But Hera felt no sympathy. Alice had brought this upon herself.
When she chose to harm others, she should have expected retaliation, or at the very least, understood that karma would eventually catch up to her.
’Hurting soone is hurting yourself.’ The saying had never felt more true, and now, Alice was experiencing it firsthand—reaping exactly what she had sown.
Ding!
[Betty:Hera, what do you think we should do now? Being the goddaughter of the Lowery family turned out to be a great marketing opportunity to boost your popularity, and honestly, I didn’t even see this coming. But just as I was about to have our PR team fan the flas, Alice’s scandal broke out, pushing your news down the rankings.]
[Betty: Do you think we should reignite the buzz after this? Since we’ve already made our move against Alice, it might be a good chance to maximize the montum.]
[Hera:No. Let’s wait a little longer and let Alice stay in the spotlight for a bit more. After all, hasn’t she always wanted fa? She’s slandered more than once—did she really think using as a stepping stone would be that easy?]
[Hera: ﾍ(｀▽ ´*)]
[Hera: I’m petty, and I own it. I embrace it. I embody it.]
[Betty: I didn’t even say anything, though.]
[Hera: I know, but just in case, I’m letting you know in advance.]
[Hera: (˘ ◡˘🌸)]
[Betty: You really are sothing...]
[Hera: I know, right?!]
...
In a good mood, Hera set down her phone just as their ordered dinner arrived. At the sa ti, Cindy had sent over her laptop so she could work on her classes and designs. She and the others enjoyed a relaxing dinner, then lounged around the presidential suite.
By then, the master bedroom had already been cleaned by the hotel staff—a fact that made Hera imdiately find sowhere else to hide while they worked.
The aftermath of her night with four n was just too embarrassing for her to face, even if the cleaning staff pretended not to notice anything and remained professional.
Still, Hera couldn’t shake her lingering embarrassnt. This wasn’t her space, and it wasn’t like she could act overly confident about it. Besides, Athena hadn’t contacted her since their earlier call—she had even turned off her phone to avoid being disturbed.
Hera didn’t feel like stepping out of her room for now, so she stayed inside with Luke, Dave, Zhane, and Rafael.
As usual, they busied themselves around her, each imrsed in their work—reviewing files on their laptops and phones, answering calls one after another.
Dave, in particular, was constantly on his phone, as the gunfight from the other day had already reached his ears. No matter how much the mafia tried to suppress the news, there was no way to completely hide it from the governnt.
Not only that, but Dave also delved deeper into the investigation against the cartel and the drug operations spreading across the country after reviewing the information Leo had sent to Zhane.
Now, Dave and Zhane were working together to analyze the perfu-based aphrodisiac and trace the forces behind it. However, the culprits were proving to be incredibly elusive.
Dave couldn’t help but wonder how Leo had managed to obtain such crucial intelligence when, as the country’s Young Minister, he himself was struggling to get access to the sa information.
Luke occasionally lent a hand, using his underground network to gather intel, but even he was hitting dead ends. His investigation into Minerva’s possible involvent in the kidnapping and murder of innocent won had yet to yield any concrete results, further complicating matters.
And just as they were struggling to make progress, yet another case landed on their plate, making them feel as if they were being buried under an endless pile of investigations without fully grasping the bigger picture.
Luckily, they had Leo and Gerald’s assistance from ti to ti. Though they had no idea where Leo was getting his information or why Gerald Troy was willing to help them, they chose to accept the support without question.
Now that they were working together on this, Hera couldn’t get too involved without risking exposure. Instead, she allowed Gerald to assist them occasionally.
If anyone questioned his involvent, he could simply use the excuse that he was leveraging their manpower to address the drug circulation in the black market—a problem that had previously tarnished his business’s image due to the drugging incident at his hotel, where Leo and Hera had been caught up. This explanation would be convincing enough to throw off any suspicions.
And so, the night passed in much the sa way—everyone engrossed in their work until it grew too late. When exhaustion finally set in, they all retreated to bed, naturally gravitating toward Hera as they cuddled together.
By now, Hera had grown accustod to this routine. She no longer protested or feigned resistance, instead embracing their warmth and attention. After all, it would be hypocritical to pretend she didn’t enjoy it while secretly relishing their presence. In return, she gave back the affection she received tenfold.
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