As they stayed in the corner, watching the scene unfold, Hera couldn’t help but notice Alice flitting around like a social butterfly, effortlessly mingling with the socialites. But what truly caught Hera’s attention was when Alice ntioned that she, too, was participating in the IGI Expressions Competition.
This further confird Hera’s initial suspicion that Alice was there to compete. Her heart raced in her chest—there had never been any ntion in the novel of Alice having a talent for design.
Athena, sensing Hera’s tension, looked at her in confusion. After all, in the novel, Alice had only focused on her career in entertainnt. But perhaps things had changed. Hera had pushed Alice out of that industry, and with her career now in turmoil, Alice might have been forced to seek a new path to remain relevant.
Perhaps she was trying to reinvent herself, shedding the innocent, kind-hearted image that had collapsed under the weight of her own scheming. Now, it seed she was aiming to establish a new persona—one of a talented and independent woman.
If Alice succeeded in crafting her new persona, she could take full advantage of the Internet’s ability to quickly shape public perception. By embedding this fresh identity into the minds of netizens, she hoped to make people forget about her past actions.
While her current popularity wasn’t exactly the type anyone would aspire to, it was still so form of popularity. Alice could leverage that attention, transform her image, and before long, she’d be the talk of the town—just as popular as Hera.
As Hera thought about it, she couldn’t help but admire Alice’s strategy. In a way, it even seed like they were unintentionally helping Alice skyrocket her popularity in the entertainnt industry. But that was only if Alice managed to pull it off and win an award.
If Alice didn’t win an award, she’d likely make waves in the news—but not in the way she hoped. Instead of being celebrated, she could easily be mocked as soone overstepping her bounds, with critics calling her out for lacking the talent she claid to possess.
In the end, it was still a double-edged sword, with the potential for both success and humiliation hanging in the balance.
As Hera worked through her thoughts, she took a sip of the juice in her hand, but Athena hadn’t touched her drink. Hera noticed this and observed Athena swirling the wine in her glass, lost in thought. Ti passed, and Athena still hadn’t taken a sip, prompting Hera to ask, "Aren’t you going to drink?"
"Huh?!" Athena blinked, as if pulled out of her reverie, a faint shadow of uncertainty lingering in her eyes. "Oh! It’s just that it’s still too early for wine. I’m only holding it for show." She chuckled awkwardly, biting her lip. Hera could see sothing was on Athena’s mind, and for a mont, her nervousness was evident.
"Are you worried about getting drugged again?" Hera asked gently, pulling a small pill from her bag and showing it to Athena. "Don’t worry, I ca prepared," she reassured her, offering a comforting smile.
Liz gasped in shock, her eyes widening before she leaned in closer, lowering her voice instinctively. "You guys got drugged? When?" She glanced around, making sure no one else could overhear.
Hera, sensing Liz’s concern and realizing that the danger had passed, decided to be open about it. "Yeah, we did. The sa night Alice tried to drug my lovers," she whispered, her eyes flashing with a brief but intense anger.
"Wait, what?!" Liz’s hands flew to her mouth in disbelief, her eyes darting back to Alice, who was still mingling with the wealthy. Liz’s expression twisted into one of disgust and anger as she observed Alice’s carefree attitude.
Liz hesitated for a mont, her voice wavering slightly as she asked, "Then, you guys...?"
"Don’t worry," Hera reassured her with a calm smile. "Luke managed to get out of there, and Athena was taken care of by Zen."
Hera instinctively glanced at Athena, but as she did, she noticed Athena flinch nervously. Then, Athena’s face flushed a deep pink. Hera’s mind clicked, and she couldn’t resist teasing her. "Athena, don’t tell ... you devoured Zen that night? Ha ha ha."
Usually, Athena would have joked back without thinking twice, but this ti, her face turned an even deeper shade of red. She looked at Hera, biting her lip, clearly nervous. Hera blinked, surprised by her reaction.
"Didn’t you say you’re friends with Zen? You treated him like a brother... Would you be angry if I told you I really devoured him that night?" Athena said, her tone serious, though the word "devoured" made Hera burst into laughter.
She couldn’t help but imagine what Zen might have looked like afterward—perhaps like a pitiful puppy, lost and so shocked he might’ve even cried. She wasn’t sure, but Zen was always straightforward and fiercely protective of her. She’d always seen him as a brother.
Both Zen and Athena were single, though they seed sowhat averse to the idea of starting a relationship. Hera had no idea what would happen if the two of them got involved. But Athena’s question? It definitely suggested sothing had gone on that night between them.
Hera’s eyes widened as she looked at Athena, her curiosity piqued.
"Athena, you... you didn’t, uh, force yourself on him, did you?" Hera asked, her voice filled with uncertainty.
Athena imdiately slapped her on the arm in exasperation.
"Do you really think I’m that kind of person?!" Athena’s voice was tinged with anger, but her face was so red, it looked like it could bleed. Then, with a deep sigh, she deflated. "I... I couldn’t control myself. He probably got so shocked he ran off first thing in the morning. When I woke up, he was gone. I felt like a total beast that night."
Her voice cracked as she spoke, and Hera watched in stunned silence as Athena, usually the confident, playful one who never stopped joking or talking about n, now seed on the verge of tears.
This was the sa Athena who had always been a love tutor to Hera, full of wild stories and more experience than Hera could ever dream of. But now, she was just a young woman, vulnerable and worried about the ss she might have made with soone Hera cared about.
"Athena, don’t tell ... you’ve fallen for Zen, haven’t you?" Hera teased, and watched as Athena’s face turned even redder, like a monkey’s butt.
"No way!" Hera yelped in mock shock. Liz, who had been quietly observing their back-and-forth, felt like she was watching the juiciest gossip unfold before her eyes. It was so hot and ridiculous that she almost wanted to grab so popcorn and a drink, but she couldn’t bring herself to interrupt. The drama was too good.
"No, it’s not like that," Athena stamred, flustered. "I just... I think I might have scared Zen away. I an, even though my mory’s a bit hazy, I rember him looking like a little puppy, all teary-eyed... while I, well, kind of... tortured him all night."
Hera gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief. Athena quickly corrected herself, but her words only made things worse. "What I an is, I, uh... rode him all night?"
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