Hera couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Dave’s antics. He was like a big child sotis, but he was also genuinely funny, so she didn’t mind. Deep down, she had already decided to be honest with all her lovers, no more hiding or downplaying her feelings.
That decision ca with responsibility. She wasn’t treating these relationships as fleeting or purely physical; she was serious about going further with them.
Telling them "I love you" was part of that commitnt. Even if it still felt a little awkward, repeating the sa words to different n, she knew she had to get used to it. After all, she had more than one man in her life now.
Could she really choose only one and abandon the rest? If she did, wouldn’t that make her heartless and irresponsible, as if she had rely used them to strip the female lead’s halo from Alice before discarding them?
No, taking responsibility ant treating them equally. And that ant sharing not just her ti, but her heart.
Besides, it wasn’t as if she was on the losing end here. If she was still getting used to this arrangent, so were Leo, Zhane, Rafael, Luke, Xavier, and Dave; they were all making concessions for her sake, trying to adjust as well.
And she wasn’t forcing herself to feel anything she didn’t want to; it wasn’t a matter of sacrifice. In fact, she felt grateful to have all these n in her life.
Each of them brought sothing unique, and all were genuine in how they felt. Pushing aside her overthinking, she finally opened Xavier’s ssage.
[Xavier: Strawberry, sorry, I’m tied up right now. My grandpa called a shareholder’s eting to introduce to the board of directors as his successor, the one who will run the company from now on.]
[Xavier: Before that, I needed a quick lesson so I wouldn’t embarrass myself in front of my grandfather and his old friends. But don’t worry, the shareholder eting is the day after tomorrow, and after that, I can spend ti with you again.]
[Xavier: The transition will take a bit of ti, but once I get used to it, everything should be fine.]
[Xavier: Besides, Grandpa is hiring assistants and managers for , since I’m not leaving the entertainnt industry. I can’t devote all my ti to the family business anyway.]
[Xavier: Anyway, do you have any plans you want to invite to?]
[Hera: (•́⌄•́๑)૭✧]
[Hera: You’re doing great showing your commitnt to your grandfather. I know you can handle this, and honestly, I think he’s just too excited to show you off to his old friends, that’s why he’s rushing things.]
[Hera: In two days, I’ll be attending Logan’s debut concert. We received VIP tickets, so I just wanted to check if you’d be free to co. If not, it’s fine, I’ll just go with Athena and the other girls instead.]
[Xavier: Aw, sorry, Strawberry. I promise I’ll make it up to you once I’m free. But it makes feel better knowing your girlfriends will be with you, I won’t worry as much leaving you in their hands.]
[Xavier: And you’re right, since Logan is your junior and just cleared his na, this debut marks his real start in the industry. Showing your support now not only helps him, but it also creates good buzz for you. I think that’s exactly why he sent you the VIP tickets.]
[Hera: Alright then, don’t worry about things here. Just focus on your side, and when you’re free, we’ll make up for lost ti together.]
[Hera: I think so too. Logan’s just showing his gratitude for my support. Either way, I’m sure his career will only keep rising from here, so building a good relationship with him isn’t a bad thing. And right now, with things strained between him and his family, he probably needs soone familiar to stand by him.]
[Xavier: Exactly what I thought. Great minds really do think alike.]
[Xavier: Anyway, Strawberry, I need to go. Just rember, take care of yourself. If you ever feel uncomfortable, don’t hesitate to tell us. Even if I’m busy right now, you’re always on my mind. I love you, baby.]
[Xavier: ( ¯ ³¯)]
[Hera: Alright, off you go then.]
[Hera: I love you too. Take care...]
After sending her last ssage, Hera sat in silence for a mont. ’This is exactly what I ant by not being used to it,’ she thought. Saying I love you to three different n still felt like she was cheating, no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise. Or maybe this was what Athena always called a "colorful love life."
Hera shook her head with a sigh, setting her phone aside. But then she rembered, she still hadn’t asked the girls. Believing they’d still be awake at this hour, she quickly typed into their group chat.
[Charlie’s Angels & Charlie]
[Hera: Girls, I got a VIP ticket from Logan. I still have a few spares, want to co with ?]
[Liz: When is it? I’m free these days...]
[Minerva: Totally coming! I also need to apologize to Logan anyway. I was kind of an to him back when I was hanging around Lucas... and after all the chaos Lucas caused lately, I owe Logan an explanation.]
[Minerva: (｡•́︿•̀｡)]
[Hera: Alright, don’t overthink it. Logan isn’t a petty guy. Just explain yourself and he’ll understand. As long as you stop targeting him, he’ll surely forgive you.]
[Minerva: Yeah... I won’t target him anymore. I’ve been reflecting a lot these days. I realized I was just too idle before, always thinking about love, letting my brain turn to mush with foolish ideas. But now that I’m busy with my vlogging, I’ve started to see things more clearly.]
[Athena: Good for you, @Minerva. Lucky you stopped being a love-brain addict who only knew how to make life revolve around a man. Otherwise, I swear I’d marinate you in my saliva and curse you in every language I know...]
[Athena: q(^-^q)]
[Minerva: I’m sorry (T⌓T)]
[Athena: Anyway, I’m coming too. Is it fine if I bring Zen with ?]
[Hera: It’s alright, I already planned to bring him along...]
[Hera: But wait... why do I sll so gossip here?! Why are you suddenly bringing Zen? @Athena... you and Zen? Are you...? ]
[Hera: (⊜ᗝ⊜o)]
[Athena: Ehem! Not official yet. That guy is so conservative and reserved, I’ve had to use every single one of my 101 tactics to reel him in. Just pretend you don’t know a thing.]
[Liz: I don’t know a thing.]
[Liz: (｀∇´)ψ]
[Minerva: Nothing cos for free. How are you gonna bribe us to keep our mouths shut?]
[Athena: Easy, I can also shut you up permanently so you’ll never speak again.]
[Athena: (｀∇´)ψ]
[Athena: ...Kidding! I’ll owe you girls one. How about an eternity of friendship?]
[Minerva: No grand gesture? Like treating us to the priciest dinner in town?]
[Athena: Girl, please. You’re too unambitious. We already have Hera with us, every ti we go out, it’s either Imperial Hotel’s rotating restaurant or Golden Dragon Pavilion. Those are already the top-tier ones around here.]
[Minerva: Oh... right.]
[Minerva: Eternal friendship doesn’t sound bad either. Good luck.]
[Minerva:
...
Seeing everyone’s replies, Hera couldn’t help but chuckle. She honestly hadn’t realized that Athena and Zen’s relationship had progressed this far. She used to think one wrong step between them would turn their friendship into awkward silence, but maybe she had underestimated her best friend’s experience in dating and dealing with n.
After all, most of what Hera knew about relationships had been taught by Athena herself. If Hera could manage to win over a few n, then why couldn’t Athena?
It dawned on her that she’d been worrying for nothing; the two of them were actually moving along quite well. Hera felt genuinely happy for her best friend; what once seed like a disaster had sohow turned into a blessing.
Both Athena and Zen had been single, both had sworn off dating, and loved to proclaim the joys of single life... yet they ended up together. In a way, that ant their ideals and outlooks were already aligned, surely a good foundation to start on, right?
Besides, if Zen’s grandfather found out his grandson finally had a girlfriend, he’d probably be so overjoyed he’d not only laugh until his sides hurt, but also hand Zen so priceless treasure, making Zen think he should’ve gotten himself a girlfriend ages ago.
As for Athena, once her brother and father found out she was coaxing soone into being her boyfriend, and that sothing had already happened between them, good luck to Zen.
Hera could only hope he’d survive the interrogation of the two alpha males in Athena’s family. No, wait... make that three, since Athena’s uncle was just as protective of their only girl. All Hera could do was silently pray that Zen managed to pass through that trial by fire and be accepted. Still, as long as Zen was clean and nothing like Alexi, he’d surely make the cut.
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