The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 180

Chapter 180: Chapter 180 Apologize?
“Now, Mr. Briley, feel free to speak your mind,” Hera maintained her polite demeanor as she smiled at Rafael. She could sense his guilt and discomfort under her gaze, and rightfully so, considering the trouble his sister had caused her during the show’s filming. She had no intentions of holding back this time. Previously, she had avoided confronting Rafael directly, simply to distance herself from trouble involving the original female lead and her male leads, including Minerva and Alexi.

However, upon realizing the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in achieving her goals and the meddling of fate and the consciousness of the world they lived in, she made the decision to confront the issue head-on. This involved attempting to alter the course of events and steal Alice’s fate, which included taming Rafael and directly addressing his short temper.

While she couldn’t employ the same tactics as Alice did to win over Rafael in the novel, given Minerva’s evident hostility towards her, Hera acknowledged that there must be alternative approaches to handling the situation. After all, there’s more than one way to navigate such challenges, isn’t there?

Rafael took a sip of the red wine in his hand, hoping it might alleviate his nervousness as he faced Hera. It took three mouthfuls before he could gather the courage to speak. “I want to apologize on behalf of my sister,” he finally said, pursing his lips afterward, waiting for Hera’s response.

Hera tilted her head, her lips twitching with disbelief. ‘Is that all?’ she mused. ‘Did Rafael truly expect me to let things slide just because he apologized on behalf of his sister? Where’s the accountability? Where’s the commitment to make things right?’ A surge of anger bubbled inside her. Perhaps she had given Rafael too much credit, hoping he would take responsibility for his sister’s actions and rectify the situation.

Sensing the tension and Hera’s silence, Rafael grew uneasy. Though Hera appeared composed with her gracious smile, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. Puzzled, he replayed his words in his head repeatedly, searching for any potential misstep. He had already apologized and humbled himself, yet he couldn’t pinpoint the cause of Hera’s displeasure.

Now, despite harboring a positive impression and a hint of interest in Hera, Rafael wasn’t about to abandon his sister or allow Hera to dictate his actions. While he acknowledged who was in the wrong, his stubbornness, arrogance, and aversion to being told what to do left him feeling apprehensive about the situation. Old habits die hard, and Hera was well aware of this. Despite this, she refused to relent, maintaining her silence as she fixed her gaze on Rafael.

As much as Hera hoped Rafael would come to understand the situation on his own, his stubbornness made it nearly impossible. Had his sister not faced such backlash, Rafael might have remained oblivious to the problem. It was a classic case of the typical male leads in novels, as Athena had mentioned in passing.

They often remained oblivious to their family’s actions until those actions directly impacted them personally, their businesses, their families, or their relationships with the female leads. It was only when faced with these repercussions that they began to take notice of their surroundings. Rafael is the best example of this archetype of a male lead in the novel, particularly with his troublesome sister.

Feeling overwhelmed by the silent treatment he was receiving, Rafael grew impatient and added, “Surely, you’re not implying that I harshly discipline my sister, are you?” He raised an eyebrow in question.

Hera smirked inwardly, tempted to retort, ‘I mean exactly that.’ However, she knew this would only make Rafael more apprehensive and could backfire, especially now that he seemed ready to compromise. “Surely not, Mr. Briley. How could I tell you what to do? You are a successful businessman at such a young age. I believe you already know what you’re doing and what needs to be done. I trust that you want what’s best for your sister, which includes correcting her behavior. We’re fortunate that it was me she offended this time and not someone vengeful who might retaliate against Minerva in harmful ways.”

Although Hera spoke with apparent concern, she subtly implied that it was fortunate Minerva hadn’t offended any unscrupulous individuals who might seek revenge in unpredictable ways. She emphasized that if Minerva didn’t change her attitude, such a situation wasn’t far off. Hera carefully used the word “we,” indicating that she considered herself aligned with Rafael, showing that her advice was intended to help Minerva and save Rafael from future trouble.

She also subtly implied that the only way to avoid such dangers was through strict discipline, ensuring Minerva learned that not everyone would bend to her will. There were still ruthless individuals who wouldn’t care about her brother’s status and might deal with her in unimaginable ways. Worse, she might disappear without a trace.

After hearing his words, Rafael’s brows furrowed, and Hera’s heartbeat caught in her throat. ‘Did he notice?’ she wondered, remembering how he had seen through her during the interview about the stalker and seducing Alexi allegations.

Every second of Rafael’s silence felt like hours to Hera. Now, she could understand how Rafael had felt while waiting for her response. However, she knew there was nothing she could do about it. In business deals, the one who speaks first or shows nervousness often loses. That’s why she didn’t want to appear too eager to agree with him or react just because he apologized.

Rafael was also business-minded and would surely scrutinize everything that had been said, calculating if it would truly benefit him. Hera understood this, and her only concern was that he might see through her subtle implications. Even if he did, she hoped he wouldn’t think badly of her intentions.

Her only worry now was that all the male leads might turn against her, even though the chances of that happening were only about 5%. Despite the low probability, she couldn’t ignore the danger, no matter how small, because there was still a possibility that things could go awry.

But amidst her worries, Rafael’s attention shifted to something entirely different. The moment he heard Hera say “we,” his mind went blank, and the word echoed in his thoughts. His earlier annoyance disappeared, and after a while, he smiled and nodded at Hera.

“Miss Ainsley, you are right. We shouldn’t let that happen. Thanks to your reminder, I now see a different perspective that I hadn’t considered before, despite our family’s status and wealth.”

‘Why did this guy suddenly become sensible?’ Hera thought to herself. She stared at Rafael for a moment, noting that he was too preoccupied to notice her slightly awkward gaze. She hadn’t expected Rafael to agree with her; to be honest, she had anticipated seeing Rafael frowning and threatening her for the sake of his sister.

Not even Alice had been able to tame Rafael’s hot temper this quickly. Now, she wondered if he truly believed that what she said made sense.

“You think so?” Hera asked Rafael with a hint of skepticism.

Rafael took another sip of his wine before looking up at Hera. He noticed the subtle frown in her brows and the skepticism in her eyes. He began to question himself—was he really that unreliable, or had he perhaps done something to disappoint Hera before? But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t recall doing anything, especially since they had only met in person three times aside from today.