The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 269

Chapter 269: Chapter 269 Settling Score
Minerva believed she could conceal the fact that her actions led to the sole heiress of the Avery taking her own life. She thought she could silently regret what she had done and pray for Hera’s soul once guilt overtook her. Naively, she hoped the Averys would view Hera’s death as an unfortunate accident unrelated to her.

When her actions were exposed and the Old Master Avery began to take action, Minerva realized she was in serious trouble, potentially implicating her own family as well.

As events unfolded and Hera tragically passed away, Minerva encountered Alice and underwent a profound transformation. However, it was too late for her to make amends for her mistakes.

Due to stress and regret, Minerva confided in Alice. By this point in the novel, Alice had already developed a positive rapport with the male leads, particularly Rafael, who admired her for influencing his sister’s positive transformation.

Aware that Rafael could be implicated in Minerva’s actions, Alice had no choice but to inform Rafael and others about Minerva’s deeds. To shield themselves from the formidable Avery family’s potential backlash, they mobilized all allies opposed to the Averys. They strategically leaked news of Hera’s demise, revealing that the true heiress of the Avery Consortium was deceased, thereby suggesting that control of the conglomerate was now up for grabs.

With news of Hera’s death, opportunistic rivals waiting for the Old Master Avery’s demise emerged. But who would have thought that the sole heiress and successor to the vast conglomerate had already passed away even before her grandfather, they descended upon the Avery family, besieging them from all sides.

Amid the turmoil as factions fought amongst themselves, Rafael and the other male leads seized the opportunity to exploit the chaos. They strategically moved to bring down the Avery empire decisively, securing its power and business assets for themselves.

Thus, securing Rafael’s promise not to aid Minerva anymore would mark Hera’s initial move to avert the calamity she feared. After all, the male leads had acted as catalysts that brought her family to ruin, exposing them to predators lurking in the shadows.

And Minerva, the main culprit, would surely have to endure in this life the same amount of suffering she inflicted upon Hera in the novel.

Initially, Hera didn’t want to confront Minerva about this matter. After all, the events in the novel where she dies and her grandfather meets a miserable end have not yet occurred. However, Minerva persisted in targeting her relentlessly over a man she no longer desired.

Even if it was the storyline pushing for this to happen or it was Minerva’s desire to eliminate her means little to her now because it only means her or Minerva’s death but if she really led Minerva to take her fate and die on her behalf, that would surely backfire on her and she would still need to face Rafael’s wrath and probably the other male leads banding together against her and Alice could take that chance to seized back her own fate which would then put Hera back to where she belonged.

Hera still lacked a concrete plan for dealing with Minerva and Alice. This matter was delicate and couldn’t be approached randomly or hastily. She needed to carefully monitor the characters involved in the novel and conduct some strategic experimentation before taking decisive action, so, she’ll just have to take whatever comes her way head-on.

As Hera pondered the storyline’s scenarios, Rafael’s husky voice, usually commanding, softened slightly as he responded with resolve. “I understand. I will honor your wishes.” Hera was taken aback; she hadn’t expected him to agree so readily. After all, Minerva was his sister, whom he had always protected and treated like a princess.

Rafael noticed the change in her expression and shyly rubbed the tip of his nose, guilt evident in his gaze as he looked at her. “I’m not just being a heartless brother willing to discard my family, especially my sister, to pursue my love. But I’ve come to realize this is what’s best for her too. As you said, even before I came to see you, I’d already seen how my parents’ coddling led to her becoming unruly, oblivious to the consequences of her actions. Your words were a wake-up call for me, and it felt like the right course of action.”

He paused, searching for the right words. “I realized that letting her face the consequences of her actions might help her mature and understand the gravity of her choices,” Rafael confessed. “Agreeing to your request was something I had already decided on. It feels like I’m not just doing you a favor, but also doing what’s best for my family and myself.”

Hera studied Rafael intently, her brow raised. She found no deception in his words or in the sincerity of his gaze. “In that case, I’ll do my best not to let my prejudices cloud my judgment,” she replied evenly. “But I must be clear: I believe in giving one chance. If you betray my trust or act against me, I won’t give you another opportunity to be close to me.”

Hera took a step back, creating the impression that she was doing him a favor while giving him an ultimatum. How he used this chance was entirely up to him.

Rafael fell silent for a moment, deep in contemplation. Hera didn’t interrupt his concentration. If she wanted to make use of the male leads and their respective ‘Male Lead Halo,’ she needed to earn their trust and protection. This way, even if Alice had the world protecting her, Hera might not suffer as much. Probably.

Rafael, however, was elated by the chance Hera had given him. At the same time, he began reflecting on how he had wronged her in the past and the actions he must take to prevent it from happening again. He also considered his path forward. Right now, he was at the very end of the line, unlike Leo, Xavier, Luke, and Zhane, who had made good impressions on Hera. He pondered what he should do, knowing he didn’t have the same starting point as the others. He didn’t even count Dave in the mix.

“Now that we’ve finished our talk, shall we calculate how you’ll repay me for touching me without my permission and even before you’ve started courting me?” Hera’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Rafael, who suddenly felt as if he had been doused with cold water and started to get nervous.

He was used to being the dragon in his company, always breathing fire. But now, on the receiving end, he felt a conflicting mix of emotions. To make matters worse, this was another mark against him. Nervousness numbed his tongue, and sweat formed on his forehead. “I-I… I’m sorry.” He lowered his head in embarrassment, his lips pursed and brows tightly knitted. He had no excuse for his actions and didn’t plan to make any. In fact, even if given another chance, he knew he’d do it again.

“Sorry, huh? Do you think that’s enough to absolve you for your actions?” Hera asked, an evil smirk playing on her lips. Now that Rafael was in her hands, she didn’t plan to make things easy for him. She intended to be subtle enough not to arouse his suspicion that she was taking revenge on him. She wanted to ensure that even if she sold him out, he would still happily help her count the money.