The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 284

Chapter 284: Chapter 284 Is She Coming Out?
After a restful night’s sleep, Hera woke with the first rays of sunlight gently resting on her face as the curtains slid open automatically. She stirred slightly, the bright sunlight compelling her to open her eyes and stretch her muscles in bed. After a moment of blankly staring into space, she finally rose to wash up.

As Hera brushed her teeth and glanced up at the mirror, memories of the passionate kiss she had shared with Luke flooded her mind, causing her cheeks to flush. She wondered when she had become so daring and open to letting such moments happen, speculating whether it was the growing influence of the storyline shaping her subconscious actions.

“Either way, meddling with the female lead’s fate is equivalent to R18 content,” Hera reminded herself with a wry expression as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

After patting her cheeks a few times, she changed into her jogging attire. Lo and behold, not soon after she entered the elevator, the doors opened on Luke’s floor, causing Hera’s heart to skip a beat as Luke stepped inside, looking refreshed and radiant.

He smiled at her, but there was an undercurrent in his gaze that made Hera look away, unable to hold his stare. Luke continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye. He had enjoyed a peaceful evening, perhaps the best he had experienced so far, and it was all thanks to the woman standing beside him.

He could tell that Hera was somewhat attracted to him, but he knew he needed to tread carefully. “About last night…” Luke started, noticing Hera’s body tense and her expression changed several times. He felt a pang of amusement but refrained from teasing her further for fear of her misunderstanding his intentions. So, he continued cautiously.

“I’m sorry if I was a bit hasty, but I don’t regret it, and I’d kiss you again if given the chance,” Luke said. He watched as Hera’s face flushed crimson, the redness spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears and down her neck. She tried to maintain her composure, but the telltale blush betrayed her true feelings.

“I know it might be asking too much, but I hope you’re not angry with me. I really liked it. The kiss, I mean,” Luke said, ending with a teasing smile. He bit his lip, restraining himself from making another move.

Hera groaned before hastily exiting the elevator and bolting to the lobby as fast as her legs could carry her. Her face felt even hotter now, but she couldn’t help it. If this kind of interaction continued, she wondered how her heart and body would manage.

She needed time to recalibrate her mindset and gather herself because no matter how hard she tried to avoid it, romantic entanglements seemed inevitable and had already ensnared her a few times. She already gave Dave an anaphrodisiac because she didn’t want to sacrifice herself to save Dave from falling into the female lead’s hands only to end up being intimate with Leo.

Next came Rafale and Luke. If Hera didn’t possess strong self-control and self-awareness, she might have been overwhelmed by the emotions and thoughts stirring inside her—feelings she knew weren’t originally hers but were slowly becoming integrated into her own.

It seemed like this was the sacrifice she needed to make, and she had come to accept it. ‘But damn! Luke is so hot!’ Hera thought to herself as she jogged steadily around the garden, biting her lip. ‘Maybe even without these feelings and thoughts integrating with mine, I’d still be drawn to him and jump in on him?’

“Don’t bite your lips; it makes me want to do it for you,” Luke’s voice startled Hera. She hadn’t realized Luke had followed her outside, and now she felt self-conscious about potentially making a spectacle of herself while her mind wandered to more lewd thoughts—with one of the subjects of those thoughts right beside her.

Hera cleared her throat and quickened her pace, Luke following behind with a chuckle. They completed several laps around the expansive garden before deciding it was sufficient. Like the day before, Luke invited Hera to breakfast to bond and get to know each other better. Hera decided to stop playing hard to get and worrying about things, and she agreed.

Seeing Hera agree much more easily than yesterday made Luke happy too. After Hera showered in her penthouse and was preparing to leave, she encountered Cindy in the living room. Cindy was sipping coffee and reading newspapers. Their eyes met briefly, and Cindy immediately looked away, her face flushing red.

For a moment, Hera gazed absentmindedly at Cindy. Breaking the silence, Cindy spoke up, saying, “Young Miss, I’m glad you’ve moved on from your scumbag ex and started dating again, but ahem! Next time, try not to make out in the elevator.” She then covered her face with the newspaper.

It was only after Cindy’s remark that Hera remembered the 24/7 manned 4K surveillance camera in the elevator. Realizing that others could have seen what transpired, Hera felt deeply embarrassed.

But what’s done is done, and Hera had a feeling that with Luke’s personality, this was only the beginning, which worried her even more. After regaining her composure, she joined Luke for breakfast. Against his suggestion to dine in, they headed to the Dragon Palace Hotel at Hera’s insistence, as she planned to meet Gerald before going to school.

Luke drove his Aston Martin Victor to the entrance and swiftly exited to open the door for Hera, which she appreciated and thanked him for with a smile. “Thank you, Luke.”

Handing his car keys to the valet, Luke noticed Gerald waiting at the entrance, which surprised him. Gerald was usually busy and hard to track down. Luke glanced at Hera, recalling Dave’s mention of being directed to the strictly off-limits Private Room 1 at the hotel restaurant.

Luke wondered about Hera’s identity to prompt the typically elusive Gerald to greet them so energetically and warmly early in the morning, a demeanor quite unlike his usual arrogant and authoritative self. Gerald had shed his usual airs standing at the entrance, a sight that amused Luke.

It never crossed Luke’s mind that Hera was the heiress to the Avery Consortium. As everyone knew, there was only one heiress, currently studying at Princeton.

“Welcome, Mr. Greyson and Miss Ainsley!” Gerald greeted, gesturing for them to follow him. He led Hera and Luke to an exclusive elevator and took them straight to the top floor where the restaurant was located. Staff members lined up in front of the elevator, welcoming Hera and Luke as soon as they stepped out.

“Speaking of first-rate service, isn’t this typically reserved for the country’s delegation and politicians?” Luke remarked, raising an eyebrow as he surveyed the restaurant, which was unusually empty despite its usual early morning crowd.

Hera also sensed that Gerald might be overdoing it and inadvertently revealing her identity. If people didn’t know that the Avery heiress was still studying at Princeton, they could easily piece together that she was the heiress they were seeking.

Realizing his mistake in his excitement, Gerald quickly stepped in to amend it. “Mr. Greyson, we are honored to have you here. I heard from my subordinate that you did us a great deed by investing in one of the small businesses that we were considering closing due to a lack of profit increase over the past half year. Your ability to see potential where we did not, shows my lack of foresight. I am thankful that instead of taking the opportunity for yourself, you decided to help us out,” Gerald explained.