The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 538

Chapter 538: Chapter 538 Be A Kept Man
With her words, Hera subtly signaled Gerald to stop, her tone subtle but was enough to make it clear that he had said too much.

It became evident from the sound of her voice that she was not holding the phone and likely had it on speaker mode.

Realizing this, Gerald quickly processed the situation and understood that Hera was not alone.

He now realized that everything he had said had inadvertently made her appear suspicious in front of others.

Although Hera longed to come clean to the others, a lingering fear held her back, the “what-ifs” clouding her mind.

She had managed to protect her inheritance from Alexi and saved her people—for now—but what about the future?

Though she had grown closer to the male leads, even becoming intimate with them, a nagging doubt remained.

What if they were swayed by Alice, or if the storyline pushed them onto her side?

What would happen if they discovered she was the true heiress of the Avery family?

And worse still, she had yet to seize control of her own consortium. Despite her wealth, she still lacked real power.

Even if the male leads didn’t turn against her, what about the other wolves and hyenas lurking, ready to tear the Avery family apart?

With the knowledge that her grandfather still held the power in the consortium, their focus remained on him.

They knew the supposed heiress of the Avery was preoccupied with her life at Princeton, socializing and attending school, so they were in no rush to deal with her directly.

However, they weren’t idle—they sent assassins after Hera’s stand-in whenever they could, hoping to eliminate her.

If she died, the only thing holding the Avery together would be the aging patriarch, whose life was at the mercy of those scheming against him.

Without their interference, he might have lived out his days peacefully for a few years since he was already old, but now, with their relentless pressure, he was growing weaker.

If his enemies converged on him all at once, he wouldn’t have the strength to fend them off.

This is why Hera’s grandfather allowed her to enjoy her youth before fully inheriting the consortium.

He wanted her to experience freedom for the last few years of her life, free from the heavy responsibilities of their business empire, before she became tied down to the complex web of power and control that awaited her.

Her business empire was too alluring, and with the male leads being as ambitious as they were described in the novel, the fact that she hadn’t fully captured their hearts left her vulnerable.

Their sharp, calculating ambitions could easily turn against her one day, and she wasn’t ready for that, even if it was just hypothetical.

This is why, over the years, she had quietly been building her power in the shadows.

Now, what she needed was reputation and influence.

Staying in the entertainment industry wasn’t just about stealing Alice’s achievements and her “female lead halo” — it was a strategic move for the future of her business empire as well.

‘Just give me more time,’ Hera thought silently to herself. ‘I will come clean with all of you, but until then, I need to see that you prove you deserve to know the truth.’

Gerald continued on the other end, now understanding the situation on Hera’s side. “Ha ha, Young Miss Hera, I’m glad you took it as a joke. Anyway, as per your request, and as part of my compensation to you, I’ve put together an investment that I believe suits you perfectly. As a business and finance student yourself, I think this would be a great addition to your CV.”

“Now that the investment is complete, there’s still a little money left over, which I’ve already sent to your account. Just reach out if you need anything else. After all, as I mentioned before, I’ve managed to acquire so many of the Lennon’s properties and added them to the Avery consortium, all thanks to your cooperation.”

“You didn’t get intimidated and run away from the Lennons, and you stood strong with me. So, this little bit of money is just a small reward for your efforts. Please don’t turn it down again—it’s nothing to the Avery,” Gerald explained, carefully framing his words so that anyone listening to the call would take this information as the truth and overlook everything he had said earlier.

“If you feel this amount isn’t enough, feel free to renegotiate with me or ask for another round of investments—this way, you can continue to grow your wealth and I’ll be happy to help,” Gerald continued, his tone casual.

“Anyway, I’ve said my piece. Hope you’re doing well, and be sure to pass along my greetings to everyone. I’ll treat you all to a meal when I’m free. Ciao!”

Without waiting for Hera’s response, Gerald abruptly ended the call, as though in a rush to escape, leaving Hera to handle the mess he had just created.

Hera was left speechless, unsure of where to even begin or how to answer any potential questions from the others if they decided to inquire.

Fortunately, or perhaps because they sensed Hera didn’t want to go deeper into the matter, the others remained silent, tacitly agreeing to pretend they hadn’t heard anything.

After all, even though Gerald had explained it, there were lingering doubts and subtle clues that had started to surface.

For instance, Zhane recalled how Hera had paid for her stone betting purchases at the Stone Betting Pagoda when she was with him, effortlessly using a black card—a detail that raised a few more questions than it answered.

But even among these intelligent men, there was always one who stood out, forever stirring the pot and looking for trouble.

“Oh, now I get it! Is that where all the money you’ve spent on me came from?” Dave chimed in, his question sounding deceptively innocent, but the underlying tone of his voice made it clear he was subtly flaunting the fact that Hera had spent a considerable amount on him.

“Are you really that proud of being a kept man?” Xavier scoffed, his gaze cold as he looked at Dave.

“Where’s your pride? Shouldn’t it be you pampering Hera, not the other way around?”

“What’s wrong with being a kept man?” Dave retorted, a smug grin on his face.

“I’d happily be a gigolo, a boy toy, or whatever you want to call it, if it means being with Hera. Besides, she already said it in front of the whole nation that she has the money to spoil me. Doesn’t that just sound like she’s treating me like a husband, showing me love? Hmp, let the bitterness and envy eat you up—I couldn’t care less.”

“More like a trophy husband,” Rafael muttered, his tone dripping with disdain.

This was the first time he had seen someone so proudly embrace being a kept man and gigolo, flaunting it in front of his love rivals.

A slight flicker of pity crossed his mind, realizing that Dave must have some wires crossed in his brain if he actually thought this was something to be proud of.

Thanks to Dave’s antics, the tension that had been building quickly faded, and the focus shifted to teasing him instead.

Hera couldn’t help but laugh along with the others as they made fun of Dave.

Soon enough, the group gathered together in the large bed, exhausted from the day’s events, and drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Rafael remained in the hospital bed, still feeling a little down. Hera, noticing his mood, gently comforted him, promising that once he was healed, they’d all sleep together.