The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 813

Chapter 813: Chapter 813 Rafael’s Funny Moment
They offered to help Hera’s friends check in their luggage so the girls could relax and enjoy their time in the private lounge.

After all, unlike their previous trip, Hera wouldn’t be using her private plane this time. She was following the arrangements made by the competition’s organizers, which meant flying on a commercial airline.

Fortunately, her seat was in business class, and Liz, Athena, and Minerva had all chosen to sit with her there.Since she wasn’t using her private jet, Hera had offered it to Manager Danny Coleman and the NRT staff, just like before, so they could enjoy a more comfortable and relaxing journey.

Minerva glanced around, assessing their luggage. Judging by its size, it was clear they only had hand-carried luggage. “Oh no, we only have carry-on bags. No need to check in. We’ll just buy whatever we need once we get there.” She smiled, shrugging off any concerns. After all, hauling around extra luggage would only be a hassle.

Given that they were flying with a commercial airline, there was always the worry of checked luggage being mishandled. They had all seen countless videos on social media of bags being damaged during transport, from the plane to the conveyor belt.

And for girls like them who favored limited-edition items, the thought of their expensive luggage getting scratched or dented was almost unbearable. Unless they signed a waiver to protect their bags, which was just more trouble than it was worth, it seemed safer to avoid checking in their luggage altogether.

Besides, they were heading to France, which meant plenty of shopping and sightseeing, and the three girls were buzzing with excitement. However, Hera couldn’t shake her gloomy mood.

She couldn’t help but worry about Leo. It was understandable—she wanted nothing more than to be by his side. Still, she knew there wasn’t much she could do. All she could focus on now was wrapping up her business in France as quickly as possible so she could get back home to him.

“Anyway, when did you get so close to Hera?” Athena suddenly asked Minerva, still a little skeptical about her sudden change of heart. After all, Minerva had once been considered Hera’s arch-nemesis—the one who had tormented her, taken everything from her, and even killed her in the novel.

Technically, it was Alexi who could be called the true bane of Hera’s life, since she died after giving up her shares and inheritance to him, but Minerva had been the catalyst for Hera’s downfall.

Athena couldn’t just let it slide, especially with how easily Minerva claimed to have changed. Having read so many novels, Athena wasn’t one to trust so easily. She suspected Minerva might be pretending to accept Hera because her brother was now dating her, perhaps waiting for the right moment to turn on her, like the typical scheming sister-in-law in those novels.

They always acted sweet and accommodating in front of their brothers, only to plot against the female lead later on.

‘Not this time, no way!’ Athena thought, twirling the straw of her juice without breaking eye contact with Minerva. The intensity of her gaze made Minerva fidget, feeling as though she were being exposed. “Aren’t you Alice Quinn’s lackey?” Athena asked, her tone sharp and probing.

“L-Lackey?! Me?! Shouldn’t it be the other way around?!” Minerva protested, puffing up her cheeks. But deep down, she knew she couldn’t really argue the point. She had been so easily manipulated before, blind to Alice’s true nature.

It wasn’t until that incident that she finally saw things clearly, and the realization had left her disillusioned and sad—she had truly believed Alice was her best friend.

“Well, yes, I was sent here by my brother,” Minerva continued, her voice softening. “But I asked him if I could come along to support Hera. Unfortunately, he was too busy, so he sent me instead to take care of her.”

“But this time, I’m not trying to do anything shady. I’ve realized my mistakes. I see things more clearly now. Alexi and I are over. As for Alice…” Minerva sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. “Well, I think it’s clear that our personalities just don’t mesh anymore.”

Athena raised an eyebrow and shot Hera a glance. Hera, who had witnessed Minerva’s change firsthand—especially after Alice’s presence no longer clouded the situation—had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

Minerva had likely developed some dependence on her after Hera saved her in the forest following the kidnapping and helped her brother when he was badly injured. Those actions alone were enough for Minerva to start seeing Hera through rose-tinted glasses.

Hera had come to realize that Minerva was the type of person who easily warmed to others as long as they treated her well, quickly seeing them as friends. It also seemed that Minerva had matured a bit since the incident.

The fear of being kidnapped and trapped in such a terrifying situation had made Minerva reflect deeply on her life and the choices she had made.

The pampered princess mentality she once had appeared to be slowly fading, replaced by a more grounded perspective on what truly mattered to her.

Before, Minerva had placed her love life and Alexi at the center of her world, believing he was her everything. But when her life was at risk, and the man she loved so deeply, whom she had treated as her own life, didn’t come to her rescue, it shattered her little belief.

Worse still, she learned things about how he truly felt about her, leaving her heartbroken.

But in her moment of despair, it was not the man who was supposed to protect her who came to her aid.

Instead, the person she had once considered an enemy—the very one who had saved her—treated her with kindness, cared for her injuries, and showed her a side of humanity she had never expected.

Despite the pain in her heart, Hera’s actions had softened it. Minerva couldn’t help but develop a deep appreciation for her. Now, she simply wanted to get along with Hera, especially since she had started to like her too.

It only made sense, after all, especially for the sake of family harmony, as her brother clearly cared for Hera deeply.

‘Right, I should treat Hera better. That way, my mafia-like brother won’t die a bachelor. Who’d want a hot-tempered, annoying guy like him?’ Minerva mused to herself, a bright smile on her face as she adjusted her seat.

Meanwhile, on the top floor of the SOE, Rafael—who had been sipping his coffee—suddenly sneezed. The force of it caused the coffee to spill all over him. He jumped to his feet in surprise, hissing as the hot liquid splashed on his lap and crotch, before rushing toward the bathroom to clean up.

“Fuck! I can’t let little Raffy become dysfunctional because of that hot coffee! What if Hera doesn’t like me anymore because of some performance issues?” Rafael muttered to himself.

His assistant, who was used to hearing him grumble in frustration or giving off an intimidating glare, was now caught off guard, staring at him flustered and almost comical.

The worst part? They were in the middle of a crucial collaboration meeting with another company, and Rafael’s murmuring while rushing around had everyone in the room trying hard not to laugh.

“Who even is Raffy?” someone joked, breaking the tension, and the room erupted in laughter. Rafael was just as unlucky as Dave, and worse, there was someone in the room taking minutes and recording the whole thing on camera, capturing the moment as prime material. No one had ever imagined Rafael had such a side to him.

As Athena continued her conversation with Minerva, she didn’t notice how she and Liz were becoming more comfortable with each other, chatting like old friends. Hera, however, simply watched them, sipping her juice, when Zen suddenly sat across from her, carrying an iced coffee and a chocolate croissant.

He studied her with a questioning look, his gaze almost like that of an older brother who could read her every mood and thought.

“What’s wrong?” Zen asked casually. “Is the emergency not resolved yet? Need some help? This brother of yours might not look like it, but I have plenty of resources and can be quite helpful in many ways. You might want to consider it,” he teased, taking a bite of his croissant.

Hera smiled weakly, unsure of how to feel at that moment. There was a constant churning in her chest whenever she thought of Leo. Maybe it was true what they said—distance makes the heart grow fonder. And with Leo’s situation so complicated, she felt an even stronger pull toward him.

Noticing her silence, Zen smirked. “Let me guess, it’s Leo, isn’t it?” He raised an eyebrow at Hera when he saw the surprise flash in her eyes, as if wondering how he had figured it out. But he didn’t let her wonder for long. “Well, I just figured it out,” he said with a knowing grin. “After all, only those close to you would notice that Leo is your favorite—and your Achilles’ heel.”

Hera’s eyebrow twitched. “That obvious?” She asked, her tone a mix of amusement and skepticism.

Zen didn’t answer—he just smiled. After all, it’s often the bystanders who have the clearest view. Detached from the situation, they could see things more objectively, without the fog of emotion.

Hera was usually composed and confident, the type to look unbothered even in the face of adversity, as if she always had everything under control. But when it came to Leo, her composure slipped, and that shift made it easy to tell.