The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 823

Chapter 823: Chapter 823 Showing Off Wealth
“Here! Take this and go!” the woman snapped, clearly at the end of her patience, and flung a black bank card toward Hera’s face.

“The password is six sevens. There’s fifty thousand in it. Just take it and leave.”

She turned her head away with a dramatic huff, arms crossed tightly over her chest, dismissing Hera as if she were no longer worth another second of her time. Her entire posture screamed arrogance and entitlement.

The Frenchman looked like he was about to blow a fuse, his jaw clenching, but before he could speak, Alice—who had been silently watching the entire exchange like it was some entertaining soap opera—suddenly chimed in.

“Look, Liz, why don’t you just take the offer? That’s fifty thousand dollars for a room you didn’t even pay for,” she said with mock reason. “It’s easy money, and she probably is someone important—maybe a relative of one of the competition’s higher-ups. Wouldn’t it be smarter to just give up the room and avoid trouble?”

Her tone was smooth and sugar-coated, but her eyes glinted with amusement, clearly enjoying the drama. Athena, standing beside Hera, let out a short, derisive snort.

“If it’s such a great deal, why don’t you offer your own room instead?” Athena shot back coolly, her tone sharp and laced with sarcasm.

Though Alice was directing her words at Liz, it was clear her true target was Hera. After all, Hera had been the one speaking up from the start—asserting herself like the room belonged to her—when, technically, it was meant for Liz as the official representative of Andarta Aria.

That rubbed Alice the wrong way. Who asked Hera to play the hero, swooping in like some righteous defender?

Liz hadn’t said a word yet, but Hera had already taken the reins—and Alice hated that. On top of that, Alice saw a potential opportunity: the intruding woman was draped head to toe in luxury designer fashion, clearly someone with influence, maybe even someone connected to the competition’s higher-ups. And if Alice could earn a few points and favor with her by undermining Hera and her friends, why not?

“See? Finally, someone with sense,” the woman said smugly. “I should have this room. After all, I’m the daughter of one of the competition’s directors.”

Hearing this, Alice’s suspicions were confirmed—and that only fueled her resolve. If helping this woman meant putting Hera’s group in an uncomfortable spot, then so be it. She’d enjoy watching Hera lose for once.

“Look, Liz,” Alice chimed in again, adopting a faux-reasonable tone. “She’s the daughter of the competition’s director. Why not just let her have the room? It’s not like it’s a big deal, right?”

She smiled like she was being diplomatic, but even the Frenchman beside them looked like he was barely restraining his anger.

“Alice, right?” Liz finally spoke up, her voice calm but edged with quiet steel. She had stayed silent until now because, to her, it wasn’t a big deal—after all, it was Hera’s room, and if Hera didn’t want it, they could all just go up to the presidential suite.

No fuss. But now? Now, this woman—and Alice—were trying to humiliate them, throwing money around like they were desperate. As if $50,000 could buy them out of dignity.

What they didn’t know was that money was the least of their concerns. Each one of them was an heiress in her own right, and the way this woman waved her wealth around was nothing short of insulting.

“Do you really think you’re doing us a favor?” Liz retorted sharply, her words cutting through the air like a blade. “If you think it’s such a generous offer, then like Athena suggested, why don’t you just offer your own room? Take the money and go. None of us here are in need of such a ‘small’ sum—unless, of course, you are?”

Liz’s tone was biting, her response meant to put Alice in her place. But the moment she finished speaking, Alice’s expression shifted. Her eyes widened in dramatic surprise, and without warning, tears started streaming down her face—perfectly timed, as if on cue. She sniffled, her tears a performance to make it look like they were bullying her, that they were the unreasonable ones.

“Why are you treating me like this?” Alice whimpered, her voice trembling with false hurt as she looked at Liz, then turned her gaze to Hera, as if accusing her. “I was just trying to help, to make sure you wouldn’t have any trouble…” She paused, her voice now laced with feigned sorrow. “Is it because Hera doesn’t like me that you’re being so hostile?”

Her words were meant to deflect and manipulate, casting Hera as the source of the tension, even though Hera hadn’t said a word to her. In fact, Hera hadn’t even looked her way. But Alice didn’t care about the truth; she just wanted to turn the tables, to paint herself as the victim.

Liz’s patience was running thin, and now, she fully understood why Athena had abandoned any pretense of kindness with Alice. No matter how reasonable or civil they tried to be, Alice would twist things to make them the villains. Athena had already seen the futility in being nice, and Liz was quick to follow suit.

“Let me get this straight,” Liz started, her voice now dripping with irritation. “You think we should just hand over this room because someone asked for it?” Her words were sharp, deliberate, as if slicing through the air with her sharp questions.

“But you know this hotel was booked months ago. If we were to accept your offer—which we don’t need—and take your $50,000, which by the way, we’re not exactly desperate for, what would we do next?”

“You think we’d just wander around trying to find another room when practically every hotel around here is fully booked? Because of the competition? Because of all the people flooding in to watch it?”

Liz crossed her arms, leaning in slightly, her gaze cold. “So, if you really think your offer is such a great favor, then how about you offer your room? Let’s see how you manage to book another hotel.”

Her words were now fully laced with the frustration that had been building up, making it clear that Alice was no longer being indulged with niceties.

Seeing Liz, Athena, and even Minerva growing visibly frustrated, Hera let out a quiet sigh. Minerva, in particular, looked deeply unsettled—not just by the situation, but by Alice herself. It was a painful, really. Alice had once been her closest friend, someone she trusted.

But now, watching Alice stir up trouble without hesitation, Minerva couldn’t help but silently question how she had ever called her a friend. Alice’s tears and carefully chosen words masked her manipulation so well that even Minerva had nearly fallen for it—if not for Liz and Athena cutting through the noise with their sharp reasoning.

And yet, despite all of this, it was Hera who finally broke the silence.

“Alright,” Hera said coolly, her voice calm but unreadable. “We’ll give you the room. But since every hotel nearby is fully booked, why not double the amount you’re offering? Seems fair, doesn’t it? A little compensation for the trouble.”

Her words dropped like a stone in still water. The room fell quiet.