The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 824

Chapter 824: Chapter 824 Free Meal
The woman and Alice stared at her, eyes narrowing—clearly viewing her as a shallow opportunist. Alice’s expression curled into a satisfied smirk, as if silently gloating: ‘See? No matter how noble you act, you still fold when money’s on the table.’

But on the other side of the room, Liz, Athena, and Minerva stared at Hera, stunned and confused. They couldn’t tell what Hera was aiming at—but they knew one thing for sure: she wasn’t someone who backed down so easily. Something was brewing behind that composed expression.

The woman snorted upon hearing that Hera was backing down and giving up the room, but despite her smug reaction, her heart ached. She was about to part with $100,000—her hard-earned savings—for a single room.

It felt like tearing off a piece of herself, but she couldn’t afford to let the opportunity slip away. With great reluctance, she pulled out her phone, her fingers trembling as she transferred the money to the bank card in Hera’s hand. Watching the amount vanish from her account felt like a punch to the gut, but she knew being there might shape her future. Unable to hide her resentment, she shot Hera a venomous glare.

Hera casually handed the bank card to her bodyguard, who stood by the door, the card held between her middle and index fingers. It was only then that the woman noticed the bodyguard, her eyes instantly lighting up in excitement, seeing a handsome, well-built man. But before she could react further, the bodyguard bowed respectfully to Hera.

“Young Miss, your order?”

“Withdraw all the money from this account. We’ll eat out later,” Hera replied, her tone calm and unaffected by the curious looks from the woman and Alice.

The bodyguard nodded without hesitation, then strode out of the room with purposeful steps. She wasn’t privy to Hera’s full plan, but that didn’t matter. His role was clear—follow Hera’s every command.

Minerva tugged at Hera’s sleeve, her face a mix of confusion and disbelief. “Why did you even accept her money? She clearly looks down on us,” she asked, still processing the situation.

Hera reached out and affectionately ruffled Minerva’s soft hair. “Are you guys hungry?” she asked casually. “Since someone was so eager to pay for our meal, why not take advantage of it? After all, how many people would be foolish enough to spend $100,000 just for a regular suite, don’t you think?”

Hera’s eyes then flickered with realization. This hotel was actually under the Avery family’s banner, which explained how Cindy had managed to book the presidential suite on such short notice despite the entire hotel being fully booked for months, as Liz had mentioned. In the end, accepting the woman’s money wasn’t a loss—it was a win.

They were paying for the room, and now they had a legitimate reason to stay in the presidential suite with her friends, all while getting a generous meal on the side.

Hearing Hera’s taunting words, the woman froze, visibly shaken. Her face twisted with indignation, her body trembling from the insult. Being called a fool had clearly struck a nerve.

“You… You!!!” she sputtered, pointing at Hera, but unable to form a coherent sentence. Even Alice stood in stunned silence, unsure of what Hera was trying to achieve.

“Hera,” Alice finally said, her voice low but edged with reproach, “was it really necessary to humiliate her like this—especially after you already accepted her money? And what did you mean by ‘your meal’? Aren’t you supposed to be looking for another hotel room, instead?”

Her tone hovered between concern and curiosity, but there was a subtle undercurrent—one that suggested she was both defending the woman and subtly stirring the pot.

Hera, however, saw right through her. She merely shrugged. “Exactly what I said,” she replied coolly, then fell silent.

The room was thick with tension. No one spoke. No one moved. It was as if everyone was holding their breath, waiting for something to break the standoff.

Moments later, the bodyguard Hera had sent earlier returned, a thick wad of cash in his hand. He handed it to Hera wordlessly. Fortunately, a nearby bank had allowed him to withdraw the full amount quickly.

Hera took the money without looking at the woman. She had no intention of letting it sit in an account where it could be clawed back. Better to turn it into cash—clean, untraceable, and final.

Then, with a smirk, Hera turned on her heel and waved the thick stack of cash in front of the woman.

“Thank you for the meal, miss,” she said sweetly, her tone laced with mockery.

She strolled toward the door, but paused just before leaving. “Oh, right,” she added casually, glancing back over her shoulder. “Since you offered this money so generously… you can’t take it back now. And about that ‘trouble’ you mentioned, finding a new room—”

At that moment, Athena, who had caught on to Hera’s plan, slipped a keycard into Hera’s hand with a knowing smirk. Without missing a beat, Hera lifted the card and waved it like a trophy.

“Don’t worry,” she said with a wink. “We’ve had a presidential suite at this hotel ready for us all along.”

And with that, she walked out, her stride confident and unhurried. Behind her, the woman’s face twisted into a mask of fury, humiliation, and dawning regret. Hera could feel the satisfaction bubbling in her chest—it was better than any victory speech. She wasn’t joking either; she fully intended to spend that “donated” cash on good food and a fun night with her friends.

The Frenchman, having witnessed Hera’s graceful dominance, felt his heart flutter. He followed after her without hesitation, along with the others, leaving Alice and the stunned woman alone in the silent room.

“Argh!!!” the woman screamed, her eyes blazing with rage as they snapped toward Alice.

The look alone was enough to send Alice’s heart racing in terror. Without a second thought, she bolted into her room and slammed the door shut, not wanting to become the next target of the woman’s fury. From behind the safety of her door, she could still hear the woman shouting in frustration before finally storming out of the suite.

Down the hall, Hera and her group—Athena, Liz, Minerva, her bodyguard, and the Frenchman—were already waiting at the elevator. Even from a distance, they could hear the woman’s furious roars echoing through the corridor.

As soon as the elevator doors slid shut, silence fell—briefly.

Then Athena burst into laughter, doubling over. Liz quickly followed, unable to contain her giggles.

Minerva, however, looked puzzled, blinking slowly as if still piecing together what had just unfolded.

Seeing her expression, Athena wiped a tear from her eye and grinned. “Oh, Minerva… let me break it down for you,” she said, still breathless from laughter.

“Don’t worry, Minerva,” Athena said with a smirk, still riding the high of the moment. “Hera was just teaching them a lesson. Who told them they could try to humiliate us with money and treat us like beggars? Sure, we come from wealthy families and we don’t lack anything—but that doesn’t mean we’ll turn down free money.”

She leaned against the elevator wall, still grinning. “Hera was right. We’ll put that money to good use tonight—treat ourselves, have fun, and call it a warm welcome gift from the locals. That woman was French, right? So technically, it’s hospitality.”