Upon witnessing Bry’s reaction, Hera’s gaze returned to the man. Coincidentally, he seemed to sense their intense stare, causing him to momentarily pause his actions and nce in their direction. As his eyes met Hera’s, they gleamed brightly, as though he had stumbled upon a treasure amidst a pile of cobblestones.
He immediately disregarded Bry’s uncle and marched straight toward Hera, seemingly uninterested in acknowledging anyone else in the vicinity. Hera could immediately sense his snobbish and selfishly arrogant demeanor. He reminded her of the trust fund babies she had encountered while working as a waitress in a high-end restaurant—mostly arrogant and only concerned with their own desires, with little regard for others.
Hera maintained herposure, steadfast in her stance as the man approached. Sensing Bry’s apprehension, she gently squeezed his hand, offering silent reassurance that they were together, and there was no need to fear the big bald wolf.
Hera made a concerted effort to ignore the man’s balding and receding hairline, though it gleamed conspicuously like a polished mirror atop his forehead. Suppressing the urge to burst intoughter, she maintained a calm demeanor and averted her gaze. In doing so, she happened to lock eyes with Zen, whose amusement was evident, his eyes narrowing into crescents without any attempt to conceal his amusement.
Zen’s shoulders quivered as he struggled to avert his gaze from the man, whose pompous demeanor resembled that of a peacock. However, his efforts were in vain as he inadvertently locked eyes with Hera, whose mischievous glint only exacerbated his difficulty in containing hisughter.
Observing Hera’s expression and her attempt to avoid eye contact, the man misinterpreted her reaction as shyness in his presence. This misunderstanding only served to boost his confidence, akin to a peacock unting its vibrant fan-like tail feathers.
"It must be my luckiest day to encounter such a beautiful woman in a ce like this," the man remarked, extending a hand as if to kiss Hera’s. His pretentious disy of chivalry sent shivers down Hera’s spine, feeling as though bugs were crawling beneath her skin. However, she maintained herposure, though her difort was palpable.
Fortunately, after spending a week together, Hera, Xavier, and Zen had developed an unspoken understanding. Zen instinctively moved closer to Hera, draping his arm around her shoulders in a protective gesture, resembling an older brother. "My apologies, sir. My brother-inw tends to get a bit jealous when someone gets too close to my little sister," Zen exined with a contrite smile, shooting a discreet nce in Xavier’s direction.
Taking his cue, Xavier approached Hera, his arms enveloping her slim waist with ease before drawing her into a warm embrace. With practiced nonchnce, he acted as though he had just arrived, nting a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Sorry for making you wait."
Hera felt the gentle touch of Xavier’s lips against her skin, sending a wave of electricity through her entire body. Subconsciously, her eyes closed, her longshes fluttering delicately, lending her a shy and demure air at that moment.
Observing Hera’s reaction, the man felt a tumultuous churn in his stomach, unable to tear his gaze away from her. However, when he shifted his attention to Xavier and noticed his striking appearance, a pang of irritation washed over him, feeling as though his ego had been slighted. Ignoring Xavier, he redirected his focus to Hera. "A pleasure to meet you. May I have the honor of knowing your name?"
"Sister, it’s time to go. Father said you need to get ready," Bry interjected at the opportune moment, noticing the man’s attempts to engage Hera.
Without sparing the man a second nce, Xavier guided Hera away, leading her to where Bry’s father and uncle awaited. The man felt a surge of irritation at Xavier’s apparent dismissal, his gaze following them until they reached Bry’s father and uncle.
Upon realizing Hera’s connection to the two, a mischievously sinister smile yed on the man’s lips. Having conducted a background check on Bry’s uncle a year and a half ago, he was aware of their humble background as poor farmers. Now, hearing Bry refer to Hera as his sister, the man assumed Hera was merely the daughter of a poor farmer, making her an easy target for his predatory intentions, even despite her engagement.
He watched her for a bit before leaving in a good mood.
Hera shivered as a cold sensation ran down her spine. <i>’Who could be plotting against me?’</i> she wondered, feeling a twinge of unease. She looked around her surroundings but found no suspicious people roaming around them.
"Are you alright?" Xavier’szy voice whispered so close to her ear, the warmth of his breath tickling her skin.
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PS: Hello again, everyone! I want to start by apologizing for the error in Chapter 138. I attempted to remove a panel from the previous Chapter that was mistakenly included, but due to word count limitations for deletion, I couldn’t rectify it. Unfortunately, I realized this toote as I was in a rush.
To make up for this oversight, I n to do a mass release in these two days instead. Please forgive me, okay? (ó﹏ò?)