As he processed Hera’s words and her habit of carrying an anaphrodisiac, Dave felt a surge of empathy. He understood the fear of being targeted at parties, whether for one’s beauty or wealth. With a sympathetic look, he nodded in understanding and approval, acknowledging Hera’s vignce in protecting herself from potential threats, or maybe, she had already gone through it.


    <i>’Yeah, she’s too beautiful to pass up. No wonder so many men would want to try their luck,’</i> Dave thought, looking at Hera with a knowing expression. Hera raised her eyebrows in question, unsure of what he was thinking. The sympathetic way he stared at her indicated he had misunderstood something, but Hera had no intention of correcting his misconception.


    "Since you are finally awake, Mr. Minister. You can show yourself out." Hera said coldly as she gestured for him to go out of her room.


    "Are you kicking me out?" Dave asked incredulously. He had never been thrown out of someone else’s room before; he was always the one doing the throwing. Numerous women had been ejected from his room for their schemes or ns, but never had he been on the receiving end. His face flushed red with embarrassment as he stared at Hera, his eyes filled with indignation but unable to find the right words to say.


    "Would you like me to coddle you here in my room and sing you a luby?" Hera said sarcastically. She could clearly see the disbelief on Dave’s face as he opened and closed his mouth, struggling to find words. Typically, aside from his friends who were always rude to him, Dave was the one dishing out sarcastic remarks. No one had ever dared to reproach him or fire back with such audacity.


    By now, Hera was already enjoying taunting Dave too much to stop. He had disturbed her beauty sleep, so she said whatever she liked. Besides, she wouldn’t have even known he was still in her penthouse if he hadn’t crawled into her bed, acting as if she had harassed him.


    "You... you’re really kicking me out?" Dave looked at Hera with a pitiful expression, resembling a bullied concubine.


    "Yup." Hera remained unfazed by his obvious attempt at sympathy. She knew it was more about his ego than anything else; being kicked out by a woman would definitely bruise his pride.


    "In the middle of the night?" Dave asked, trying to use his seductive charm that usually made women fall head over heels for him.


    "Would you like me to get someone to send you back?" Hera replied, not taking him seriously at all. This made Dave’s face twitch involuntarily.


    A knock interrupted their bickering, bringing Hera back to her senses. She now understood why the other male leads liked to bully Dave—it was quite amusing. "What is it?" Hera asked, her head slightly tilted to the side, half-facing the door while still keeping an eye on Dave.


    "Um... Young Miss, Mr. Greyson came back because they realized they forgot about Mr. Carson..." Amy hesitated. She had gone straight to the guest room where she remembered Dave was supposed to be, only to find it empty. She assumed he had already gone home without anyone noticing. But it was only after Luke returned in his pajamas that they discovered Dave was still missing.


    Luke had called the others, realizing in the middle of the night that he hadn’t seen Dave leave with them. About to go to bed, he checked with the others, and only then did they realize that none of them remembered seeing Dave.


    When Luke realized that Dave was still at Hera’s ce, he found himself already heading up to the penthouse. He knew Dave wasn’t interested in Hera, which was a relief, but leaving Dave unsupervised felt unsettling. What if Dave was Hera’s type, especially with his incubus-like charm? Luke felt a bit nervous, sensing that Hera had been a quite bit distant from them. Even without her saying it, he could feel the wall she had built around herself, a barrier directed specifically at him and his friends.