Hera didn’t try to coax Dave and instead said, "Alright, just follow us in your car. We’re heading to the Dragon Pce Hotel." As she spoke, she shed her phone, showing the confirmation of her reservation for a private room in the hotel’s revolving restaurant on the top floor. With her phone’s imprints already saved, she didn’t need to enter additional details; she simply selected the time and secured the all-year-round reserved private room 1. Leo, aware of this, sat silently in his seat, waiting for her and handing her some water.
When Dave saw the screen, he didn’t catch the reservation details, only the confirmation. As Hera started the engine, he hurriedly ran to his car. Before leaving, he red daggers at Leo, but Leo remained unruffled. What mattered to Leo was that he was with Hera at that moment, and she wasn’t pushing him away.
After Dave left, Hera noticed her phone vibrating. When she checked to see who was calling, she saw it was Athena.
"Hello? What’s up?" Hera asked, her expression puzzled. Athena’s car had been right beside hers—why didn’t she just roll down the window to talk? Hera nced sideways, expecting to see the Bugatti Chiron, but the space next to her was empty. She hadn’t even noticed when Athena had slipped away. The only exnation was that Athena had left before Hera reached the parking lot. Distracted by Leo and Dave, she hadn’t noticed Athena’s departure. "Where are you?" she asked.
"Babe, I’m sorry I had to ditch you with the two firecrackers," Athena began with a defeated sigh. "I wanted to watch the whole thing unfold, but, you see... my mom set me up on a blind date. I ignored it to be with you, hoping she’d drop it. But who would’ve thought she’de back to the country just to drag me back? I’m afraid she’ll haul me away like a lost kitten, so I have to meet the guy."
Athena’s frustration was clear, her voice echoing through the phone. Meanwhile, Leo, sitting quietly in the car, couldn’t hear the conversation due to the running engine. Understanding the serious tone between Hera and her best friend, he tried to blend into the background, not wanting to remind Hera of his presence and risk being turned away.
"Where will you be meeting?" Hera asked, her brows furrowed in concern. She didn’t want to ruin the blind date set up by Athena’s mother, understanding that her intentions were rooted in worry. Athena had never shown any interest in dating and was always hanging around Hera, which led her parents to suspect she might be into girls. Despite Athena’s reassurances that she simply wasn’t interested in a rtionship at the moment, her parents remained flustered and believed she was either hiding something or confused.
"In the Dragon Pce Hotel’s revolving restaurant," Athena replied, her grip on the steering wheel tightening. She felt a nagging sense of having forgotten something important but couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Now, with her mother pressuring her to show up for the blind date, Athena worried that Sasha might show up herself to drag her there.
"Sweet, we’ll also be there. If you need anything, just knock on the door of Private Room 1," Hera said. She then remembered something and added, "If you need to make a quick escape, just message me, and we’ll pull you out right away. We can even use Dave for intimidation." Hera didn’t shy away from letting Leo hear her n. Leo felt amused and a bit sorry for Dave, realizing he was only remembered as a backup. Still, Leo also wished to be useful to Hera, even in a small way, to ensure he wouldn’t be overshadowed by anyone else.
As if reading his thoughts, Hera added, "We also have Leo here. The two of them coulde in to show support if you need it." She turned to Leo with a smile, and he nodded without hesitation. Leo didn’t need to think twice about offering his support; Hera’s friends were his friends, and Hera’s business was his business.