"Darling, are you ying favorites now? Why does he get more grub than I do?" Dave asked in a theatrical tone, puckering his lips as his eyes darted back and forth between Leo’s te and his own as if conducting a critical examination of the food distribution.


    The way he spoke was quite deceptive, causing Hera to feel the weight of everyone’s attention on her. Silence fell like a pin drop in the room. Leo, however, reacted with a snort. "Childish," he muttered, clearly unimpressed. Yet, he didn’t stop there. With a tone that dripped with disdain, he continued to grill Dave. "You not only hijacked our lunch but now you want special treatment? Are you a child?" Leo’s words highlighted Dave’s presumptuous behavior, particrly considering he was an uninvited guest tagging along.


    "I’m childish, what can you do to me?" Dave retorted, his tone defensive. Then, he approached Hera with a sheepish smile. "Dear, could you feed me?" He held up his dirty hands. "See, my hands are dirty. Would you?"


    Leo’s lips twitched violently as if he were on the verge of a rampage. Dave shamelessly sought to be pampered by Hera, right before Leo’s eyes, and Leo felt an urge to choke him.


    "Oh?! Would you like me to feed you instead?" Leo said through gritted teeth, eyeing Dave with a murderous re. He seethed with anger, having nned to spend some time deepening his bond with Hera, only for Dave toe along and ruin his ns. Not content with just ruining their date, Dave hadpletely hijacked it, making Leo feel like a servant while another man flirted shamelessly with his fiancée.


    "Yuck! What am I gonna do with a man?" Dave said, looking disgustedly at Leo for even suggesting such a thing. After all, why would he want another man to feed him when the woman he liked was right in front of him?


    Sensing the tension escting, Hera flicked Dave’s forehead and said, "Go back to your seat and eat properly." However, her gesture seemed intimate, causing even Leo to feel a pang of jealousy. He started to sulk, feeling as though Dave had won Hera’s affection right in front of him, leaving him powerless. Despite trying to follow his grandfather’s advice onposure, Leo couldn’t help but feel inadequatepared to Dave’s seemingly effortless charm.


    Hera noticed Leo sulking quietly to the side, his hands continuing to shell the shrimps but his demeanor indicated clear sadness. Puzzled, she wondered what had caused his dissatisfaction even after she had sent Dave back to his seat. ncing back at Dave, she saw him grinning triumphantly, his eyes asionally darting towards Leo with a taunting expression.


    Hera fell into deep contemtion and only then did she realize that the action she did to send Dave away looked intimate and close to him that it was as if she was coaxing him not to be naughty in front of other people, and so, he was taunting Leo who has clearly lost the silent battle for her affection. No matter how dense she was or how stupid she acted that she did not understand what they were doing, she couldn’t be as stupid to act indifferent when she clearly hurt Leo’s feelings.


    Andpared to the male leads like Dave, Hera was really more in favor of Leo, because not only was he good to her but he was not one of the male leads who wronged her and her family in the novel and would probably still follow the plot if she did not act fast and seize the opportunity like what she did.


    As Hera realized why Leo was sulking, she skewered one of the shrimp he had shelled and popped it into her mouth. The burst of vors and the shrimp’s freshness brought a smile to her face. Skewering another shrimp, Hera’s actions seemed ordinary to Dave and Leo, but then she extended the fork toward Leo’s lips.


    _______________


    PS: Another month has passed, and I’m genuinely grateful to see so many of you continuing to support and engage with the story. Your ongoing enthusiasm and encouragement mean a lot to me. As a token of my appreciation, please ept this redeem code: <ABDHYG2LCZUAEG3XA>. You can redeem it for 10 Fast Passes at the Redeem Center located in your Profile section, just below your Purchase History. The code is valid for 10 users on a firste, first-served basis. I hope this small gesture brings a smile to your face and encourages you to keep supporting me. Thank you again for being part of this journey!