She couldn’t ignore the condescending nces Minerva aimed at Hera. While Hera hadn’t openly revealed her connection with the Averys beyond Sasha’s brief introduction, Sandra and her mentor knew to respect Hera’s discretion. This only deepened Sandra’s admiration for Hera’s down-to-earth humility, especially considering her immense wealth. In contrast, Minerva appeared small-minded and petty next to Hera’s dignified presence.
Sandra exhaled topose herself. "Hello. I’m sorry, I have an appointment today." She briefly dismissed Minerva and led Hera upstairs to her personal styling room, with Logan quietly following behind. As he followed behind, the young man with Minerva and Alice recognized Logan, noticing he hadn’t changed his clothes since leaving campus earlier.
"Logan?! What are you doing here?" He asked usatorily, eyeing Logan and then Hera.
Hera, Sandra, and Logan all stopped in their track when they just stamped into the stairs to ascend. Logan remained silent, nervously pursing his lips and shrinking slightly behind Hera like a scared mouse. Hera noticed his demeanor change and raised an eyebrow as she addressed the young man before her.
"Are you Logan’s friend?"
"Yes, I’m Lucas Freed, Logan’s best friend, senior!" Lucas shed Hera his most charming smile, his eyes simultaneously dreamy and calcting as he awaited her response.
"Nice to meet you. We didn’t get a chance to talk earlier. Are you with them?" Hera inquired, subtly probing Lucas for information.
"Yes, they’ve just be my seniors!" Lucas boasted cheerfully, giving Logan a sidelong nce.
"Seniors? Weren’t they also freshmen at the same university? Or am I mistaken?" Hera asked, a hint of confusion coloring her tone.
"No, Miss Briley just signed me up as their new artist singer in her brother’spany, and they came with me for the styling," Lucas said proudly, directing his boasting towards Logan, who appeared visibly upset for some reason. It wasn’t that Logan was unhappy about Lucas’s sess, but there seemed to be another cause for his distress.
"Congrattions! That’s wonderful news," Hera said warmly, genuinely pleased for Lucas. Her curiosity piqued, she wondered if Lucas’s talents surpassed Logan’s, given Logan’s already impressive skills. Recalling the musical genius who assisted Alice in the novel, she asked, "Are you also intoposing?"
"Yes, senior. My best buddy can testify to how good my work is!" Lucas said confidently, shooting Logan a smug smile before continuing. "Did you hire Logan as an assistant?"
"Hmm," Hera responded nomittally. She didn’t feel inclined to continue the conversation with Lucas any further. He seemed too much like Minerva in many ways, and it was no surprise they got along. Hera now realized that the genius singerposer mentioned in the novel had ended up in theirpany’s hands just like what it was mentioned in the novel.
If Lucas was the genius singerposer in the novel, was Logan his supposed rival, driven by a fierce desire to outshine Lucas and win music awards? Did Logan resort to giarizing one of Lucas’s songs, a scandal that ultimately ruined his career and relegated him to obscurity despite his talent?
If that’s the situation, Hera resolved to prevent Logan from facing such a downfall and making mistakes that could ruin his career. His talent deserved recognition and sess, not to be forgotten in the annals of music history.
Hera chose not to borate further or dwell on their assumptions about Logan. The thought had dampened her mood considerably, prompting her to move on without offering any rifications.
Hera, Sandra, and Logan ascended the stairs, leaving Minerva and Alice simmering with frustration at being sidelined. Meanwhile, Lucas watched Hera with intense, inscrutable eyes, his emotions hidden from view. As Logan walked away, Lucas cast him a final nce that betrayed no friendship but rather hinted at a deeper animosity. To an observer, it would seem they were bitter enemies, judging by Lucas’s gaze fixed on Logan’s retreating figure.
When the three reached Sandra’s personal styling room, Hera refrained from pressuring Logan to exin further. Instead, she directed him to join Sandra, not wanting to add to his evident stress.
She also didn’t want to burden herself with overthinking, particrly since Alice had secured a character from the novel who yed a significant supportive role. While Logan and Sandra were upied inside the room, she texted Athena for confirmation.
[Hera: Athena, do you remember the name of the singerposer Alice recruited in the novel, who also supported her in the entertainment industry and became one of her admirers?]
[Athena: Hmmmm...]
[Athena: Let me think. There are so many characters that my memory is bing jumbled.]
[Athena: But I remember his name starts with L.]
[Hera: Lucas Freed?]
[Athena: Yes! That’s right!!]
[Hera: Then, was his rival named Logan Walker?]
[Athena:!!!]
[Athena: Don’t tell me you’ve already met them? Did you secure Lucas, at least?!]
[Hera: (???︿???)]
[Hera: I didn’t, he sounded like a jerk though.]
[Athena: That doesn’t quite fit. Lucas Freed was supposed to be a cool, charming man who exuded sensuality along with his charm.]
[Athena: Perhaps it’s because his rise to fame was supposed to happen a few yearster, after he had already won several awards and be a world-renowned singer, helping Alice in the entertainment industry afterward.]