Though Hera was reluctant to entertain such thoughts, Minerva’s actions had consistently exhibited these tendencies. When the manager mentioned that his subordinate had managed to take a picture, Hera signaled for him to have the subordinate send it over for confirmation.


    Momentster, the subordinate sent the picture, and the manager quickly opened it. Upon seeing the image, he stared at it, then at Bry’s father, and exploded at his subordinate. "How could you have mistaken them for being rted?!" he fumed, clearly frustrated and angry.


    The subordinate, sounding apologetic and almost pouting, replied, "I thought she might have inherited her beauty from her mother. I didn’t want to make assumptions, but I couldn’t pry into their family affairs."


    Still fuming, the manager pushed his phone to the center of the table, its screen disying the picture. Without needing to get closer, everyone could see who it was. Shock swept over the group as they realized it wasn’t Minerva, but her frequent confrontations with Hera during the Variety Show made all of them believe that it was her behind this misunderstanding.


    The truth hit them with an unexpected jolt. The ming red hair and striking aquamarine eyes unmistakably belonged to Alice Quinn. It was clear from the picture that she was the only person in it, not just a background figure or an incidental presence.


    In the photo, Alice was ring at Hera with clear hostility while Hera’s back was turned, boarding Bry’s father’s truck.


    "Ah!!! Isn’t this the other witch who always gets in Sister Hera’s way?!" Bry eximed, almost climbing onto the table to get a closer look at the phone. His father quickly grabbed him by the cor and pulled him back into his seat, shooting an apologetic look at everyone for Bry’s unruly behavior. He instinctively reached for the back of Bry’s head to give him a gentle smack, but Bry, anticipating the move, raised his hands to protect himself. "Dad! I’m just defending our family’s honor! There’s no way I’d have a witch for a sister!" Bry said indignantly, nearly grinding his teeth in his seat.


    "You know this girl?" The manager wanted to rify and looked at Bry.


    But this time, it was Dave who responded with a sarcastic tone. "Indeed, we do," he said, rubbing the back of Hera’s hand with his thumb. "Hera and that girl both participated in a Variety Show that was filmed in their vige." He gestured towards Bry and his father. "After seeing Hera’s impressive horsemanship, Uncle asked her to represent them in the Equestrian race. The Variety Show used it as a highlight, and of course, the other guests, including that girl, were also there to ’show support.’" Dave’s scoff emphasized his disdain for the term ’show support.’


    "Maybe she felt overshadowed and bitter because Hera was the center of attention at the time," Dave suggested. "It’s possible she took out her frustration on your subordinate, intercepting him and dismissing his offer. She might have been determined to deny Bry and his family a good life, particrly because they weed Hera but not her. Despite knowing Bry’s uncle was struggling, she may have refused to help them simply out of spite."