"Fuck you, Rafael!" Dave spat through gritted teeth, unable toe up with a bettereback.


    Hera chuckled at his frustration, but before she could react further, Rafael swiftly reached out and covered her ears, shooting Dave a deadly re.


    "Why are you even cursing in front of our girl? Can’t you be a little more refined? You’re staining her ears," Rafael scolded, shooing Dave away with a dismissive wave.


    Dave pouted, retreating to the side as he sulked. He poked at the sofa, muttering curses under his breath about Rafael openly bullying him in front of Hera.


    Deep down, though, he knew exactly why Rafael was giving him a hard time—because he had just contradicted his own long-held beliefs about tattoos.


    But in reality, Dave had only been joking.


    He had no real intention of getting a tattoo.


    He didn’t want to be a copycat, mindlessly mimicking what Hera liked just to please her. If he lost his individuality, it wouldn’t be long before she lost interest in him.


    Not long after, Dave recovered from his earlier defeat, and just as he was about to retaliate, Zhane finished brewing the tea. He had carefully chosen a floral blend with chamomile to help soothe Hera’s mind and body.


    <i>Ding!</i>


    Dave noticed a notification pop up on the phone beside him—it was Hera’s, and Athena’s name shed on the screen. Knowing that Athena was Hera’s best friend, he immediately picked it up and handed it to her without hesitation.


    [Athena: Babe, do you think we should reschedule the fashion show tomorrow and push it to next week instead?]


    [Athena: Let’s wait for the online situation to die down before moving forward. I nned this event to boost your poprity and help my brand gain recognition, but if we go ahead with it now, it might backfire, and we could end up getting boycotted byizens.]


    [Hera: Don’t worry, I already have my people handling it.]


    [Athena: Are you letting the issue ferment even more before taking action? That...]


    [Hera: Don’t worry, I won’t repeat what I did before—waiting for the issue to ferment and using the controversy to skyrocket my poprity before addressing it. I can’t afford to do that this time. It would impact the sess of the uing movie I’m part of. Alice and Emily might even take this opportunity to pressure the director into recing me as the female lead, arguing that my negative reputation is dragging the film down. I won’t let that happen.]


    [Athena: I’m d you’re thinking ahead. For a moment, I thought you’d enjoy and embrace the controversy again—after all, you once said that any publicity is still publicity...]


    [Athena: p(｀ε ′q）]


    [Hera: Hahaha, well, it depends on the situation...]


    [Hera: (/ε＼* )]


    [Athena: Holy fucking female lead!]


    [Athena: I think you just jinx yourself babe!]


    [Hera: What’s wrong?]


    [Athena: The biggest investor in your film is actually XYZ Entertainment, and it looks like they’re backing Emily. They just posted on social media, saying they don’t want their investment to go to waste because of a scandal-ridden female lead. They’re officially requesting the production team to rece you with someone more ’suitable’—someone with a clean record and an untarnished private life.]


    [Athena: Ugh, the audacity! They’re basically implying that your private life is aplete mess and that you’re entangled with too many men.]


    [Athena: I mean, sure, we’re in a reverse harem novel, so it’s kind of expected, but still! How dare they use that against you? I won’t let them get away with this!]


    [Hera: (＾▽＾)]


    [Athena: Why are you acting so nonchnt about this?]


    [Hera: Because I’ve known all along that Emily was the one behind the scandal. Gerald already gathered all the necessary evidence and sent it to me as soon as I gave the word.]


    [Hera: Looks like she couldn’t stomach being humiliated not just once, but twice, so she’s targeting me to ruin my reputation. After all, the more popr a star is, the easier it is to tear them down in front of the media.]


    [Hera: She doesn’t believe that once I’m ruined, the men around me would still protect and shelter me. She nned topletely destroy me by pushing the narrative that I keep six men around me to elevate my status and secure resources in the entertainment industry, using my influence to bully others while acting high and mighty.]


    [Hera: But as we both know, being surrounded by multiple men doesn’t actually seem morally depraved in this society—like you said, we’re in a reverse harem novel. People here are already ustomed to this kind of setup.]


    [Hera: So Emily’s attack on my rtionships alone wouldn’t have been enough. Instead, she twisted the story, using the men around me to paint me as someone who abuses their power and steps on others.]


    [Hera: So now, not only am I being branded as a vixen who can’t be satisfied with just one man, but I’m also beingbeled as a woman who can’t survive without them—a parasite in society leading the younger generation into depravity. Apparently, I’m unfit to be a public figure because I ’set a bad example’ and would only corrupt the youth with my so-called immoral behavior... h h h.]


    [Hera: Honestly, I have to admit that Emily’s attack was well thought out...]


    [Hera: Even if we expose her as the mastermind behind this, she can easily twist the narrative and im she was only acting in the public’s best interest—protectingizens from a so-called ’bad influence’ like me. That way, no one can use her of being driven by jealousy or envy.]


    [Athena: The audacity!]