A flicker of unease crept in, making her question herself, but she quickly pushed the thought aside.


    Zhane carried her back into the room, helping her slip into her dress before they all settled in to lounge around the suite. Hera had no desire to return home just yet.


    The paparazzi were undoubtedly still lurking outside the hotel, waiting for any opportunity to pounce.


    Since they couldn’t get inside and had no way of locating Dave, Zhane, and Rafael—the very men caught in the scandal with Alice and the other woman—the reporters would be desperate for a statement. Until the media frenzy died down, staying put was their best option.


    More importantly, they wanted Alice and the other woman to remain in the spotlight for now. If they showed up and drew attention to themselves, all their efforts would be wasted.


    To ensure their n stayed on course, Dave, Zhane, and Rafael decided to turn off their phones after noticing the flood of calls and messages from their families—especially Dave, given his political background.


    At that moment, Hera suddenly remembered her best friend, Athena. She had almost forgotten about her since Athena had been unusually silent the entire time. Feeling a pang of guilt, Hera quickly grabbed her phone and called her.


    The first two rings went unanswered, and just as she was about to assume Athena wouldn’t pick up, the call connected on the third ring.


    "Hello, babe?" Athena’s voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper.


    Hera’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Athena’s voice sounded just like hers—raspy and exhausted. But in Hera’s case, it was because she had been kept awake by four men, moaning, begging for mercy, or just in screaming. So then... what about Athena?


    A sudden spark of curiosity ignited within Hera—her thirst for gossip ring to life.


    "What’s up? I heard you’re staying in the other presidential suite. Wannae over?" Hera offered. Now that she and the four men were all decently dressed and just lounging around, she felt confident inviting Athena over.


    "Nah, I’ll pass. I feel like my body’s been run over by a truck," Athena groaned without a second thoughtpletely unaware of how her words might be misinterpreted. Not that there was much room for misunderstanding anymore.


    Hera’s mind instantly shed back to how she had felt after her first night with the others, making her even more certain that something had happened to Athena. But just as quickly, she dismissed the idea.


    After all, she knew that Athena had been with Zenst night. From what she had seen of the two together, they didn’t seem like the type to get involved romantically. Both were in a phase of enjoying their single lives, uninterested in rtionships.


    If anything had happened between them, she was sure at least one of them would have done their best to steer clear of anyplications.


    What Hera didn’t realize was that, despite their aversion to rtionships, Athena and Zen were like kindred spirits—free to fool around without attachment. However, while Zen talked a big game, he was actually quite innocent and unprepared for what had transpired between them.


    The experience had left him shocked and overwhelmed. Athena, on the other hand, had also gone through her first-time again in this life, but rather than being shaken by it, she had thoroughly enjoyed it.


    In fact, she was the one who kept pulling Zen back for more, which left him utterly drained and inplete disbelief. His mind struggled to process what had happened, leaving him momentarily short-circuited.


    So, while Hera couldn’t quite picture it, that was exactly what had happened. Athena chose not to tell her, and the men around her, who had witnessed Zen stumbling out of Athena’s room, also kept their mouths shut.


    "Babe, I gotta give you a thumbs up, by the way," Athena said. "I just opened my phone, and I thought I’d see you trending because my family officially recognized you as their goddaughter. But nope! Instead, Alice’s downfall was all over the inte. I never expected you to pull off something like this against the so-called female lead. You really are my best disciple."


    Then, without waiting for Hera’s response, Athena hung up and buried herself back under the nkets. She tossed her phone aside without a second thought,pletely unbothered by the fact that Zen had already slipped away.


    Hera stared at her phone in surprise. She could tell that something was definitely off with Athena, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Instead of dwelling on it, she decided to browse the inte while the others lounged around her.


    Rafael was massaging her legs and feet, her calves restingfortably on hisp. Luke had her lying across hisp, his fingers threading through her hair as he gently massaged her scalp.


    Dave sat on the carpet, his head resting against her side, while Zhane sat beside him, focused on reading some documents on his phone. Hera had one arm casually hooked around Zhane’s shoulder. The atmosphere was calm and rxed.


    But the moment Hera refreshed her feed, she was met with absolute chaos. The inte was a warzone—and Alice was right in the middle of it all.


    ...


    [HeraIsMySister: I never would have guessed that Alice Quinn would go as far as targeting my sister Hera’s suitor. Seriously? Is this what they call aiming too high only toe crashing down face-first? No sympathy here—she brought this on herself. Totally deserved!!!]


    [HeraIsMySister: (｀?′)ψ]