Still, he wasn’t sure what the right move was. Asking a veteran soldier for help might only make things worse, drawing even more attention and panic. Caught in the middle, Zhane’s polite smile began to falter, the corners of his lips twitching under the weight of his awkward dilemma.


    Hera stepped closer, chuckling softly. It wasn’t every day she saw Zhane looking like this—his usualposed and calm demeanor visibly shaken. But his concern was valid; this was his family’s hospital, and the sight of weapons could easily unsettle both staff and patients.


    "Why don’t you wait here for me?" Hera offered with a light smile. "I’ll go change into something morefortable, and I can bring you the paper bag for those."


    She turned to Cindy with a friendly smile—one that suggested they were acquaintances close enough to speak casually, but not too familiar. Cindy, picking up on the subtle act, nodded politely in return. Zhane, now understanding what they were trying to do, stopped overthinking it and simply nodded as well, ying along.


    Hera stepped back into Zhane’s office, leaving Cindy and Zhane outside. Zhane remained silent but polite, keeping a respectful distance from Cindy, though his eyes stayed fixed on the door Hera had just passed through. Cindy couldn’t help but smile to herself—clearly happy for Hera.


    Inside, Hera quickly changed into a pair of simple ck leggings and a cozy brown turtleneck sweater, knowing how cold hospitals could get at night due to the strong air conditioning.


    After changing, she neatly folded the bodysuit and ced it back into the paper bag. She also retrieved her drawing tablet and the item Amy had delivered for her. Since she didn’t have any other shoes with her, she kept on the military boots and made her way back outside.


    Zhane and Cindy were still standing where she left them. Without saying a word, Hera lifted the paper bag slightly and gestured for Zhane to ce the weapons inside, trusting that the bag was sturdy enough to carry everything.


    As Zhane ced the items into the paper bag, his eyes briefly caught the ck bodysuit Hera had worn earlier. He didn’tment on it—simply tucked the daggers and gun holster carefully inside. Then, he handed the waist belt separately to Cindy.


    It was something she could easily carry without much trouble, and separating it would ease the load on the paper bag. With the weight of two guns and three daggers already inside, Zhane was concerned the bag might tear under the strain. Giving Cindy the belt separately was the safest option.


    Cindy gracefully epted the paper bag, excused herself, and left the two lovebirds to enjoy each other’spany. The moment she turned a corner—out of Hera and Zhane’s line of sight—she immediately opened the group chat with the other aides and began bragging about hertest mission.


    Her excitement was too obvious even through the screen, and it didn’t take long before Gerald, who was diligently working elsewhere, felt like someone had poked his sleeping bear.


    Jealousy red—Cindy had gotten to apany their young miss and see her in action, while he was stuck, surrounded by sweaty men on a routine assignment. The men around Gerald felt the shift in his mood immediately.


    His resentful gaze—like that of a scorned spouse left behind—made their skin crawl. They hadn’t done anything wrong, yet Gerald looked at them with such disdain that they couldn’t help but feel aggrieved and unfairly targeted.


    And so, Gerald began firing back in the group chat while Cindy continued unting her little adventure with Hera. She was clearly trying to rile everyone up—serves them right for calling her boring and a house dog. Now they could see just how sharp this "house dog’s" bite really was. Let them eat their words and realize who the real deadweight was in the team.


    For some reason, Cindy was thoroughly enjoying how jealous the other aides were of her. After all, many of them hadn’t even met Hera yet, while she had just gone on a critical mission with her, seen her in action like a real-life action star, and even snapped a few pictures as souvenirs.


    Meanwhile, they were stuck at their desks, buried under mountains of paperwork, and Gerald—poor Gerald—was still covered in blood from interrogating prisoners, surrounded by stinking men.


    Cindy, on the other hand, got to showcase her skills directly in front of Hera, proving her worth. Without a doubt, she was on track to be Hera’s closest aide, and the others knew it too—which only made them seethe with envy.


    Cindy, fully aware of this, leaned into it, fanning the mes of their jealousy even more. After all, as the only woman in the group who was once teased and underestimated, she felt this was her moment to shine—and she was going to enjoy every second of it.


    <i>’Die of envy, bitches,’</i> Cindy thought smugly as she kept spamming more photos into the group chat—just like how Gerald used to brag whenever he got to apany Hera. But unlike Gerald, who was loud and loved attention, Cindy was quiet and powerful.


    When she saw Hera’s emotions earlier, she didn’t say much—she simply moved into action, making arrangements and getting things done efficiently. In that sense, she was Gerald’splete opposite.


    Still, she couldn’t help but share a few gossips with him. Cindy shipped Hera with her lovers just as much as Gerald did, and despite her provoking him just moments ago, Gerald—ever the gossip-loving drama king—quickly forgot to be mad and started feeding her even more juicy updates about Hera’s love life. Little did he know, Cindy was subtly gathering intel from him the whole time.


    And oh, how smug she felt, watching Gerald hand over all that information without realizing he was being yed.