Under the Heiress' Facade

The Gaskells' stock plummeted, and their losses were in the billions. If this continued, they would soon hit rock bottom.

Queenie gritted her teeth and stomped her foot before reluctantly agreeing to the deal. After obtaining Raven's contact information, she sent a friend request and breathed a sigh of relief.

Queenie was grateful that this ordeal was going to end soon. After all, Hera's surveillance footage had gotten on Queenie's nerves. But once this was resolved, she would show Hera who was the boss.

…

Hera had left Queenie's friend request pending for two days. After Piglet's umpteenth reminder, she finally accepted it.

Saturday had arrived, and that night was the Astral Nova Auction.

Queenie messaged Raven.

"You've finally accepted my friend request. Let's meet up and talk face-to-face."

She added a smiley face with a bead of sweat on its forehead. Her emoji possibly hinted at her annoyance at being ignored for two days but still conveyed her willingness to cooperate.

Hera chuckled and replied using Raven's account.

"Send me the task requirements. I'll review them and get back to you with the price and account details."

After sending the message, she switched accounts and found Bernard's WhatsApp messages. Their last exchange was two weeks ago. She debated whether to tell him about the auction. But every attempt to compose a message felt off. She grew frustrated and tossed her phone aside.

She initially wanted to set clear boundaries. Yet, she didn't understand why she feeling strangely reluctant. She wondered why she should care when Bernard himself didn't even seem concerned about his own well-being.

The neglected phone buzzed with an incoming call. Hera quickly picked it up, expecting it to be Bernard. But her heart sank when she saw Samantha's name flash on the screen instead. Despite the initial disappointment, she answered the call promptly.

"Hera, I'm back in town! I've been busy lately and hardly had time to catch up. How's life at the Everetts'?"

A soft and melodic female voice came through the phone. It was Samantha Steele on the other end. She was an international movie star and Hera's close friend. NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

They had met on an international flight when Samantha was suffering from severe menstrual cramps.

Hera, who was seated beside her, adeptly applied a few acupuncture needles and eased Samantha's discomfort.

Samantha was so grateful that she insisted on getting Hera's contact number and treated her like a guardian angel.

Hera replied, "I'm fine."

Samantha said indignantly, "Really? I just learned about the Everetts scandal and how they mistreated you.

"Why didn't you tell me about it? By the way, I'm on my way there. I'll confront them."

Hera retorted, "Do you want to be banned from entering the country and never see me again?"

Samantha quickly responded, "Of course not!"

Being a foreigner with a quarter of Elvermark royal lineage, she couldn't risk it.

"Then behave and stop making a scene. I don't want to move again," Hera said.

"Move again?"

Samantha sensed something amiss about her response.

"Let's discuss it when we meet."

Hera deliberately kept Samantha guessing.

She wanted Samantha's opinion on her relationship with Bernard, considering Samantha's experience in matters of love.

"Okay!" Samantha agreed.

"But we might not have much time. I'm heading to the Astral Nova Auction tonight. Would you like to join me? They're auctioning off some rare treasures."

Hera responded, "Well, I'm also heading there."

They arranged to meet in a cozy café booth. After some small talk, Hera briefly mentioned her situation with Bernard.

Samantha's eyes lit up upon hearing that.

"Wow, isn't this like a tragic romance straight out of a Shakespearean tragedy?"

Hera was rendered speechless by her reply.