?Chapter 86


    Hera had barely tasted the dish, so she obediently nodded. "Yeah."


    "Say Please, Bernie'' then," Bernard requested. As he finished his words, he braced himself, expecting Hera to meet his request with a chilly response


    Yet, the temptation of delicious food was too strong for Hera to resist. Without hesitation, she called out, "Please, Bemie."


    With that, Bernard''s hand twitched imperceptibly, and his throat tightened. His spur-of-the-moment decision to have Hera address him differently suddenly felt weighty.


    It wasn''t the first time people had called him "Bernie," but hearing it from Hera felt different


    As Hera spoke, her mind felt foggy, as if the food had clouded her thoughts. She couldn''t believe she fell for his charm. Despite her racing heart, she epted the steak calmly and continued eating.


    The steak was delightful, as was the bacon. Hera convinced herself she was onlyplying for the sake of the food. Yeah, that was it!


    They sat facing each other, lost in their thoughts during breakfast. Yet, the atmosphere remained surprisingly harmonious.


    After breakfast, Hera took the initiative to clean up, but Bernard stopped her. "Leave it. The maid will handle it. Tonight,e with me to meet someone."


    "Who?" Hera inquired, still preupied as she kept an eye out for Tiramisu trying to snatch leftovers. "Camille Chime," Bernard said, deliberately observing Hera''s reaction.


    Hera paused and then nced up as she asked, "Why do you want me to meet her?"This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Hera vaguely remembered Camille. They had briefly crossed paths at an international medical conference before. She knew Camille had earned a reputation as a medical prodigy in the country since her teens.


    Bemard paused and then offered a reasonable exnation. To assess her medical expertise."


    Hera felt somewhat displeased. "Don''t you believe that I''ll be able to cure your illness?"


    "I do, but Chad doesn''t know that and arranged someone else for me." Bernard exined, his tone carrying a hint of resentment as he portrayed himself as a victim.


    "I refuse," Hera said firmly, her tone cold and detached. It was a stark contrast from her earlierpliance. At that moment, she seemed like a fair- weather partner, disengaging now that they''d each gotten what they wanted.


    "Actually, I''m not keen on going either. As a weakling'' in the Killian family, I''m isted and defenseless. I have no choice but to follow Chad''s orders if I want to survive," Bernard added.


    As Bernard spoke, a suddenmotion erupted at the entrance. They turned to see the door wide open. Dous was sprawled on the floor amidst scattered fruit and broken vase fragments.


    Dous hade to pick up Bemard. He had the keys to this ce as he often came to take care of Tiramisu when Hera wasn''t around.


    ustomed to using the keys directly, he didn''t expect to overhear Bernard''s conversation.


    But a misstep led to his fall--a painful reminder that this was reality, not a dream. He wasn''t hallucinating! He had heard Bemard''s smooth talk to Hera, along with his self-pitying act.