The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress
Chapter 862 Living The Life

Chapter 862: Chapter 862 Living The Life

So, even though she was smiling brightly in front of everyone, projecting innocence and triumph, inside, her emotions were a tangled mess. She felt lost, conflicted, even sad. She didn’t know what to do next. Would her life, and the people she loved, finally be safe? Could she really come out of her shell now and stop worrying about every little thing?

Hera wasn’t sure.

Her gaze drifted back to Alice, who had just stumbled and caught herself against the wall. Alice looked dazed, as if struggling to process how everything had unraveled so quickly. Her world was clearly collapsing, her carefully constructed persona shattered publicly, beyond repair. Even without turning around, Alice must have felt the weight of the whispers behind her, the judgment thick in the air. Her breaths came shallow and quick—she was having a panic attack, suffocating beneath the wreckage of her own downfall.

She never saw this coming. In her mind, everything was supposed to unfold exactly as she had imagined it—she would be crowned the victor of the competition, while Hera would be dragged through the mud, accused of plagiarism, and buried under a storm of criticism and public outrage. But instead, all those daggers were now aimed at her.

Alice was finally tasting fear.

She couldn’t accept how everything had turned against her. The reality was too much to bear, and in a desperate attempt to protect herself, she retreated into her own mind. Her vision blurred, the voices around her faded, and her body gave in to the weight of it all—she collapsed.

The nearby staff rushed over, quickly recognizing her condition and carrying her off to the hospital.

But there was one more person Hera had to thank—Antoine. He was the one who had captured the video of Alice colluding with the woman. By chance, he stumbled upon their scheme and took it upon himself to record the evidence, intending to warn Hera. When he realized he was a bit late, he wanted to come forward, explain everything, and show the video on the big screen. But who would have guessed that Hera already had everything under control?

Hera glanced at Antoine, who had been standing behind Alice earlier, wearing a wide, proud grin like an excited puppy. Behind him stood Alexandre, who had rushed in as soon as he heard Hera was in trouble. He had already rounded up all the staff involved in the bribery and assigned his team to gather the necessary evidence.

Alexandre was just about to step onto the stage to pull Hera behind him and present the proof he had collected—footage of Alice and the woman conspiring, and other footage that came from all over the venue to show the staff working for Alice and her co-conspirator. But Hera’s flawless handling of the situation left him awestruck. His eyes gleamed with admiration and pride as he watched her shine on stage.

It almost looked like Alexandre’s eyes were turning into heart shapes as he stared at Hera, his gaze so intense she could practically feel the heat from across the room. Meanwhile, the internet was exploding with reactions to the dramatic reversal.

[PopcornEater: Holy shit! I did not see that plot twist coming! To all of you who swore you’d eat shit if Hera proved her innocence—don’t play dead now! I took screenshots of your usernames. Get that toilet cam ready and start chewing, kekeke.]

[PopcornEater: (｀∇´)ψ]

[PasserbyGod: Honestly, I expected this from the start. This isn’t the first time Alice Quinn has tried to drag Hera through the mud and play the victim so the public would attack Hera. Wouldn’t be surprised if she paid off some water army trolls too. She’s done it before. The fact that she still had the guts to try the same trick again? She deserves every bit of backlash she’s getting now.]

[PasserbyGod: But seriously, what did Hera ever do to deserve being targeted by Alice Quinn? Is it really that hard for Alice to accept someone else doing better than her?]

[PasserbyGod: Anyway, that Phoenix and Dragon set design was absolutely stunning. If I’m not mistaken, once it’s turned into actual jewelry, with those intricate designs and hidden mechanisms, it could easily be worth seven to eight figures. And let’s not forget Hera’s suitors—wait, scratch that—her official boyfriends. With them in the picture, it’s not far-fetched to imagine they’d drop a fortune just to own the design pieces themselves.]

[Dave_Carson: Yeah, no thanks! Why would I spend money on Leo? That Phoenix set was clearly made for him—he can buy it himself if he wants it. But the Dragon set? I’d happily drop a billion to gift that masterpiece to my sweetheart.]

[SilverEmperor: Are you saying Hera’s design doesn’t deserve to sell well, @Dave_Carson?]

[Dave_Carson: That’s not what I meant!!! Okay, fine—I’m jealous! So what?!]

[Dave_Carson: (;￣ー￣)ゞ]

[EntertainmentKing: You said you’d buy the Dragon set for a billion, @Dave_Carson? Are you sure? Aren’t you the poorest among the six of us? Or are you planning to "borrow" from the government’s treasury?]

[EntertainmentKing: (๑◐ں◐๑)]

[Dave_Carson: Don’t slander me, you bastard! @EntertainmentKing]

[Dave_Carson: (╬ಠ益ಠ)︻デ═一 @EntertainmentKing]

[GoldenLight: Who said Leo’s the only one who could rock the Phoenix set? I’d look just as stunning—maybe even better—wearing it...]

[SilverEmperor: Just admit it—you’re all just jealous of Leo...]

[FatherOfCaduceus: @GoldenLight, @Dave_Carson, @EntertainmentKing — if you guys also want Hera to design a jewelry set for you, maybe try beating yourselves half to death first?]

[FatherOfCaduceus: By the way... I just received a gift. (Image_Attached)]

[FatherOfCaduceus: (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧]

[Dave_Carson: @FatherOfCaduceus ARGH!!! Not you too?! Don’t tell me... that gift is from my sweetheart as well?!]

[FatherOfCaduceus: (¬‿¬)]

[Dave_Carson: ARGHHHH!!!]

[Dave_Carson: (╯°Д°）╯︵ /(.□ . )]

[Dave_Carson: I want one tooooo!!!]

[Dave_Carson: (p〒д〒q)]

[HeraIsMySister: Wait... it really was the president, wasn’t it?! I knew that set was designed for him! But if that’s true, then—he’s the one in the ICU?! Gasp—]

[HeraIsMySister: AHHH! Sister Hera’s other boyfriends basically just confirmed it!!! It really was the president in the ICU!! We have to visit him!!!]

[AuntieNextDoor: What happened to the president?! Is that why he’s been so quiet in the fan club lately? He’s usually the first to share pictures of little sister Hera munching like a squirrel. I thought he was just swamped with corporate work—but it turns out he was in an accident?!]

[PasserbyGod: If I remember correctly, during the IGI Expressions Competition here in our country, Andarta Aria sent Liz Goldsmith to represent her and present her designs to the judges, claiming there was a life-and-death emergency. And now that Hera just revealed she’s Andarta Aria... that emergency must’ve been because something happened to Leo Hendrix?!]

[AuntieNextDoor: Ah! @PasserbyGod, now that you mention it, that must be it! Our dear president @NorthernDuke, please get well soon! Little sister Hera must’ve been so worried about you... just look at her haggard face and sad eyes while sketching outside the ICU. She looked absolutely heartbroken. Oh my God, I can’t stand seeing our beautiful little sister Hera in so much pain!]

[HeraIsLove: The phoenix set must be Sister Hera’s way of sending her heartfelt wishes to her boyfriend.]

[HeraIsLife: +1]

[HeraIsMySister: +999]

[AuntieNextDoor: Somehow, I feel both sad and fluttery at the same time... This must be true love between them.]

[Dave_Carson: @AuntieNextDoor Ep, ep, ep! Hold your horses! Don’t say that, if you say that it was true love, then what about me? A fake love? A dung beside the flower?!]

[SilverEmperor: Sounds about right, @Dave_Carson.]

[GoldenLight: @Dave_Carson I thought you already accepted being last in the ranking? Are you seriously still hoping to claw your way up? Dream on, buddy. Even if a newbie joined the harem, you’d still be at the bottom—our forever mascot.]

[FatherOfCaduceus: Every group needs a mascot to keep things fun and balanced.]

[Dave_Carson: @FatherOfCaduceus Wait—did your account get hacked?! Since when did you start talking like @EntertainmentKing?!]

[FatherOfCaduceus: @Dave_Carson just telling the truth.]

[FatherOfCaduceus: @Dave_Carson Anyway, I’m in a good mood today—I just received a gift.]

[Dave_Carson: @FatherOfCaduceus Zip it, you show-off!]

[GoldenLight: Speaking of which, @SilverEmperor, why aren’t you with Hera? Didn’t you land in Paris hours ago?]

[Dave_Carson: Yeah, where the hell are you? Letting our girl deal with all this on her own while these disgusting flies buzz around her? Ugh! They must’ve crawled out of cow dung with how filthy their schemes are—trying to drag my sweetheart’s name through the mud! Absolutely vile!]

[SilverEmperor: Ah—about that... Sorry. I was so jet-lagged I accidentally overslept. When I woke up, Hera and the others had already left. But I just arrived at the venue now. Hold on...]

[SilverEmperor: (Image_Attached)]

[SilverEmperor: Enemy spotted.]

[GoldenLight: Oh? Isn’t that the Alexandre Arnault guy?]

[Dave_Carson: Confirmed enemy! A sneaky vulture circling our sweetheart! Shoo him away @SilverEmperor! Shoo!!]

[Dave_Carson: And what’s with that clingy, lovesick gaze of his? He’s clearly falling harder for my girl—completely unacceptable.]

[HeraIsMySister: Eh?! What are you saying, Young Minister @Dave_Carson? Are you implying that sister Hera’s six boyfriends might turn into seven?! Is there a new ship about to set sail?!]

[HeraIsMySister:

[Dave_Carson: @HeraIsMySister That’s not the point!! The point is—there’s a guy actively trying to woo my sweetheart! Sound the alarm!]

[HeraIsMySister: Ehh?! Sister Hera is seriously living the dream every woman would love to live—surrounded by drop-dead gorgeous men with eight-pack abs! That’s heaven on earth! We’re all cheering her on, you know!]

[Dave_Carson: ...]

[GoldenLight: ...]

[SilverEmperor: ...]

[FatherOfCaduceus: ...]

[EntertainmentKing: ...]

[PasserbyGod: ...]

___

Thank you once again, and special thanks to FallinBloom, Carol_Ma, Melmelly, Cinparo, Ashley_Ortiz_7085, and Terri_Wright_3929 for the Golden Tickets and your support! It means so much to me and truly made me happy. Thank you, my little Goddesses!!!

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