Chapter 284 Is She Coming Out?
After a restful night’s sleep, Hera woke with the first rays of sunlight gently resting on her face as the curtains slid open automatically. She stirred slightly, the bright sunlight compelling her to open her eyes and stretch her muscles in bed. After a moment of blankly staring into space, she finally rose to wash up.
As Hera brushed her teeth and glanced up at the mirror, memories of the passionate kiss she had shared with Luke flooded her mind, causing her cheeks to flush. She wondered when she had become so daring and open to letting such moments happen, speculating whether it was the growing influence of the storyline shaping her subconscious actions.
"Either way, meddling with the female lead’s fate is equivalent to R18 content," Hera reminded herself with a wry expression as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror.
After patting her cheeks a few times, she changed into her jogging attire. Lo and behold, not soon after she entered the elevator, the doors opened on Luke’s floor, causing Hera’s heart to skip a beat as Luke stepped inside, looking refreshed and radiant.
He smiled at her, but there was an undercurrent in his gaze that made Hera look away, unable to hold his stare. Luke continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye. He had enjoyed a peaceful evening, perhaps the best he had experienced so far, and it was all thanks to the woman standing beside him.
He could tell that Hera was somewhat attracted to him, but he knew he needed to tread carefully. "About last night..." Luke started, noticing Hera’s body tense and her expression changed several times. He felt a pang of amusement but refrained from teasing her further for fear of her misunderstanding his intentions. So, he continued cautiously.
"I’m sorry if I was a bit hasty, but I don’t regret it, and I’d kiss you again if given the chance," Luke said. He watched as Hera’s face flushed crimson, the redness spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears and down her neck. She tried to maintain her composure, but the telltale blush betrayed her true feelings.
"I know it might be asking too much, but I hope you’re not angry with me. I really liked it. The kiss, I mean," Luke said, ending with a teasing smile. He bit his lip, restraining himself from making another move.
Hera groaned before hastily exiting the elevator and bolting to the lobby as fast as her legs could carry her. Her face felt even hotter now, but she couldn’t help it. If this kind of interaction continued, she wondered how her heart and body would manage.
She needed time to recalibrate her mindset and gather herself because no matter how hard she tried to avoid it, romantic entanglements seemed inevitable and had already ensnared her a few times. She already gave Dave an anaphrodisiac because she didn’t want to sacrifice herself to save Dave from falling into the female lead’s hands only to end up being intimate with Leo.
Next came Rafale and Luke. If Hera didn’t possess strong self-control and self-awareness, she might have been overwhelmed by the emotions and thoughts stirring inside her—feelings she knew weren’t originally hers but were slowly becoming integrated into her own.
It seemed like this was the sacrifice she needed to make, and she had come to accept it. ’But damn! Luke is so hot!’ Hera thought to herself as she jogged steadily around the garden, biting her lip. ’Maybe even without these feelings and thoughts integrating with mine, I’d still be drawn to him and jump in on him?’