The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 993

Chapter 993: Chapter 993 Rafael’s Reasoning

“If he means no harm, I won’t object. But if he dares to hurt you, if he so much as endangers your life, I’ll be the first to deal with him.” His words rang with domineering finality, a faint murderous edge seeping through as though he were warning Alexandre directly.

Hera blinked, stunned. She hadn’t expected things to go this smoothly.

‘Just like that?’ she thought, staring at Rafael in disbelief, as though he had sprouted a second head and transformed into an alien before her very eyes.

‘He wasn’t even angry? He just accepted Alexandre so easily, almost as if he had anticipated this all along?’ Hera was dumbfounded. She had braced herself to hear an earful from Rafael of all people, expecting him to show his hurt, lash out, storm off, maybe even issue an ultimatum.

At best, she thought he would sulk until she coaxed him back.

She had even prepared herself to nip her budding feelings for Alexandre and keep their relationship strictly professional. After all, she had already turned him down once.

But his persistence, his determination, even following her here, had worn her down little by little. Still, none of that mattered compared to the opinions of her current partners.

To Hera, Rafael’s feelings carried some weight. If even one of them disapproved, she wouldn’t allow herself to entertain Alexandre’s pursuit. Their hearts came before her own.

“Are you… not angry?” Hera asked suddenly, her voice cracking. She looked at Rafael, utterly taken aback by his response.

“I’m jealous,” Rafael admitted softly, “but not angry. If it were before, if you had asked me then, I probably would have fought tooth and nail to keep Alexandre out, just to have more time with you. But things are different now.”

His gaze dropped for a moment before meeting hers again. “When I found out you were the true heiress of the Avery family, I realized how unprepared and weak I was. I knew there would be vultures and opportunists circling you, and that your life would be in grave danger if your identity ever came to light. My strength alone may not be enough to protect you or give you the safety and comfort you deserve.”

He exhaled slowly. “With a family as powerful as yours and being just you and your grandfather at the center of it all, I finally understood why you had to live like a normal person, hidden behind a stand-in. Even your grandfather said as much when you called him after deciding to reveal your true identity to us.”

Rafael moved closer and knelt in front of her, his voice steady but filled with sincerity. “I’ve done a lot of thinking since then. I know my limits. I know my strengths and weaknesses. And I realized I might never be enough. Instead of being your shield, I could end up as your burden… your Achilles’ heel.”

What Rafael said was true. If he stood alone beside Hera, he might easily be crushed by her enemies. But, him, Hera, and her other five partners, together, they were strong, and they would be able to protect and support one another.

What Hera lacked now was international influence and support, and Alexandre was the best candidate to fill that gap. That was the only reason Rafael accepted him without being confrontational.

He also knew he wasn’t the only one thinking this way. Even Leo, despite his missing memories, remained silent. Deep down, he must have already understood why Hera had so many men by her side, and why he had to be magnanimous enough to let his woman be surrounded by them.

Leo also understood that while he came from a powerful conglomerate family capable of supporting Hera, his position at the peak came with its own dangers.

Like Hera, he carried not only influence but also countless enemies, rivals who envied his family’s success and coveted their wealth. The difference was that Hera only had her grandfather as her pillar of support, making her family an easier target compared to his, which remained whole and intact.

He knew the vultures circling them would naturally aim for the weaker link, Hera’s side. And if their two families, both among the largest conglomerates in the world, were to unite, it would cause panic.

Many would resist it with everything they had, for such an alliance would make both families not only stronger than before but also far more difficult to bring down.

For Leo, protecting Hera meant acknowledging a hard truth: even someone as powerful as he was could not shield her alone. He needed the help of other men who possessed the same level of talent and the potential to rise to the top, men who could share the burden of safeguarding the woman he so desperately wanted to protect.

Much of this was speculation on his part, since he had lost most of his memories of Hera. Yet, with his sharp mind, he could piece together the fragments, connect the circumstances unfolding around him, and gain a clear understanding of the choices his old self had once made.

But seeing how harmonious their circle was, he could only conclude that Hera must have been keeping everything fair and balanced, never showing favoritism. That explained why none of them showed any discontent and instead chose to be supportive, pushing one another higher as they worked together.

It was a good sign; perhaps they had already decided as a whole to join forces to protect Hera. After all, since they all loved the same woman, they now shared the same goal. In that case, fighting among themselves would be the most foolish thing they could do.

Still, both Leo and Rafael were relieved that Hera had decided to come clean instead of dragging out the secret. Rafael, in particular, felt freed of the grudge he might have held and seized the chance to display his magnanimity in hopes of winning more of Hera’s attention and affection.

He’d watched how the memory-intact Leo had handled things before and how that had quietly boosted Leo’s standing; Rafael decided to copy the move, only more loudly.

Leo’s approach had always been subtle and silent; Rafael’s was deliberate and public, declaring his devotion so Hera would notice. It was a sneaky strategy, and Rafael grinned at the thought: if Leo knew, he might just beat him to a pulp.

“I… um…” Hera stammered, utterly at a loss for words. Rafael’s heartfelt confession had left her mind blank, and instead of fumbling for an explanation, she simply handed him her phone.

His gaze landed on Alexandre’s string of provocative photos, and by the time he reached the last one, so blatantly suggestive it crossed the line, his grip on the phone tightened. The veins on the back of his hand stood out, betraying the storm he was holding back.

‘Very good, Alexandre… this little incubus dares to seduce my woman like this?’ Rafael thought, his knuckles itching for a fight. He had just finished speaking grand words of magnanimity, so he couldn’t lash out now; otherwise, it would look like he was eating his own words.

He forced himself to swallow the jealousy, but when his gaze met Hera’s wide, innocent eyes watching him nervously, the anger melted away. Instead, a foolish grin tugged at his lips.

“I didn’t know my little minx enjoyed seeing pictures like that. Alright then, later, I’ll take a few nudes in the bathroom and send them to you. You can even use one as your screensaver.”

Hera’s eyes widened in disbelief. She wasn’t sure what shocked her more, the idea of Rafael actually sending her nude photos, or his outrageous suggestion that she make one her screensaver.

‘Was that even allowed? Wouldn’t it be utterly scandalous if anyone else saw it?’

“No way!” she blurted, bristling like a hedgehog, every strand of her composure standing on end.

“Why? Do you dislike my body?” Rafael feigned a wounded expression, and Hera was left speechless.

She couldn’t even trace how their serious talk had suddenly derailed into this. Somehow, the once domineering, intimidating Rafael was starting to remind her of Dave, or maybe it was just because the two men spent so much time together that their quirks were rubbing off on each other.

Hera still wasn’t used to this side of him, but in truth, Rafael’s playful act masked a streak of jealousy. He’d noticed that Hera had Alexandre’s sexy photos on her phone and couldn’t help wanting the same for himself, his own image saved in her gallery, something that made their bond feel more intimate.

What Rafael didn’t know, however, was that Hera hadn’t even saved Alexandre’s photos in the first place, so she never imagined that such a thing could stir his envy.

“Ahem! Am I invisible, or do you two just not see me here?” Leo’s cold, indifferent voice cut in, as if he were merely annoyed by their chatter echoing through his room. In truth, though, he only wanted Hera’s attention. Deep down, jealousy gnawed at him.

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