Under the Heiress' Facade

Once again, Bernard found himself at a loss for words.

The shares that Albert left for him meant nothing to him. He hated Albert.

Did Albert really think that by giving Bernard the shares after his death, he'd be able to make up for the suffering Bernard's mother endured for so many years after finding out that he cheated on her?

It could never change the fact that the Killian family had cornered her and caused her to die.

Bernard didn't need those shares.

Returning to the matter at hand, he couldn't believe that Hera would make assumptions about his sexual orientation simply because of that rumor.

"The legal minimum age of marriage here is 20," he said.

That single sentence hit Hera like a bomb.

He continued, "So, it's not like I don't want to get married. It's just that the woman I like isn't 20 yet."

Hera was stunned. This was way too much information for her to digest, and she was speechless.

"Aren't you ga-"

"No!" Bernard cut her short.

"Well then, why were you watching..." Hera's voice faltered as she realized that that wasn't the point.

She exclaimed, "There's actually someone you like?"

She wondered who the woman was and what kind of person she was.

Bernard looked into her eyes and said, "Yes."

Hera met his eyes.NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

Bitterness washed over her for no apparent reason, and she said, "Then why did you...'

...seduce me?

She didn't voice the last two words.

That's not right! The Bernard she knew was a capricious man. Who knew if he was speaking the truth or just lying to her? She mustn't be fooled by him again.

At that moment, it occurred to her that she didn't know much about him.

Sensing her hesitation to speak, Bernard gently put his hand behind Hera's head and asked, "What did I do?"

"You didn't prove to me that what you said was true!" she snapped, wary of him.

The look of alert on her face made him frown slightly.

"What should I do to prove that to you?"

Hera was speechless. How would she know?

Frustrated, she said, "You-"

Her eyes widened as Bernard's face closed in. They were so close that he could see his reflection in her eyes.

Then, he pressed his lips softly against hers, and her mind turned completely blank.

It was her first kiss.

She pushed him away. Furious, she raised her hand to slap him, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Does this prove it?" he asked,

pressing his other hand against the back of her head as he rested his forehead against hers and stared into her eyes as if in a daze.

Hera's eyelashes fluttered in shock. She had one hand pressed against his chest to stop him from kissing her again.

Hera had always thought she was a

smart woman, but at that moment, her mind seemed to have ceased

working. Her thoughts were a mess, and she couldn't even speako

properly.

She stuttered, "H-How could you? Y-You already like someone else."

Bernard thought she looked especially cute when she panicked. He felt the strong urge to pull her into his arms so that she would belong to him and him only. Ble didn't want anyone else to see her.

There was a blaze in his eyes when he asked, "Do you still not understand?"

His gaze burned, making Hera's ears turn red from embarrassment. She quickly looked down at her shoes, refusing to meet his gaze.

She didn't dare to look into those fiery eyes of his for fear of losing the last ounce of rationality she had in her.

"Let me calm down for a bit," she muttered, wringing her wrist free from his grasp so she could push him away with both hands.

"I'll keep you company then," Bernard told her as he stood in front of the door.

He wouldn't let her leave.

He realized that he mustn't repeat his mistake. He couldn't take his time to let her slowly make her guesses and discover his feelings for her. He'd learned that he should just be frank by directly telling her about it. Otherwise, who knew what kind of trouble he'd fall into in the future? Hera said, "I can't tell if what you're saying is true."