NOVEL WEB Chapter 939 Yours To Enjoy
She even discreetly placed her thumb over Hera's last name, strategically covering "Avery" and only revealing "Hera Ainsley" on the document.
As expected, Silvia, without knowing any better, assumed "Ainsley" was Hera's actual surname, unaware that it was merely her mother's maiden name.
Seeing the contract, Silvia's frown deepened. It bore Cindy's signature, the official property stamp of Green Dragon Manor, and the attorney's signature—proof that the document was legally binding.
Hera would have to be extremely foolish to forge something like this. Besides, the mere fact that she was able to access this floor meant she possessed the card assigned to it. Silvia herself had only managed to come up by following the servants.
For a moment, she had entertained the hope that her grandfather was finally preparing this penthouse for her. She had been pestering him to gift it to her for a long time, believing that living here would elevate her status and bolster her reputation. After all, this unit symbolized power and exclusivity.
That was why, even though she was furious about so many of the servants leaving the mansion to come here, she followed them, curious about what was happening. Originally, she planned to scold them and vent her frustration from the unpleasant incident at the hospital.
But once that was done, she intended to snoop around the penthouse. The place had clearly been remodeled, and to her surprise, it matched her taste perfectly, elegant, feminine, and refined. It was exactly the style she had dreamed of for herself.
But to her surprise, Hera actually had a valid contract, and not just any contract, but one backed by the kind of payment that felt like daylight robbery. Silvia didn't know whether to laugh at Hera's apparent foolishness for spending that much, or to be stunned by the sheer wealth it implied.
She looked at Hera again, this time truly seeing her, with a complicated expression in her eyes. Normally, someone like Hera, wealthy, clearly connected, and now proven to have the credentials to live in the Green Dragon Manor, would be the exact kind of person Silvia would try to befriend.
After all, anyone who could live here wasn't just rich; they had influence, reputation, and likely came from an aristocratic family.
But no matter how she tried, Silvia couldn't bring herself to extend that olive branch. Not to this girl. Hera wasn't just another socialite—she was a thorn in Silvia's side… all because of Leo.
And beyond that, something else bothered her deeply. Why were the Avery mansion's servants here? More importantly, why did Hannah move around the penthouse with such ease and familiarity—as if she'd been serving here for a long time?
A quiet sense of unease crept into Silvia's heart. She was starting to suspect… that Hera might not be just anyone. She might be someone important.
She had never once entertained the idea that Hera might be the Avery heiress, the very one she'd occasionally heard Old Master Avery mention but had never actually seen.
As far as Silvia knew, the real heiress hadn't yet returned to claim her rightful place and wouldn't until she had "proven herself." What Silvia didn't know was that Hera had originally been meant to return on her eighteenth birthday—nearly two years ago.
Old Master Avery had deliberately kept that detail from her. He didn't want Silvia stirring up trouble or making a spectacle of Hera's return. He simply wanted to welcome his granddaughter home quietly.
But when Hera didn't come back and instead continued living outside the family's influence, the old man told Silvia that Hera wouldn't be allowed to return until she was strong enough to bear the weight of the entire consortium on her shoulders.
To Silvia, that sounded less like a condition and more like a banishment. In her mind, it was a clear dismissal. No one could ever return to the Avery household without the family's full backing, and Hera had none.
That's why Silvia had never once considered the possibility that the mysterious heiress… might be standing right in front of her now.
"So, you're the one renting this penthouse?" Silvia asked, her tone strained as she looked up from the contract. She made a move to pull it closer for inspection, but Hannah had already closed the folder and taken a step back.
When Hera gave a subtle nod in response, Hannah turned and walked back upstairs to secure the contract once more.
The message was clear: they didn't trust Silvia and were taking precautions to prevent her from doing something reckless, like tearing the document or creating a scene.
The clear lack of trust stung, and Silvia's anger began to boil again. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at Hera, and only now did she truly take in the young woman's appearance.
Despite the cast on her arm and the bruises on her face, Hera's beauty was undeniably delicate, almost fragile, the kind of beauty that invoked both admiration and sympathy.
Compared to her, Hera still possessed an air of innocence—soft, untouched, and effortlessly graceful. Silvia, on the other hand, was dressed head to toe in designer brands, her makeup flawless and her figure striking.
Both of them had hourglass shapes and undeniable beauty, but where Hera's curves only enhanced her delicate charm, Silvia's made her appear older than her age. The expensive clothes and carefully applied makeup that were supposed to elevate her instead emphasized a maturity that felt out of place beside Hera's natural allure.
And it grated on Silvia's nerves. The more she looked at Hera, the more that envy festered beneath her skin.
"Isn't it obvious?" Dave cut in with a snort, as if he were speaking to someone too dense to grasp the obvious. He even rolled his eyes, unable to hide his exasperation.
Silvia's attention snapped to him, and for the first time, she really looked at the men surrounding Hera. Dave looked handsome in a clever, cunning sort of way. Rafael has this kind of dangerous and intense handsome vibe, like someone who used to command.
And Xavier, who stood behind Hera's wheelchair, radiated calm strength with a beauty so refined it almost felt otherworldly.
Silvia's eyes widened. These weren't ordinary men; they were high-caliber, elite. And all of them were gathered around Hera. Protective. Watchful. Like lions circling their queen, ready to strike at the first sign of threat.
Jealousy surged in Silvia's chest like a wave. She had always imagined herself being surrounded by powerful, extraordinary men like these. Yet here they were, standing behind Hera, not her. And despite being bruised and recovering, Hera carried an invisible crown that made Silvia feel painfully small in comparison.
"Hah! This place was only rented to you because I was away. Now that I'm back, it's only right that I take it back," Silvia declared haughtily, speaking as if the penthouse truly belonged to her.
In truth, she couldn't bear to see Hera doing well. Maybe it was seeing her with Leo at the hospital earlier that made her mark Hera as an enemy. Or maybe it was simply the way Hera seemed to have it all, grace, beauty, and now, apparently, power. The jealousy burning in her chest only seemed to cement that feeling.
Hera let out a soft, mocking chuckle.
"Are you robbing me?" she asked, her voice light, almost amused. "You want me to leave this place? Sure..." Her smile widened sweetly, while Silvia's twisted into one of triumph, as if to say 'See? You can't win against me.'
But that victory was short-lived.
"...But first, you'll have to pay me the 9.6 billion I already paid for the annual lease, plus the penalty for breaching the contract. The original sale price of this penthouse was 12 billion, and the penalty is ten times that amount. So... will you be paying by bank transfer or card?" Hera asked with a tilt of her head, her smiling eyes gleaming with cold sharpness.
To Silvia, that smile looked like the devil's own. Her face drained of color, and she trembled like a leaf, unable to even form a reply.
"Are you kidding me?! You're the one robbing me!" Silvia shrieked, her voice rising in pitch as her composure began to crack.
Hera tilted her head slightly, her expression pure and innocent, but the amusement in her eyes betrayed her. "It's clearly stated in the contract," she said calmly. "I could have Hannah fetch it again if you'd like a refresher. And let's not forget, you're the one trespassing on my property."
She smiled sweetly, almost as if she were genuinely concerned, but the glint of satisfaction in her gaze said otherwise. Hera was enjoying every second of watching Silvia unravel.
"My grandfather owns this place; how could I not cancel the lease?" Silvia snapped, her face twisting with anger.
"I never said you couldn't," Hera replied coolly. "I just said you'd have to pay me back. And don't forget the renovations, you'll need to cover those, too. I've only lived here for a few months, and I'm rarely home, so everything is practically brand new. Well… except maybe the bed," she added with a thoughtful look, as if she were genuinely trying to be fair. "But everything else? Yours to enjoy."