Under the Heiress' Facade

Silence fell as everyone waited to see how Bernard would handle Hera.

Meanwhile, in Room 508, Samantha was admiring Hera's composure. Despite her admiration, Samantha couldn't help but wonder if Hera was stirring up trouble.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

Samantha stood up anxiously.

"Is the grandmaster really going to kick us out of Astral Nova?"

"No. Just open the door," Hera reassured her.

Samantha walked to the door and placed her hand on the knob.

She turned to look at Hera and whispered nervously, "But what if they're serious?"

The thought of being kicked out and becoming the subject of international gossip was too embarrassing for Samantha to bear.

"Don't you still have your royal guard?" Hera teased.

If the situation got rough, she wouldn't hesitate to fight back.

Samantha pondered Hera's confidence and realized it stemmed from seizing opportunities rather than waiting for them to fall into her lap.

It felt like playing with fire, which was daring beyond belief. Yet, she loved the thrill.

With a deep breath, Samantha opened the door to find a burly bodyguard wearing sunglasses outside.

"Miss, the grandmaster requests your presence on the seventh floor," he said.

Samantha breathed a sigh of relief inwardly as she noted the request was for them to go up instead of being kicked out. She quickly looked at Hera.

"Okay."

Hera nodded, and they followed behind the bodyguard.

As Hera and Samantha exited the viewing platform, onlookers immediately speculated if they were being kicked out from Astral Nova.

Everyone knew troublemakers typically met a harsh fate.

Challenging the grandmaster in public and merely getting kicked out? Many felt the grandmaster was too lenient.

Then, the host received the message through his earpiece, and his announcement interrupted the murmurs.

"The grandmaster has accepted Bidder 508's challenge."

"What?"

"The grandmaster actually accepted? That's against the rules!"

"Is the grandmaster being too kind?"

"Can you really pull off something like this?"

The crowd erupted into chatter.

On the seventh floor, the bodyguard opened the grandmaster's viewing room door and motioned for Hera to enter. She nodded and stepped inside.

Samantha wanted to follow, but the bodyguard stopped her.

"The grandmaster only invited her, not you," he stated.

She widened her eyes.

"We're together. Since when do you split guests up like this? You're not trying to separate us to cover your tracks, are you?"

The bodyguard remained silent.

Hera turned back and gave Samantha a reassuring look.

"Wait for me outside," she said.

Samantha reluctantly stepped aside as she watched the door close.

The bodyguard led Hera up the stairs to the grandmaster's room, which was much larger than the one downstairs. It was decorated in a consistent Gilded Age style.

They passed through one room to reach a viewing platform separated by a bead curtain. A tall figure stood facing away from them.

Dressed in sleek black attire that emphasized his tall stature, he stood against the backlight and exuded a mysterious presence.

"Grandmaster, she's here," the bodyguard said respectfully.

The man, wearing a ghost mask, turned around. His eyes were sharp and piercing.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

Separated by the curtain, Hera and the man exchanged cold gazes and silently assessed each other.

Finally, he broke the silence and said in a deep husky voice, "Let's hear the rules of the game."