Hera still remembered the first day of her school. She couldn’t be happier to go to the same school as her brother. The mere thought of learning to read and write in school made her happy because she was desperate to read the message written on the chocolate wrappers given by her eight-year-old husband.

Unaware of the biggest surprise that awaited there for her, Hera was beyond excited. 

That said surprise was none other than her Prince charming. 

She met her secret boyfriend/husband, Mr Hunter, at the school on her first day itself, and it only multiplied her happiness. She never thought she’d be meeting him so soon after their last meeting in the church on her fifth birthday where he disclosed the prophecy about their destined union in the future as husband and wife.

Finally, she learned his first name. Her Mr Hunter was called Ace, but she preferred calling him Hunter. Because whenever she addressed him as Hunter, he would call her “Mrs Hunter” in reply, and that truly made her happy. She was glad to learn the fact that Danny and Hunter have been already best friends.. 

Then she met their whole gang, Hunter’s other best friends. Little did she know they were going to ruin her happiness. They stood like a strong pillar between Hera and her love, separating them from each other. By the time she realized what was happening, that pillar morphed into the unbreakable wall.

Hera hated them all, with all her guts. 

They bullied her every day and made her life hell. The worst part was, Danny never bothered to stop his friends. He never even once questioned or objected their evil intentions towards Hera. They couldn’t have asked for a better friend because Danny was a great friend. He never let down his friends, but he always stood against Hera, obviously siding with his so-called best friends. 

“It’s just a prank Hera, learn to be a sport and stop being a crybaby,” Danny would say to shut her up, whenever Hera went to her brother crying for help. That was his logical explanation to defend his friends. 

‘Yep, that made my life so easy.’ 

Hera could only scoff and curse in her mind at his ridiculous logic.

Never once did he stop Hunter from making every second of her life miserable. 

‘Obviously, assholes are best friends, after all.’ 

It had always been like this between Danny and Hera. Danny would always choose his friends over his little sister, Hera. Their relationship was remarkably bitter, and they were anything but loving siblings.

And as for Hunter, he’s entirely a different picture altogether. Hera never even dreamt of him being so evil. Whatever fantasy she had as a child, shattered into bits and pieces when they grew up. He went on from being her Prince charming to a heartless villain in no time, and soon he turned her every dream into a nightmare. 

Danny’s angry outburst put an end to Hera’s trip to memory lane and brought her back to the present. 

“I don’t get it, Hera. What’s your fucking problem? He’s rich, popular, handsome, smart, and to top it all he’s crazy for you. What else do you want, Hera?” Danny yelled in anger. He was once again in the defence mode, and Hera knew he’d never stop defending his buddy. 

‘Oh, here comes personal rescuer of Ace Hunter. Ever ready to do some damage control during the crisis.’

Hera scoffed in derision before answering his question. “You forgot to add some more adjectives in the description, Danny. He’s also an arrogant asshole, an egoistic Jerk, a cheating bastard, and a man-whore who sleeps with anything that spreads legs for him,” she uttered each word with so much venom it made Danny speechless for a minute. The silence stretched throughout the room, and Hera thought he might leave her alone now. 

But she had no such luck. 

Hera watched as his forehead furrowed, eyes focused somewhere far, lips pressed into a thin line, and he looked as if he’s in a deep thinking mode, twisting and turning his brain. Then he glanced at her with a mocking smile. 

“Hmm, that must be hard to digest, right?” He asked, only to add fuel to the burning fire inside her. “Of course, he’s arrogant. Why wouldn’t he? As I said, he’s got the looks, brain, and money. Ego is a man’s greatest weapon, Hera, and about your accusation of him being a man-whore,” he shrugged his shoulders as if to say, it’s nothing. 

“We’re hot-blooded men, after all. We have our needs and raging hormones to take care of. Besides, what do you expect from the man when your reaction and response is that of a dead fish every time he touches and kisses you?” He asked in a contemptuous tone. “Dear Hera, if it’s any consolation, he’ll stop straying from now on as you’re mature enough to feel and reciprocate his physical desires. You’re capable of calming his raging hormones,” he said, voice filled with mock sympathy. 

Hera felt like someone poured a bucket of cold water on her.

‘He called me a dead fish?’ 

Though at her tender age, she didn’t know anything about sexual pleasures, Hera still felt insulted when he compared her to a dead fish. 

She glared at him murderously, but it didn’t affect him a bit, though. He continued with his speech, annoying her to the core. “You’re a woman now, ooh, whoa!” He said, inclined his head and clapped his hands as if to say he was proud of her achievement. 

“And hopefully, now you’ll understand the physical trauma we men go through because of our rebellious hormones, defying all our attempts to control. So stop being a jealous bitch, Hera and take care of your man. It’s your job to take care of his needs as his girl,” he scolded her as though she’d committed the biggest mistake of her life. 

Hera couldn’t believe she just heard him saying all that. She shook her head in disbelief. Whatever he said, it only made her feel disgusted. He meant it like she was an object made to please a man. Her pride was wounded. She wasn’t any sex toy, and she wanted to scream at Danny’s face that he was a sexist bastard. 

‘Take care of his needs? Does he think I’m a prostitute or some sex worker?’ 

“Wow! I’m blessed. What did I do to get a brother like you for life?” Hera asked, throwing her hands up in the air, and groaned in frustration as though she’s going through the greatest agony of life. Danny didn’t miss the sarcasm dripping from her words. It only made him more furious because she did make him feel like he’s the greatest agony of her life every time they fought. Well, that’s all they did, fighting, and fighting and more fighting.

Danny was sick and tired of fighting with her, but Hera never stopped fighting over their so-called sibling bond. She never let a single chance to go waste where she would get to accuse him of what a disappointment he was as a brother.