Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes, but Hera willed her heart not to crumble in front of him. 

Every word he spoke shattered her world. 

It was a very low blow, and even Hunter knew it. Bringing up that ugly past was the worst move, but it did the trick anyway. He was successful in hurting her. When she spoke, her voice sounded so broken. 

“Fuck you, Hunter,” Hera uttered, gritting her teeth.. “Trust me, Goddess. You will,” Hunter promised and with that said, he disconnected her call and connected Bianca’s. 

Bianca spoke to him for about ten minutes. She was checking on him to make sure he’s okay. At least that’s what she said. But Hunter knew her better. She was with Eric when he called him on his phone. Bianca had known he was in a phone conversation with Hera. She’d purposely called him to interrupt their conversation. 

Hunter and Bianca were best friends from day one. He knew all her flaws as well as her perfections. It was apparent she’d called to annoy Hera. Because she knew if Hunter chose his best friend over his love that would make Hera pissed. It had always been a cat and mouse game between Bianca and Hera. 

After Bianca said bye to him, Hunter’s thoughts went back to his conversation with Hera. 

‘Words can’t measure the amount of hatred I feel for you.’ 

How easily she’d stated as though she’d meant it. Hunter knew he deserved her hatred, but still, her every word tortured him to death. The pain soon turned into anger. He felt his rage overtaking his senses. He raked his hand through his hair to push it back as it fell on his eyes, almost blinding his sight. But he felt like pulling out his hair instead. 

The growing fury inside him was making him mad, and he wanted to hit something to vent out that anger. The more he thought about her, his need to see her intensified. He missed that blissful feeling of having her in his embrace. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss the hell out of her. 

‘How I wish I could reach you right now, Love.’ 

Even though Hera wanted to hurt him with her words, he knew she’s feeling the pain too. Whatever bitterness swallowed their special bonding, Hunter blamed himself for it. They’d a perfect and beautiful relationship in the past, and he’d ruined it by his reckless actions. He did commit some nasty mistakes without thinking about the consequences he would face. 

It didn’t take more than a minute for Hera to end their relationship. She broke up with him just like that. 

“Huh, like I’ll ever let her go. You’re mine to own, Hera Hunter,” he said out loud as if to assure himself. 

A knock sounded, disturbing his alone time and before Hunter could dismiss whoever was on the other side of the door, that intruder rudely barged in. 

“There you are, my favourite bad boy of all,” a busty blonde with a pretty face in her early twenties said and walked in, flaunting her long legs. She was wearing a dress which was close to nothing. The swell of her breasts, her cleavage, her belly button, her thighs, everything was on display for him. 

“What do you want?” He barked. It wasn’t a good time to test his temper.

‘What was her name again? Fairy, Cherry, Sherry?’ 

He couldn’t even remember her name. But he surely remembered her large breasts. He’d banged her many times in the past. When Hera and his relationship was going through a rough phase, he visited his grandparents in Italy to have some alone time and to nurse his heartache. Two years ago, he met her in Milan during his summer holidays. She was older, experienced, and too good in bed. He needed a distraction, and she played the role perfectly. 

The thought about his past encounters with the girl made him cringe in disgust. 

“Get out,” Hunter snapped, but it didn’t affect the girl. She jumped into his bones without much warning, and before he could pry her hands off him, she attacked his lips. His feet stumbled back, making him fall on his bed. She was now straddling him, her dress rose, exposing her red lace panty. 

A tall frame holding the door handle distracted Hunter, and he saw his bodyguard Mathew looking at him with a disapproving scowl. He tapped a finger on his wristwatch, signalling Hunter that he would get only ten minutes to finish the deed. As soon as Hunter nodded, he pulled the door, shutting it behind him. 

‘Maybe this is what I needed to ease my mind. A quick, good, hard fuck.’

Without any second thought, Hunter’s hand reached his bedside drawer searching for a condom. Exactly after ten minutes, he heard a knock and knew it was Mathew. “I’m all done here, Matt,” Hunter yelled in his rough voice. Mathew pushed open the door and eyed the young woman with distaste. Hunter knew what Mathew was thinking. But nothing happened between them. 

She didn’t get to fuck him because Hunter couldn’t do it. Every time he tried, his heart resisted and continually fought with his mind and all he could see was Hera’s sad face, accusing him of betrayal. 

“Chief, it’s time for you to get ready for the meeting, and Claire’s mother was looking for her,” Matthew said and left, leaving the door to his bedroom wide open. 

Hunter picked up his attire from the wardrobe selected by his mother for their special event. Claire watched while Hunter got dressed. He knew she was eye-fucking him. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, observing his physical features. Not to be rude or something, but ladies die for his attention, and Hunter knew it. Handsome face, the tall, well-built personality of his to blame. 

Dressed in a midnight blue formal shirt paired with cream-coloured dress pants and a suit jacket, Hunter proudly agreed that his mother’s choice had always been the best. 

Once he tucked his shirt in and fastened his belt buckle, he looked at the satin, skinny-tie matching the colour of his shirt perfectly. Claire offered to help him with it, but he refused. “Only my mom holds the copyright to that, baby,” he said, and winked at her before fixing his hair, styling it with his fingers. 

He left the first two buttons of his shirt undone, and the unfastened tie was hanging around his neck. Hunter never learnt to make a tie knot. He had his mother to do that for him. At boarding school, his friends would make a knot for him, but he never let anyone help him wear it around his neck, except his mother. 

He didn’t want to wear a tie, but his mother had sternly ordered to wear it because it wasn’t just a celebration party. His grandfather was going to hand him over his entire business legally. Hunter would meet his business associates, shareholders, and lawyers, and he would sign legal documents. He would attend a formal meeting with their legal team this evening. 

Putting on his brown shoes, he picked up the folder from the table, ready to walk out of the room. Claire took it from his hand while he pocketed his phone. Hooking her arm through his, she walked out of the door along with him. 

Mathew was patiently waiting for him outside his bedroom door, leaning against the railings on the second floor. As soon as he saw the folder in Claire’s hand, he immediately snatched it from her hand. He gave Hunter a disapproving look which he ignored and gestured Claire to go ahead. 

Hunter stood at the bannisters and looked down from there. Stuffing his hands into his trouser pockets, he spoke to Mathew with a hint of amusement. “It’s not like she can run away with the folder or tamper with the legal documents in that folder, Matt. Not, at least with so many CCTV cameras watching and so many armed men guarding at every corner of the huge mansion,” he said, smiling at him. 

Matthew shrugged his shoulders, still watching the girl with his hawk-like eyes. “Can you blame me? She’s a Baresi, and we don’t trust them,” Mathew declared with a definite conclusion. 

Hunter was slightly surprised to hear that. “Then how come you let her enter my room without permission? She came barging in breaching your security,” he said, watching the people gathered in the living hall, all suited up and drinking his grandpa’s expensive alcoholic beverages. They’re all-powerful and dangerous men. Well, not as powerful and as dangerous as his grandfather and father, of course. 

“Don’t blame me, Chief. It’s your grandmothers. It didn’t take much effort for the cunning girl to manipulate their minds and convince your grandmothers that you and she are very close friends. I faintly heard her saying something like dating and that you two know each other from London. They let her in without any distrust, and I don’t dare to go against their word,” Mathew said and turned his face to look at Hunter. 

“But Of course, I let her in only after she passed through our security check. You should never trust a Baresi,” Matthew said, his tone held an undeniable warning. Hunter nodded his agreement before asking, “Is that why we’ve doubled our security today?” That was a rhetorical question and Matthew didn’t bother answering either.