Under the heiress facade

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Chapter 201

A startled gasp escaped Hera’s lips.

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With unexpected ferocity, Hera seized the intruding hand and yanked, following through with a sharp knee kick.

Caught off guard by her sudden attack, Bernard managed to shield himself but was still thrown over her shoulder.

“Sweetie, it’s me…” he groaned out the words.

Seemingly deaf to his words, Hera scrambled up and launched another attack. Bernard relied on his night vision and narrowly dodged her kick. But as soon as he regained his footing, she charged again.

After a brief exchange, Bernard’s curiosity was piqued. Hera’s fighting style was raw and untrained, yet her blows instinctively found their mark, targeting vulnerable areas.

Each time Hera fell, she rose again, seemingly impervious to pain. Her body moved with an instinctive, primal urge to protect itself.

he held

but

dark. This was far worse than he’d imagined. What

murmured,

biting down hard on his chest. Bernard grunted but didn’t release her. Instead, he whispered her nickname soothingly in

then, a gust of sea wind swept the clouds aside, revealing a bright full moon.

“Hera…”

Samantha arrived with two flashlights in

Hera and Bernard were gone. The untouched barbecue and the encroaching darkness fueled her worst fears, prompting

quickly replaced by alarm. Both were covered in sand, and Hera’s torn dress suggested a fight between

out, hesitant

turned to Bernard and asked worriedly, “There are no lights here! How could you let her wander off alone? Hera is terrified of the dark! When she was young, she was locked in a dark room and abused by traffickers. It

trembled with emotion as she spoke. Bernard’s heart

her struggles subsiding as she released her

Bernard…” she murmured, her voice soft as a kitten’s.

sanity, Bernard gently patted her head.

calmed her slightly, but the