CHAPTER 896: CHAPTER 896 SOLUTION

It wasn’t just a business decision anymore. His wife had made it personal. She was cutting off everything tied to Emily, slamming shut every door her husband had once opened for his mistress. And in doing so, she was making sure that neither Emily nor her "little canary act" would have a stage left to perform on.

The woman felt no sympathy for Emily, even after hearing about her miscarriage. To her, Emily was nothing more than a homewrecker with a twisted mindset. In her eyes, the miscarriage was the child’s own blessing in disguise, a form of karmic protection. After all, what kind of future would a child have under someone like Emily?

If the baby had been born and Emily failed to use it to secure a place in her lover’s household, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t turn her frustration onto the child, treating it like a punching bag or a source of emotional release. Just imagining that future made the woman’s blood boil. It hardened her resolve; she wouldn’t allow either Emily or her cheating husband a way out.

Her children supported her decision wholeheartedly. They had seen firsthand just how cruel their father could be. A cheater would always find a way to cheat again, no matter how many promises he made. Whether it was with Emily or another woman like Evon or Anna, it was only a matter of time. Worse, if he ever truly fell for someone new, his cruelty might not stop at betrayal; he could turn it on his wife, just like he’d done to Emily.

That thought terrified the children. Now in their teens, they were old enough to understand what was happening and form their own opinions. And they were clear about one thing: they didn’t need a father like him. In fact, they were the ones pushing hardest for the divorce, determined to protect their mother and themselves from any further harm.

And so, their mother withdrew all of her husband’s investments that had been supporting Emily’s rise in the entertainment industry, including the funds allocated to the movie Hera, and Xavier was set to star in. Since Emily was only a supporting actress, it wasn’t difficult to find a replacement, so her removal didn’t pose much of a problem.

The real issue lay with Alice. She had been entangled in one scandal after another, with the most recent being a plagiarism accusation that completely backfired. Ironically, she had accused Hera of plagiarizing her work, but it was later proven to be the other way around. The fallout was too much to contain.

Given the circumstances, the director had no choice but to remove Alice from the production as well. While her acting skills were solid, the director valued character and professionalism above talent. He made the decision swiftly.

Since Alice was the first to breach her contract due to the scandal, she was held responsible for liquidated damages and required to compensate the production. However, no one knew where she had disappeared to, making it impossible for them to serve the legal documents or collect the compensation she owed.

Because of the back-to-back problems, the director was at his wits’ end, so stressed he’d been pulling at his own hair in frustration. But when he received Betty’s call and heard what she had to say, he nearly jumped out of his seat. He was ready to rush over to her immediately, only to realize it was still dark and dawn wouldn’t come for another hour. All he could do was fidget anxiously as he waited for the sun to rise.

It felt like he’d been a fish thrown back into the water, like he’d just been granted a second life. Hera stepping in as an investor after the project’s biggest backer withdrew their funding was nothing short of a miracle. He was already deep into production, and tens of millions had already been spent on custom props and preparations. Even if he emptied his own pockets, he wouldn’t be able to cover everything.

But just as another concern began to weigh on him, Betty addressed it first, repeating Hera’s message. As long as the team could prioritize filming the scenes that didn’t involve Hera while she recovered, there was still a real chance they could finish the movie on time. If everything went smoothly, they could still submit a complete entry for the award ceremony the director was aiming for.

So while waiting for the sun to rise, the director and Betty discussed everything in detail, strategizing how to proceed with the shoot without compromising Hera’s recovery. Meanwhile, Hera sent a message to Larry Wickman, outlining what she needed him to handle. Once she finished tying up the loose ends concerning the movie, a wave of drowsiness washed over her.

Xavier, unaware of what she had just been doing, gently took the phone from her hand. He helped her lean back against the pillow and quietly lowered the bed’s elevation. He then sat beside her, watching as her breathing steadied and her eyes finally closed in sleep.

After confirming she was resting, Xavier turned to Minerva, Liz, and Athena and urged them to return to the hotel. At first, they resisted, wanting to stay and keep watch over Hera. But eventually, they realized that they needed to rest too. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be able to take over later and give Xavier a break. After all, knowing him, he wouldn’t leave Hera’s side until she truly began to heal, and even then, only reluctantly, and he might burn himself out because of it.

Because out of everyone, Xavier had been the most shaken.

He had watched the car explode with his own eyes, felt the heat of the flames, and for one terrifying moment believed that the woman he loved was still inside. That kind of trauma wasn’t something easily shaken off. Zhane, Luke, Rafael, and Dave had all been frightened, too, but what Xavier experienced was different. He had nearly witnessed the death of the woman he loved, powerless to stop it, even when he was just steps away from her.

It was only natural that he now clung to her presence, needing her nearness to anchor his sanity, to assure himself that she was really alive.

Xavier kept reaching out to touch Hera, as if needing constant reassurance that she was real, that she hadn’t vanished in the explosion. He couldn’t even bring himself to close his eyes, afraid that if he did, she might disappear the moment he opened them again. Everyone around him had already noticed his unusual behavior, but they understood. He was still trying to process what had happened, and only Hera herself could truly calm the storm inside him.

In a way, they felt sorry for Xavier. He was clearly suppressing his inner turmoil, clinging to composure while his heart struggled to believe she was truly safe. More than anything, he needed this time alone with Hera to ground himself in her presence, to fall apart quietly if he had to. But even after Liz, Minerva, and Athena left to give him space, Alexandre remained by Hera’s side, refusing to go.