CHAPTER 902: CHAPTER 902 PLANNING TO TELL THE TRUTH?

"Great! This is the medicine tablet, you’ll only need to take one a day," Cindy explained confidently. "Depending on how your body reacts, it could accelerate your recovery significantly. Dr. Zigheart, along with a nutritionist, also arranged a personalized diet plan to support your healing. Based on his evaluation, your bones could start recovering within a month. And if you stick to the full treatment plan, it might even be sooner."

Cindy’s tone carried quiet assurance. She trusted Dr. Zigheart; he wasn’t the type to exaggerate. If he said a month, he meant it. And considering the diet plan included rare and valuable herbs, like century-old ginseng and others worth millions, there was every reason to believe in a full and rapid recovery. After all, while bones are notoriously slow to heal, the combination of cutting-edge medicine and a powerful diet meant Hera had nothing to worry about.

Even Xavier was stunned by what he heard. He had expected Hera’s recovery might be sped up by a week at most, but healing in four weeks? That felt unreal, almost like a joke. He didn’t know whether to be happy or deeply concerned. The idea of Hera walking, or worse, running, after just a month worried him. What if the tissues around her injuries weren’t fully healed? What if pushing too soon only made things worse? He didn’t want to gamble with her health.

But then he saw Hera nodding with quiet trust, and he bit back his doubts.

This was her body, and she clearly trusted Cindy and Dr. Zigheart. Who was he to object? Especially when Dr. Zigheart wasn’t just some outsider, he was someone Hera had personally recruited, just like Sasha. And Cindy? She wasn’t just an aide. She had grown up around the Avery family; her family had served Hera’s for generations. These weren’t strangers to Hera. They were her people.

Just like others, Xavier didn’t know much about them, and that they were the ones she trusted with her life, that’s why he was worried, but he still stayed silent.

Aside from investing all her money into various ventures, Hera had used her initial bucket of gold to support Dr. Zigheart’s early research. It was a gamble, but one she believed in. Eventually, her grandfather took notice, not just of Dr. Zigheart’s groundbreaking discoveries, but of Hera’s belief in his potential.

Impressed by both, he began personally sponsoring the doctor’s work, even going so far as to build him a state-of-the-art lab overseas. Dr. Zigheart was appointed as the lead technician and head physician on several high-level projects. But none of that would have happened without Hera taking the first step. She gave him his break, and for that, Dr. Zigheart was unwaveringly loyal.

Their lab was also tied to the Avery family’s extensive network of charitable initiatives, providing free medical aid to the underprivileged. Thanks to those programs, they never lacked willing volunteers for clinical trials.

Still, Cindy struggled to come up with a plausible reason for her sudden appearance, fully prepared with Hera’s recovery plan and specialized diet. Thankfully, everyone in the room was tactful enough not to press her on the inconsistency.

The truth was, Cindy had been too shaken by Hera’s near-death experience to think straight. Hera wasn’t just their boss; she was the sole heir to the entire group. Her life was worth more than gold, and the danger surrounding her made everyone feel as if their hearts were hanging off a cliff.

Maybe Cindy had grown a little too comfortable with her excuse just now, too casual in her words, because she trusted everyone inside Hera’s room. After all, she knew Hera wouldn’t allow anyone near her if she didn’t trust them. And deep down, Cindy believed it was only a matter of time before Hera came clean about her true identity to her boyfriends. In truth, part of her was conspiring to give Hera a gentle push. The longer Hera kept it hidden, the more complicated everything would become.

As Hera calmed herself, though her joy hadn’t quite faded, she slowly realized their slip-up. Not just hers, but Cindy’s and even Athena’s. Her gaze shifted to Xavier, who was intently reading the nutritional plan on the tablet Cindy had handed him. Hera nervously studied his expression.

He looked calm, too calm.

She knew Xavier well. For all his laid-back and carefree demeanor, he was sharp and perceptive, just like the other male leads. His silence didn’t reassure her; it made her even more uneasy. The fact that he didn’t ask questions was more telling than if he had. Hera’s chest tightened with guilt.

He was already beginning to suspect.

She quietly pursed her lips, the decision forming clearly in her mind.

She had to come clean—very soon.

She’d been betting everything on the hope that they wouldn’t follow the original storyline, that they wouldn’t regress and turn on her to devour her family’s legacy. In truth, the reason she had kept her identity hidden for so long wasn’t just caution, it was fear.

She was terrified that if she came clean, the illusion she had been living in would shatter. That they would snap back into the roles written for them, come together, and destroy everything she held dear, her family, their power, their future.

She had been running from that possibility for so long that avoidance had become second nature. But after what happened to Leo, something changed in her.

She began to realize that time was more precious than fear.

She didn’t know how long she’d have with the people she loved. She didn’t know which goodbye would be the last. And with that clarity came the courage to face what she’d been avoiding. It was better to be honest, to be brave, than to keep living in the shadow of a fear that might never even come true.

If things turned out as she feared... then so be it. That was the price of truth.

But what if her fears were wrong?

What if telling them the truth strengthened their bond instead of breaking it? And what if keeping secrets was the very thing that would drive them away?

If she lost them because of her silence... who else could she blame but herself?

With a firm nod to herself, Hera made her decision. The weight she’d been carrying for so long finally began to lift. For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt relief, lighthearted, even, because she no longer had to hide her identity from the people who mattered most to her. Coming clean meant more than just honesty; it meant trust. It meant having more people by her side, people she could count on, who would support her and stand with her when the world turned cruel.

She didn’t have to face everything alone anymore. She didn’t have to fight to change her fate by herself.

Smiling genuinely as she spoke with Cindy, Hera began to plan her confession. She would gather everyone who deserved to know: Leo, Luke, Dave, Rafael, Zhane, and Xavier. They all needed to be there. No more secrets. No more hiding. Just truth, trust, and the hope that this time, it would bring them closer together.

And so, after making her decision, Hera no longer acted like someone burdened by secrets. She began speaking openly with Cindy, casually asking about Dr. Zigheart’s whereabouts, the progress of the research facility, and other classified matters without hesitation.

To anyone paying close attention, it was clear: Hera wasn’t just informed about the lab, she spoke like someone in command, someone who received regular updates and gave directives. It didn’t take much to realize that Cindy wasn’t just a friend; she was reporting like a subordinate.

Cindy, seeing Hera finally relaxed and no longer burdened by the need to hide, beamed with pride. She eagerly shared updates, even mentioning that she had insisted Dr. Zigheart rest at the hotel after nearly collapsing from overwork. It felt natural now, like a glimpse of the real Hera had finally surfaced.

Even Athena, usually playful and composed, was briefly stunned by how openly Hera spoke. She glanced around nervously, only to spot Xavier staring at the tablet with a faint smile tugging at his lips. Though his eyes were on the screen, he was clearly listening. He wasn’t reading; he was absorbing every word Hera said. And he understood.

She wasn’t hiding anymore. She was preparing to come clean.

The realization made his heart swell with quiet joy, and for the first time in a while, he couldn’t concentrate on what was in front of him.

For Xavier, this moment meant everything. The final wall Hera had built to protect herself from those around her had finally crumbled, and it wasn’t just a small breakthrough. It was a victory. One that he and the others had quietly hoped for but never dared to force.

To him, it was worth celebrating.

He could barely contain the urge to share the news with the others, to lift their spirits and ease the lingering tension that had been hanging over them. Because even if Hera never voiced it aloud, they all felt it.

That quiet, invisible distance. That sense that something was still being held back. Her secrecy had been a subtle reminder that they hadn’t fully earned her trust, that her heart was still guarded, and maybe, in some small way, she still feared they might fail her.

But now?

Now, that barrier was gone. And to Xavier, that was more than progress. It was proof. Proof that they had done enough... that they had become the kind of people Hera could rely on, not just in words, but deep down, where it truly mattered.