CHAPTER 909: CHAPTER 909 CONCLUSION

At this moment, Hera held the reins, and she knew it. She watched as the assassin leader’s expression twisted into a deep scowl. Now he was under pressure. Sure, they could end her with a single silenced shot, clean and fast, but doing so meant walking away from an offer so lucrative it made his hands twitch just thinking about it. The money was right there, within reach. All he had to do was take it... and walk away.

"So, what’s your decision?" Hera pressed, her voice calm but firm, applying psychological pressure to force a response. She knew that pushing now might shake his mental defenses, but unfortunately, the man in front of her wasn’t just any normal person. He was a seasoned assassin, hardened by years of ruthless missions. Breaking his resolve wouldn’t be so easy.

Still, Hera wasn’t fazed. Her confidence stemmed from one simple fact: her resources were practically limitless. If 1.5 billion wasn’t enough to sway him, she could just raise the offer. Sooner or later, the number would be too big to refuse. At some point, they wouldn’t care about their ranking on the mission board, because the money would be enough to buy them a lifetime of luxury.

Although Xavier and Alexandre didn’t know exactly what Hera was planning, they stayed silent. They could sense the shift in the air; Hera was clearly the one in control of the negotiation now.

Intervening at this point might upset the delicate balance of power she had established. So, without a word, they simply stood in front of her like a protective wall, silent sentinels ready to act, but wise enough to let her lead.

The more distressed the voices behind the leader’s earpiece became, the more urgent the decision felt. Yet across from him, Hera sat with composed ease, watching him leisurely, as if time was on her side. That contrast only deepened the pressure weighing on his shoulders. The fate of his group, his fellow brothers, rested entirely in his hands.

Little by little, the tension began to gnaw at him from the inside. Though his face remained unreadable, his palms and soles were clammy with sweat, and a cold dampness spread across his back. He was a seasoned assassin, trained to endure all kinds of pressure, but this? This was the pressure of wealth, of opportunity, of survival.

And money... was its own kind of weapon.

Even his people were starting to shift restlessly. Their faces stayed composed, but he knew them too well. Beneath the calm, they were rattled. They wanted to speak, to act, to accept the offer. They knew time was slipping away. Hera’s bodyguards could break through at any moment, and Alexandre’s reinforcements were on their way. Once surrounded, the silver platter before them would vanish, and with it, the chance to escape both danger and poverty.

It didn’t take long before he caved.

"Alright, I’ll accept," the leader said at last, his voice low but firm.

Hera’s eyes lit up, her lips curling into a satisfied smile, like a cat who had just been handed her favorite treat. "Good," she purred. "Just give me your Swiss account details, and I’ll transfer the money right away."

But then her gaze sharpened, her tone turning ever so slightly. "And remember, don’t try to double-cross me after the money’s in your hands."

She smiled again, slow and deliberate. It wasn’t a threat spoken aloud, but something in that expression made the leader’s spine prickle. He couldn’t explain why, but every instinct he had, honed from years of surviving dangerous jobs, blared in warning. Without a word, he gave a stiff nod, the chill still crawling down his back.

He raised a hand and signaled one of his men forward. The man moved cautiously, holding out a phone with the account information for Xavier and Alexandre to view.

But just two steps away, the leader suddenly asked, narrowing his eyes, "How can I be sure that once you have your phone, you won’t use this moment to call in backup?"

"Which do you think is faster, my backup or your bullet?" Hera said with a calm smile.

It wasn’t a bluff. Her smile didn’t hold fear; it held confidence, certainty. She wasn’t reckless enough to gamble her life now that the negotiations had reached a turning point. From the very start, she had been the one making offers, speaking of billions like it was pocket change. Her demeanor had never once faltered, never once hinted at desperation.

That alone said everything.

She wasn’t someone who’d go back on her word over money, especially not when she’d tossed it around so casually. By saying what she did, Hera wasn’t just acknowledging the risk. She was making it clear she understood the power dynamics at play, and more importantly, that she was not some paper tiger pretending to be fierce.

If she could offer that kind of money without blinking, then her background had to be deeper and more dangerous than they could imagine. She could very well have access to underground networks, networks powerful enough to put their names on a dark web hit list. And if that happened, if top-tier assassins came after them...

They’d be hunted like prey.

In that moment, the leader realized the balance had shifted completely. The blade was no longer in his hand; it was at his throat. And Hera, smiling as if nothing in the world could touch her, now held his life in hers.

How strange it was, they had come here to kill, only to have the tables turned on them so effortlessly. The hunter had become the one cornered, and the shift in power had been executed with unsettling cunning.

After a brief nod from the leader, the man who had been just two steps away from Xavier stepped forward and handed over the phone, displaying their Swiss bank account.

Xavier took it calmly, his expression unreadable, then reached for his own phone to initiate the transfer, only to suddenly feel a light tug at the back of his coat.

"Let me handle it," Hera said, her phone already in hand with the banking app open. She gave the screen a small wave in front of Xavier, casually revealing her intent and her wealth. Since she was no longer hiding, there was no reason to conceal this part of herself either.

Xavier initially meant to ignore it, brushing off whatever number he might glimpse. But then he caught a proper look. His eyes widened. For a moment, he thought he was seeing double, row after row of zeros danced on the screen. He leaned in to get a better look, only to confirm what he’d feared: Hera had dozens of billions in her account.

His hand trembled slightly as he handed the phone over without another word. Compared to hers, even his own well-funded account looked modest. The sheer number made him lightheaded.

Even Alexandre was stunned. He’d only stolen a quick glance, but the numbers he saw in Hera’s online bank left him speechless. He could only press his lips together in disbelief.

His own family had a few hundred billion in liquid assets, split evenly between him and his father, but Hera, this seemingly unassuming woman, had that kind of wealth all to herself.

For a brief moment, Alexandre felt the weight of it settle on his shoulders. If he wanted to court her seriously, he’d have to work even harder. Otherwise, he might just feel too embarrassed to stand by her side.

None of the assassins knew what the two men were thinking, but they waited nervously as Hera calmly typed in the account number and the amount on her online banking portal.

Fortunately, she had already gone through the necessary steps after receiving a large transfer from her grandfather. She’d verified the source of her income with the bank and waived the need for additional confirmation on large transactions.

Her online banking also used facial recognition, so the bank didn’t raise any red flags. Normally, transfers of this scale would require multiple layers of clearance, but since it was all digital, the process was far smoother than physically moving funds on set.

The moment Hera heard the familiar ’ding’ of the notification on her phone, she smiled sweetly and looked up.

"All set! Here’s your phone. Check if you’ve received the transfer, and just treat the extra five hundred million as my tip," she said breezily, as if she were tipping a waiter.

But this was no casual generosity. It was part of her psychological game to overwhelm them before they could gather their wits.

The man quickly retrieved the phone, and the leader, upon seeing the transaction notification, froze. His pupils dilated. For a brief second, he stood stunned in silence, then barked his command.

"Retreat! I repeat, retreat!"

His voice rang out sharply, not just to the assassins surrounding Hera, Xavier, and Alexandre, but also to those still stalling her approaching bodyguards.