The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress-Chapter 849 Run

She gave a casual shrug, as if brushing off the entire conversation, though in truth, she was already considering making her escape. Staying here would only keep Alexandre’s attention on her, and the last thing she needed was more tension—or more drama stirred by Alice.

Besides, it wasn’t hard to figure out what Alice was trying to do. Even without her saying it outright, Hera had already noticed the not-so-subtle glances Alice kept throwing at Alexandre. Now, bringing up Hera’s lovers out of nowhere? It didn’t take a genius to see she was trying to ruin Hera’s image in front of him. Alice wasn’t just being petty—she was clearly interested in Alexandre and was hoping to twist the situation to her advantage.

Feigning exasperation with Alice and Mindy, Hera turned away gracefully, rolling her eyes. "You’re right. I still have a competition to prepare for. And instead of wasting my time arguing with you, I’d rather go back and get some rest," she said, her voice calm and dismissive, not sparing them another glance.

But in truth, her cheeks were still faintly flushed—not from anger, but from the lingering embarrassment stirred by Alexandre’s earlier words. More than anything, she just wanted to escape the awkwardness.

Alexandre, caught off guard by Hera’s sudden exit, shot a sharp glare at both Alice and Mindy. His expression darkened, a deep scowl settling on his face that could’ve crushed a fly. With a low, irritated snarl, he turned on his heel and strode after Hera and her friends, who were quick to follow her lead and make their exit.

The once-bustling hall fell into uncomfortable silence. Many of the guests had come hoping to speak with Alexandre—some to discuss business, others to forge connections, and a few simply to impress him. But now, he had walked out barely half an hour in.

All eyes turned to Alice, their gazes cold and full of blame. No one dared say anything to Mindy—the Pinault family held just as much power as the Arnaults—but Alice was a different matter. She was an outsider, unknown to most, and it was clear to everyone that her pointed words had irritated Alexandre’s companion.

And though Alexandre hadn’t said it aloud, it was obvious to anyone paying attention: the woman he came with wasn’t just a casual acquaintance—he was interested in her. Which was likely exactly why Mindy had set her sights on Hera in the first place.

"What the hell?! Why did we even come here if the star of the event just walked out?!" a woman snapped in English, her voice loud and full of frustration. "Who even invited this nobody who doesn’t know her place? She ruined the atmosphere and pissed off Alexandre! Tch."

This time, no one pretended not to understand English anymore. The crowd, who had remained polite earlier, now openly joined in—mocking and belittling Alice with sneers and whispered insults, their restraint unraveling in the wake of Alexandre’s abrupt departure.

"Man, I told you not to open the event to strangers," one of Alexandre’s close friends snapped, glaring at the guy who had pushed for the open invite. He stood in the middle of the room, hands on his hips, radiating frustration. "Look what happened—Alexandre just stormed off! We let everyone enter without screening if they are even a part of our circle, and now we’ve got drama. What do we do?"

The other man huffed, brushing a hand through his perfectly styled hair, clearly annoyed. "Didn’t we open it up hoping he’d meet his Miss Right? Weren’t you all saying you were tired of seeing his deadpan face all the time—hoping love might actually bring some spark into that dull, broody life of his?"

Before he could go on, one of their friends elbowed him sharply. He turned with a scowl—only to catch the warning look and the quick eye gesture toward the side. When he followed the gaze, he saw Mindy. The moment he met her eyes, cold and calculating, he knew he’d just said too much—and to the wrong audience.

"So this is what you’ve all been scheming behind my back?" Mindy’s voice cut through the room like a whip. "Pushing my fiancé onto some nobody with no proper background? And now look at the mess you’ve made!"

Alexandre’s friends broke into cold sweats under her glare. No one dared speak. They could only pray that, since they’d accidentally succeeded in pairing Alexandre with someone he was clearly interested in, maybe—just maybe—he’d shield them from Mindy’s wrath.

Meanwhile, Alexandre was already dashing after Hera.

"H-Hera, wait!" he called out, trying to catch up.

But Hera, still flustered, only quickened her pace—heels clicking against the floor, silver dress swaying elegantly, her frustration and embarrassment propelling her forward. She didn’t even look back.

Unfortunately for her, Alexandre’s long strides easily caught up. While she tried to flee the scene, her friends—Minerva, Athena, and Liz—quietly stepped to the side, melting into the background.

Athena tugged Minerva aside with a soft whisper, "Let’s give them space," while Liz remained rooted in place, eyes sparkling with uncontained excitement.

This was better than any movie she’d ever seen.

"Hera, wait!" Alexandre called again as he finally caught up to her, reaching out to grab her arm. But he misjudged his strength—his grip too firm. Hera wobbled in her high heels, stumbling slightly, but before she could fall, he instinctively pulled her into his arms, one hand sliding to support her waist.

"Hera," Alexandre said, his voice lower now, more intimate. His gaze locked on her face, a light flush coloring his cheeks. "Why are you running from me, hmm?"

He gently brushed a loose strand of hair from her face, and Hera visibly flinched at the unexpected touch. They had just met—not long enough for this kind of closeness—and Alexandre’s forwardness threw her off balance in more ways than one. Quickly, she placed a hand on his chest and gently pushed him back, trying to create some space between them.

"Alexandre," she said with a strained smile, "Like I said, I have a competition to focus on—and I really need to get some rest."

Her words were polite, but her eyes betrayed the whirlwind of thoughts she was trying to suppress.

"Or... are you running away from me because I offered to be your seventh man?" Alexandre asked bluntly, not even bothering to soften his words.

Hera choked on her own saliva, eyes going wide as she coughed in disbelief.

From the sidelines, Athena, Liz, and Minerva—who had all been eavesdropping with rapt attention—were completely dumbfounded.

Athena blinked twice, stunned, then muttered under her breath, "Since when did handsome men start offering themselves up like this? Is it really that easy now? I hope I get a wild encounter like that too..."

Liz nearly doubled over with laughter, while Minerva just stared at Alexandre like he had grown another head.

"Can’t you give me a chance?" Alexandre asked, his voice low and hopeful, eyes fixed on Hera as if she held his entire world in her hands.

Hera stared at him, completely baffled. She didn’t even understand how he had grown so attached in such a short span of time—they hadn’t even spent a full hour together. Yet here he was, practically begging to become her seventh man, without the slightest hesitation or concern for how absurd that sounded.

Was this really happening?