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His arms crossed around his chest, hip leaning against the rounded edge of the table, Eric stood, his back turned to Hera. Michael lifted his foot and placed it on the armrest of the chair Noel sat on. Hera rolled her eyes at the exaggerated action unfolding in front of her. 

She and Noel were having lunch at the school\'s food court before Michael had rudely interrupted their conversation. 

Noel didn\'t even blink while his eyes glared at Michael. The latter had his hands shoved in his trousers\' pockets, one foot firmly planted on the ground while the other stayed on the armrest. He leaned forward, looking into Noel\'s eyes. 

.

"Try something dirty, and I\'ll slit your throat," Michael said in warning. He didn\'t make any effort to hide his distaste. Michael looked sharply at Hera, the displeased scowl spreading across his face. He didn\'t utter a word to her. Hera watched as his right hand made its way out of his pocket and a finger lifted in her direction. He moved it back and forth wiggling twice. 

It was a wordless message, warning her to be careful and also an assurance of protection. She knew nothing would harm her in their presence. They never left her on her own during Hunter\'s absence. 

Hera blew him a kiss and grinned. Her eyes filled with relief, pride and gratitude. Michael turned his back to her and walked back to his table. Eric smiled at Hera and left. She noticed how Eric gestured to Noel with his fingers that he had his eyes fixed on him. 

She wasn\'t sure if it was just a coincidence or a deliberate move, but she had noticed how Jake and his friends would be around her, always watching from a distance if Michael and Eric were not there. 

Noel snapped his fingers in front of her eyes and brought her attention back to him. "Do they get paid enough for their job? They\'re surprisingly good at it," Noel said, referring to Michael and Eric. His sarcasm didn\'t hide his frustration. Hera detected the anger in his tone. 

\'He is pissed at them for always treating him like a stray dog.\'

Hera bit back a smile. Wasn\'t he the one referring to them as dogs? He never missed a chance of insulting them. 

\'Oh, the irony!\'

"They\'re my brother\'s and my boyfriend\'s best friends and wouldn\'t hesitate to sacrifice their lives to save their friends. I know how much you dislike them, but I would appreciate it if you stop insulting their friendship," Hera said with a polite smile. 

Bianca would glare at them whenever she saw them together. Hera didn\'t miss how Noel\'s eyes would scan her from top to bottom. There was something in his gaze, Hera couldn\'t pinpoint what. Sometimes he would even dare to pass a few flirtatious comments, but surprisingly, Bianca ignored it every time. 

Samantha seemed to be very pleased these days. Hera had no idea what made her look so smug. 

A few days later, 

Hera didn\'t think she would like spending time with Noel. He stayed true to his word and never once made her second guess her decision. He was a proper gentleman. Now Hera didn\'t hesitate to have lunch at the school\'s luncheon bar. They would eat together, enjoying each other\'s company. 

She wouldn\'t make a mistake of trusting him blindly, not after what Andrew did. Hera made sure whenever she was with Noel they were in the crowded place. She didn\'t forget, in Noel\'s mind, she was just his means to hurt Hunter. Nothing would be more dangerous than involving yourself in a revenge game, right?

Hera kept their talk limited to casual conversation. They spoke about their likes and dislikes, hobbies, favourite movie and food, etcetera. It took only a week for Hera to be comfortable around him. He now reminded her of the boy she met at the party, easy-going, fun to be with, cool guy. She could now safely say they were friends. 

Despite his true intention, Noel proved to be a good company. Not that Hera would share her deepest secrets or anything, but he still appeared to be a good friend, especially when her own friends deserted her. 

He would pull a chair for her and sometimes insist on carrying her bag, but Hera disliked such cliched cheesiness. He wasn\'t her boyfriend for God\'s sake. 

"You don\'t have to carry my things to get certified as my friend," Hera had said, swatting his hands off. "How would I show you the better version of me and replace Ace in your love story then? I\'m trying to upgrade my status from friend to boyfriend. Let me court you properly," he said. 

However, Hera admired his honesty. He never let Hera forget even for a minute that he wanted to defeat Hunter. 

IN THE MANSION: 

"Mom, you just saw me walking perfectly fine," Hunter said, whining into the camera. His mother was hell-bent on keeping him locked in the room. She was even ridiculing the doctor for advising him to start walking already. "Mom, it\'s been almost two weeks, and I didn\'t even have a broken bone. It\'s merely a scratch and already healed," he argued back. 

Hunter couldn\'t wait to go back to school. He was bored staying inside the four walls. The doctor had just removed the stitches, and Hunter only experienced a slight discomfort when the nurse cleaned after. That had been his biggest mistake because his mother had seen the way he clenched his teeth. Now she wanted him to rest for another two weeks. 

"Boy, either you follow my word, or I\'m coming to London," she threatened. Hunter pursed his lips and sighed in defeat. His head dropped, and he sat on the bed quietly. He stared at his wound on the knee, apart from the slight pinkish scar, it had completely healed. 

The stitched cut on his thigh had left a scar too. His mother spoke to the doctor about the marks, and he had said it would fade away with time. Hunter and Mathew bit the inside of their cheeks to keep themselves from laughing when she gave the doctor an unimpressed look. 

When she suggested the scar revision surgery, the doctor looked offended. He tried to assure her that his medicinal creams would work effectively. Hunter had to plead with his father to convince his mother in the end. She had agreed, but there was a condition. She wanted her son to come home for a week after his scars heal. 

Hunter agreed to her condition without any protest. He missed home too. Why would he reject an opportunity as such where he could hug and feel his parents\' love and affection physically? 

Later, when he was alone and missed Hera, he realised the bigger existing problem. He would have to leave Hera alone. He groaned in helpless frustration and sank into the bed. 

\'I should utilise the time left productively instead of sulking.\' 

He gave himself a pep talk and smiled, remembering Hera\'s birthday. He wasn\'t sure about the gift until yesterday. He thought of so many things, and nothing seemed satisfying. But now he knew exactly what would be the perfect gift for her birthday. 

He heard the door click open, and a few seconds later, he heard a heavy thump of footsteps on the stairs. He could guess it was Michael trying to race Eric to their rooms. Hunter had refused to let the girls stay at the mansion because he was tired of Hera and Bianca\'s pettiness. Even though there wasn\'t any verbal abuse, they were silently competing for his attention. 

They fought over who should be allowed to feed him the medicine or go down and fetch him water or bring his food. 

"Hey, inefficient person," Michael yelled as his greeting and Hunter grinned pleased to see his friends. "Hey, loser," Hunter replied. 

He jumped on Hunter\'s bed, spreading himself on his stomach, feet still covered in shoes. "You\'re lying on Hera\'s side," Hunter said, informatively, displeasure dripping out of his tone. Michael saw the scowl on his face and laughed. He propped himself up on his elbow and faced Hunter. 

"You say that as if my baby girl is any different from me. We\'re the same, that\'s why we repel each other so much, brother. The truth is she\'s actually worse compared to me. And please, we all know who the neat freak here is. So stop using the poor girl as your cover up," Michael said, using the chiding tone while his eyes shone with amusement. 

Grabbing the pillow, Hunter threw it on Michael\'s face and grinned when Michael screamed, attempting a girlish voice. 

"What the hell is wrong with you two juveniles?" Eric asked, entering Hunter\'s room. He had showered and dressed in a neatly pressed yellow cotton shirt with black cargo pants. "And, Mike, change your uniform first," he scolded. His two best friends laughed like crazy. 

"Go shower before I kick your arse," Eric said to Michael. Rolling his eyes, Michael took out his phone from the pocket and sat up on the bed. "Give me a minute, Eric. I have something interesting to show Ace," he said grinning wide.