The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress-Chapter 1060 Dave’s In Trouble

If only Athena knew that she had become a bad influence on a good girl like Liz, she might have facepalmed herself for teaching such crude and unladylike tactics of seduction. But there was nothing to be done now.

The dinner went smoothly, and Logan was happy. Although he had a crush on Hera, he didn’t feel jealous that Zhane and Rafael were treating her so well that he even felt genuinely glad his muse was in such good hands. That is, until he drank a little too much. His face flushed slightly, and despite his efforts, his eyes kept drifting toward Hera. He pushed his feelings down as best he could.

Then he met Minerva’s inquisitive gaze. She was sitting on Rafael’s other side, closest to Hera, and it was clear she had already noticed his few stealthy glances. They exchanged a brief look, then both quickly looked away, pretending nothing had happened.

During dinner, Hera and the others shared happy stories about the past and their careers, speaking freely without fear of judgment. Everything felt effortless and right, and everyone ended up enjoying a few extra glasses of wine.

Bry eventually fell asleep in the midst of the lively conversation. Liz took care of him, and a staff member led them to a lounge where she let him rest for a while. After about three hours, the gathering began to wind down, and everyone dispersed.

Since Minerva and Liz had also had a bit of alcohol, Hera’s bodyguards escorted them home. When Hera, Zhane, and Rafael finally reached her penthouse, they noticed Luke making his way toward the door. He must have climbed up just to look for Hera. Upon seeing Hera being carried in Zhane’s arms while Rafael carried the wheelchair, Luke paused, staring at them in surprise.

"Where have you guys been?" Luke asked, frowning. His white suit was a mess, streaked with dirt and smudges.

Instead of answering, Rafael countered, "What happened to you? You look like you’ve been dragged through a ditch..." His blunt question only deepened Luke’s frown.

"Don’t remind me," Luke growled, his expression dark and dangerous. Both Zhane and Rafael froze mid-step, sensing there was more to the story than met the eye. Luke no longer looked the composed gentleman they knew; he looked like a rogue, ready to snap someone’s neck at a moment’s notice.

"What happened?" Zhane asked cautiously.

"It’s a long story, and the hallway isn’t exactly the place to talk," Luke said, gesturing for them to keep walking.

Not long after, they reached the door, and as if anticipating their arrival, Amy was standing guard behind it. Before they could even ring the doorbell, she opened the door and welcomed them in.

Without standing on ceremony, they all made their way straight up to Hera’s room.

As soon as they arrived in the room, Hera stirred groggily, just before Zhane gently laid her down on the bed.

"Hmm... we’re back?" she murmured softly, rubbing her eyes. When she looked up, her gaze landed on another person in the room, Luke.

"Luke... you’re back too?" she asked, surprise flickering in her voice. Instinctively, she leaned against Zhane’s chest as she slowly woke, then glanced around, sensing a tense, almost stifling atmosphere surrounding the three of them.

"What’s wrong?" she asked, propping herself up cautiously, her curiosity mingled with concern.

"I..." Luke hesitated, a flicker of frustration crossing his face. He looked irritated, even careless about his disheveled appearance, as if nothing else mattered right now.

"Did something happen?" Hera asked, her brows knitting together. She could tell Luke was genuinely troubled. The fact that he wasn’t putting on his usual gentlemanly facade, and that his roguish side was showing, meant something serious had occurred. Perhaps it even had to do with his hidden identity as a mafia boss.

"Is everything alright?" she asked again, now fully awake and attentive.

Luke shook his head, unsure how or even where to begin the conversation.

Luke pursed his lips, his gaze fixed on Hera. She could feel the weight of unease pressing down, and her certainty grew; something bad had happened.

"What’s wrong?" she asked again, this time her tone sharper, more insistent, almost interrogative.

Luke finally broke the silence, drawing in a deep, steadying breath.

"We’ve been crossed... and Dave was kidnapped."

The words hit Hera like a hammer. Her mind went numb, the word kidnapped echoing relentlessly in her head. Her eyes widened to saucers as she drew in a shaky breath, struggling to process what she had just heard.

"W-What do you mean? What exactly happened?!" Hera demanded, her voice burning with fury. Her anger wasn’t aimed at Luke; it was directed at whoever had dared to kidnap Dave. The urgency in her tone made it clear that she was ready to mobilize her people and handle the situation immediately.

「Three hours ago...」

"Luke, are you sure everything has been set up properly and tightly controlled?" Dave asked once again, for what felt like the hundredth time, before they left.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Luke replied, raising an eyebrow. "Your people, my people, and Leo’s people are all working together. We only brought in our most trusted allies. What exactly are you so worried about?"

His tone carried a mix of impatience and disbelief, as if he were staring at someone who couldn’t stop fretting over every little detail.

"Don’t fucking look at me like that! You know my position. Just working with you on this operation already makes me an accomplice, and I’m breaking so many rules just to help get this done..." Dave retorted defensively, trying to salvage his image.

The truth was, they had spent days preparing for this joint operation between their factions. His war on the cartels and hidden drug operations had been going smoothly lately, so it was only natural for him to worry now. These people weren’t fools; if they were, they wouldn’t have operated so effectively under his jurisdiction for so long.

Dave was well aware that their enemies had likely noticed patterns and might even have deduced who was working with him. It was only normal for him to double-check every little detail.

Because a single misstep could backfire catastrophically on all of them, but especially on him, Dave held a high political position, and if anything happened to him, those eyeing his seat would seize the opportunity without hesitation. They would stir unrest, inflate a manageable incident into a full-blown crisis, all to justify forcing him out and taking his place.

It wasn’t far-fetched to assume that some of his political opponents might even be colluding with the very mafias he had been targeting, deliberately amplifying the forces aligned against him.

After all, Dave had received countless death threats before; ever since he became the country’s Young Minister, he had stepped on too many toes. His policies and anti-propaganda campaigns had directly threatened powerful people and their interests, and he had long grown accustomed to hostility.

But this time was different.

This time, he could feel that every muzzle was aimed squarely at him. One mistake would be enough to get him killed. And if he truly fell, the consequences would ripple far beyond his own life.

The country would descend into chaos. His grandfather might respond by declaring martial law, ruling with an iron fist to eradicate their enemies, a move that other nations could easily exploit, cloaking intervention or war under the pretense of "saving" the people from a tyrant.

And in the end, his entire family might be wiped out along with him.

Just considering the stakes was enough to make Dave deeply uneasy. This was one outcome he absolutely could not allow to happen, because it wouldn’t only implicate his family, but also his friends... and even Hera, who was closely tied to him. That was why he was so cautious, so insistent on making sure every detail was accounted for.

For someone in his position, a Young Minister at the center of a nationwide storm, he shouldn’t even be here. He should have been locked down in the White Palace, surrounded by elite guards and military protection, especially at the height of his war on drugs, when assassination attempts were most likely.

Yet instead, he was here with Luke, personally preparing to strike and intercept a weapons smuggling operation along Leo’s route, determined to reclaim Leo’s supplies and wrest them back from the one who had seized power, entrenched himself on the throne of the Northern Mafia Faction, and refused to let go.

"Stop yapping. The cargo’s about to arrive, we need to get ready," Luke said, pressing the comms in his ear as he received word of the incoming shipment.

"Shit, already? I’m not ready yet," Dave muttered, clutching his assault rifle. But despite his words, his stance and calm composure betrayed the poise of a seasoned military veteran. After all, he and his friends had served in the military before going their separate ways to carve their own paths.