The Billionaire's Secret Quartet

His heart shattered in an instant. Alaric knew Hertha had made up her mind to keep their relationship strictly platonic, closing the door on any romantic entanglement between them. Compared to her previous declaration of wanting to never see him again, this seemed like a merciful reprieve. But why did it hurt even more than the thought of a lifetime apart?

When she spoke of never seeing each other again, at least there was emotion in it, a sign that she still cared enough to be angry. Anger meant there were still expectations. Now, her calmness, the lack of any ripple in her gaze, spoke volumes.

Her words were so measured, devoid of any trace of anger, signaling that she had moved on, indifferent to what they once had. She didn't care about him anymore.

Reading this in Hertha's tranquil eyes, Alaric felt as if a hand was clutching his heart, squeezing it painfully, making it hard for him to breathe. Looking at Hertha, his gaze lost its usual steadiness, becoming unsettled. He wanted to speak, but when he opened his mouth, only a trembling voice came out, his taste buds tinged with bitterness.

discomfort slightly, striving for composure as he asked,

shaky voice. Yet, she steadied her emotions, offering a smile as she casually and openly responded to his question, "Hard to say. If I meet someone really

welling up in his eyes. He looked away, blinking back the tears, and with a forced smile,

arrangements. Don't worry, your

heart spread far and wide. He wanted to ask, "What about my place in your heart? Will that

nodded, saying, "It's getting late, I should head back to

"Let's walk together, you're staying on