The Billionaire's Secret Quartet

Alaric stepped forward, slinging an arm around Hertha's shoulders with a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "I gotta say, I didn't expect you to be such a sly fox, coaxing the truth out of Georgia with just a few words."

The scene that had just unfolded was a real eye-opener for Alaric, showcasing Hertha's cunning.

On the surface, she appeared easy-going and unbothered, the type who could speak her mind in front of a crowd. Yet, every word she uttered was laced with her shrewdness.

He thought about it - the receptionist at the hotel hadn't detailed Georgia's visit to the room as precisely as Hertha had. In Hertha's recount, she remembered every specific moment. It was all to expose Georgia.

Hertha shot him a glance. "Spending too much time with Georgia has dulled your brains, hasn't it?" she quipped, turning to head into the boutique.

Alaric was about to defend his intelligence when he suddenly caught the deeper meaning in Hertha's words.

He hurried after her, clarifying, "What's this about spending too much time with Georgia?"

He could handle being called foolish, but he couldn't stand the thought that Hertha believed he was too close to Georgia.

sounded suspiciously

Hertha continue believing there

she were engaged for three years, isn't that long enough?" Hertha

Georgia and I barely spent time together," Alaric explained, almost pleadingly, as he matched her

Do you know what people say?" Hertha didn't even turn

people talking, not me," Alaric's tone was tinged with fear, the biggest barrier between him

out the misunderstanding, he'd thought Hertha would be

she still held

out on being there for Hertha during those

he make up for

it to

more anxious, stepping in front of her to

see