CHAPTER 926: CHAPTER 926 DAVE’S LITTLE TRAP

Dave snorted loudly, leaning back in his seat with a look of sheer amusement. "You’re the one being kicked out, not us," he said, voice dripping with mockery. "We were having a great time before you barged in."

Silvia stiffened in place, her face flushing with humiliation. It was the first time anyone had dared dismiss her so publicly, and she had no witty comeback, no way to save face. Rage bubbled beneath her skin, and the inability to retaliate only made it worse.

She clenched her fists so tightly that her long, sharp nails dug into her palms, drawing blood. But if she stayed, Leo would only make things worse for her. She had the sinking feeling that he wouldn’t even spare her dignity in front of these people, only adding to her humiliation. So, with a frustrated huff, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.

Dave’s laughter rang out even louder as Silvia left.

As soon as the door shut behind her, Leo’s hostile aura dissipated. He leaned back on the bed with a cold, indifferent expression, but everyone could tell he looked more at ease now.

However, when Dave still didn’t stop laughing, Leo turned his head and shot him a sharp glare.

Dave immediately choked on his own saliva, stunned by the look Leo gave him, so murderous, so cold, as if the next sound that left Dave’s mouth might cost him his life. One more laugh, and Leo might just wring his neck and make sure he’d never laugh again.

For the first time, Dave actually felt a twinge of fear when he looked at Leo. With a soft whimper, he ducked behind Hera, as if he’d just been terribly wronged. Hera, half-distracted, absentmindedly stroked his hair to comfort him.

Feeling emboldened by the gesture, Dave shot Leo a smug, taunting look that clearly said, ’See? You bully me, and my sweetheart comforts me. Who’s the loser now?’

That look alone was enough to make Leo’s fist twitch, and not just Leo’s. Even Rafael felt a dangerous itch in his knuckles.

Leo’s next glare came cold and sharp like a blade, and Dave immediately dropped to the floor, curling up with his head resting on Hera’s lap like a frightened puppy. Normally, this would be the cue for Hera to chuckle, the tension to dissolve, and the mood in the room to shift, but not this time.

Hera remained silent, lost in thought, her expression unreadable.

And for some reason, seeing Hera like this made Leo uneasy. There was a strange, gnawing feeling in his gut telling him not to provoke her, urging him to pacify her instead. He couldn’t explain it, but even without his memories, he instinctively knew she was different. She mattered.

"Ahem... Why don’t you tell me more about our shared past?" Leo suddenly offered, his voice stiff and awkward. "It might... jog my memory."

Despite his cold and indifferent expression, his eyes were evasive, betraying his discomfort, like someone trying something unfamiliar for the first time. The effort was clumsy, but genuine.

Strangely enough, the other men in the room understood him perfectly. They’d all gone through this awkward phase before, especially Rafael and Dave. Both had once acted out of character without fully grasping why.

Rafael, who was normally confident and domineering, had fumbled just the same when trying to tone himself down and act more approachable. He’d looked almost tsundere, caught between pride and sincerity.

"Oh? No need to remember much, you’re the least favorite and the group’s clown anyway." Dave pounced at the first opportunity to mess with Leo, determined to twist the narrative and give him a taste of what it felt like to be at the bottom of the hierarchy.

The others immediately caught on to what Dave was doing, clearly messing with Leo for his own amusement, but none of them spoke up. They found it hilarious. After all, once Leo regained his memories, Dave was practically digging his own grave. Everyone could already picture the sweet, inevitable revenge Leo would exact later.

"You’re stoic," Dave continued, dramatically gesturing, "with that cold, indifferent face, like the frozen peaks of the Arctic. It’s no wonder you ended up as the least favorite. You’re stiff and completely uncute."

"Every move you make looks like an awkward clown trying to blend in. Maybe, just maybe, if you acted a little cuter, my sweetheart might promote you and shower you with more attention."

Dave kept spouting nonsense with the confidence of a man on a mission, and suddenly, Luke realized what he was trying to do. Dave wanted Leo to embarrass himself by acting cute in front of everyone. And Hera, still lost in thought, hadn’t noticed any of Dave’s scheming, which only encouraged him further.

After all, they had all seen how coquettish Leo could be around Hera, how two-faced and shameless he could be when she was involved. So seeing him now, cold and composed like an aloof prince, was a stark contrast.

Dave, ever the instigator, was currently testing Leo’s bottom line, prodding to see if he still harbored a soft spot for Hera. His teasing wasn’t just to annoy Leo; it was calculated. He was dropping hints on how to catch Hera’s attention, all to see if any lingering emotions still survived the haze of amnesia.

"Look at me," Dave puffed out his chest like a proud peacock flaunting his feathers. "My sweetheart pampers me right in front of everyone, and no one dares say a thing. Ha! Maybe try currying favor with me, and I might even put in a good word for you."

The others averted their gazes, shoulders trembling as they struggled not to burst out laughing. This, this right here, was exactly why Dave was the group’s certified clown. His antics knew no bounds. But the idea of him messing with Leo? That was a new level of audacity.

He was like a clueless newborn calf with the boldness of a lion, prancing around a full-grown predator who could snap him in half. Yet he wore that fearless grin, looking so stupidly cute it was hard to take him seriously.

But deep down, they all knew, when it mattered, Dave was no fool. He could turn into a cunning fox in a heartbeat. The real wolf in sheep’s clothing. And since his tricks were harmless and strangely endearing, no one had the heart, or the guts, to call him out.

But Leo, surprisingly, believed Dave. He fell into deep thought, as if caught in a fierce tug-of-war within his own mind. His expression turned conflicted, brows furrowed, lips tight, the wariness and unwillingness plain on his face.

Yet Dave’s smug, confident expression, combined with the fact that he was now comfortably resting his head on Hera’s lap while she absentmindedly stroked his hair, looked, in Leo’s eyes, like undeniable proof.

To Leo, it was obvious: Dave was the most pampered among all the men around Hera.

He glanced around and noticed how the others were avoiding looking at Dave entirely, their faces practically turned toward their backs. To Leo, this only confirmed it; they must be seething with jealousy. So envious they couldn’t even bring themselves to look at Dave basking in Hera’s affection.

Leo pursed his lips, a strange mix of frustration and determination bubbling up inside him.

What he didn’t realize, however, was that the real reason no one dared to look at Dave... was because they were all on the verge of bursting out in uncontrollable laughter. They weren’t jealous, they were just trying not to choke from how ridiculous Dave was acting, and how close he was to being throttled by Leo once he realized he’d been thoroughly played.

Even the ever-serious Zhane had to bite his lip to keep from chuckling. Thankfully, Xavier was an international best actor, so maintaining a straight face was second nature to him. But Luke, and especially Rafael, were struggling.

Their shoulders trembled, and they were turning their heads so far away it looked like they were trying to twist their necks backwards just to avoid making eye contact with Dave.

And so, Leo remained thoroughly convinced.

He turned to Hera, biting his lower lip, his brow twitching in awkward hesitation."H-Hera... That woman from earlier, she wasn’t my fiancée. She was just an impostor," he said, his voice soft and unsure, face flushed as he tried, and utterly failed, to act cute.

It was painfully awkward, and yet he pushed through, rambling as if desperate to explain before Hera misunderstood. All thoughts of caution, strategy, or his original plan to quietly gather intel had completely vanished. Leo didn’t even notice the shift in himself, how quickly he abandoned his cool, calculating facade.

But it felt strangely natural. As if, even without his memories, this was simply how he’d always been around Hera. Some instincts were too deeply ingrained to forget. And just like that, the old Leo slipped through: awkward, endearing, and completely unaware that he was digging himself deeper into Dave’s trap.