Chapter 3

RIGHT after they had finished their last subject, when his cellphone suddenly rang, Hera immediately answered the call.

"Hello, Ma?" she said.

"Where are you? I'm here outside your school. I came to pick you up so we can go on together," Here couldn't help but smile when she heard those words from her mother.

"I'm leaving, Ma. Wait for me," she said, then quickly turned off that call and looked at her two friends. "I'll go first, guys. My mother just came to pick me up."

"Okay, take care," Elsie also bid goodbye to her. Ethan still didn't talk to her since what happened to them with Inigo.

She waved her hands at them and then hurriedly ran out of campus. Hera saw his mother's car parked not far from the campus gate, approached the vehicle immediately, and got into the passenger's seat.

"There's a coffee shop across the street. Get dressed first because we're going somewhere else," her mother commanded as she handed her a paper bag.

"Where are we going, Ma? Why do I have to get dressed?" she asked and opened that paper bag. It has a dress inside that paper bag.

"I'll tell you later. Just get dressed first," her mother ordered again, and even though she was wondering, she obeyed. Hera left the car again and crossed to the other side of the road to get dressed at the coffee shop.

After she got dressed, she immediately returned to her mother's car.

"Where are we going, Ma, and why is this dress you put on me so beautiful?" she asked out of confusion because she knew that dress came from a signature shop, so it was not that cheap. Meaning they have somewhere special to go to.

The dress leaves her shoulders mostly uncovered and flows into a beautiful keyhole neckline. Her arms have been entirely covered. The sleeves are tight but comfortable fit from top to bottom. While the waist is narrow, it's a close fit. Also, a cloth ribbon has been wrapped around her and tied in the front. While below the core, the dress widens and has a trapeze style. The length was just below her knee with the same size around. She paired it with t-strap sandals.

"Today, Felix and I set up the date to meet the two of you. He wanted to meet you, and I wanted to meet his son too." She saw the excitement on her face. She was just like a teenager who was going to meet her boyfriend.

"Is it that fast, Mom? I think it's too early to meet each other," she inevitably asked her mother because he didn't expect it to be that fast.

"Later, you will why, okay?" she answered and quietly drove away from the school. She also kept quiet for a moment.

After about half an hour of driving, they finally turned left on the next street. There was a long field on the side of the road they had taken, and then they passed through a vast tunnel were when they came out, it was like they were in another world. She looked around in amazement outside the car. She felt like she was inside a fairy tale.

They entered at a fancy and elegant gate. A gate that like it belonged to a palace. Along the road, there was wall grass, and in the end, she was not mistaken about what she thought because now there was a huge house in front of them, and there was even a center fountain right in front of that mansion.

"Mom, are you serious that this is their house?" she still couldn't believe it.

"Yes, my dear," she laughed at him and was overjoyed at her reaction. Her mother stopped the car in front of that mansion, and that car didn't fit in that place. "All right, Hera, get down now," she ordered, so she obeyed and got out of their car.

But he still couldn't believe it, so her eyes wandered again.

It was like I was in a fairy tale, as if everything in there was glittering and shining.

"Hera," his mother called her attention. "Come on, let's go inside. They've been waiting for us," her mother said and held her hand.

They didn't even get close to that door, but it was automatically opened for them. And she couldn't believe many maids lined up in front of them and greeted them.

Is it really happening? I've only seen this kind of scene in dramas, and I couldn't believe that I could experience this.

She was also surprised when they simultaneously bowed in front of them. Wow! Well-oriented! She was still laughing to herself. A maid in a different uniform approached and greeted them.

"The Masters are already in the dining hall." And then she walked ahead and took them to the dining hall.

If you enter their house, you can't see the kitchen immediately. In that mansion, they walked another five minutes just to get to the dining area of ​​the house. She felt like they were inside a palace and all the furniture there was literally glittering and shining.

"Lord Felix, the visitors are already here," the maid said politely to the man seated at the very head of the table. And he was with another man. Maybe as her mother says, he is the only child of her boyfriend, but because he is facing the other side of the table, she can't see his face yet.

She roamed her eyes again. Given the size of the dining area, it is only right to call it a dining hall. More than 20 people can be accommodated here, and three chandeliers are hanging right in front of the long table.

There was so much food on the dining table that she felt like a feast was being held. But you will also notice that only four chairs have cutlery and plates.

She also felt they were in a fine dining restaurant because there were helpers there who were just standing on the sides and seemed to be ready at any time to serve them.

"Isabelle, you can sit down here," he said while pointing to the chair next to him. Her mother obeyed, so she followed her.

They were not fully seated when her son suddenly shouted.

"What?! She is going to be your new girl?!" he asked unbelievably as he looked at them, while she almost dropped her jaw in shock because that guy was no other than Drake Inigo Sanders.

"Inigo, can you learn to be respectful even just for now!" Tough and full of authority language of his father. Although it can be seen on his face that he does not want them to be there, he remains silent.

While they were eating, a deep silence predominated the area, which she was not used to. It was almost hard for her to swallow the food she put in her mouth. Don't get her wrong. The food was excellent and delicious. It has a unique taste that she had never tasted before. Maybe they had a Master Chef. The only problem is the ambiance around her. And the look that Inigo's given to her, he was not happy seeing them here. It was all written on his face.

Mr. Sanders looked at them when they finished eating and sat straight on his seat.

"I think we're all done eating," Mr. Sanders started. "So, we can now discuss everything," he said and looked earnestly at her mother. "Isabelle, let's talk in my office with these two." He refers to the two of them, she and Inigo. When he stood up, they followed him. Inigo followed him first, and then she and her mother.

They had been walking for eight minutes, but with the number of doors they had passed, they still could not reach the office. She still couldn't believe the size of that house because as they walked in now, she had proven to herself how big it was.

It was like they were walking in the hallway of a hotel because of the structure and equipment in that place, and it even had a red carpet spread in the hallway of the whole house.

She thinks they went through more than thirty doors before Inigo's father approached a door and opened it. When they entered, it was like they were in the office of the President of the country.

"You may sit down," he said, so they sat. It was the same arrangement as they were in the dining hall. Inigo was on his left, and they were on the other side of its seat. "What's your name again, hija?" he asked while she was busy observing the whole room.

"Ah. I'm Hera Andrea Ortega, but you can call me Hera," he said politely.

"Ah, lovely name, just like you and your Mom," he said, so her mother blushed at what he said. His mother's reaction just shook her. "Anyway, this is my son, Inigo. Sometimes, you must have long patience due to his rudeness." Inigo raised his eyebrow at his father upon saying those words. "That's why I need someone who can help me to fix this child's behavior somehow. I think he needs a mother to look after him and preach to him," he sadly told them. And he understands what he says because she knows Inigo's habit is really hopeless.

"Nuh. Over my dead body," Inigo said carelessly.

"Inigo! Can you be respectful even just once or even for now?!" His father rebuked him again. "Hera and Inigo." He seriously called them after Inigo rolled his eyes. "Isabelle and I have agreed to live together in the same house," he said. Inigo and Hera were surprised by what he said. She even can't help to look at her mother because she doesn't say anything to her. Instead of giving her an answer, her mother just softly squeezed the hands that she was still holding.

"Isn't it too early for that?" Inigo strongly objected, but in that case, she agreed to it.

"Yes, but we need to do this before we decide to get married in the first place. So, we could see if you both can adapt to our new family setup," he continued to explain to them, but she still didn't understand. "Hera, you and your Mom are going to live here. I want to give you the life that your Dad didn't give you," he said sincerely to her.

"Everything we're telling you today has been discussed, and we have planned well," her mother said suddenly.

"You've already planned and talked about everything, then why are we still here? You have already decided for your life not to consult us!" Inigo's irritable response.

So she was surprised when her mother suddenly stood up and approached Inigo. Her mother held his hand.

"Can you please give me a chance to become your mother? I'm not saying I will replace your mother, but I also want to show you how to have a mother, as I did with Hera." Inigo was shocked and could not speak but violently removed her mother's hand holding him.

"Can you please don't act as if you know me very well!" Inigo shouted at her mother.

"INIGO!" Mr. Sanders also shouted at him.

"If you want to start a family, can you just go on with your own and don't involve me in that nonsense!" He shouted and quickly left the room. They just watched him until he left that room, but she understood how Inigo felt for the first time.

"I apologize for Inigo's behavior. I know it won't be that easy for him to accept our decision, but I hope you can still tolerate my son," Mr. Sanders said in total humility and looked at her again. "Hera, I hope you can reconcile with that child of mine. Even though he is always like that, he is still my son, and broad understanding should be given to him."

"No problem, Mr. Sanders," she said politely. "I understand."

"You can also call me Dad. I see that Isabelle raised you well. This is why I also choose her to be a mother for Inigo."

I never thought that in the dimensions of the world, the person I don't like the most would be my stepbrother.