"Hera! Hera! We have insufficient manpower so get your ass up and work!" The furious woman's voice pierced Hera's ears as she dozed beside the trash can behind the fast food restaurant where she worked.
Hera weakly replied, her voice doused by weariness. "Alright!"
Before entering, she paused to check her phone which was ringing.
"Hello, Athena?"
"Babe, where are you? Are you out buying a gift for your boyfriend?"
"No, I'm still in my part-time job. We're short-staffed, so I had to extend my hours. "
The sound of an angry woman's voice could be heard on the other end of the phone line. "What? Didn't you just finish a 12-hour shift yesterday?!"
"Hmm. I can't do anything about it." Hera massages her aching temple due to exhaustion.
"Why do you even have to do this to yourself, Hera?!" Athena felt her heart ache for her best friend.
The fast food restaurant always had a shortage of staff, but instead of hiring additional regular employees, they relied on part-timers to work a full shift with a part-timer's pay. From the boss's perspective, this allowed them to earn more while paying less.
But what could Hera do? She's just a part-timer who needed money to pay for her tuition fees and other expenses.
"I had to." Hera replied.
"I'm sorry to say this, but your boyfriend is taking advantage of you financially. You deserve better, please consider your situation carefully."
"Please, Athena, stop. Haven't I been doing fine?" Hera's voice sounded almost pleading so that Athena would not nag her.
"Fine! You've been always doing the opposite of my advice. But if anything happens, don't forget to ask me for help."
Hera felt warmth envelop her heart, she and Athena had been a decade-long best friend.
They met at her parents' funeral when she was 8 years old, Athena was the one who extended her hands to her, stood by her when she was lonely, and continued to stay by her side while she was working outside to support herself.
She and Athena are like the Sun and the Moon. One was blindingly bright while the other guided through the darkness that gave hope.
The two of them were inseparable and treated each other as sisters born from different parents.
Hera's only living relative is her grandfather. Unfortunately, her grandmother passed away after giving birth to Hera's father. Despite this tragedy, her grandfather did not remarry and instead raised his son on his own. He provided him with the love and care of a father, although Hera's father always longed for the love and care of a mother. Nevertheless, he understood that his father did everything he could to raise him right and showered him with love in place of his mother.
Her father was known for his kind and gentle nature. Despite being admired by many women, he fell in love with a remarkable woman - her mother. She was not just beautiful and intelligent, but also a fiercely independent woman who made bold moves that shook the business world. In every sense, she was like a lioness.
Despite his kind nature, her father was a worldwide business mogul known as the smiling tiger. If you let your guard down, he will silently devour you whole. He was considered a genius in business, surpassing his father's talent.
Her parents had previous business encounters. Her father fell in love at first sight, while her mother fell in love with his dependable nature which made her feel safe. And that's how their love story began. Their relationship was the envy of many, and their dream-like marriage made them the talk of the town.
Their wedding alone was a grandeur. the wedding dress was designed and handmade by the world's number-one wedding dress designer Sasha, Athena's mother. Everything in the reception was the finest and the attendees were all powerful magnates from every part of the world.
Who wouldn't want to be a powerful couple? Despite being admired, they are often the targets of envy and jealousy, leading to malice.
When Hera was born, her parents went to great lengths to conceal her identity and shield her from the public eye. They did not want her to become the center of attention and the subject of envy. Their intention was to allow Hera to live a normal life in privacy, away from the spotlight.
Hera's ancestors always lived among normal people, learning about their lifestyles and struggles. They had to experience how it feels to be normal, without the influence of money and power. Because they want their children to understand that conceitedness and snobbishness will not lead them to opulence but to a false belief of being higher than others.
They had a dictum in their family which says. The world is big, the sky is up high and there's always a bigger mountain than the one you grew up with.
Every child from Avery experiences hunger and homelessness, and some even experience the life of a farmer.
I know that you already know who Hera Avery is, that's right. She's the sole heiress of the Avery Consortium. But she goes by the name Hera Ainsley, following her mother's maiden name while she lives outside.
But what sets her different from her ancestors is she remains outside even after she turns 18. The Avery will raise their children in small residential apartments, cook them food bought from the market, and learn how to clean after themselves and do what other normal kids do. This is done to teach them from a young age how to appreciate things and not to take everything for granted.
The only thing that will be different is, that they will always be sent to expensive schools.
The Avery did not want to neglect the children's education and would only send them to the best of the best of school.
When the children turn 18, they will learn their true heritage and undergo training to take over their family business.
However, Hera already turned 18 last year but she refused to go back. Why you ask? Because her current boyfriend knew that she was a poor orphan, she was worried that he would get angry with her for lying about her background.
On their third anniversary tomorrow which also happens to be his birthday, she has decided to have a heart-to-heart talk with him. During the conversation, she will reveal her true identity, even though it may be hard for him to believe. Because Hera Avery was known to everyone as someone who went abroad to complete her master's degree at Princeton.
Her grandfather would allow the media to capture photos of the stand-in just to make it seem like she was really abroad.
But who would have imagined that Avery's heiress was working as a waitress in a fast-food restaurant? No one.