"Juniper, over here," Shanley called, straightening up and waving as he saw her looking his way.


    Juniper pursed her lips and walked over.


    "It''s a bit chilly tonight. Wear this." Seeing her thin t-shirt, Shanley frowned slightly and draped his suit jacket over her shoulders. He leaned in close, and a subtle, woody scent of cedarwood drifted into her nose, crisp and soothing. She couldn''t tell if it came from the jacket or from him, but it smelled wonderful.


    "Good evening, Mr. Schwartz," the three friends stammered, their easy smiles vanishing the moment they saw Juniper''s ''distant rtive.'' They were so intimidated by Shanley''s powerful aura that they snapped to attention like they were at a military inspection.


    “Hello,” Shanley nodded curtly, his gaze sweeping over Queenie, Dolce, and finally settling on Qadir. More precisely, on the backpack he was carrying.


    Meeting Shanley''s icy stare, Qadir''s breath hitched. He immediately held out the backpack with both hands. "Mr. Schwartz, this is Juniper''s bag.”


    "Thank you," Shanley said, taking it while giving Qadir a long, meaningful look.


    "No, no, not at all," Qadir waved his hands frantically, puffing out his chest with a goofy grin. "It''s my honor to be of service to my leader, Juniper."


    Leader? It seemed his worries were unfounded.


    "Heading home?" Shanley asked, holding the car door open. His eyes were cool, his voice neutral. “Get in. I''ll give you all a ride.”


    Queenie and Dolce exchanged a look, neither daring to move a muscle.


    "Thank you, Mr. Schwartz," Qadir said casually, about to step forward until he caught the man''s indifferent gaze. The look in Mr. Schwartz''s eyes was terrifying. It felt less like an offer for a ride home and more like a trip to the crematorium.


    "Actually, it''s out of your way. We can get back on our own. We wouldn''t want to trouble you, Mr. Schwartz," Qadir said, stopping in his tracks. He bowed respectfully to both of them. “Juniper, Mr. Schwartz, we''ll be going now."


    "Is that so?" Shanley nodded, satisfied. "Alright then."


    The three of them stood frozen in ce, stunned.


    "Is there something else?" Shanley raised an eyebrow, a dangerous glint in his deep-set eyes.


    "Oh! No, no, nothing!" they all shook their heads in unison and scurried away, disappearing into the night.


    They learned quickly enough.


    "Have some of this. It''s very sweet," Shanley said with an imperceptible smile. He ducked into the car and handed Juniper the sweet potato he''d been keeping warm. Juniper stared intently at the man for a few seconds before looking away.


    Twenty minutester, at Cloudscape Community, Juniper stared at the mountain of boxes and shopping bags in the trunk. She nced up at him. "Did you two buy out the entire mall?"


    "Your brother said he''s busytely and can''t afford to be careless about thanking the people who helped you. He''ll pay them a proper visit when he gets a chance," Shanley exined, taking the jacket from her shoulders. "The Payne family took good care of you. This is nothing."


    Nothing? Juniper scanned the items, recognizing all of them as luxury brands. A rough estimate put the total at over a million.


    "My brother still has money?" Juniper''s thickshes fluttered, a faint smile ying on her lips.


    Shanley knew perfectly well that she, as Lunar, had scammed Jimmie out of nearly 10 billion right before they officially reunited. The whole incident had started because Jimmie, failing to recognize his own sister, had rudely told her to get lost. The young girl got angry, and so she taught him a 10-billion-dor lesson.


    "Anyone who dares to make Juniper angry..." Shanley said, leading her inside. He leaned closer and lowered his voice conspiratorially. "...deserves to be taught a lesson. 10 billion was letting him off easy."