He scoffed. Back when her grandfather Lemuel was alive and doted on her, Juniper had been so arrogant she wouldn''t even give him the time of day. Now that Lemuel was gone, she had no problem lowering herself to be an old man''s mistress.


    How amusing.


    “At the graduation g, if it wasn''t for her scheming, I wouldn''t have..." Ynda pouted, trying to repair her image in Jerrold''s eyes. The scandal from that night had been a huge embarrassment for him, and she''d heard the Lonsdale family wasn''t happy about it. And then there was that other time... Ynda subconsciously touched her cheek, where a thickyer of foundation covered the bruises, her eyes shing with hatred.


    "That''s enough." Jerrold cut her off, his mind still on Juniper. "Don''t bring that up again." Everyone who was anyone knew the Lonsdale and Sherwin families were nning to unite through marriage. To save face, he had spent a fortune suppressing the scandal.


    If it weren''t for the fact that debutantes from more prestigious families looked down on his illegitimate status, why would he ever have agreed to an alliance with the Sherwins?


    Jerrold nced at Ynda, frowning deeply. In his opinion, her looks, ss, and figure didn''t evene close to a fraction of Juniper''s.


    "You should focus on your studies for now," he said, stirring his coffee distractedly. "If you rank among the top in the exams, it will reflect well on both our families. People will naturally forget about those rumors."


    "Okay, Jerrold," Ynda replied meekly.


    After Ynda left, Jerrold took out his phone. Staring in the direction Juniper had gone, he sent a text to a private investigator: [Find out who the old man paying for Juniper is.]


    She wanted money, didn''t she? In that case, what did it matter who she slept with? He''d wanted her for years. He could certainly afford to pay.


    ...


    At Aurora High School, the exam seating for the four senior sses had beenpletely randomized. Juniper found her assigned ssroom on the notice board. As she walked in, she saw Queenie and Qadir waving excitedly at her.


    "Juniper!"


    "Over here!"


    Juniper smiled and took the seat in front of Queenie. "Fancy seeing you two here," she said, turning around to face them.


    "Yeah, what a coincidence!" Qadir grinned and pulled a few mango candies from his pocket. "Here, I noticed you like this vor. Try these."


    "Thanks." Juniper popped one into her mouth. The sweet and tangy mango vor filled her senses. It was a strange, indefinable taste... not as good as the ones Shanley gave her.


    “Juniper, how did your studying go?" Qadir asked curiously.


    Honestly, he was a little skeptical about the key points she had given them yesterday. After all, Juniper''s report card had even more zeros than his. Still, he''d taken a look at them anyway.


    "It was fine," Juniper yawned, digging through her bag for a pen. Her hand brushed against the bottle Shanley had packed. She took it out and set it on her desk, nning to put it away after she found what she was looking for.


    "Whoa, Juniper, is that pink bottle yours? It''s kinda cute." The bottle immediately caught Qadir''s eye, and he reached out to get a better look.


    "It''s mine!"


    Before he could even touch it, Juniper snatched it back like a startled cat and stuffed it deep into her bag.


    Both Queenie and Qadir froze, staring at her in bewilderment. They had never, ever seen Juniper act so possessive over anything before. Who could have given it to her?