Melvin waspletely bewildered. What could possibly happen in a couple of days?


    By the time he processed her words, Juniper was already far down the street.


    Watching her go, Melvin sighed. "So cute. If only she were my sister."


    The thought prompted him to pull out his phone and message his contact at Binary Oracle.


    [Any news about my sister?]


    Binary Oracle: [Our boss is handling it personally. Rest assured, it won''t take more than a week.]


    Less than a week? The thought of finally meeting his sister made Melvin''s heart pound with a mix of anxiety and excitement. After so many years, he should probably get her a gift, right?


    He contacted his assistant. “What''s a good gift for a young girl?"


    "Jewelry," the assistant replied instantly. "There''s a brand called J-Five that''s incredibly popr with girls your sister''s age. It''s expensive, though, and quite hard to acquire."


    "Sell all my properties in Moralia,” Melvin ordered grimly. “Then contact J-Five. I want tomission a piece of their finest custom jewelry."


    As long as his sister liked it, the cost didn''t matter.


    In a car not far away, Flint was giving Shanley the scoop, a cigarette dangling from his lips.


    "Boss, Ms. Payne was only with Melvin for about ten minutes,” Flint said, exhaling a ring of smoke. "She seemed normal, same as always. But Melvin... he doesn''t seem to have the purest intentions."


    Even after Ms. Payne had walked a good distance away, his eyes were still glued to her.


    Just in case his boss couldn''t read between the lines, Flint had snapped a photo of Melvin''s longing gaze and sent it over.


    "Hmph." A cold, humorless chuckle escaped Shanley''s throat as he


    looked at the picture. His entire


    demeanor turned dark and


    menacing. As a man, he knew


    exactly what that look


    meant-gentle, yet full of interest.


    He knew it. Melvin was up to no good. Thinking he could steal Juniper from him... In his dreams!


    ...


    With Melvin''s hair secured, Juniper went straight to ab on the outskirts of the city.


    If she left it to the staff, the DNA test would take at least a week. If she did it herself, three days at most.


    Afterpleting the first stage of the analysis, she rushed back to school for evening study hall.


    When ss ended, Juniper packed her things and handed a stack of papers to Dolce.


    "I''m leaving the review materials with you. Anyone who needs them can make a copy. If you start now, you''ll be in good shape for the midterm simtion exams."


    "I''ll take one!” Qadir was the first to raise his hand, rushing forward to grab the papers.


    "Me, me, me, want one too!"


    Queenie''s eyes lit up as she eagerly flipped through the notes. It was exactly what you''d expect from a student who got perfect scores op everything. The notes were concise and straight to the point.


    "We want copies too!"


    Who wouldn''t want review materials from a genius? The other students swarmed around Dolce, chattering excitedly.


    Juniper just smiled, slung her


    backpack over her shoulder, and headed out. As always, she walked to the designated spot. Seeing the sports car parked under the trees, her pare quickeried, and a faint smile touched her lips. But as she got closer, she saw it was Flint waiting outside, not Shanley.


    He didn''te? Juniper''s smile froze on her face.


    Flint looked rather awkward. "Mr. Schwartz had a bit to drink at a business dinner,"


    he exined quickly. "He''s resting in the car."


    "Oh." Juniper''s expression softened at his words.