If you do the math, it''s obvious Ezra cheated on his wife. As for his first wife... the official story is that she died of depression, which makes it all the more suspicious.


    "So, what''s your n?" Shanley asked in a low voice. "Do you need my help?" "Help?" Juniper''s eyebrows arched slightly, a faint smile ying on her lips. "If I wanted to kill someone, would you help with that too?"


    "Of course," Shanley answered without hesitation. "You kill, I''ll hand you the knife." Juniper studied him; he didn''t look like he was joking.


    "Tch," Juniper scoffed, turning her head away. "If I really wanted to kill someone," she said nonchntly, "I wouldn''t need you to hand me a knife."


    She wouldn''t need a knife at all.


    Shanley''s eyes narrowed at her arrogant words, the smile fading from his face. Did she do this sort of thing often? She was so young, an age where she should be cherished by her family. Yet she''d been through so much...


    "I''m serious," Shanley said, his tone heavy. He put down the te of cherries and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Just say the word, and the Wilcox family will disappear from Era City by tonight."


    A warm feeling spread through Juniper''s chest.


    "Not yet," she refused. "Saskia and J have suffered for years, bearing so much nder and injustice. They deserve to have their names cleared and get the justice they''re owed."


    Just making them disappear... would be letting them off too easy. Besides, J was still in school, and Saskia hadn''t fully recovered. A bigmotion now would only hurt them the most. She would wait. A month, at most.


    "As for Yelena..." Juniper''s lips moved, her voice soft but firm. "Bullying J, was she? She needs to be taught a lesson."


    "I''ll take care of it," Shanley said, patting her head gently. Her hands didn''t need to be dirtied with this kind of thing anymore. He would handle. He didn''t mind getting his hands dirty.


    Two dayster, at six in the morning, Juniper sat up in bed, yawning sleepily. She did not want to go to school. Could she just drop out and take the final exams?


    "Ms. Payne, are you awake?" Dana''s voice came from the door. After getting a response, she peeked in with a smile. "Mr. Steele is here again. He and Mr. Schwartz are busy in the kitchen."


    "Oh." Juniper threw off the covers, twisted her hair into a messy bun, and quickly washed up. "He''s certainly persistent," she muttered as she walked downstairs.


    When she reached the dining room, J was already at the table, diligently studying vocabry.


    "Mr. Schwartz, Mr. Steele." When she saw the two of them bringing breakfast over, J immediately stood up and gave them a deep bow.


    "No need for formalities. Please, sit," Shanley said with a pleased smile.


    He thought Juniper was


    but. Melvin was even more clueless. He could already imagine how rough things were going to be for Melvin.


    "What are you smiling at?" Melvin demanded, scowling at Shanley.


    "Hm?" Shanley raised an eyebrow, lookingpletely rxed. His voice was maic andzy. "Perhaps... I''m just a naturally cheerful person?"


    Melvin was speechless. He wanted to curse but held back, not wanting to scare J. That old fox! It was like he''d been caught in the rain and now he wanted to tear everyone else''s umbre to shreds.